Smoke and Mirrors (Maebelle)

[Kieron Sharpe]

Kieron still wasn’t sure just why he had volunteered for this. He didn’t enjoy working at the best of times, but he supposed it could in some small way maybe help towards his reputation amongst others in his profession. That wasn’t something he personally cared about, but his parents always made it out to be such a huge deal and maybe if he said he’d volunteered in the first aid tent at a summer fair, they’d back off his case about for a little while. It was probably going to be a vain hope, but it was a hope none the less.

For the third time this morning, Kieron had just patched up the grazed knee of a kid that had got too excited running around and fallen and scuffed themselves up. It was mentally and physically tiring, putting on a professional smile and trying to gently convince the parents that no, little Timmy’s leg was not about to fall off. Somehow he was managing to get through it, but hazel eyes did keep glancing over at the clock. He was only on the rota for the morning, so at least he would have the afternoon to explore around the fair a bit, but he was already watching the clock as one hour slowly limped into the next.

Taking the chance to have a breather between patients now it seemed a little quieter here, Kieron grabbed himself a coffee from the little stand next to the first aid tent before returning inside, sipping it slowly as he waited in one of the small private pop-up treatment rooms with the door open. After a moment his eyes caught movement, and he had to nudge his shades up his nose and blink a few times before he could believe who it was that he was seeing walk into the first aid tent. Kieron stood quickly, leaving his coffee cup on the small table in the room, and headed over to her. His smile fast faded into a deeply concerned frown as he saw the way she was holding her arm. “Mae, what happened? Are you okay?”

[Deleted]

Just like Kieron, Maebelle had no idea why he had opted to volunteer at the fair. Surely it would have been more pleasant and fun (for both of them) if he could have slept in that morning. On the other hand, the gardener did feel some pride for him sacrificing free time which he rarely had. His profession was very needed and the fair might have ended in a disaster for some if Kieron hadn’t been there to nurse the wounds or sick feelings. This was how the young woman tried to be supportive of his decision: by stating that it was the right thing to do and that he at least wouldn’t have to be there the entire day.

In an attempt to break the hours that he would be spending in the first aid tent, however, Mae opted to pay him a visit. Of course she couldn’t really justify it if she were to show up without any ‘wounds’ though. Therefore the brown-haired woman supported her arm upon entering the tent. Given it wasn’t too cold outside, a shirt with medium-length sleeves was being worn. The skin on her lower arm had been smeared with some mud… simply to create the impression of possibly having met the ground closer than intended (despite no dirt on her knees or anywhere else). Maebelle knew she shouldn’t worry about that though; Kieron would be too worried to even notice that. And she was correct.

Upon entering the tent, having called out a soft ‘hello?’ given blue optics couldn’t immediately detect him, she patiently waited for the man to appear. Which he did within that same second. While Maebelle did feel a tad bit bad about her little performance, it didn’t keep her from continuing it. “It’s quite of a private problem.” Except not really, but who cared? Mae didn’t. “Do you think I could speak to a nurse in private?” Of course Kieron was a nurse, but by faking to not know him, she might as well assume he was a handsome doctor.

An eyebrow was arched with expectation while asking the question, and Mae also struggled to keep a small grin on her lips under control. She wasn’t sure if the man would spot it though, nor the specific tone of voice that gave away she was ‘up to no good’.

[Kieron Sharpe]

Kieron had plans for the afternoon, and he was itching for his shift to end so that he might put them in motion. He had arranged to meet up with Maebelle after his shift so that they might spend a few hours exploring the little fair together. Ride the ferris wheel, enjoy some food and then watch the fireworks over the lake before heading back to his for movies and cuddles. He was thinking of all of that as his reward for making it through the morning without rolling his eyes at someone or sighing because someone decided that a cracked nail counted as a medical emergency.

When he had seen the way Maebelle was holding her arm and the dirt coating it, Kieron’s initial joy at seeing her had of course dissolved into worry. She was not the sort to seek help for a simple bruise or graze and Kieron’s mind was automatically jumping to the worst possible scenarios. Had she broken it? Had something bitten her? Had she been attacked?

Maebelle’s words, however, utterly confused him. Was she delirious and didn’t recognise him? She seemed coherent enough, just… strange. The look of confused concern was evident on Kieron’s face, but he tried to keep up his polite professional air as he spoke to her, going along with whatever it was she was doing. He was for the moment too worried about her to realise that she might have been holding an ulterior motive for the visit. “Uhhh, sure. I’m a nurse. There’s some private rooms there.” He indicated back to where the little shielded areas were before leading the way into one. “What happened?”

[Deleted]

Maebelle might not have known Kieron for a full year yet, but she was convinced that he did not see her as one to complain about the tiniest thing. His knowledge of this was now being used against him – without any regrets. Of course part of her felt bad the second she saw the look on his face, yet the confusion kind of entertained her. As well as how he dealt with the situation, keeping up the professional manners.

