Sidney stood restlessly in the doors of post-op, crossing his arms as he
watched the nurse on duty put Klinger, who was on the verge of waking up,
back to sleep. It was clear that he was in no condition to be awake.
Sidney lowered his eyes and tugged his hat characteristically down over the
thick padding of his hair, he turned back out the door.
They wouldn't be able to keep Klinger sedated forever. At some point, Sidney would have to have him restrained enough to stay still while he tried to speak with him. It was a job that he was torn between looking forward to diving into and one which he'd like to put off for the rest of time. The first sensation was his professional curiosity, the second the urge to flee what he didn't know combined with the fear that there would be more to uncover about the vampires' control over the human mind, and it was all confused with a sinking sense of guilt that nagged at him from behind, wondering why he hadn't just given Klinger that discharge he'd wanted.
But he couldn't start second-guessing himself, now. He'd had reasons for what he'd done in the past, and, if the reasons change, then he'll just have to change his behavior to conform to the new circumstances.
He shook his head as he found himself analyzing his own thoughts, and he tucked those thoughts back in his subconscious where they belonged. He turned and the door shut behind him. Lifting his head to take a breath of the fresh afternoon air, he found himself face to face with the company clerk. He hadn't heard him coming. Not that anyone ever did.
Stepping back and finding himself pressed uncomfortably close to the post- op doors, Sidney lifted a hand to the little brim of his captain's cap and tipped it a little, "Radar," he greeted.
"Nope," Radar replied absently, the Fae taking over his tongue while he stood on tiptoe a bit to try to look over Sidney's shoulder, "How is he?" he asked.
Sidney looked down, having to admit that he was surprised to find Radar, cute, sweet, little Puritan Radar walking around without short, shoes, or socks, with an entourage of mice at his feet and a tortoise in his arms.
"Asleep." Sidney finally responded, sidestepping the question, "Are YOU okay?"
"That bad, huh?" Radar asked timidly, Bantelhopp whispering the psychologist's thoughts and concerns about the corpsman into his ear. "They really got 'im... I mean... He did. The Colonel... I mean, not our Colonel, the... other one."
Radar finally stopped babbling, and planted his bare heels back onto the round, looking up into Sidney's eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, eyes imploring.
Sidney put a hand on the Pooka's shoulder and led him along into a slow walk across the compound. "Want to talk about it?" he asked, the insights of his profession being, at least in some instances, as useful as a falcon- headed dragon.
"Not really BUT--" Radar quickly appended, "If you really want to hear, well, then, I'll tell ya."
"Okay," Sidney smiled, and put his hands behind his back in the 'listening' pose, wandering ahead with his face turned down and sideways towards the complaining changeling.
"I don't think that Colonel Potter likes all this cold weather we've been having. I kind of wish Sparky weren't here, so he'd be back at the 121st ordering us those new blankets and doing whatever else it is he... does up there."
"Uh-huh." Sidney said, in that way that psychologists have, and it made Radar a little nervous, unsure if Sidney was just saying that, or really understood what he felt.
"But, uh, Sparky and I have talked to each other since the first day I got here, and I'm real, real glad to finally get to meet him."
"Uh-huh."
Radar walked alongside Sidney, his hands jammed in his pockets, "And other people are complaining about how cold it's getting, too, and if Sparky would just GO AWAY then we'd get our blankets real soon. But I... I'd like to spend some more time with him, y'know?" He looked up, looking mildly wretched and wholly helpless.
"I know, Radar. Sparky's being here is a little strange for all of us. But we'll adapt. We'll adapt or we'll die, every last one of us, man, woman, or supernatural creature. In the meanwhile, we shouldn't let those kinds of distinctions get in the way of a good friendship, a caring, mutual friendship that could potentially stand the test of time."
By this time, it was clear that they were no longer, and likely had never been, talking about Sparky.
The Pooka nodded his head towards the ground, then looked up with a wide grin as Colonel Potter rode out of the offices atop a frisky-looking Sophie, looking more peaceful and happy than he had in days. Between the stacks of horse memorabilia that had arrived along with the new C.O., and a little hint from the other side, Radar had gotten an inkling that a new friend might cheer the Colonel up.
