Doctor, Doctor, Alex

June 1st, around 3pm

He'd been good. He'd taken his pills, and other than that incident with Raen, he hadn't taken too many or too few. He'd learned in the very beginning that he couldn't take them all at once and the effects last that long - no, it was one a day. Some of his siblings on Venus had to go to the cardiologist weekly, some monthly. Han, however, was good. He took his pills because Mi wanted him to take his pills and because people got upset when he flushed them (an idea he should never have given Raen). He only had to come to the doctor once every three months as opposed to his previous monthly thing.

Of course, now that he was considered as old as dirt, there was a good chance that they'd want him to come in more often. For some reason, they thought that they could prolong his life - he wasn't quite sure if he believed it. Maybe for a Terrestrial, or another planet... But Mars, and her people, were an entirely different thing that none of the people on these planets understood. The slums of Venus were similar, in ways, but they were at least civilized. On Mars, it was more eat or be eaten.

He was sitting in the waiting room. It had been a while since he'd had to have anyone accompany him - he'd learned better than to snap at doctors while he'd been with his first masters on Venus. Doctors, while they usually stank and probed and made things worse, could also make things better. So he could deal with them. He preferred Terrestrial doctors, like Ruro, but at the same time, Dr. Uroianik was good, despite the fact that she wasn't Terrestrial.

He was flipping through one of the magazines, sitting on one of the uncomfortable chairs, just like usual, waiting for his name to be called. He was currently the only person in the room, so he was just ignoring the nurses and other people that weren't his doctor, people coming and going from other areas of the hospital. Doubtless, they were thinking that a savage beast like him wouldn't be able to comprehend the words in the article on cardiovascular disorders he was reading, that he must just be looking at the pictures. He could have happily told them otherwise, but that made people mad. He could only sit and wait for his name to be called.

It was almost three. Was it just her, or was she actually smiling just now? Alexandrina wasn't sure, and she didn't really care. She already knew why she was smiling. Han. He was always so nice and cordial to her, always willing to give her an inch when she needed one. Most - if not almost every - Martians were the opposite, but it was people like Han who made her feel as if she were accomplishing something in the world.

And, she had to admit, he did remind her a bit of Gabe. Not with the whole White Regime experimentation bit, but in how they acted. She couldn't really look at Han without thinking of Gabe, as strange as that sounded, and it only made her look forward to their appointments more. She wished she could see him every other week, if just to talk to with him, but between her schedule and his, it was impossible.

She sighed. If there was one person she wanted to cure, it was Han, but she didn't know if she had that kind of time. And she sure as hell didn't want to subject him to her experiments.

When three o'clock rolled around, Alex was actually feeling better about her day. It was time to see her favorite patient.

Instead of allowing one of the Mercurian nurses to see him in, Alexandrina had specifically cleared her schedule so that she could spend the next half hour with Han. Was she really smiling right now? Alexandrina was neither surprised nor worried; it was true. She walked out into the waiting room, announced her presence, and said, "Well, come on, Han, can't keep the doctor waiting."

She led him into her office instead of a patient's room. Unorthodox, but she didn't care. She let him sit in a comfortable chair as she pulled forward all of her equipment, warming up her stethoscope on her clothes so that he wouldn't feel the chill from it. "How are you getting along?" she asked after a long moment. "No more mishaps with the medicine?"

He grinned when she came to call for him, ignoring the odd look that he got from the nurse behind the desk. He'd have to remember to shoot her a smile when he left, as he'd already given the woman the necessary information to get his appointment taken care of. He tossed the magazine back into the pile, which thankfully enough was varied so that he didn't have to read the same things every time he came in. Hopping out of his chair, he trotted off after her, following her into her office, keeping that half-grin on his face that whole time.

"Sorry, doc. Was reading a very interesting article on what overexposure to masses of Venusian pheromones supposedly do to Martian hearts - have to say that whole thing is a load, by the way." He rolled his eyes. He'd spent most of his life on Venus, other than his first few years on Mars and these last few on Earth. And, all things considered, he was still pretty healthy, right? At least when he wasn't having double his medication doses fed to him.

As if she was reading his mind, the lovely doctor inquired about how he was. She was high enough in the Alliance that she had to have heard about it by now - all the same, since she was his doctor, it might be good to mention the incident, even if Ruro had cleared him all out. He wasn't positive if there could be long term changes in his condition... He was pretty sure that was a no, since Tal was better and she'd been worse off than he had, but all the same.

"I'm good... You probably heard about that whole... thing that happened with Dr. Shoban, yeah? Well, turns out that the Martian that instigated that had been slipping her medications into the food in our apartment. That's not gonna kick me in the ass and take a year off, is it? I think it's all worn off, but it's better to have you check, right?" He shrugged, then remained still so that she could get all of the information on his vitals.

