Kids... They Bounce

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brennan2_icon.gif samara2_icon.gif

Scene Title Kids… They Bounce
Synopsis Dr. Brennan does his doctorly duty
Date February 24, 2011

Financial District — Brennan Medical Group


Some decisions are just more difficult than others. Sitting in the waiting room of Brennan Medical Group, one particular walk-in, shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She’s unsure. She didn’t sleep much last night which made getting up to wait in the doctor’s office easy. The wait? That’s the hard part. Sam got here when it opened, had been warned it was unlikely she’d be able to get in, but had made the decision to wait. Under the name Samantha Lazarus, the name on her ID.

Her fingers tap incessantly along the arms of her chair as her toes tap irritably against the floor. She’d glanced through several of the magazines, abandoned them all, already bored of the reading materials present. The ear buds of her iPod feed into her ears and she bobs along to the music streaming from the small pink square machine.

Her jacket had been shrugged off her shoulders, leaving her in just jeans and a pac-man t-shirt. In fact, in many ways, Sam looks like a seventeen year old hanging out in a doctor’s office.

Brennan Medical Group, business of the Brennans and a handful of other physicians that they knew. Samara's already been back, vitals taken and then directed back out. With an imminent trip which means Michelle going away, there's a push to get through some patients and clear up the schedule for the impromptu trip.

Which is why Brennan is in, taking in some of that overflow that inevitably happens on any given day. Easy cases really, that won't require much lifting of his left arm too high. It's not long before Samara is called back, shown to a room with more chairs, exam table, the necessary equipment for a prospering medical group. People still get sick and as bad as that sounds, there's still money in treating the sick.

She has to wait another ten minutes before there's a knock on the door and Brennan is sticking his head in soon followed by the rest of him. Six degree's of separation, thoroughly in effect here. "Ms. Lazarus?"

The name Lazarus doesn't bring an immediate reaction from the woman sitting on the bed, but there's someone in the room, right? That's enough to gain Sam's attention. She shoots Brennan a flicker of a smile. "Sam, please! Or Sami— or Samar— Samantha if you want to really mix it up, but I'd really prefer Sam or Sami. I'm kind of too young to be called Ms anything, right?" the doctor is shot that bright, omnipresent grin and a nod of her head as she extends a hand.

Her grin extends a little further as she looks at him curiously. "You seem very familiar are you one of those television doctors from the show where people talk about too many personal things on live TV? I don't think people really want to go on those shows they just want treatment and aren't on medicare or whatever— "

Brennan takes her hand after setting down the file, a firm shake before he releases it and flashing her just as friendly a smile. "The Advocate. I've been on there a few times, I have a book and other little things, sometimes in the news. But don't worry I don't just play a doctor on TV, I am one too. Nice to meet you Sam. I'm Dr. Brennan, the other dr. Brennan. What brings you through our doors and into our room today?"

There's a little nervous chuckle at the notion of Brennan not just playing a doctor on tv. Yeah, she's nervous. "Well…" Sam's eyebrows knit together a little. "I'm here for a chat more than anything, I think?" Her nose crinkles a little as her head cants to the side. She takes a deep breath of air, preparing for the nervous chatter of a lifetime; this is one of those moments when it might have been wise to bring a friend or something, although that might have made her look like more of a kid. "You see— " she begins "— I'm pregnant or at least I think I am and I kind of hope I am because if I'm not I have a really weird tumour that fooled like ten pregnancy tests and along with that I only just came back to life like a few months ago because I died in the Midtown Man explosion and was kablooey everywhere so this means I'm not registered because you can't register if you die because being dead means that you're not alive to be able to register which is really complicated and— " she gasps for air, "I want to be a good mother so… I need to know if what I should do." She nods. That's about it.

That is a mouthful. That is an earful too.

And Brennan has a really surprised look on his face. "Well, that explains the last name. I have to say, you look remarkably alive for having been dead and now pregnant" Trying to make light of the situation. 'First off, Sam. Breathe" He grins,flicking to te top page, scribbling. "Just take a few deep breaths. Because you just said a great deal and all of it has meaning"

"Right," Sami freezes from her sitting spot and nods faintly as she draws her arms closer to her sides. She takes a few deep breaths which actually prompt her to tug her arms around her body. "Yeah.. I was dead for four years. There's a grave and everything.. I was.. in the square— " she frowns slightly. "And.. Sorry. It's kind of a long story…" One of her eyebrows quirk up.

"Were you dead dead Sam and someone used an ability to bring you back to life, or are we talking about something else entirely?" He's fairly calm, not reaching out to touch the young woman, though he does scribble notes. "Long stories are okay, I'm just taking walk ins and you're the first one so." He does get up, go for a cupboard to produce ye old plastic sealed cup for the filling up of pee and passes it over. "Tell you what. You go fill that, I'll have someone get it from you, and then we will sit, and talk more, maybe not in this room but my office if it would make you more comfortable?"

