A/N: Thanks for the reviews!
Smithy: I've also been taking tegretol for nearly five years now. It's usually fine with me, but the drowsiness that comes with it can get very problematic while on hospital duty.
3: The Odds of the Worse Outcomes
When Musichetta finally emerges from her own exam, she is surprised that her legs can still hold her up. "Good thing I am never doing that again," she mutters under her breath as she tosses her bag into her car and then gets into the driver's seat. The exhilaration she should be feeling after having succeeded at such a monumental test is there, but mingled with that aggravating self-deprecation that often comes with handling an equivocal case. 'There are too many opinions in Medicine and one has to choose the one that allows the patient to live,' she reminds herself.
The truth is that she is lucky as far as her specialization is concerned. Obstetrics may be messy, but for the most part the outcomes are straightforward. It is more than she can say for Marius' work in neurology or even Joly's in infectious diseases. Musichetta sighs as she checks her watch; it is only two in the afternoon, and chances are Joly is not yet done with his exam, while Marius, Combeferre, and Eponine have probably headed home or to their respective errands. There will be time this evening to talk of their battle scars, so she heads down instead to the Megaplate Diner, located just two blocks away from the human rights commission's office.
She finds Bossuet seated near the window, furiously sending a text message. "Looks like a bad case," she remarks as she saunters in.
"Nah, it's a new lead. Bahorel got a nasty note at the office and he's not letting it slide," Bossuet says as he puts down his phone. "How did it go?"
"Terrible, awful," Musichetta mutters. "Of all the cases to discuss, I draw the one that involves an auto-immune complication."
"Auto-immune, wait...the body attacking itself?" Bossuet asks.
Musichetta nods. "So I had to explain that, in addition to everything about being pregnant to begin with. Now everything has to be explained down to a molecular level and usually I'm cool with that. But auto-immune diseases are a bitch, since there are so many things wrong, and too few actual solutions."
Bossuet sighs sympathetically as he toys with a wayward curl on her forehead. "You still passed otherwise I would have seen you with mascara running."
"I made sure to go waterproof today," Musichetta retorts.
Bossuet snorts. "It was a luck of the draw exam, Chetta. You can't be too hard on yourself."
"That's true, but what if somewhere down the road, I get that one case like the one I was told to discuss today?" Musichetta asks. "I won't be the resident asking for clearance from the consultant, but this time I'll be the consultant calling the shots."
"I thought there was a co-management and referral system for complicated cases in Saint-Michel, that's why you and Joly team up a lot."
"Yeah but you still have to know your stuff before sharing the case, otherwise that's called slacking off."
Bossuet tugs on the curl and watches it spring back. "You trip, you get up, and then become a bad-ass OB. How's everyone else doing?"
"No word yet," Musichetta said. She glances at her phone. "That can't be good. At least Eponine would have called, you know how she is."
"The Chief said he's not heading back to the office after today's hearing. Maybe he and Eponine are privately celebrating?" Bossuet asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
"While we're on that topic, you owe both me and Patrice after the barbecue tonight," Musichetta says, nudging his elbow. "Don't you dare disappoint us."
Bossuet grins. "Yes Ma'am."
Musichetta sighs happily just a moment before she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. "Hello Florence. I thought you'd be in lectures," she greets.
"I sent my class on a research break," Florence replies. She takes a deep breath. "So how are you? How was your exam?"
"I passed but I've done better. How's Combeferre?"
"He made it too, but he said that it wasn't up to a 'chief resident's level'."
Musichetta winces, knowing all too well how stringent Combeferre is as far as his personal standards are concerned. "So what's he doing now?"
"He's going jogging with me. That's supposed to be therapeutic, right?"
"Yeah. Get those endorphins flowing. Have you heard from anyone else?"
"From the looks of it, Eponine didn't have a good time of it either but Daniel isn't elaborating," Florence says. "What about Joly?"
"Still waiting," Musichetta replies, signing to a waiter to bring over a menu. "So are you guys still going later to the Fauchelevents?"
Florence sighs. "I'll drag Daniel there if I have to. He needs to get this out of his system. See you guys."
Musichetta waits for the click of the call ending before she picks up the menu. She notices that Bossuet is sending yet another message. "That, I take it, is Patrice."
"Yeah, he just passed the exam but he needs time to himself and takeout from here," he explains. "He'll meet us at the Fauchelevents."
"Damn," She mutters as she sends a text message to Joly and then begins checking the menu for the perfect comfort food. "Five cheese linguine special, with a double order of fresh potato chips. Nothing like carbohydrate loading to banish a less than perfect day."
He nods. "Double for a day that is completely shot. I hope that Marius fared better in his finals, otherwise we will have one heck of a pity party tonight."
"I'm counting on you law boys as well as Prouvaire and Grantaire to make sure that doesn't happen," she says. Knowing their group of friends, they will find something to celebrate, or at least raise mocking toasts to. 'It's one of the better ways of hanging on to sanity,' she realizes as she and Bossuet signal to the waiter to take their orders.
After their meal they make their way to the Fauchelevent residence, and arrive there at around five in the afternoon. Elodie meets them at the door and motions for them to be quiet. "Papa is sleeping," she says in a stage whisper. "Mama said not to wake him up till the party later!"
"Your dad has been studying a lot, hasn't he?" Musichetta asks as Elodie leads them into the house. She clucks her tongue at the sight of Marius curled up under a blanket on the sofa. "Maybe too much."
Elodie nods. "He woke up so late today and ran out of the house without having breakfast. Mama was worried if he'd get there on time." She hops up to the couch and puts a hand on Marius' forehead. "At least he doesn't have a fever."
Marius stirs and groans. "Hey Elodie, what are you doing?"
"Making sure you're not sick. Who takes care of doctors when they get sick?" Elodie asks.
