The Chief of Staff checked her wrist chronometer as she walked purposefully to the reception desk. Keen hazel eyes hidden behind platinum framed glasses looked around the waiting area. "Phyllia, has Ms. Matthews arrived for her examination?"
"She hasn't checked in yet, Dr. Ergin-Falconne," the middle aged red-haired woman answered.
Maranya's lips pursed in thought.
From Sarah's message, this exam seemed urgent. I wonder what could be keeping her.
First was the rounds at the school, checking on rogue students skipping classes, trouble makers running rampent in the halls; then there was the endless hunt for Neo to get him his lunch. It was the usual day for Sarah, except that she was running late. At least that's what she would say. Truth of the matter was, she was lost, and hesitant to see the doctor. Why' Because they scared her of course.
She should have been used to them by now. After all, Anya was a wonderful doctor, Sarah owed Anya and her staff her life. There were still scars, mental and physical when it came to the episode with the tower.
Once she made her way into the doors of the doctor's waiting room she had to take a breath. Nerves were getting the best of her, but she pushed through them and to the desk. After a hearty throat clear, she announced. "Sarah Matthews, checking in."
Maranya tipped a smile to Sarah once she arrived. "Excellent. If you will come with me, Sarah. We can get this exam going and it will be as painless as possible." She gestured with her star sapphire and diamond ringed right hand to the doors which led to the exam rooms. "I understand that you are going to face Harris at the Outback, da" He's a rough opponent."
Follow she did, her eyes turning over the clinic and then back to Anya," It's a rather pretty place ya have here, now that I can see it without coming through the emergency doors." The comment about Harris made her smile. " I was trained by Mur and he believes in amping up his upper cuts." The thought made her rub her chin and wince.
"Spasibo. I have worked hard these past six years and more to make Riverview a place of healing, in every aspect of the word." Maranya's smile turned a bit rueful with memories. "I remember those well, though I did my best to deliver them more than receive. There is still one move called a Slider that I used to do, which was an uppercut against either a leap or a jump kick. Very effective, but I felt bad afterward." She opened the door to one of the exam rooms. "Here we are. Now, if you will hop up on the table, I can do the preliminaries before you get to ride in the USCT. Again, it's painless."
"The USCT?" Her curiousity at something she didn't know was well known. Sarah had a knact for getting into trouble that way. Effortlessly she climbed onto the exam table and kicked her feet, her eyes flickering over the room before resting on Anya again. "I'm sure if it was painful that you'd take every action nessesary to make it painless."
"I would indeed. I am used to treating children, but adults deserve the same consideration." Soft laughter issued forth. "The UltraSound CT scanner. One of my toys that I get to play with." Maranya adjusted the stethoscope around her neck and put the ear pieces in. "I'll check your heart and lungs first, then blood pressure, before that ride."
"Rodger." She hoped everything was kicking right. Her hands lightly gripped the edge of the table as a heavy breath was taken. "How are the kids" The husbands?" A warm smile formed on her face. "Bet it keeps you busy, the clinics, kids, and all."
Maranya's smile warmed at the thought of her favorite subjects, her husbands and their sons. "Ayden and Andrew are growing like weeds....they're almost ten months, which still amazes me, because I remember carrying them inside of me what seems not that long ago. 'Tonio and Alper are also well, and busy as always, but they and I are happy, which is the most important."
She placed the disc receiver end of the stethoscope against Sarah's back. "It is busy, but a good busy. Since we have a daycare center here, I can visit with the twins when my duties allow during the day. Now, breathe in deeply, and let it out slowly."
Hearing Anya speak warmly of her twins and her husbands was refreshing considering all that went on in a day to day basis. Read the post now and then, the highlights of the city, and all there was was chaos and madness. It was enough to keep Neo and the Knights busy. Her fingers flexed on the edge of the table and she nodded in response to the direction. One strong breath, her chest filling before she exhaled softly, slowly, letting the air pour from her lungs.
Maranya listened to the air flow, and nodded slowly. "Again, please."
The process repeated as she closed her eyes, doing her best to be a good patient.
Another listen, and another nod. "Now, take a deep breath and hold it please."
She nodded, exhaled, and froze as her breath was held.
Maranya listened closely. "Now, release it very slowly."
Her chest rose a little as she exhaled, letting the air leave her once more as she looked to the good doctor.
"Excellent. Lungs are clear. Now, I'll take a listen to your heart." She moved to face Sarah, and placed the receiver end against the young woman's chest to listen.
