disclaimer: Sanctuary and all its characters still belong to the creators of Sanctuary. No ill intent meant just bringing the characters further to life.
This story jumps between Present time and past times - past times are indented and in italics.
Finding a spot at the kitchen table, Natalie appeared relieved to sit as Helen found herself watched as she moved, ever so gracefully, across the room to retrieve two cups with their appertained saucers.
"Do you trust to the house blend? It is actually my own. I have a small garden and from time to time tinker... I have other varieties as well if there is something more traditional?" she set the dishes down, pausing to hear the answer.
Natalie smiled, "I would love to have yours, doctor."
"You have a daring streak in you I see," her smile was large at the acceptance, her step a bit more light as she set the kettle on, and brought down the tin with her blend. "You have an interesting character doctor, one that peeks out more and more with each exchange we share."
"I could say the same for you, Magnus," Natalie said then smiled, "is there anything I can do?"
"I shall be cliché and state, hea,." she leaned against the counter, waiting for the water to warm. "I suspect that question would be better put from me to you."
Natalie looked down, the smile still playing on her lips as she shook her head. Then, regarding the doctor she allowed her eyes to wander over the woman.
Helen had stretched her upper body some to the right to check the kettle. She peered back, catching the doctor. Unable to resist, "Why Dr. Roper, are you, as Ashley would say, checking me out?" she arched her eyebrow, keeping the teasing look from her face.
Natalie's eyes met Helen's a humorous twinkle settling in them as she spoke, "You told me to heal; beauty is wondrous for the soul to look upon."
"You have a silver tongue doctor," she moved around the counter then to retrieve the kettle. Not certain why, she could not help but give a little extra added sway to her hips as she moved. She then poured the water, so the tea could steep. "But I find it is very endearing and charming."
She watched Natalie's appreciative smile, obviously she had noticed the slight change in Helen's walk, something that brought an exculpate smile to her own lips.
She placed the teapot on a tray, bringing it over to the table. As she began setting out the contents of the tray. "I meant to ask, the dreams you mentioned. Do you feel as though they may be related to either condition we are looking into?" she'd found the note about dreams earlier when reviewing her initial diagnosis.
A light frown coming to crease her forehead as she thought, Natalie's eyes became distant. "Though the peripheral nervous system does link to the brain, I fail to see how these unidentified proteins could possibly cause that."
"I was looking into a few papers from some years back, about the possibility of shared dreams or more emotions between child and mother. However the circumstances did not seem to match the preliminary work we have done," Helen puckered her lips slightly, "of course that leads to the second and as you mention, it is not a direct fit either."
Carefully sipping the hot tea, Natalie let it roll on her tongue, appreciating the subtle sweetness to it. "Always order what the house recommends," Natalie said with a small smile. "This is really good." She paused a few beats, "as for the results, perhaps these dreams are merely my brain's way of processing the current changes in my body? Fire being both passionate and terrifying at will."
Helen nodded in thanks at the compliment, then began to mull over the speculation. "Dreams are... powerful." She was silent then, this one area she knew she lacked much in way of true understanding. "But it is what guides them and what fuels them that I... find intriguing in this case."
Natalie gave a slight nod but Helen recognised the absent look in the young doctor's eyes as her thoughts began to wander.
Helen set her cup down, all other motion stilled as she watched, and waited, not wanting to break into the thoughts Natalie was trying to follow. She found the woman's current expression to be as enticing as the others, more so in that it belayed the inner strength and intelligence Natalie possessed.
Natalie met Helen's gaze as she looked up, seemingly surprised. Then, her eyes fluttered close.
The sound of Helen's chair scooting over the floor as she stood echoed across the otherwise silent room. Only needing a step or two to reach Natalie, Helen reached out for the young woman. "Doctor?" her voice was calm as she put her arms around the woman for support. Perhaps it was time to return to bed.
Natalie let out a small breath, the gentle but firm embrace that she was currently residing in carefully bringing her back to awareness. "He killed himself, Helen. The dreams, it started with..." her hand found the edge of the table and she held onto it, trying to steady herself.
"He?" Helen forgot, for the moment, to try and persuade Natalie back to bed, instead, she followed along with this revelation
Natalie shook her head. "He did not want to, he-oh," she leaned forward slightly, her free hand going to her wounded side as she looked up at Helen, "I need, pencil... now!"
Eyes narrowing, it took less than a moment's evaluation before Helen stood, moving to retrieve the request item, setting a small pad down along with the pencil in front of the doctor.
Taking the pencil in her right hand, Natalie had to let lose the pressure on her wound to use her other hand to steady herself against the table as she wrote down the number of the case file, not trusting herself to last for anything longer. The pen dropped out of her hand as her steadying arm began to give away.
Helen had stepped behind Natalie, her arm coming in to cover the seeping wound, resuming the pressure. Her other arm was up; wrapping around the woman to provide support as she could tell the doctor was pushing her body past certain limits.
Knowing very well that she had gone too far, Natalie leaned into Helen's embrace, her eyes closing as she tried to remain conscious.
Her eyes taking in what Natalie had written, Helen held the woman tight as she dug into her pocket, pulling out her phone to summon Bigfoot. As she waited, she managed to move back, using a wall to brace herself, afraid to let go the wound or hold until Bigfoot arrived. "You are a very stubborn woman Dr. Roper," she murmured.
Balancing on the verge of consciousness, Natalie shook her head. Shifting, the pain became too much and Natalie gave in to the soothing warmth that caressed her mind.
Bracing herself, Helen took on the full weight of Natalie, her arms encircling the doctor completely to keep her safe. Head leaned back, Magnus closed her eyes, trying not to think about how it felt to hold the doctor in her arms, the warm body pressed so perfectly against her, a form of trust in the simple connection.
A grunt brought her back with a start.
Bigfoot stood there, looking the two women up and down for long moments. "It is usually not easy for me to surprise you," his comment coming as he gently picked up Natalie, his pace slow so Helen could keep pressure on the wound.
"Many surprises have come to Sanctuary it would seem," she said, exchanging a look with Bigfoot before they made their way to the infirmary.
Once there, Helen began tending to the reopened wound. "It seems I find myself back tending to your body doctor. This is becoming habit." She finished closing the injury without adding any more to that sentence, not daring to let herself go any further.
Once she was finished, she pulled once again an easy chair to the woman's side, resuming her watchful station.