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Rating: Teen
DISCLAIMER: Other people have actually read this one before the internet. Yes, I know. It's weird.
Summary: This is a rewrite of the Human Nature/Family of Blood two-parter, because I really liked Latimer. It's long. I liked it pretty well at the time, as did the other readers, so let's see how well it held up. ...so far, so good. also I actually bothered to tab for once on this one.
It's not finished, but it's fairly close.
“Owww…” Daniel complained, not loudly, just enough to let Nurse Redfern know that it hurt but he was behaving himself. Mostly.
“You’re as bad as John,” she remarked, then blushed. She’d used his Christian name, and she probably hadn’t meant to do it in front of ‘one of the boys’, Daniel thought, hiding his grin.
“And I don’t know what you were thinking. Swords? Most boys just stick to punches and kicks, and those are bad enough to treat.”
Winters laughed out loud. He couldn’t help himself. “I’m not most boys, in case you haven’t noticed. And I knew what I was doing, thank you.” He flexed his arm, frowned when it wasn’t quite up to par.
She shook her head. “You’re not free to go yet. I want to make sure everything’s in order.”
She felt along his arm, which hurt, slightly. He winced, but kept the true extent of his injuries private. He wasn’t about to let a human doctor do anything to him-one of the last times they’d managed to kill him, and he could do quite well without that at this point, thanks. Enough dangers already lurked around without adding one more to the mix.
At that point, Nurse Redfern decided to check his pulse in the wounded arm. She was probably just trying to make sure blood flow was adequate so they wouldn’t have to amputate later. In another case, he might just have waved her off quietly and calmly. He couldn’t do that here, so he did the next best thing. He froze time and grabbed a pencil from the desk. It’d been ages since he’d had to undo hypnotism, and he didn’t remember a time where he consciously had to put somebody under its spell. Then again, he knew that firsts always came. It was inevitable, really.
“You checked my pulse. It was fine, completely normal, you noticed nothing different.” The Doctor paused, trying to think of anything that he might have forgotten. Since nothing was coming, he felt obliged to add in mischievously, “You have a craving for pastries.”
He sat back in his chair, relaxed and pleased like a cat. He waited for a second, then returned time back to normal, clicking his fingers in front of the nurse’s face.
She blinked for a second, looking confused. When she remembered him, her face turned red. “Daniel. I’m sorry…you can go now. I’m not sure what came over me.”
He couldn’t help it-he grinned this time. “Yeah…I’m sure it’s not the first strange thing to happen around here lately.” He took off before the Nurse could begin to guess wildly. Who knows, she might come up with something remotely like the truth, however improbable that seemed.
Mr. Smith stopped him on the way to his dormitory. “Winters? I wanted a word.”
Without even thinking about it, Daniel tensed up, tight as if he’d just lost someone again. “Yes, sir?” he asked warily.
John smiled, trying to set him at his ease. “I think I’ve discovered the reason for your impertinence and courage. You’re trying to impress a girl, aren’t you, getting such wild tales of your improbable feats so you can astound her with your strength and cunning?”
Daniel had to laugh at that one, though he managed to tone it down into a chuckle. Awkwardly, he explained, “I left a girl at home, and…well, I miss her. I miss her so much.”
To his dismay, his eyes were moist, and a tear slid down his face. It wasn’t half the reason, and was mostly made up, but the emotions were real-and terrifyingly strong. Mr. Smith wasn’t sure of what, exactly, to do in this situation, but he managed to do the right thing after a little hesitation, holding the boy as sobs wracked the young, weaker body.
