What's the Verdict - Haley tags Dr. John

[Haley Shapiro]

With super strength, came super resilience, Haley believed. She remembered what that security guard told her about his own power of energy absorption. They had powers akin to each other and that because Haley's power basically slowed down the process of pain, a lot of her cuts and bruises went unnoticed.

But today, of all days, her power seemed to be on the fritz and a small scuffle with a big bully got Haley a deep gash on her arm that she was starting to cry over as she rushed to the infirmary.

A slew of curses left the tiny girl's mouth as she burst through the infirmary doors, pulling up a hand at the nurse at the front before banging on the doctor's door. "Doc! I gotta wound that needs tending to. Blablabla, medical jargon, stat!" Haley hollered as she continued to bang on the door, wincing at the pain the movement was causing her injured arm. Blood was slowly dripping down from the wound and on to her sneakers.

[John Brave]

He still felt those fingers, every now and then. In reality, the cut had been clean, three years before, and he still had a thin nodule of bone where his little finger had once been. A scalpel, cutting through flesh and bone like it wasn't even there. Without any current cases, and with his paperwork neatly filled in and stacked away, Dr. Brave sat, elbows up on his desk, sideways to the door, scratching at the place where his digits had once been, trying to flex a part of him that had been incinerated in a Hospital furnace a while back. Never good for him, this, bit like turning his wedding ring, remembering the old pain.

This reverie was, fortunately, entirely ruined by the sound of a fierce hammering on his eardrums and a less annoying banging on the door. He was glad to stand from his desk, open the door, look down, and note her. Small girl, between eight and twelve, dark hair, heavily cut up, but not in a scarred way - possible child abuse? Moderate flesh wound, bleeding. John noted this all in a split second look.

Without so much as a greeting, John leaned down, scooped her up by her armpits, and set her on the examination bench before she could even realise what was happening.
"Stay put and apply this, firmly." The Doctor stated matter-of-factly, pressing a folded cloth to the wound. She looked tough, she could handle it. "And never say 'blablabla' again. It's makes you sound thick. You're not, so don't say it." The former Surgeon said, before turning and glancing out the door.
"Nurse, did you get her name? No?" John gave a loud snort as he lamented the lack of decent Ward Nurses, before turning back to the girl.
What's your name?"

This all happened in about five seconds, like John had been taught. Judge fast, respond fast.

[Haley Shapiro]

Before she knew what was going on, Haley was lifted off her feet and flown to the long chair thing where she was asked to hold up a folded towel against her wound. "Whathef-"

He was suddenly speaking against and he called her thick. Outraged, she looked down at her waif built raised her non-injured hand threateningly. "Why I oughta..." she hissed when her movement caused her injured arm to graze her t-shirt, leaving a bright red trail againt it.

She pushed the towel against the wound and squeezed her eyes tight, trying hard not to think of the pain. He was talking way too fast for her but she did hear a question. Name. She could do that.

"What's it to ya?" She growled, trying to breathe calmly and forcing herself not to cry out from the pain. She was used to pain, surely after being bullied by bigger kids practically her entire life, her power should only seem like an extension of herself. But this was different somehow. Maybe getting inflicted pain by a meta just made it all the worst.

"Look, I probably just need stitches so could you...wait a minute...you don't have fingers." She dropped her injured arm with the towel down and pressed it against her thigh before using her uninjured hand to pull the doctor's hand. "This is disgusting. How'd you get it?" Haley looked up at the doctor with a huge grin and curiosity dancing in her eyes.

[John Brave]

With his uninhibited hand, John reached down and took a small spray of disinfectant from beneath the exam bench and set it down to the side.
"A trainee doctor got cocky." Shortly before John had hit him so hard as to knock several of his front teeth out; so the big Mancunian had needed stitches for both hands. After this, John had expressed an intense hatred of all 'F1s' far and wide, often harassing them every chance he got. "Your name is required so I don't kill you with something you are allergic to, or fu- mess with your powers." He grunted, before taking the hand of the injured arm and lifting it to reveal the injury; not too bad, he'd walked away from worse. Two or three stitches, anaesthetic needed.