"Oh! No no no no— totally different I— " She cuts herself off as he changes tracks. The little plastic cup is grasped a little skeptically and followed up by a twitch of a smile, a little brighter than before, which really, is a difficult thing. "Yeah.. That.. that sounds good. Probably easier than listening to m babble in here. Not that Ibabble often. But I do babble especially when— " her fingers slip over her lips as if to seal them together. She slides carefully off the bed before disappearing out the room.

Several minutes later she emerges in his office after wrapping gently on the frame of his door. "Hi…" she doesn't immediately walk in the room, lingering just outside it as if unsure whether to go in or not.

Her cheeks flush a pale pink, waiting for an invitation before actually stepping in.

His office, like the other rooms in this particular suite, is meant for two to share. The desk actually is shared, but by him and his wife. A couch, two normal chairs in front of the desk, Brennan's there with a bottle of water offering it up to the woman. "Welcome to the sanctuary. Free's up the room for other patients" he waggles the bottle invitingly at her before heading to the two chairs, turning them so that they face each other, but a respectful distance apart.

'So here's the deal, The little strip that the nurse used? She dipped it, congratulations, there's a bun in the oven." He takes up one of the seats. On the wall is his diploma's, pictures of their family, even a box with toys in the corner. "If you want to do an evolved test, we can do that too, but I'm susupecting that you already know what it will show, won't you"

The waggle of the bottle has Sam sliding into the doctor's office, issuing a more nervous smile as she slides into the seat across from Brennan. There's a flicker of relief as she takes the bottle. No tumours. Yay! Her shoulders relax a little as she shakes her head, "Yeah… I don't need the evo test. I.. I can go through things." Her lips hitch into a half-smile rather than her all on grin. "Which is what happened to me when I died. I couldn't be seen or heard, but I existed. In reflections." Her gaze moves to the pictures of his family, drawing a tighter grin, "How many do you have?" she asks quietly.

"Ahh so not so much casper as you were Kitty Pride. Sorta" He can understand that. He turns, looking to the portrait of him, a woman, three girls. No Henri up there yet. "Four. I had my firstborn son finally, just before Christmas. We're heading out on a vacation. I got stuck inside the dome and I told her when we go out, that was it. Going to france for a week or two, get away from the city"

He grins, turning back to Samara.

"So I'm helping her with patients and we're heading out tomorrow. But enough about me and my half a baseball team. You're pregnant, you're about twenty, if I did my math right, and you are going to be in need of a obsetrician or a midwife. And… I'm betting you're worried how your ability will interact with the fetus right now aren't you?"

"They're beautiful," Sam returns as her gaze lingers on the photo. Family portraits are beautiful things, even if she doesn't know the family. The notion of her ability interacting with the fetus drains the colour from her face, quite noticeably. She hadn't thought of that. Her lips press together while the smile melts very slowly— first in the small downward turn of her lips and then in the lustre of her eyes. She blinks fiercely as she lifts the heel of her hand to her forehead, ducking her head down as she squeaks, "i am a horrible mother!" The declaration made is followed with a tight bob of her shoulders. "I hadn't… " she sniffles as unshed tears burn her eyes. "…I hadn't…" She sniffles a little louder, "…I hadn't thought of that…"

Poor kid hadn't even thought about that. Probably a phase evolved and here he was adding another worry onto her plate that was already heaping. "Breath" A quiet reminder to her. "Why do you think you'll be a horrible mother when you've just found out that you're pregnant. Do you have a roof over your head Sam?" He ducks his head a bit, looking up at her.

Exasperatedly, Sam's hands drop from her face as she takes another deep breath. Breathe. It's easier said than done. Her hazel eyes blink harder as she lets the breath release slowly. "I.." she nearly chokes on the word around the tightness forming in her throat. "I.. I haven't held a baby in over four years. I don't remember how. I.." her eyes trail over to the pictures again, "I didn't think about it enough.. and I thought.. I thought…" she swallows hard again. "I figured I was pregnant a few weeks ago it just took me this long to gather my courage to actually come in. I…" her eyes flick down to the desk. It's easier to talk to an inanimate object than a living breathing person. "I don't know what I'm doing," she admits plainly. "I don't know anything about raising a kid. I didn't even get to graduate high school… I died at sixteen. I.. don't think about this whole fetus-baby-alien-spawn first.. moms are supposed to do that…" She frowns a little before nodding at the second question. "I.. I have a place to stay."

"OKay so you have a house. Do you smoke? Do drugs? Are you a drinker Sam?" Brennan leans his elbows on his knee's leaning forward, falling into the same mannerisms when dealing one on one with those at the suresh center with their worries about their abilities.

