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Post by Paige Owen on Oct 21, 2016 23:29:18 GMT -5
Continued
Paige was honestly not sure how she was managing to stand upright, let alone put one foot after another and move forward. Thank Godric Kate was there because she was positive she never would have made it to the hospital on her own. She felt weak and drained and her legs felt worse than if she had just completed a grueling performance of Swan Lake. Her bad knee was dangerously close to going out on her and her head felt like it was being crushed under a rock.
And yet she wouldn't have come to the hospital if Kate hadn't made her do it. It was the right call, of course, but she still wouldn't have done it of her own accord.
They arrived in the lobby, and Paige sunk into the first chair she saw while she waited for Kate to talk to the woman at the front desk. She must have looked quite pathetic, but she didn't care. For as terrible as she felt, at least she was alive. The other girl, whomever she was, couldn't say the same thing.
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Post by Kate Donaghy on Oct 21, 2016 23:42:26 GMT -5
Kate was careful to keep an eye on Paige while she talked to the nurses. They were understaffed and over populated and it took more than a little twisting to get someone to go and fetch a doctor. Kate wasn't above flashing her badge which she did coupled with a menacing tone that Paige might have found familiar from the first time they met.
"They're sending someone out soon." she said coming back toward Paige. The nurse on staff wanted insurance and paperwork, but Kate didn't want to bother Paige with paperwork, especially after her experience.
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Post by Paige Owen on Oct 22, 2016 11:51:32 GMT -5
Just a few days earlier, if someone had told Paige she'd be sitting in the hospital lobby with Kate Donaghy for support, she never would have believed them. She felt strangely close to the woman, and for someone like Paige who had never had many female friends, this was an unusual experience.
Dancers were catty, Paige had learned that long ago. And maybe she had become that way too, without realizing it. She just always expected other women to be more like competition. She had forgotten that there was also a solidarity in the shared experiences of being a woman, struggling to be accepted in their male-dominated society.
She couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She had no idea what that monster could have done to her when she was unconscious. He had literally stolen her from her bed, after all. And whatever he had made her drink couldn't have been a good thing. She just hoped that the doctors could figure out what it was.
"Thanks," she said quietly. "I don't know if I would have come here on my own."
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Post by Kate Donaghy on Oct 22, 2016 13:52:52 GMT -5
Kate had an adversarial relationship with most people, not just women, and not just reporters. Though she did struggle a little more with those two categories. It seemed there was always something getting in the way of Kate making real relationships. Men, not all but most, took a look at her and wanted one thing. That was probably the source of her more than prickly attitude. She had to have one to be taken seriously in her industry. Women often saw her as competition. Kate thought life might have been easier with a bag over her head. For as long as she could remember she had played down the way she looked. It was only the past few weeks working with Grayson and the aurors here that she felt she didn't have to hide who she was or keep herself at a distance. They treated her as a person, an intelligent, capable, auror, not just a pretty face.
But her beef with Paige had been the result of preconceptions and previous issues with the media in the states. It had nothing to do with Paige herself, well maybe the reporter was a bit eager and ambitious to do her job and get her story. But if Kate was reflecting on the experience, wasn't Kate just as passionate about what she did?
Maybe at the heart of it Kate didn't like how the media more often than not made legends out of psychopaths and gave them the attention they craved, but that wasn't Paige. Kate knew better now because Paige's first instinct after being kidnapped was to report it, and to someone whom she had an adversarial relationship with. Paige could have written her experience down and published it without going to Kate. Based on the impression that she got of Paige the first time around, that would have been what Kate expected, but it wasn't what happened.
Paige came to her. Now Kate needed to make sure that Paige was alright.
A small smile quirked at the side of Kate's mouth, "Don't like hospitals?"
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Post by Paige Owen on Oct 24, 2016 22:08:57 GMT -5
After her experience with the monster now known as M, Paige had known it would be selfish and crazy to just write about what happened and not report it. The important thing here was to catch this guy and put him away--or kill him--so he could not hurt another girl. The story no longer seemed as important as doing her part to make sure that happened as soon as possible. The man was sick and twisted and beyond evil. She'd almost rather do a face-to-face with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named than ever encounter M again.
And her next story would definitely reflect the horrors of this man, not to make him a legend, but to warn all the other women out there that they needed to be careful and take this situation seriously. Because while this might be a game to him, for his other victims there would be nothing fun about it.
"Not really," Paige replied. "I spent months in one, rehabbing from a shattered knee and an eating disorder. Doesn't bring back good memories."
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Post by Kate Donaghy on Oct 25, 2016 0:15:51 GMT -5
"Me either." she answered, "My first memories are of a hospital. I was nine." she confided.
Kate was spared talking more about her childhood when a nurse approached, "Doctor Montague will see you in room four, just this way please."
Kate nodded toward the nurse then waited for Paige.
