Hello, Doctor... (Nik, Leiken)

[Takchawee Ominotago]

"Concealer and lip gloss. I can do that." It wasn't that big of an issue, Tak thought, especially considering how bad it looked now. If that was all it would take to hide it, she would be happy to. "Thank you, Nik," she added again quietly, overwhelmed by the help she was getting.

Tak nodded in understanding with a smile, but decided not to go into details for the reason for her name. There were other things to focus on at the moment.

"So... Another couple of months then," Tak concluded. Hopefully she would be able to keep her job at La Maison for a while longer before she started to show too much to perform. It was her only real source of income at the moment, after all. She would probably have to find someplace else afterwards.

Tak took a sharp intake of breath as she felt Nik's bare fingers brush over her skin, her heart beginning to beat a little more rapidly since she was fairly certain the woman was checking the baby's health, now. When she spoke, Tak relaxed again, feeling herself shiver with relief. "Thank God," she breathed.

Still, she wasn't quite done, and Tak let her eyes close as Nik probed further. She waited patiently as she did whatever it was she needed to do - Tak just had to trust her more than she would have otherwise, had the situation not been so precarious. Once the final statement had been made, Tak let out a sound that was almost a sob, but one of relief rather than sadness. "I'll do that," she assured her, making a mental note to keep what she suggested in mind. "Oh, I'm so glad nothing happened to it," she murmured, surprised at herself for realizing she cared about the small speck of life so much already. "I would feel absolutely horrible."

She heard Lei get up to leave, and shot out a quick thanks as he left. Hopefully, she would run into him again sometime, but definitely not in the same way as this encounter. She would miss being called Pocahontas if she didn't.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

Nakia nodded once and gave a brief smile to the girl, showing that she both understood and graciously accepted the thanks. It was her duty to aid in the recovery of her patients and while gratitude was not required, it was certainly appreciated.


"Yes - you will need to start buying new clothes at that point, as you will begin rapid wight gain then as well," the mother of two advised, remembering back to her own pregnancies so long ago. "Though, considering when you suspect that you became pregnant, you may only have to miss the last few weeks of school. With my first child, I continued to work at the hospital until I was thirty-two weeks along." Granted, Appoline had come earlier than expected and she went into labor immediately after a 36-hour shift, but she was still able to work for quite some time.


As the woman withdrew her ghostly touch from the presence of the baby (whose gender she could not determine, as it was not part of her abilities), she heard the sigh from beyond the curtain and had just enough sense to call out that Lei close the door as he left. Once she'd heard the door click again, she turned her vibrant gaze to Tak again. While she was young and irresponsible, the Native American girl had potential to be a wonderful mother should she set her mind to it. Her caring for her unborn child was a wonder in of itself for a girl who had no attachment to the father other than friendship.


"You may get dressed now, if you wish," she added, looking back to the computer. Still no update, as she thought. "I can begin healing on all of the bruises, or just the ones your clothes will not cover, if you prefer. None of them are life-threatening, though most will be painful to the touch in a day or so." Nik herself often wore long slacks and turtlenecks, with or without sleeves with regards to the weather, but she knew many students chose to bear more or less skin depending on their own preferences. She's leave it up to Tak to decide which route she wanted to take.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

The words weight gain made Tak grimace, but she was quite aware that that was coming, and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it, now that she had made her choice. "I'll have to save up some money for that, then," she murmured, trying to imagine herself in maternity clothes. Yeesh. She was going to get so many looks in those stores, she thought. Maybe she could convince Cam to come with her. Hah. "Well, I'm graduating this year, so I'll have to probably... Work something out with my teachers," she replied, holding back another grimace. Great, she tended to stay away from her teachers as much as she could already - now she was going to have to tell them she might need to miss the last few weeks of school because she was pregnant. She wondered how well that would go over. She knew she wasn't a class favorite by any means.