Sam's face contorts a little. "Uh.. I only smoke when I want to look cool?" the joke falls flat with the woman's already dead-pan expression, lost in the uneasiness of her forthcoming motherhood. "And I've never done drugs.. and I had my first drink in December. So.. it's not like I don't drink, but I haven't since I thought.." she sighs.

"Then congratulations, you are well on your way to becoming a fantastic mother. Couple that with actually coming in, you are milestones beyond what a great many people in this nation who find themselves in the family are. You're not taking drugs, you don't smoke, you stopped drinking once you found out. Most people Sam, aren't prepared to hear the news that in their abdominal cavity is a real human being being formed from scratch. And when they do, they have the same fears that you have. But the good news is that there are books, and there are classes you can attend and you will have nine months to prepare to become a mother"

Brennan uncaps his bottle of water, watching her. "As for the ability thing. You'll just have to, for now at least, be very careful at not using your ability. There are reports of people who, in possession of abilities that alter the body in some fashion like stone, or elements of any kind, are unable to carry the child. But, there are also reports of perfectly healthy babies born to these people, even after their ability has been used. But there's ways to help with that, deal with that, and I know a midwife who had many an evolved patient in her client list, and my own ability is negation, I can help in that avenue as well"

Sam's bottle of water is carefully uncapped, twisted off with a faint nod of her head. Okay. Maybe she won't totally suck at this. Maybe. There's a twist of her lips into a small smile. In all of this she's felt so incapable. Someone saying something positive? It leaves her in shock. Not the nervous irritable shock, but the wordless semi-frozen kind. "I.. thanks, I guess?" Her cheeks flush again as she sniffles loudly.

"I'm sorry, I just… Out of the people that actually know… " five including Brennan, "two didn't seem to think I'd be good.." she shrugs slightly.

"I can't keep a plant alive, to save my life. My oldest brother, at hearing that Michelle was pregnant, first words out of his mouth was 'you can't keep a plant alive Harve, what chance in hell do you think you'll have of keeping a kid alive" The corner of his mouth lifts up into a smile. "Know what I said back to him?"

Sam blinks again as she brings the bottle to her lips. She swallows and then shakes her head wordlessly. She has no idea what Brennan would say in return. "Is that just normal then? THat everyone thinks no one can do it…?"

"I told him that a baby would cry when it wants to be fed, a plant can't" He leans back, she seems a little more at ease. "Why do their opinions count so much? Whether you're a horrible mother or not, you won't know until you have the baby in your arms and you've given it a try. And even then, you have to pretty much ignore the baby and have child services take the child away before anyone can call you an unfit mother"

Brennan shakes his head. "There's one thing Michelle learned pretty fast was that people are quick to judge like they are to touch your belly when it's big enough. I say, that instead of worrying whether you'll be a bad one, that you do everything that you can to be a good one. Take your vitamins, go to your appointments, buy some books, ask questions, go to classes and educate yourself on what is going to happen to your body, to you and about the gauntlet that you'll be running once he or she is out of your belly and in your arms. Is the father in the picture?"

Ironically, the first thing Samara picks up on is, "People are going to touch my belly?" That brings a slightly sour scowl. "Really? Without being invited? Isn't that… like boundaryless?" She sighs as she rests her elbows on the arms of the chair. "I don't know why it matters… it just.. I'm not old, I don't feel like a mom.. and I'm not implying people who are parents are old," she holds out a palm, "because I'm not, I just thought.. I'd feel.. different." She shrugs slightly, somewhat nervously, "I.. I want this baby, though. I know I do. I’m just… scared, I guess?” Her eyebrows quirk upwards only to fall again. “The father is in the picture.. he.. gets kids too. He’s good..”

"So you have support. You don't drink, you don't do drugs, I assume you're not promiscuous, you have a roof over your head and you want the baby. I think, you'd do better with my better half, she works here, I'm just filling in. But she can… You might relate better to a woman. She just had our son. Would you prefer to talk to her Sam? I won't be offended"

Sam's cheeks flush again as Brennan lists off her virtues. She shoots him a twitch of a smile, oddly sad, and in no way rehearsed. "Thanks.. I.." Her lips twitch upwards again as she nods. "Is that.. I really appreciate our conversation but.. yeah. If I can. I just would find it easier to talk to a woman."

"Not offended in the least Ms. Lazarus. If I were you, I'd probably be the same way" He leans back, grabbing a business card that had Brennan on it, but the first name is Michelle. "She, is a pediatrician so the upside is that when the kid is born, if you like her, you have a pediatrician" He digs around for a pen and scribbles a number. "She'll help you get on track" He's reaching again, grabbing a prescription pad, writing down something, passing it over. "Vitamins. Get on them. Set an appointment for a month from now, she'll walk you through" He offers them and then his hand to Samara.

"Welcome to motherhood Sam. It'll be a bumpy ride but… I think you'll find that kids… they bounce.”


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