No attempts to talk were made, nor was she going to hum, though there were times she was tempted. She sat there, her eyes closed again as she worked through the cold touch of the receiver.
Maranya nodded thoughtfully, and moved the disc shaped receiver to another part of Sarah's chest to listen again.
That got her brow to lift and her head tilted to the side. "Everything okay Doc?"
"Mm, just fine. I wanted to check from a different angle to make sure." Reassuring smile was tipped to Sarah. "Heart and lungs are good. Now, time for the blood pressure."
"Oh good. I was afraid that incident was coming back to haunt me." She admitted as her head bobbed to the thought of blood pressure.
"Nyet, you're in the pink, as I like to tell Cleffa." Soft laughter at her private joke, as the puffball was always pink. Maranya brought over the fabric cuff with the gauge attached. "Roll up your left sleeve please, so I can put this on."
Sarah nodded again, her right hand moving to her arm and twisting the sleeve up. She paused for a second to muse. "I might have to bring Neo to you tomorrow because of a heart attack. I made a bet with Candy if I lose my next duel with her that I'd chop off my hair, not sure he'd like that." She snickered lightly, finishing her sleeve.
Hazel eyes widened behind her glasses lenses. "Bozhe moi. That's a harsh bet. I used to wager on helping people on their jobs if I lost to them." The cuff was wrapped around Sarah's upper arm and fastened with Velcro. She inflated the cuff with the bulb and listened with her stethoscope.
"Well it is Candy and I don't think she'd do it for any less." She chuckled, her eyes flickered to the cuff and again closed. She hated how tight those things got.
Maranya's lips pursed while she watched the gauge as the cuff was deflated, and listened to the sounds of blood rushing through the arteries. "Mm, I don't recall anyone named Candy, but then again, it's been over a year since I've dueled in the Outback."
"I noticed that. How come?" She tilted her head a little, as she always did when she was curious. "From what I hear you were one of the best." Her feet swayed slightly.
"Well, I stopped first because I was carrying my Blessings, and I didn't want to risk losing them. After they were born, I've been busy with them and work. Maybe one day I'll return, but it's not as important to me as my family is." Maranya shook her dark blond haired head with a smile, which sent her ponytail to brush against the back of her white knee length lab coat. "Spasibo, but I would have to work hard to regain any sort of place there. Your blood pressure is one hundred eighteen over seventy eight. Excellent." She carefully removed the cuff and set it aside.
She liked when her numbers were good. A pleased smile formed on her face. "Sounds like you're living a dream. I'm glad you're happy. There's hope for Rhy'din when people like you are so willing to help and care for people while being happy."
"Believe me, some days I feel every bit of my thirty four years in my bones, or more. My life is not all sunshine and rainbows, but I work at something I love, and have the loves of my life to come home to, which makes it all worthwhile. I try not to dwell on the negatives, for in the end they don't matter." Maranya removed the earpieces from her ears, and let the stethoscope dangle around her neck. "Now, the fun part, the USCT."
Her feet kicked again and she chewed on her bottom lip. "Wee, fun part." She chuckled lightly, her smile still as big as ever. "I'm glad things are working out for you." She looked over the room again then back to Anya. "How fun is this part?"
"Well, if you like looking at colored lights while the scanners run, it's fun." Maranya gestured to the machine, which had a bed that slid in and out of the main scanner unit. "I don't set them to flash, because of the potential of stimulating a seizure in some patients."
"Colored lights. All right, I can live with that." Sarah slid off the table and over to the bed, a finger prodding at it before she sat down.
"Lay down, please. And relax. Normal easy breaths. It won't take very long."
She nodded once again and slid to where she could lay comfortably on the bed. "I bet you've had less difficult than myself. I'm not exactly used to machines and exams."
"Less and more. One of the worst was a dwarf with stuffed sinuses." Once Sarah was ready, Maranya pressed the button which slid the bed into the scanner.
The thought of a dwarf with stuffed sinuses made her nose wrinkle for a moment. It didn't sound plesant. Her body froze ever so slightly and her chest rose and fell a bit slower as her nerves took over.
Maranya studied the monitor, which displayed in real time high resolution three dimensional color Sarah's internal anatomy as she passed through the USCT scanner. Lips pursed in thought at the faint shadows revealed on the brain part of the scan.
Sarah saw the lights, stared at them for a few moments before her eyes closed. Lights could only be good for so long, other than that, it was as though she had chose to cat nap. She was sure that she was safe, but her imagination went over the classic list of what ifs while the machine scanned.
Just to be sure, Maranya ran the scan protocol again. She did not want to take any chances with those potential trouble areas.