He was always such a nice boy, that Han. Just hearing him speak could bring a smile to her lips. She was always so happy when she saw him. It was weird how he could have that effect on her, but after spending so many of her days in the company of Martians who just couldn't understand that the easier they made things, the quicker it would be, it was a definite relief when Han came through the door. He definitely somehow made her work feel a lot more special and rewarding than it would have been otherwise.

"Sorry, doc. Was reading a very interesting article on what overexposure to masses of Venusian pheromones supposedly do to Martian hearts - have to say that whole thing is a load, by the way."

Alexandrina said nothing - why annoy the boy with her quibbles? - merely rolling her eyes in response. Firstly, why would they go to the lengths of overexposing Martian hearts to Venusian pheromones when they were so erratic to begin with? It really frustrated Alexandrina, and she rather had half a mind to write the magazine a horrible letter about how they were overconfident, under qualified, and generally horrible excuses for the human race.

But it didn't matter now. She was busy to seeing to Han; she could worry about rectifying the many disasters of the human race later. At that, she chuckled. It would be a damn miracle if she managed to solve her current goal before age got the best of her.

"I'm good... You probably heard about that whole... thing that happened with Dr. Shoban, yeah? Well, turns out that the Martian that instigated that had been slipping her medications into the food in our apartment. That's not gonna kick me in the ass and take a year off, is it? I think it's all worn off, but it's better to have you check, right?"

The annoyance struck again. She still couldn't believe the rampant stupidity of Raen Mars. Sighing, Alexandrina nodded. "Yes, I did hear of it actually. I have good faith in Dr. Shoban - he can't quite possibly measure to yours truly, of course - but he does show great promise in this field," Alexandrina said, chuckling. She would double-check anyway. If there was one thing she wasn't, it was lazy, and she would definitely not rest the life of her valued patient in the hands of someone who had his license a lot less longer than herself.

"I'm sure it won't do anything too terribly to your body. After all, you're up and walking, right?" she asked as she pressed the stethoscope to his chest. Just a tad too fast, but really, what did she expect? As far as Martians went, Han was as old as she was. "Nonetheless, I will check to ensure that everything is working in tip-top shape. Can't have you laid up, now can we?"

He could have gone on for hours about how stupid that experiment had been. He'd spent years, years, almost a lifetime, as a sex slave on Venus. It was supposed to have been good for his heart, in a way, they'd said at the time. Now, though, he didn't know, and frankly, he didn't care. Life was life and it was over when it was over. He didn't think that he was any worse off than what he would have been. In a way, he was glad for that time – it had gotten him off of Mars and socialized him to the point that he could appreciate what he had in his family now. He couldn't help but wonder how much longer he would have survived on Mars... Knowing his track record from the red planet, not long. He wasn't the most... able bodied of people there. More intelligence than instinct, he'd been told later in life. And on a planet like Mars, that wasn't exactly a winning formula.

He stilled on instinct as the stethoscope was placed on his chest, waiting before speaking until she'd removed it. He'd learned back when he'd first started coming here (he'd been left alone in one of the rooms and had played with one of them – talking while they were in use could be painful. He knew.) not to do that. He just nodded his acknowledgment of her acknowledgment of Ru, not really thinking of anything to add. He was pleased that she was willing to double check. Not that he doubted Ruro, but it was much more comforting coming from his own doctor. His doctor. Not quite in the way that Mi and Tal and Fort were his, but a different sort of possession. It was weird, but then again, he was weird, so he disregarded it.

Once the device was removed from his chest, he cleared his throat, grinning just enough to show the tips of his teeth. He was glad that she didn't care about that – others stared. ”Yeah, that'd be troublesome, to say the least. I really appreciate it.” It really would. He pulled his sleeve up around his shoulder so that she could take his blood pressure without the material in the way. They told him that it didn't matter, but he did it anyway. ”So, anything exciting happen with any of your other patients?” Sometimes there were good stories. Sometimes there were not-so-good stories. Sometimes they were funny, and sometimes they were sad, and sometimes there weren't any stories at all. He just liked to have real conversations with her – she was one of the few that he considered a real friend that had been there for longer than the past few months. Before the others – the Senshi and their companions – had appeared, all he'd had was his family and Alex. Needless to say, he had a soft spot for the woman. And was greatly appreciative of her work.

