Summary:

We learn intellectual virtues by instruction, and we learn moral virtues by habit and constant practice.

We are all born with the potential to be morally virtuous, but it is only by behaving in the right way

that we train ourselves to be virtuous. As a musician learns to play an instrument, we learn virtue by

practicing, not by thinking about it. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


Maki stopped by the Nishikino hospital and asked for a patient intake form. She had practiced doing intake, spelling off the nurse receptionist at the hospital, so in that sense, she was professionally qualified. Regardless of where Nico's appointment was going to be, the information would be similar, so this would probably help. Also, it would probably be easier for Nico to talk to Maki than to a stranger, and it might set her at ease.

On an impulse, she took a spare blood pressure kit-bag along.

Instead of going home, she went to the Yazawa's apartment and rang the bell.

As expected, just Nico and her siblings were there. Maki greeted them, then asked Nico if she was taking her pain medicine on schedule. The girl replied, grumpily, that she was. Maki apologized to Cocoro, Cocoa and Cotarou and said she needed to borrow Nico for a while. Apparently, Nico had made a double batch of food the day before, so they were just warming up most of the food, and it was basically ready, so Nico agreed to talk with Maki in Nico's bedroom.

Maki whipped out the form and told Nico what it was.

"If you bring this with you to your appointment, it will save time and probably help a lot, Nico. Answer everything as best you can, and if you think of something later, we can go back. Do you want me to ask you the questions, since I'm here? I won't tell anyone what you say. But if you want, instead, you can answer them on your own and fold it up." She showed Nico an envelope she'd brought to put the intake form in. "Or just ask me about anything you don't understand."

Nico's eyes had teared up. Clearly, she was still frightened. Maki decided she'd ask the questions and only have Nico do it alone if she asked to.

It was a long form, naturally, and she had to ask about many things. It didn't comfort her at all to learn Nico's father hadn't died in an accident, but of some illness. She made a note to ask Nico's mother about it, since Nico didn't fully know what had happened - She had been young, after all. Cocoro barely remembered their father, and the younger siblings didn't remember him at all.

While she was asking questions, she took Nico's blood pressure and pulse. Both were high for a girl of Nico's age and physical condition, but that could simply be due to fear and stress.

Nico's mother didn't have any serious conditions Nico was aware of, thank goodness, but when Maki came to the part of the form where she asked female-specific questions, Nico suddenly froze up.

A strange idea had already occurred to Maki the day before, when she was wracking her brain to come up with ideas about what might be wrong with Nico. She'd dismissed it: it involved two rare conditions, and, moreover, the first one usually precluded the second one. She'd read about both when reassuring herself about her own development. Now, she reconsidered. It was the most hopeful reason that Nico would be upset by these questions, after all.

"Listen, Nico-chan," she began, "If your pain is mostly in the abdomen, you know, you have to start with these questions. Being embarrassed won't do at all."

"Tell me about your periods," she continued.