During which Sarah found herself staring at the lights again. Her mind racing with questions as the scans dragged on, it felt like an eternity.
"She hasn't checked in yet, Dr. Ergin-Falconne," the middle aged red-haired woman answered.
Maranya's lips pursed in thought.
From Sarah's message, this exam seemed urgent. I wonder what could be keeping her.
First was the rounds at the school, checking on rogue students skipping classes, trouble makers running rampent in the halls; then there was the endless hunt for Neo to get him his lunch. It was the usual day for Sarah, except that she was running late. At least that's what she would say. Truth of the matter was, she was lost, and hesitant to see the doctor. Why' Because they scared her of course.
She should have been used to them by now. After all, Anya was a wonderful doctor, Sarah owed Anya and her staff her life. There were still scars, mental and physical when it came to the episode with the tower.
Once she made her way into the doors of the doctor's waiting room she had to take a breath. Nerves were getting the best of her, but she pushed through them and to the desk. After a hearty throat clear, she announced. "Sarah Matthews, checking in."
Maranya tipped a smile to Sarah once she arrived. "Excellent. If you will come with me, Sarah. We can get this exam going and it will be as painless as possible." She gestured with her star sapphire and diamond ringed right hand to the doors which led to the exam rooms. "I understand that you are going to face Harris at the Outback, da" He's a rough opponent."
Follow she did, her eyes turning over the clinic and then back to Anya," It's a rather pretty place ya have here, now that I can see it without coming through the emergency doors." The comment about Harris made her smile. " I was trained by Mur and he believes in amping up his upper cuts." The thought made her rub her chin and wince.
"Spasibo. I have worked hard these past six years and more to make Riverview a place of healing, in every aspect of the word." Maranya's smile turned a bit rueful with memories. "I remember those well, though I did my best to deliver them more than receive. There is still one move called a Slider that I used to do, which was an uppercut against either a leap or a jump kick. Very effective, but I felt bad afterward." She opened the door to one of the exam rooms. "Here we are. Now, if you will hop up on the table, I can do the preliminaries before you get to ride in the USCT. Again, it's painless."
"The USCT?" Her curiousity at something she didn't know was well known. Sarah had a knact for getting into trouble that way. Effortlessly she climbed onto the exam table and kicked her feet, her eyes flickering over the room before resting on Anya again. "I'm sure if it was painful that you'd take every action nessesary to make it painless."
"I would indeed. I am used to treating children, but adults deserve the same consideration." Soft laughter issued forth. "The UltraSound CT scanner. One of my toys that I get to play with." Maranya adjusted the stethoscope around her neck and put the ear pieces in. "I'll check your heart and lungs first, then blood pressure, before that ride."
"Rodger." She hoped everything was kicking right. Her hands lightly gripped the edge of the table as a heavy breath was taken. "How are the kids" The husbands?" A warm smile formed on her face. "Bet it keeps you busy, the clinics, kids, and all."
Maranya's smile warmed at the thought of her favorite subjects, her husbands and their sons. "Ayden and Andrew are growing like weeds....they're almost ten months, which still amazes me, because I remember carrying them inside of me what seems not that long ago. 'Tonio and Alper are also well, and busy as always, but they and I are happy, which is the most important."
She placed the disc receiver end of the stethoscope against Sarah's back. "It is busy, but a good busy. Since we have a daycare center here, I can visit with the twins when my duties allow during the day. Now, breathe in deeply, and let it out slowly."
Hearing Anya speak warmly of her twins and her husbands was refreshing considering all that went on in a day to day basis. Read the post now and then, the highlights of the city, and all there was was chaos and madness. It was enough to keep Neo and the Knights busy. Her fingers flexed on the edge of the table and she nodded in response to the direction. One strong breath, her chest filling before she exhaled softly, slowly, letting the air pour from her lungs.
Maranya listened to the air flow, and nodded slowly. "Again, please."
The process repeated as she closed her eyes, doing her best to be a good patient.
Another listen, and another nod. "Now, take a deep breath and hold it please."
She nodded, exhaled, and froze as her breath was held.
Maranya listened closely. "Now, release it very slowly."
Her chest rose a little as she exhaled, letting the air leave her once more as she looked to the good doctor.
"Excellent. Lungs are clear. Now, I'll take a listen to your heart." She moved to face Sarah, and placed the receiver end against the young woman's chest to listen.
No attempts to talk were made, nor was she going to hum, though there were times she was tempted. She sat there, her eyes closed again as she worked through the cold touch of the receiver.
