House Calls [End]

[Nako]

There was a moment of worry as the third child lay there, silent. His brows furrowed, looking over his shoulder only to see the lifeless form held up in the air. How iconic it was; a textbook slap on the ass sent the last bit of fluid from its mouth, eliciting a highly upset scream from the tiny creature. Seamlessly, Merlin shifted back into his bipedal form, arms reaching out to pull the tiny form toward him. A jackal.. the apple of his eye. The jagged markings of blue nearly overtook her tiny form. Goodness, what sort of secret could the child hold?

So enchanting, the three of them were; three perfect little darlings mostly, if not completely Avington. The owl though.. she seemed to almost have a smell about her. Perhaps it was just the amniotic fluids.

Merlin pulled her to his chest, attempting to quell its cries. Three girls; so beautiful and darling. And all crying. The insistence of the owl hybrid was making it obvious that their hunger could not be ignored any longer. Pulling all three of the children closer, he looked to the door.

"I have some milk being kept in the ice box. This little girl though, will likely want nothing other than meat. Ah... Victor? Are you out there?"

[Satra]

Victor waited patiently outside of the room. He didn't want to disturb them, but that didn't stop him from listening in when he could. The mention of Feline made him freeze. No, that... that was impossible... True, Merlin and Victor did have a fling. One. Not even one, they didn't even finish. Not to mention the one who ended up pregnant wasn't on the receiv... No, he told himself. It was just a coincidence. Felines were hardly rare. The odds were too much against him. Or, with him, rather.

He batted at a piece of lint on the ground as he waited. He perked up immediately at the sound of his name. He got up a little too quickly, pulling his rot a little in the process. He hissed, but trotted over to the door and poked his head in.

"I'm here."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Watching the new mother tend to his children was quite the sight, even the normally rather stoic Zenon had to admit to herself. She realized a moment too late that she was still smiling, and she finally forced herself to look away, focusing on cleaning Merlin himself up at least a little bit, and on sewing him back up. "Let me know if there's any additional discomfort. I can always give you more of the anesthetic if there is.[/b]" This way, she felt like she was actually doing something more than simply edging in on the new family's happiness.

Of course, at mention of Victor, she had to force her feathers not to bristle. Every part of her screamed to keep the disgusting Lowlander out of the room, especially when there were newborns present, but she couldn't. This was Merlin's guest, and she had no room to tell him who he could or couldn't see, especially when much of the literature claimed that Lowlanders were not contagious.

Granted, she wasn't sure she believed that. Her ears flipped back as she continued to work, then lightly pressed a warm cloth to the poor man's torn flesh, sopping up some of the blood. "There you are. Is there anything else you need from me before I take my leave?[/b]"

[Nako]

color=limegreen]"Victor.. there is milk in the ice box, as well as a platter of ground beef. Could you perhaps heat them both up for the babies? And mix a bit of the milk in with the meat; birds are a little more particular in how they need to be fed. I'd do it myself but... I'm being stitched back together. Oh-ho.. Hoo-hoot!"[/color] Ever oblivious to Victor's inner turmoil, Merlin brought his nose down and touched it gently to the squealing jackal's cheek. He'd have done the same to the squealing owl hybrid but... he had a feeling he might get a nip from that baby beak!

"Hush.. hush dears! There will be food soon~" Merlin crooned to the lot of them.

At Zenon's question, he looked up with an almost puzzled expression. He so very much enjoyed his doctor's company, even if they met up in the most intense of circumstances. Her need to leave so soon almost had him surprised. "Oh.. well... I suppose this is hardly a social visit. It's in the middle of the working day and you no doubt have other patients to attend to."

Perhaps it was the presence of Victor that had her in such a rush? Then again, he might have been looking too much into it. But yet again... a Lowlander put most people off. It was only a rigid logic in Merlin's mind that they were in fact not contagious that allowed himself not to be disturbed deeply by the sight of the rotting man. Merlin could not expect Zenon to understand this. Hell, he hardly understood it himself on most days.

