Episode 891: Good Thing

“So, the donor is there?” Lila asked. “Everything is a go, I promise. You need to relax for Jesse’s sake and your own. If you’re all wound up, he’ll feel that way, too. We’re as close to beating this thing as we’ve ever been, let yourself be happy about that.”

“Okay.” Lila ended the call and fumbled her phone into her bag. She took a deep breath. Bowie wrapped his arms around her.

Meantime, in a hospital waiting area, drumming his fingers on the arms of a chair, Xavier was told the doctor would be with him soon.

He glanced at the elevator when it dinged, a reflex response though he knew he should keep his head down as much as possible if he intended to come out of this with his privacy intact.

Fortunately, rather than Lila or Bowie or anyone else who might remember him, to his surprise, someone who knew him in a better way stepped off the elevator.

He stood and Lucy came right over and hugged him.

“You didn't have to come,” he said. “You shouldn’t miss work for me.”

“I didn’t like the idea of you going through this all alone. I know it’s not supposed to be a hugely complicated procedure, but still...”

He hugged her back. “Thanks.”

“This way please,” came a gruff order at his back.

Dr. Marques. Sebastian’s mother. She’d been nothing but gruff with him throughout the entire process. Even after the extensive tests, when it turned out that he had a surprisingly clean bill of health, that he’d be a good donor, her hostility never lessened. Maybe that was how she behaved towards patients, maybe it helped her to keep an emotional distance, or maybe he just wasn’t high society enough for her. Or, maybe she realized his connection to Avalon and she hated him on her son’s behalf. He supposed it didn’t matter, it seemed she was sticking to her confidentiality oath, she seemed as determined to do her job as he was to do this good thing for Jesse.

Episode 892: All Apologies