~
They wouldn't be able to keep Klinger sedated forever. At some point, Sidney would have to have him restrained enough to stay still while he tried to speak with him. It was a job that he was torn between looking forward to diving into and one which he'd like to put off for the rest of time. The first sensation was his professional curiosity, the second the urge to flee what he didn't know combined with the fear that there would be more to uncover about the vampires' control over the human mind, and it was all confused with a sinking sense of guilt that nagged at him from behind, wondering why he hadn't just given Klinger that discharge he'd wanted.
But he couldn't start second-guessing himself, now. He'd had reasons for what he'd done in the past, and, if the reasons change, then he'll just have to change his behavior to conform to the new circumstances.
He shook his head as he found himself analyzing his own thoughts, and he tucked those thoughts back in his subconscious where they belonged. He turned and the door shut behind him. Lifting his head to take a breath of the fresh afternoon air, he found himself face to face with the company clerk. He hadn't heard him coming. Not that anyone ever did.
Stepping back and finding himself pressed uncomfortably close to the post- op doors, Sidney lifted a hand to the little brim of his captain's cap and tipped it a little, "Radar," he greeted.
"Nope," Radar replied absently, the Fae taking over his tongue while he stood on tiptoe a bit to try to look over Sidney's shoulder, "How is he?" he asked.
Sidney looked down, having to admit that he was surprised to find Radar, cute, sweet, little Puritan Radar walking around without short, shoes, or socks, with an entourage of mice at his feet and a tortoise in his arms.
"Asleep." Sidney finally responded, sidestepping the question, "Are YOU okay?"
"That bad, huh?" Radar asked timidly, Bantelhopp whispering the psychologist's thoughts and concerns about the corpsman into his ear. "They really got 'im... I mean... He did. The Colonel... I mean, not our Colonel, the... other one."
Radar finally stopped babbling, and planted his bare heels back onto the round, looking up into Sidney's eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, eyes imploring.
Sidney put a hand on the Pooka's shoulder and led him along into a slow walk across the compound. "Want to talk about it?" he asked, the insights of his profession being, at least in some instances, as useful as a falcon- headed dragon.
"Not really BUT--" Radar quickly appended, "If you really want to hear, well, then, I'll tell ya."
"Okay," Sidney smiled, and put his hands behind his back in the 'listening' pose, wandering ahead with his face turned down and sideways towards the complaining changeling.
"I don't think that Colonel Potter likes all this cold weather we've been having. I kind of wish Sparky weren't here, so he'd be back at the 121st ordering us those new blankets and doing whatever else it is he... does up there."
"Uh-huh." Sidney said, in that way that psychologists have, and it made Radar a little nervous, unsure if Sidney was just saying that, or really understood what he felt.
"But, uh, Sparky and I have talked to each other since the first day I got here, and I'm real, real glad to finally get to meet him."
"Uh-huh."
Radar walked alongside Sidney, his hands jammed in his pockets, "And other people are complaining about how cold it's getting, too, and if Sparky would just GO AWAY then we'd get our blankets real soon. But I... I'd like to spend some more time with him, y'know?" He looked up, looking mildly wretched and wholly helpless.
"I know, Radar. Sparky's being here is a little strange for all of us. But we'll adapt. We'll adapt or we'll die, every last one of us, man, woman, or supernatural creature. In the meanwhile, we shouldn't let those kinds of distinctions get in the way of a good friendship, a caring, mutual friendship that could potentially stand the test of time."
By this time, it was clear that they were no longer, and likely had never been, talking about Sparky.
The Pooka nodded his head towards the ground, then looked up with a wide grin as Colonel Potter rode out of the offices atop a frisky-looking Sophie, looking more peaceful and happy than he had in days. Between the stacks of horse memorabilia that had arrived along with the new C.O., and a little hint from the other side, Radar had gotten an inkling that a new friend might cheer the Colonel up.
~