"If... we could move forward with a topical pain reliever I would be appreciative. I prefer to be in charge of my mental faculties." What else was he supposed to say? His ear flicked awkwardly in one direction, showing his indecision. "I.. know that birthing is not your specialty.. but I appreciate it that you were willing to do this for me. I would not have been comfortable with any other doctor."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Sensing movement, the owlet began to scream all the louder, aiming her beak in the general direction of her mother. Nestled between the warm bodies of her siblings, she felt safe - though the world around her had changed so dramatically in such a short time, leaving her mind confused and lost. But this was at least somewhat familiar. Now if only she could get the ache in her gut to go away... She stumbled forward again, pressing her little body against her mother and screaming as loudly as her tiny lungs would allow.

The noise was getting to be quite extreme, and Zenon hoped to herself that the damn Lowlander would hurry up with bringing the food that Merlin had asked him to bring. Another few minutes and she would get it herself - some part of her instincts, ones she had tried to bury deep inside, were rising up unpleasantly at the cries of the hungry babies. She wanted to nurture, and that unnerved her more than the rotting Feline ever could. There was something almost sad in Merlin's tone, and she looked up at him, giving him a slightly awkward shrug.

"For today, no, I'm afraid it isn't. I do have another patient lined up for later this afternoon.[/b]" Perhaps not entirely truth, but also not a lie - the Clinic filled unpredictably as soon as day made way to night, and her skills would almost certainly be required. She cleared her throat with a quiet caw, and shrugged. "Though perhaps... Another day, I will stop in for a cup of tea and a chat. We can lie and say it's just to check in on the children - help me keep up my hard reputation, hmm?[/b]"

She chuckled to herself, applying the cream as Merlin had requested and then pulling away to wash off her hands. Lightly, she extended a talon, clutching the rest of the bottle. "Take this whenever there is pain, and make sure you clean the wound as frequently as you can stand to without reopening it. These are new stitches - they should come out on their own as you heal. If they don't, or if they come out early, send for me as soon as you're able.[/b]" This part was easy. This part was business. The next part... Wasn't. Her ears drooped slightly, and she nodded. "I... of course. I would have been jealous if you'd requested the service of anyone else. It was a privilege, Merlin. If you need anything - ever - let me know. And... congratulations.[/b]"

The last of her tools were gathered together, and she gave the Lowland feline one last glance. "Take good care of him. He's going to need a lot of help for the next few days.[/b]" With that, the woman was gone.

[Satra]

To Victor the request sounded a little strange, but he knew little about children. Still, it didn't hurt to ask considering Merlin's mind was probably strained from the birth and probably from any painkillers he might have been administered... Then again, Merlin had been doing a fair amount of research on child rearing during his pregnancy, so he would have to trust him. Perhaps the blender would come in handy? Eh, ask anyway.

"Are...are they ready for any amount of solid food yet?" he asked a little shyly. He didn't really enjoy challenging authority. One he got any answer, he nodded, gave a quick affirmation and left to take care of the food for the infants. He was heading back with the bottles, and paused just out of view in the hall. The conversation seemed a little... personal. He didn't want to butt in. Luckily he'd come near the in and it wasn't long before the talking ended and he heard a rustling for objects, presumably things being put away. He entered and set the bottles down next to where he put the water he'd retrieved for Merlin earlier.

"If I'm not needed for anything else, I'll stay out of your way..." he said rather distractedly as he craned his neck to see the children. No. Definitely not Victor-Feline. Oh and cute. Really, really adorable. Even the ugly, bald bird appealed to him. Merlin would get to use the little bird-booties he made! He purred quietly and his tail twitched. He gave a slight surprised look when the doctor actually spoke to him directly.

"Of course. Thank you," he said with a nod and watched her leave. As soon as she was gone he turned right back around to look at the children. "Would you like me to get the booties you knitted, or do you think they're fine for now?"