Han's role in her professional life was easily summed up as both the best and worst aspect of her job. Not that it meant he was a terrible patient or anything - on the contrary, he was one of the major reasons that Alexandrina continued her work and experimentation. It was that while he presented her with the reason to look on her work with such enthusiasm, there remained the fact that as far as Martian aging went, they were about the same age. And if she didn't find the cure in time, she would have to watch the poor boy pass as so many others had - probably due to a sudden heart attack.

For a moment, Alexandrina considered what might keep her going should her number one patient succumb to his genetic defects. She wasn't quite sure. She was getting on in years herself, and she wasn't sure what kind of affect his death would have on her. Maybe she might be going, for the sake of the Martians like Han, or in Han's memory. Or maybe she might feel as if the only Martian worth saving had already perished, so there would be no point in it anymore. Nevertheless, the uncertainty was getting to her. And while she never did things halfway, she wondered if she might ask her morals to check themselves at the door should Han perish and she not find the cure. It was an entirely real possibility.

However, that mattered little now. She had certain duties to perform, certain expectations to meet. Han wasn't dead by any means, and he might live for five years yet, which could be plenty of time to find the cure. She had no doubt in her abilities - she knew she would be able to find it, one day - she just doubted whether she had the time. It was a heartbreaking thought, but a real one.

She ignored it, though. She could worry about it later, when Han grew worse. For now, though, she would focus on helping him as much as possible. If she owed anything to him at all, she would have to repay him in this, working her damnedest to make him healthy.

After a moment, Alexandrina grinned at the boy. "I'm not sure our group could find a bright light in a dark room if they were given a compass and map if you weren't there to point them in the right direction," she said easily, glad to see that he was joking. That was always a good sign. She pulled out the wrist cuff for the blood pressure, shaking her head at his raised sleeve. "New device! No more squeezing of your upper arm. I daresay you might even not notice it?" She slid the bracelet-shaped device around his wrist easily and left there for a few minutes before writing down his blood pressure - normal. Things were definitely looking up.

At his question, Alexandrina chuckled. "As ever. One had to be forcibly extracted the other day because we could not allow him food for seven hours so that his blood results could be accurate. And the nurses looked to me as if I might be the one to restrain him!" She had to chuckle at that. She may have a presence to be sure, but she was by no means strong enough to hold back a Martian on a rampage. "And some kids came by yesterday. They asked after you and wanted to give you a balloon. I'm sorry to say the helium didn't last but an hour," she added regretfully.

Then the frown deepened. Alexandrina withdrew a needle and tube, placing it beside Han on the table. "We can wait until next time, if you wish?" she suggested softly, knowing that this was one of the most hated procedures she could ever deliver on a Martian.

Okay, so he was somewhat like a bird. He fluffed up when he was praised. It was no small compliment, coming from this woman, that he was a guiding force in the Alliance. Of course, he knew that he was... He was in the House of Ten, for para's sakes. But hearing it from her, from the best doctor on any planet, a person that he considered a friend and a very important person, it was more of a compliment than he deserved. He grinned easily, eyes widening slightly when she explained the new monitor. He let his sleeve fall without ceremony, swallowing somewhat nervously as it was placed on his wrist. She was right, though - it felt like a normal wrist cuff, and he didn't even notice that it was doing anything, unlike that unpleasant squeezing thing.

He craned his neck to look at the numbers that she wrote down, letting out a quiet but triumphant laugh when he actually read them. All things considered, including his age, he was healthy as a horse. So far, anyway. They weren't done yet.

He made a face - right. Like those good for nothing nurses would ever really figure out how things worked - this place was dangerous, that was for sure, but they expected Alex to be the one restraining the patients? He could guarantee that nothing would ever get done around here if she was forced to do things like that. He scoffed, shaking his head. Irresponsible on the part of her employees, that was. He'd have to have a word with some of him that knew him. He did brighten once more at the mention of the kids, nodding his head. "That's alright. It's the thought that counts, and I'd probably have popped it anyway." He kept his nails filed down, sure, but they were still kept sharp. He'd still be able to gouge out someone's throat if it was needed.

The reaction to the sight of the needle was immediate and instinctive - he squished himself back in his seat, suddenly wishing that Mi or Tal was there. He loved them for this part. They'd hold his hand and he would feel better and would possibly be able to hold back the whimpers. He made a face, looking from her and to the needle again, eyes lingering. "No... I need to get over this. We can do it now. Just don't stop when I start whining, or I probably won't be able to finish." He was frowning, but it was more of a displeased pout than anything else. He just hated the thought of that sharp metal thing going into his skin again. They got blood work regularly on Venus, but they were often drugged and would just wake up either bleeding or bruised. He had to be a big boy for this. He was an old ass man, he should be used to this and able to do it with his eyes closed.

