Doctor Strange, Doctor Palmer and the Cloak of Levitation

by TapTapAlways

Doctor Strange settles into the New York Sanctum, accompanied by the boa constrictor which is his new cloak. Aside from saving the Earth, Stephen finds himself with a lot of unfinished affairs with Christine, not to mention the desire to settle them and make it right. A slowburn Baby Strange story with a twist.

8. Slightly Lovestruck in the OR

I do in no way claim to own anything which isn't my stuff.

TapTap

It felt fantastic to be back in the OR. It wasn't the same, not really; this was not his team and he was not a full-time doctor any more, much less surgeon, but muscle memory was obviously not ruined just because the nerves were.

It was a joy to make a smooth, steady cut, his hands obeying him like they had used to by the aid of magic, silence around him in awe as he got to save a life in a much more direct way than he was used to these days. It reminded him of how long before he believed in sorcery, he had believed in this.

Working alongside Christine was also a joy, as ever, but Stephen couldn't say which he enjoyed more - the awe of interns and qualified surgeons alike, or the absolutely green nuance to Nick West's face. How absolutely amusing.

It had not been so long since he had stood alongside them during the surgery of the Ancient One, but he had not been an active participant then, and there had been no loved-ones there; no one there for her except him. This time, he got to experience the joy of saving someone they thought couldn't be saved, and telling her mother, partner, sister and three daughters that their mother, daughter, sister and lover would be fine. He didn't remember enjoying that bit so much. He had always focused on the OR part of his work, not the human touch. Perhaps his last year had changed that.

"It was my pleasure," he told the young woman he assumed was the patient's sister, smiling, still dressed in his scrubs. He and Christine both had assumed that would be better. They hadn't outright talked about it, but he was well aware of how unusual he looked in his robes.

He stayed in the hospital to the end of Christine's shift, and that was how he found himself joining her in the emergency room, sowing a neat row of stitches down the arm of a young student who had managed to cut himself on a knife while cooking, reattaching a thumb for an elderly man who had really grown too old to do his own DIY and bandaging the fingers of a machanic who had burnt herself on an exhaust. He hadn't done such things since he was an intern, but he found it surprisingly like slipping into a well-fitting glove with the hustle and bustle surrounding him.

Christine followed him home after her - well, their, really - shift was up, and they found Elice and the Cloak playing jenga in the living room. It turned out that there was a limit to the delicate touch of fabric, because it kept losing rather badly. As they entered, Elice was just wiping tears away, having laughed so much at its antics.

Christine stayed and recieved a lesson in cooking by the novice, while Stephen contented himself with stirring things, not up to steadying his hands more for the one night.

When Christine left, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he considered it a night (and day) well spent. It looked increasingly likely that maybe, despite everything which had happened, they could work it out after all.

This should now move into a more situational phase for a while, one chapter being one event, which should hopefully make the chapters a bit of a longer read starting with the next one! :)

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