Disclaimer: If you don't know by now, you're barkin' up the wrooooong tree.
Chapter Four
"Okay Walter I've got all the instruments laid out alphabetically on this tray by name; and by size on this one, largest to smallest; and all the containers grouped by liters. What else would you like me to do?"
If anyone was ever deserving of a medal for upstanding valor and service to her country it was probably Astrid Farnsworth.
Filled with unending patience and understanding Astrid remained the calm in the eye of the storm that was often Dr. Walter Bishop's lab.
She never snapped, or rolled her eyes.
She never spoke an ill word of the man to anyone no matter how outrageous his request; or at what hour of the day or night it might be made. Astrid Farnsworth simply did her best, often going well out of her way to see that whatever Walter might request no matter how big or how small, the task was done, and done to his liking.
In fact, so calm, and so serene was she that if the agents had ever stopped to truly think about it they might have considered her something to be studied as her own Fringe case.
She was certainly out of the ordinary; by 4 o'clock pm on this very afternoon Astrid was the perfect picture of serenity dressed in her customary green kitchen scrubbing gloves and rubber apron with a look of calm understanding on her face as she gestured to the reorganized trays before her. One might ascertain that she was well on her way towards earning sainthood, having fulfilled every request Walter could think of, before assisting with the autopsy that Broyles had requested.
And if Astrid didn't know any better she might suspect that Dr. Walter Bishop was at this point not suffering from a bout of eccentricity at all, but that he was actually stalling.
Walter himself stood at the top of the short staircase looking down at the trays with a look of consternation; one thumbnail in his mouth as he chewed on the nail, a nervous habit he often displayed when faced with something vexing that he truly disliked.
And seeing as an Autopsy was hardly something Walter usually went into fits over, Astrid was a bit at a loss as to what do to.
"No, No I think it would be better to start all over again and do them all by manufacturer and then by serial number and gauge."
Astrid paused for a moment turning to inspect the equipment laid out before her on the trays.
"Alright." And she proceeded to do as requested.
Definitely unusual.
Astrid looked up as the door to the lab opened and Peter and Olivia strode into the room, she smiled at them genuinely happy to see their return, and secretly hoping they might offer some insight into why Walter was behaving so…well….unlike Walter….well…about the autopsy at least.
"Welcome back," she offered as they shrugged out of their coats and tossed them over the railing, trumping down the stairs to see what progress had been made.
"So what did you find out?" Olivia glanced over at the body still wrapped tight in the coroners bag it had been delivered in and turned to Astrid again; knowing that Astrid was the more likely source for up to date and reliable information on Walter's current mood swings and goings-on.
Astrid fixed her with a look, and gesturing to the instruments laid out before her informed them both that she was reorganizing the autopsy equipment at Walter's request.
"Not like the files this morning I hope," Peter leaned against the counter nonchalantly grinning at them both.
"So the autopsy…" Olivia trailed off leaving the question to hang in the air.
"Has not been started as of yet." Astrid supplied.
"Walter, What's going on? Usually you all a dither about bringing a body back to the lab and going all chop shop, it's scary sometimes really…."
Olivia cut her eyes at Peter, shaking her head at her partner's complete lack of tact at times.
"Walter," He turned to look at her still chewing his nail, Olivia hopped to god his hands were at least clean.
"It's not me you know, it's okay, we have to find out what happened to her, or what she is if we can."
Walter let out a yell, and pounding his fists down on the banister beside him going from uneasy to a fit of rage with no warning.
"You don't get it do you! None of you do! The Immense Pressure that I am UNDER! I Cannot Work in these Conditions!" and with that he turned and stormed into his office slamming the door behind him, the sound of the deadbolt being thrown could be heard in the dead silence he left in his wake.
Astrid blinked finally and turned back to the instruments on the trays before her, continuing to re-categorize them as instructed.
Olivia stood there for a beat or two rocking back and forth from heel to toe waiting to see if Walter would re-emerge as he sometimes did after such an outburst, often times reappearing to be completely reasonable, in the manner of the truly insane.
Today did not look like one of those days.
"Okay," Peter finally offered to no one in particular. "I guess that's that."
"Astrid, do you think you could run some basic chemical tests, tissue and blood samples while Walter….." she trailed off not really certain what to say about their estranged scientist today.
Astrid nodded, "Sure, and I'm sure Walter will come around shortly I put raspberry sherbert in his mini freezer he'll gobble that up the minute he finds it and be right as rain."
"Raspberry sherbert?" Peter looked dubious.
Astrid smiled at him.
"You've been holding out on me with the Walter Warfare"
"Trade secrets."
Peter grinned at her and then turned to face Olivia again as her phone began to trill in her suit pocket.
Retrieving it Olivia flipped it open and answered; "Dunham."
Her conversation was short and clipped and when she hung up she turned to Peter.
"That was Agent Bentley he said they found something on the surveillance we should see,"
Peter nodded and made the same arm sweeping gesture from earlier towards the door again. Olivia turned back to Astrid, glancing towards the locked office door behind her,
"you don't…"
"Mind? No. Not at all. I've got plenty to do here." She smiled benignly at them waving them towards the direction of the door.
Olivia and Peter headed back up the stairs retrieving their coats and shrugging into them as they headed back out the door, Peter's hand drifting to the small of Olivia's back once again as he ushered her out of the lab and into the hallway.
Astrid turned once again to face the multitude of instruments before her lips pursed in seriousness. "Just me and my tools."