She was glad when she heard the laugh. Han was pleased with his blood pressure at least. That was a step in the right direction. She wished she could do more, though. More than sitting here with useless results and desires and dreams. Alexandrina wanted to cure him so that he might go on and live a normal life. But she had to realize that some things were just not meant to be.

"There might a different thing next time," she said, shrugging. "They come here a lot, wishing to see you. Maybe next time, they'll time it right." She nodded in conjunction with these words. Not likely, but possible. Always possible.

When she set the tube and the needle down next to him, Alexandrina took note of the squirms. And yet, he was brave, insisting that he could get through this. Alexandrina frowned, shrugging. "I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do, Han. We could try one of the bug biting ones?" she suggested. "And there always is the possibility of waiting for a more... opportune moment. I am not above that." She did want to make sure Dr. Shoban had covered all the bases, but she could skip this if it made Han more comfortable. She had no problems with it.

While she waited for him to think things over, she felt his lymph nodes, checked his pulse, looked for anything awry on his skin. It would be just her luck if, while she was so focused on his heart, she missed something like a cancerous tumor that would be the culprit of fatality. Alexandrina trusted her abilities more than anyone's else of course, and she was sure she wouldn't miss something should it creep up, but she needed to check either way. It would not do to be cocky and then miss something. And besides, she owed it to Han to be thorough.

He made a humming noise, agreeing with the idea. Maybe he’d actually be able to come in at the same time as them one day – he’d have to see if he could figure it out. It was good, in his own semi-professional opinion, for the children to see an adult reacting well to the doctor. All the ‘adults’ that threw fits and skittered like something was going to bite them were bad examples (okay, some of it was founded in good reasoning, but Alex was a good doctor) and that caused the children to be afraid. Trust was important, when it came to one’s doctor – hence the reason that save that incident with Ruro (and once that he’d needed stitches badly and Alex was busy) that he had never been to another doctor since he’d met her.

”Eh…. I’d rather have something poke me than bite me, so we can stick with this one. I gotta be a big boy, I’m certainly old enough to deal with this better than I am.” He nodded. He’d do it today because that meant that he would have a while before he had to come back for any reason other than wanting to chat or be a good example. He sat still and relaxed as she felt at his throat and neck, despite still having that urge to snap at her fingers. Back on Mars, and even for part of his life on Venus, something touching your throat was a bad idea. Meant that someone was probably trying to kill you. His ‘family doctor’ for his first owners was a fan of shocking her patients so that they didn’t snap at her. Illegal even on Venus, but who was going to believe a bunch of Martian slaves, who were notorious for hating doctors anyway? And his Venusian had been limited at that point, and he hadn’t known any Terrestrial at all. Yeah, his life hadn’t started until he’d been rescued by Mi.

He spared a thought as to if that woman was still practicing – she was significantly younger than Alex, Mercurian. Thinking now, she had to have been thrown off of Mercury for something, because she had one of those ‘I am better than you no matter what,’ attitudes. He’d figure it out at some point, he certainly had the ability to do so – and if she was still treating Martians, he’d be sure that she was stopped. How many of his people had died prematurely because the electric shock had sent them into cardiac arrest? ”Everything look good?” He looked at her with an interested grin. Never good to assume anything, when you were his age, in his condition, and living on borrowed time.

Alex patted Han's shoulder. "You're dealing with this quite well. After being poisoned, you have every right to be just as edgy as you want to be," Alex said simply. She shot her patient a smile before sliding her hand into her pocket. "I really shouldn't be doing this, but here you go." She gave him a package of beef jerky, winking. "Some for now, and some for the road." She shrugged.

After a moment or so, the woman apologetically tied the ribbon around the boy's upper arm, asking him to make a fist. She hated this as much as the next person, but as he appreciated it more than the one that felt like a simple bug bit on one's finger, she'd give him this route. The vein was easy to find - for once, she thought wryly - and so she put the needle into her patient's arm.

"Everything's going quite well so far, Han," she said as she drew his blood. Better to keep the patient talking in order to distract him from the process itself.

"Your blood pressure is normal for a man of your size and stature. Your heart rate is regular of someone of your age, and there are no strange growths that could pose a threat to your health." The doctor pulled the needle out of her patient's arm and took the vial of his blood away. "All we have to do now is check this out and see if you have any diseases or things lurking that we should know about. But you seem healthy enough."

Healthy enough. Alexandrina hid the frown pulling at her features, turning away from her patient so that she could step outside and give the vial to the nearest nurse. When she returned, she sat down calmly, no hint of what had been running through her mind present on her face.

"So, Han, is there anything going on you feel I should know about?" Alexandrina questioned, studying him closely. "Any odd feelings or the like?"