"I'm not sick, and anyway I have you and your mother to help me out," Marius says with an amiable smile before he sits up. He blinks at Musichetta and Bossuet. "Good news too?"
"Good news and dearly earned," Musichetta says ruefully. "Did your exams go okay?"
Marius hangs his head. "I was lucky to even be allowed to take it at all. I could have done better."
"He's still a good brain doctor," Elodie pronounces. "He always will be."
"Yes, and now this 'brain doctor' will need help making the barbecue," Marius answers as he scoops up Elodie such that he is carrying her piggyback style. "What sort of case did you get?" he asks Musichetta.
Musichetta rolls her eyes. "It had to be the lupus."
Marius winces with sympathy as they all head out to the garden beyond the lanai. "Of all things it had to be that."
"At least it really was lupus and not one of its mimics," Musichetta concurs. "What was yours?"
"Basilar artery occlusion. It was a miracle case," Marius replies as he sets Elodie down on a bench.
"I don't know what you guys are talking about but it all doesn't sound good," Bossuet remarks as he follows Marius to fetch some charcoal and help set up the grill. "What happens anyway if you guys fail the exams?"
"Depending on the specialty, we either get a retake in a year or a retake after remediation," Marius explains. "In my case I would have had to do an extra six months in training before reapplying for the exam permit."
The thought of an extra six months in residency is enough to make Musichetta shudder but she decides not to dwell on it, more so when Joly arrives a few minutes later. She meets him even before he can step out into the garden and gives him a tight hug. "You made it, Patrice. That's what matters."
Joly nods with relief as he hugs her back and then pulls Bossuet into their embrace. "I hope my patient also pulls through," he mumbles.
"Ouch. Bad case?"Bossuet asks.
"Very cranky patient but I do not quite blame her. It was the virus talking, not her."
'The fact he knows that is what makes him a good doctor,' Musichetta realizes. She has seen pain and discomfort bring out everything cantankerous and uncooperative in otherwise affable patients, and more importantly she's seen colleagues respond none too kindly to this change. 'He can always see through that, and that's why his patients get better.'
In short order the rest of their friends begin to arrive, and by sundown everyone is out in the lanai or the garden, taking turns manning the grill, passing around drinks, or watching over Elodie, Darren, and Alexandra. Combeferre and Florence are among the last to arrive, looking less harried than Musichetta expects. "It took several miles to get him in this state," Florence reports.
"A hard case I can stand, but not a judgmental panel," Combeferre says tersely as he sits on the stoop.
"Got grilled?" Gavroche quips. "Or fricasseed, minced, whatever you call it-"
Combeferre gives him a reproving look. "Let us just say I am happy to go through it just once."
Marius looks to Eponine, who is filling up a glass while listening to one of Cosette's stories. "Eponine, how did yours go?"
Eponine shakes her head. "I passed but I don't really want to talk about it now."
"Hey what's in that pitcher-wait a minute, it's water?" Grantaire asks, seeing what Eponine has in hand. "Does that mean you're-"
"Shut up, Capital R!" Eponine hisses.
Grantaire bursts out laughing. "It's about time anyway Enjolras scored a home run."
Enjolras shoots him a withering look. "Thank you for stating it so well."
Azelma looks quizzically at her sister. "Ponine though, are you really..."
Eponine sighs as she glances at Enjolras and then crosses her arms. "To answer everyone's questions, I got morning sickness during the exam, so I got a pregnancy test and it was positive. Is that enough?"
"If you figured it out that way, you must be at least a month, maybe six weeks along..." Courfeyrac begins. "Shouldn't you be worrying about some of the viruses that have been going about lately, like in the waiting rooms?"
"Not to mention that you used the x-ray machine in the OR three days ago," Combeferre chimes in. "You had the lead apron, but still-"
Eponine slams down her glass. "You think I haven't thought about that since this morning? Yeah, it's as simple as drinking water for you guys."
"I'm just stating a fact," Combeferre points out. "If I had known, I would have asked someone else to scrub in for you instead."
"That wouldn't have been your call to make, even if you are still the chief resident," Eponine snaps.
Florence takes the opportunity to elbow Combeferre before he can say another word. "Daniel, can you not talk shop for a bit? You've been running on everything medical for ten hours and ten minutes now."
Bahorel, Grantaire, Joly, and Bossuet howl with laughter at this near-exact estimate. "And how many seconds and milliseconds?" Grantaire asks Florence gleefully.
"Give me a stopwatch and I'll tell you," Florence says.
"If there's anyone who should be talking shop here, it's Chetta," Feuilly chimes in. "Free medical consult right here."
"Actually it would be a courtesy," Musichetta pipes up. "Eponine, we'll talk about this in my office tomorrow. Bring Enjolras with you."
Eponine smiles with relief. "Seven am. I have a presentation to make."
"Seriously that's all you guys are going to say?" Azelma protests as she looks at Eponine and Enjolras. "I mean, it's really cool that you guys are finally having a kid. I thought I was never going to be an aunt."
"Wait a minute, what about Gavroche here?" Courfeyrac asks, gesturing to the youngest Thenardier.
"Face it guys, he's just going to mitose," Joly says. "Or maybe not-I think one of you is more than enough for this world."
Gavroche sticks out his tongue at them. "I am not fixing your wi-fi again."
Thankfully the discussion shifts just like that to all the things that the boys can do, or have done by way of retaliation. It's enough to chase away the worry in Eponine's look and the mere mention of work from Combeferre's speech. In fact even Enjolras throws in an anecdote or two about his brother-in-law's mischief. 'If only things could always be so simple,' Musichetta catches herself thinking, but she shakes her head before draining her own glass of juice. Life always has a way of taking a strange turn outside the relative safety of these walls.