She paused as Nik called out to Lei, before beginning to ask if she could get dressed yet, but then the doctor answered her question before she could say so. "Okay," she replied quietly, going to pull on her clothes as gently as possible. It still hurt, no matter how careful she was. "Um, just the ones that can be seen are fine. I'm mostly just concerned about my face." Her arms and legs would probably need to be healed as well, since she tended to bare more skin than most, even during the winter months. "I can deal with a bit of pain," she added. "If the ones I can cover aren't life-threatening, as you said, then don't worry about those. I just mostly wanted to make sure my... You know. That it's okay." It felt weird to call it a baby, since it was still so small in her womb. She pressed her fingers to her lips, amazed at just how sore they felt. Lei's ability really did a number to her. Still, she couldn't deny... It had been fun.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

Nakia understood the female desire to remain slender and not gain weight. Still, it was necessary for the body, and the baby itself would weigh some. The more weight Tak gained, the better nourished the baby was likely to be.


"If you need some help speaking to your teachers," she added, noting the hesitance and distaste in the girl's voice, "I am sure that Dr. Neville or one of the other guidance counselors can help you. You do not have to face this alone." Nakia almost had to; with her husband and child vying for care while she worked at the hospital, there had been days she'd almost given up and left, like her own mother. Fortunately, many of the hospital staff helped once they realized the stress she was under. Having people around to help made everything more bearable, if not easier.


Nodding, the doctor answered, "If that is what you wish." She waited until Tak has finished dressing, then held her hands up to show the girl. "I'm going to need to touch your face," she stated clearly. "Will that be all right?"


There were a number of people at this school who disliked being touched, especially on their faces and necks. It wasn't unexpected, but it did make tending to injuries a little more difficult.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Tak glanced over at Nik in surprise. "Would he?" she asked, trying to remember if he had mentioned that when she spoke with him a while back. "That would be great," she replied, adding,"I'm not... Particularly close to any of my teachers." Or anyone at Hammel, really. She tended to keep to herself quite often, although she did have Kouji, at least, and of course her group of guys that she went to whenever she felt the need to physical enjoyment. Cam was starting to become more of a friend, though, too, which she wasn't sure how to feel about.

Once Tak was dressed and settled once more, she looked up at the doctor, glancing between her face and her hands. "That's fine," she replied, quite used to having her face touched. She wasn't really shy about that sort of thing. She laid back on the bed, closing her eyes in preparation for the healing. "I've had a biological manipulator heal me before," she mentioned, thinking back to Chester's butler and how he had tended to her wounds after she and him had gotten together. It was very like this situation, actually, only not quite as severe.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

Nakia nodded. "That's one of the reason why they're here," she replied. "If you need any additional support as well, medically or otherwise, you can come here to me as well. I've given birth to two children, so I have a pretty good idea how the process goes." She gave the girl a soft smile, then proceeded to work.


Her hands touched the girl's chin and face as if she were brushing away crumbs left by an overeager child eating cookies. As her fingers brushed over the skin, everything became chilly and cold; underneath the quickly healing bruises, the flesh became pale with cold. It was a side effect of the woman's healing touch, but one she and others could live with. A soreness spread to the doctor's own lips, which deepened in color slightly, but no other sign of the bruising could be seen. Once her work on Tak's face had finished, her hands feathered over other bruises on the girl's arms and legs, healing the bruises until they would be gone in no more than a week. They were still greenish-yellow with a few spots, and they would all be sore, but much of the coloring was hidden by the Native American skin tone the shorter woman had been blessed with.


Overall, the healing took only a quarter of an hour. By the end, Nik's hands were as cold as ice and so was everywhere the woman had touched. With a slight sigh, the doctor leaned back and surveyed her handiwork. It would do for now. "You must be cold," she stated, apologetically. "I can make a hot water bottle to warm you up, if you'd like."