"I'm going to have to stitch that. I'll anaesthe- put it to sleep first, shouldn't feel much. And no, you can't 'take' the pain, even Paratroopers ask for the sleeping swab when it comes to stitches. I'll need your name first - arm down." He was still reacting, even as he pressed her arm down, back onto the cloth. It was all professional, assess and treat, without a very good bedside manner. But John was never concerned about getting the little sharp-tongued firebrand back to fighting fitness. "My name is Dr. John Brave. Now you." He conceded, as he dragged his chair round to face her, a small box in his hands.

[Haley Shapiro]

Haley eyed the bottle of spray warily before nodding at the doctor's explanation. She was still periodically wincing at the pain what with every movement made inviting friction with the towel pressed against it.

"I'm not allergic to anything." She said confidently despite not actually knowing the truth. Though she doubted she even had a medical record. She would be very surprised if there actually was. "Oh you can swear in front of me. I'm pretty sure I know all of them already by now." She shrugged.

The doctor was still talking a mile a minute and she was surprised she could even follow his train of thought. "Dude, I'm good with painkillers man. You can put me to sleep if you want to. I'm good."

After he introduced himself, Haley laughed. "Brave? Seriously? That's your name? Well I'm Haley Mighty." She flexed the uninjured arm and laughed again. "Okay sorry, sorry that was rude. I'm Haley Badass actually." She laughed again, slapping her thigh while she was at it. "Nah, I'm just kidding. Keep your pantyhose intact. It's Shapiro." She looked down at the box and narrowed her eyes.

"What's in that?"

[John Brave]

The teasing gave John a good reason to shut up, as he just coldly stared at her with a look of mild exasperation and boredom, quickly answering the young girl's question to reveal a suture kit; a sterilised needle in a paper packet, thread, cotton swabs, the works. Good, solid stuff, the sort of kit he'd use on himself without hesitation. Turning his head towards the door, he yelled "Haley Shapiro's file, yesterday, if you would!" then looking the girl dead in the eye, rather sharply. "Don't move. Hold your arm tightly to your shoulder. This should take a few seconds"

It was then that his head started moving, and they were quick. Not supernaturally so, but as if he'd done this so many times as to have subroutine in his mind, that he simply unlocked. The girl was young, tough, but no need for sleeping. Obviously a sharp tongue, so no need to engage her in conversation, she'd do that herself. Generally lucid, so no major symptoms. In a single motion, John unclicked the antiseptic spray and looked Haley in the eye again, as he always did. "This will hurt."
With a swift motion, he sprayed it, then went on to swab it with a clear cotton towel. Next was the anaesthesia; applied leisurely to another swab, pressed to the wound softly, but firmly. Count to three - easy with his left hand.

He stitched the wound inside a minute. His mind was focused like a stone; he'd done this in some very nasty conditions. Been in Haiti not long before, Doctors Without Borders, rash stuff. Good practice.

With a snip of scissors, he gave a nod.
"Done." Three, clean stitches. His eyes pulled from the wound, and he gave a ghost of a smile as he nodded at her. "Good girl." He gave a pat on her uninjured shoulder. Closest thing he ever came to being a warm guy.

[Haley Shapiro]

Haley sneered at the doctor when he gave her those disapproving looks. She was used to those looks but it didn't mean she wouldn't return them with her own. But her glares were interrupted when she saw everything in the box he was holding. "Yeesh, tryina kill me here doc?"

She kept eye contact when the doctor told her not to move. She didn't and held her arm tight by her side. She took a deep breath and looked down as he worked on her wound. Only wincing once when the spray hit the wound, Haley was curiously intrigued by the precision in which he dealt with the stitches. He's obviously done this forever.

Once he was done, Haley turned her arm to see her arm. "Aw, no cast? Bummer. Should I injure it more to have a cast?" Haley asked, her light brown sparkling with curiosity.