Maranya nodded thoughtfully, and moved the disc shaped receiver to another part of Sarah's chest to listen again.
That got her brow to lift and her head tilted to the side. "Everything okay Doc?"
"Mm, just fine. I wanted to check from a different angle to make sure." Reassuring smile was tipped to Sarah. "Heart and lungs are good. Now, time for the blood pressure."
"Oh good. I was afraid that incident was coming back to haunt me." She admitted as her head bobbed to the thought of blood pressure.
"Nyet, you're in the pink, as I like to tell Cleffa." Soft laughter at her private joke, as the puffball was always pink. Maranya brought over the fabric cuff with the gauge attached. "Roll up your left sleeve please, so I can put this on."
Sarah nodded again, her right hand moving to her arm and twisting the sleeve up. She paused for a second to muse. "I might have to bring Neo to you tomorrow because of a heart attack. I made a bet with Candy if I lose my next duel with her that I'd chop off my hair, not sure he'd like that." She snickered lightly, finishing her sleeve.
Hazel eyes widened behind her glasses lenses. "Bozhe moi. That's a harsh bet. I used to wager on helping people on their jobs if I lost to them." The cuff was wrapped around Sarah's upper arm and fastened with Velcro. She inflated the cuff with the bulb and listened with her stethoscope.
"Well it is Candy and I don't think she'd do it for any less." She chuckled, her eyes flickered to the cuff and again closed. She hated how tight those things got.
Maranya's lips pursed while she watched the gauge as the cuff was deflated, and listened to the sounds of blood rushing through the arteries. "Mm, I don't recall anyone named Candy, but then again, it's been over a year since I've dueled in the Outback."
"I noticed that. How come?" She tilted her head a little, as she always did when she was curious. "From what I hear you were one of the best." Her feet swayed slightly.
"Well, I stopped first because I was carrying my Blessings, and I didn't want to risk losing them. After they were born, I've been busy with them and work. Maybe one day I'll return, but it's not as important to me as my family is." Maranya shook her dark blond haired head with a smile, which sent her ponytail to brush against the back of her white knee length lab coat. "Spasibo, but I would have to work hard to regain any sort of place there. Your blood pressure is one hundred eighteen over seventy eight. Excellent." She carefully removed the cuff and set it aside.
She liked when her numbers were good. A pleased smile formed on her face. "Sounds like you're living a dream. I'm glad you're happy. There's hope for Rhy'din when people like you are so willing to help and care for people while being happy."
"Believe me, some days I feel every bit of my thirty four years in my bones, or more. My life is not all sunshine and rainbows, but I work at something I love, and have the loves of my life to come home to, which makes it all worthwhile. I try not to dwell on the negatives, for in the end they don't matter." Maranya removed the earpieces from her ears, and let the stethoscope dangle around her neck. "Now, the fun part, the USCT."
Her feet kicked again and she chewed on her bottom lip. "Wee, fun part." She chuckled lightly, her smile still as big as ever. "I'm glad things are working out for you." She looked over the room again then back to Anya. "How fun is this part?"
"Well, if you like looking at colored lights while the scanners run, it's fun." Maranya gestured to the machine, which had a bed that slid in and out of the main scanner unit. "I don't set them to flash, because of the potential of stimulating a seizure in some patients."
"Colored lights. All right, I can live with that." Sarah slid off the table and over to the bed, a finger prodding at it before she sat down.
"Lay down, please. And relax. Normal easy breaths. It won't take very long."
She nodded once again and slid to where she could lay comfortably on the bed. "I bet you've had less difficult than myself. I'm not exactly used to machines and exams."
"Less and more. One of the worst was a dwarf with stuffed sinuses." Once Sarah was ready, Maranya pressed the button which slid the bed into the scanner.
The thought of a dwarf with stuffed sinuses made her nose wrinkle for a moment. It didn't sound plesant. Her body froze ever so slightly and her chest rose and fell a bit slower as her nerves took over.
Maranya studied the monitor, which displayed in real time high resolution three dimensional color Sarah's internal anatomy as she passed through the USCT scanner. Lips pursed in thought at the faint shadows revealed on the brain part of the scan.
Sarah saw the lights, stared at them for a few moments before her eyes closed. Lights could only be good for so long, other than that, it was as though she had chose to cat nap. She was sure that she was safe, but her imagination went over the classic list of what ifs while the machine scanned.
Just to be sure, Maranya ran the scan protocol again. She did not want to take any chances with those potential trouble areas.
During which Sarah found herself staring at the lights again. Her mind racing with questions as the scans dragged on, it felt like an eternity.