When the man motioned at the little shielded areas, the brunette peeked past him for a second. Perfect. Not that she could express that though. Instead she faked some relief and gratitude, glad that such handsome person was willing to lend her a hand. “I have no idea,” Mae spoke while brushing past the nurse and over to the second private room. Perhaps it had not been thought through that well. “It kind of happened really fast. Someone bumped into me and I seem to have stumbled at the same time.” It lacked details, but surely Kieron was concerned enough to fill up the blank spots himself.

Once inside, the brunette spun around while still holding onto her arm. “I… should take a seat, right?” She stopped supporting the elbow to motioned a thumb over her shoulder at the foldable patient carrier. Maebelle eventually didn’t end up waiting for a reply, but was already on her way over and carefully sitting down as soon as the last word flowed past her lips. She shuffled backward some, offering Kieron a gentle smile as the next move slowly unfolded itself. He might not question it though, simply because it possibly would come across as the most normal suggestion to make. Long sleeves and all that.

“I think it might be easier if I take off my shirt.” Blue optics settled upon his hazel ones. “But I’ll need assistance with that.” If there was one thing Maebelle knew about nurses was that they learnt how to dress and undress without causing too much discomfort or pain. Kieron would obviously know how to handle the ‘painful’ arm.

[Kieron Sharpe]

The game Maebelle was playing was working like a charm. Kieron was genuinely confused and concerned, and the more his mind raced trying to work out why she was acting so strangely, the more worried he was becoming. Had she fallen and banged her head? Had someone hit her over the head? If they had, they would have one hell of a pissed off Irishman to deal with. But first, of course, he had to make sure that she was okay – there was no sense in rushing off to hunt someone down and leaving her delirious and in potential danger.

As Kieron followed her into the little private cubbie, he subtly looked over her head for any signs of blood or injury that could indicate an impact there. Nothing immediately presented itself, which was a good sign, but it did little to alleviate his concerns. “Do you know who bumped into you? Was it an accident or did they do it on purpose? Why didn’t they help you to come over here?”

Kieron took a slow breath to try and calm himself a little as the concern began to be joined by a rising anger, and he closed and locked the door of the cubbie behind them so they could have some privacy while he tended to her injured arm. When Maebelle suddenly suggested she take off her shirt it took Kieron a moment to be able to find words as the professional side of his mind fought for control over the part of him that just did a little backflip in excitement.

Thankfully, however, his worry over her welfare fought back that feeling and he looked over her arm. The long sleeve was definitely going to be a nuisance, especially if it was a larger wound or sore, and he couldn’t quite work out another way to get to it without cutting or ripping the shirt. “Uhh… Yeah, that might be easiest.” He went over and helped her steer her good arm out of the shirt first, easing it over her head so he could carefully manoeuvre it over the injured arm. When he did see any sign of an obvious cut or scrape, the concern deepened. “I can’t see any obvious injury… Is it very sore? You might have broken it. Can you move your fingers?”

[Deleted]

Maebelle wasn’t delirious or in potential ‘danger’. It seemed to be more likely that Kieron was the one in that situation. Of course there was the risk of that shifting in anger and disbelief once he found out that all of this was just set up, but at the same time she suspected that the man would be happy and relieved over anything else. His current reaction was rather cute as well. Mae couldn’t help but think it was sweet how defensive he grew and how it brought forward his caring personality. Only when her back was turned towards did a grin tug at her lips, just as oblivious to Kieron’s subtle scan of the eyes as he was to the truth behind her ‘injury’.

“I… don’t really know. It happened so fast. I bet it was an accident though. There were so many people around, so it probably went by unnoticed.” With a soft chuckle, the young woman shook her head. “Had I brought the person who did this here, you might have ended up having to take care of two persons.” The nurse received a knowing smirk. Of course there was no one Maebelle could have brought there, but she figured Kieron would understand her reasoning like this.

When Kieron stepped forward to free her off the shirt, blue eyes gazed up at his focused face. Even if she would have actively attempted to make eye contact, it was doubtful she would have succeeded. With the fabric shed, her gaze drifted down at the untouched skin of her arm. Fingers effortlessly wiggled before Mae looked up at him again. “Nope, not sore nor broken.” Given the man was quite probably starting to run out of options, the gardener opted to make the act less severe and to invest more focus on her initial plan.

“Does… it look more swollen than your arm?” For a split second Mae held the ‘harmed’ one out, but the second soon joined in for hands to be able to undo his upper nurse outfit. It was in the way to compare, right? “Can’t see it with you wearing that,” the brunette decided. This way Kieron could also confirm to himself that her motoric actions were still flawless… and maybe even that the injury was not as awful as initially portrayed.

“It kind of hurts way less now… but maybe some magical kisses will make the pain go away completely?” Lips pursed slightly, more so in an innocent matter than to ask for a kiss.