{a visit to the hospital} McCoy

[little_duck]

Truthfully, Prim is still a little frightened of the hospital. A pink line on her left arm serves as a reminder of her close call with the terrible nurses. She hasn't told anyone she's going here by herself today, not directly.

She knows she needs to do it herself. Katniss can't walk with her everywhere, and besides, the possible bow and arrow threats aren't going to get Prim what she wants here.

"Hi," she says, stopping at the very first front desk. There's a nice woman working there with dark hair and a round face. Prim tells the woman who she's here to see, and it's easy, from there, to follow the signs and maps until she's in the right place.

Prim takes a deep breath. She's taken pains with her appearance today. Her hair is braided and wound around her head, and she's wearing a white sundress and blue jacket. She dabs a tiny bit of stolen lip gloss on her mouth, and knocks on the closed door as it stands in front of her.

"Hello?" she calls. "Doctor McCoy?"

Her heart pounds in her ribcage.

Comments

[goodgodman]

McCoy has only put his head down for a minute. He was pulling a double, trying to get in some extra hours at the Hospital. But after a full shift on his feet the time had come for 15 minutes in a dark room to get his head straight. Sighing noisily he stands up from behind the desk and is fully prepared to bite the head off of the vile sleep-interrupter. Then he opens the door (a touch violently) and sees that it's not one of the nurses but a young girl.

He stops in his tracks, mouth partly open in surprise. But he composes quickly and runs a hand through his hair. "Oh, ah," McCoy pauses and clears his throat, glancing up and down the hall. "I'm Doctor McCoy. Something I can help you with?"

[little_duck]

She's got part of it rehearsed.

"My name is Primrose Everdeen. I know your friend Spock." She smiles hesitantly, though that's not rehearsed. Spock just makes her smile a little. "Um, in my world, I'm a healer. As best I can tell, that puts me somewhere between a doctor and a nurse here."

The next part is a little more difficult.

"I came here to ask if you would train me, or take me on as an apprentice, or... anything, really. I want to learn more about healing, and I--" Prim fidgets with her jacket. "You're the only person here who could take care of Spock. I think there should be at least two of us."

Prim breathes out, her huge eyes focused up on him. He'd been almost snarling, but it's not that different than Haymitch, she tells herself.

[goodgodman]

McCoy's eyebrows keep going up the longer she talks, then quirk even higher at the comment about Spock being his friend. And, well, he is but it isn't something McCoy puts into words often. He's got about fifty things he wants to say to all this, most of them along the lines of 'hell no.' But she's got those big eyes trained on him, all earnest-like, and his resolve wavers. Holding his tongue he lets out a sigh and rubs his brow with a wince.

"Look, uh, why don't you come in here and have a seat. We'll chat about this." He waves a hand at the open door and flicks the lights back on, blinking in the fresh glare of florescents.

Sitting at one of he chairs in front of the desk he gestures to the one opposite him. "So. Spock. How did you meet him?" And like him?, he doesn't add.

[little_duck]

Success!

The doctor isn't exactly friendly, but neither was just about anyone important in the Seam or in District 13. And then there's Haymitch, whose existence implies that a good mentor should be angry and heavy-drinking.

Prim follows him into the office and sits down where he gestures towards, folding her hands neatly on her lap. "On the beach," she says. "There was a party that night, for people who aren't... from here."

She tries not to think about the last time she was in an office like this, with the woman who engineered a revolution.

"He liked my kitten, and he was nice to me. I know he's not, um, normal, but he's good. Trust me, I've known a lot of people who aren't."



Sorry, wrong Prim!