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Nik's additional offer of help wa a relief to Tak. She appreciated Dr. Neville's advice tremendously, of course, but here was someone that had been through the process of pregnancy and giving birth that was also a doctor. She, out of anyone Tak knew, would probably be able to relate to her the most physically and emotion-wise. "I'll remember that," she told the doctor, nodding in thanks. "It would be... Nice to have a woman helping me as well." Because so far, really, all of her support had been men. Cam, Dec, Kouji, Dr. Neville... She needed someone on her side.

She kept her eyes closed as Nik went to work, suppressing a shiver at the cold feeling that spread across her skin at the doctor's touch. Chester's butler hadn't had that side effect, and it was an odd sensation, but not overly unpleasant. It didn't seem to take too long, and Tak let out a sigh of relief as she finished, blinking up at the woman that had done so much to help her. "Can I... Look in the mirror?" she asked. Even though she knew how healing worked, it still amazed her that the deep bruises she had just had could fade dramatically at the touch of Nik's hand.

She sat up slowly and, noticing that she was still quite cold, nodded at the doctor sheepishly. "That would be great, thank you," she replied, rubbing her arms and examining the very less-dramatically colored bruises on her skin. "Wow," she breathed, looking up at Nik. "That's just... Amazing that you can do that. I wish my ability was more useful like yours." She loved her ESP, but sometimes she did wish she had been gifted with something a little more... Dramatic.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

"Of course." The doctor stood and motioned to the full-length mirror on the infirmary's bathroom door, then proceeded to fill one of the flexible rubber bottles with steaming water from the tap. She was a little tired now, and there were a few sore spots on her own body, but overall everything was doing fine. Looking up at Tak, she gave a slight smile before handing over the bottle.


"Everyone has their powers for a reason, I think," she stated calmly. "There were times in my schooling that I wished that I didn't have a power that was so passive." There had been a time, at the start of her days at Eisai, when she wished that her powers were something she could use against her father; against the man that had terrified and abused her since she was a small child. But those days had long passed, and while she did not wish to see him again, neither did she wish him any ill will. "All powers have amazing potential; I'm sure you'll find your calling someday."


She pointed to the water bottle in her patient's hands, adding, "You can either rest here until you're feeling better, or you can take that back to your dorm with you. I have many, so just remember to return it at some point if you do take it with you, all right?" The bottles were useful for a number of things, from reheating cold students to helping with muscle cramps and knots. Plus, they were all-around comforting. Having extras was always a good idea.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Tak examined herself in the mirror, smiling faintly. She could see the slightest hint of coloration around her mouth, but it was hardly noticeable, and could easily be covered up. Pressing her fingers against her mouth, she felt only a little soreness before she smiled over at Nik and took the bottle gratefully.

She nodded a little as Nik spoke, wishing that she knew exactly what she could use her ability for, other than sensing people's personalities and labeling them with spirit animals. It was fun, but a little useless in the long run. But hey, it had allowed her to blackmail Chester, hadn't it? Maybe it did have its uses. "I hope so," she dipped her head, holding the bottle close to her. "Your ability is perfect for your line of work," she added, smiling up at her.

"I think... I think I'll go back to my room," Tak replied, slowly standing. She ached, but not nearly as bad as she had earlier. "I'll get it back to you as soon as I can," she assured her. With that, she hesitated before giving the doctor a light hug. "Thanks again, for everything," she murmured in Nik's ear, before pulling away, smiling, and going to leave. She paused at the door, looking back for a moment. "I'm sure I'll see you again soon," she added, giving a wave before leaving the infirmary. She hadn't just said that - she meant it.

[Dr. Nik Kenjutsushi]

The doctor gave her a soft smile. "I'm sure you'll find it," she answered gently. "I decided to be a doctor after my powers manifested, so perhaps that is more by design and less by fate."


"Take all the time you need." Though she was slightly startled by the hug, the other woman steeled her mental shields and returned it, holding the shorter girl lightly and with care. "You're welcome," she answered gently, and Nik released her with no ceremony. She'd already turned back to the files when Tak reached the door, but nevertheless she gave the pregnant teen a gentle smile in answer.


"I'll be here."