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Post by Paige Owen on Nov 17, 2016 19:02:47 GMT -5
In that moment, Paige felt a solidarity with Kate. They each had their own personal tragedies, as everyone did. It was one of the reasons she had become involved in journalism after her dancing career was shattered along with her knee. Everyone had a story, and those stories deserved to be told. To be heard. So many people suffered in silence, as she once had, and never shared their stories with the world. Millions of stories untold, lost forever. It was sad. And that was when Paige realized what her angle should be with the stories about M's victims. They needed to be about the victims themselves, so that everyone would feel the loss acutely. So that everyone could grieve along with the families. So that Penny Young and Sophia Stark and the girl Paige had seen--all of them--would be remembered, not just as the victims of a twisted killer, but as flesh and blood women who once lived and breathed and laughed and cried, and whose stories were tragically cut short. They deserved at least that much.
At the mention of the doctor, Paige shivered, but stood up and followed Kate and the nurse. She found herself hoping that this doctor would be a woman... perhaps she should have specified as much. No matter how good a male doctor might be, she wasn't sure she would feel comfortable letting a man examine her after her ordeal.
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Post by Simon Montague on Nov 17, 2016 19:46:31 GMT -5
"Hello Ms. Owen, I'm Doctor Montague." Simon said entering the room and looking over her charts. He looked up at her, "Please take a seat." he gestured kindly to the hospital bed.
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Post by Paige Owen on Nov 17, 2016 22:37:35 GMT -5
Almost as soon as the doctor walked in, Paige began to panic. Anxiety and panic attacks had been almost a constant struggle when she was with the ballet, and although most of the time, they were caused by low blood sugar and high stress, she had lived on the edge of a panic attack for years. Ever since she had recovered from her eating disorder and quit dancing, she'd hardly had a single panic attack. Now, she was on the verge of her third in less than a day.
Perhaps if she hadn't already decided to herself that she didn't want a male doctor, she might have noticed something in his mannerisms, in the way he moved or the cadence of his voice, that might have given her a real reason to panic, but as it was, just seeing that he was a man was enough to set her off. She eyed him for a moment, hugging herself with her arms and standing motionless by the doorway. She followed his hand with her eyes as he motioned to the bed, then slowly shook her head. "No... no. I... I'm sure you're a very good doctor and all, and you seem very nice. But I... I really need a female doctor. Please."
She looked at Kate, hoping that the other woman would back her up.
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Post by Kate Donaghy on Nov 18, 2016 0:20:31 GMT -5
Kate put her arms around Paige reassuringly and led her to the bed to sit down, then stepped in front of Simon. The unspoken body language saying that to get to Paige he would have to go through her.
But her tone was pleasant if her body language wasn't defensive, "Surely there is a female doctor on staff that could help Ms. Owen."
Simon closed the file and looked between Paige and Kate. He sighed, "Of course, it might take me a minute, but I'll hunt one down for her."
He was sympathetic and everything he should have been, but Kate was hyper alert and didn't drop her guard once.
Simon left to go find an available female doctor.
Kate turned and sat next to Paige, "Just relax if you can. I promise I won't leave your side, you're safe."
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Post by Paige Owen on Dec 3, 2016 23:41:24 GMT -5
Maybe she was overreacting. She was oversensitive after what had happened to her. Maybe she should have just accepted the male doctor. She heard his sigh and felt a pang of guilt, like she was being troublesome and annoying.
But no.... that was what M had wanted her to think. He wanted to control her, to tear her down a peg or two. And she couldn't let him do that. She needed to be comfortable if she was going to tell her story, and right now, there was comfort in the solidarity of sisterhood. She definitely felt better with Kate there, and she knew she would feel better with a female doctor.
When the doctor left the room, Paige drew a shaky breath. "Thank you. I... I just don't think I could talk to him about... this. I mean, I'm sure he's a good doctor and all..."
She bit down on her lower lip. She didn't need to make excuses, not here. She knew that, and yet...
A headache was starting to pulse between her eyes. It started slow, and she just assumed it was the stress of the situation. She raised her hand to her head and began to lightly massage, closing her eyes. She'd feel better once this was all over...
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Post by Kate Donaghy on Dec 4, 2016 4:00:41 GMT -5
"You don't have to explain anything Paige. No one and nothing is going to hurt you while I'm here, but if a female doctor makes you feel more comfortable then we'll get you a female doctor. It's not even an issue, so don't worry."
Kate was hyper protective, though she came off as abrasive and rough underneath it all she was a marshmallow and Paige had just become a baby cub to her mama bear.
"Here, let me see your hand..." she said reaching for Paige's other hand though she waited for Paige to meet her half way.
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Post by Paige Owen on Dec 8, 2016 22:54:23 GMT -5
"Thank you," Paige said again, although it seemed almost inadequate, considering the situation.
It was an unlikely alliance, given how they had started out, but Paige wasn't sure that there was anyone else she would have wanted by her side at this moment. Female friendships had always been hard to come by for Paige--she didn't even really get along with her own twin sister. There was always an element of competition, whether she was competing with Chloe for attention from their parents, competing with the girls at school for the boys' attention, or competing with her fellow dancers for parts, it always seemed like there was a barrier between her and other women. Even at the paper, she faced competition from Breanna Sheridan--Paige was sure if Bree knew what had happened to her, she wouldn't hesitate to spread it all over the front page.
Paige had, of course, come out swinging when she thought Kate was trying to keep her from covering the murder case. It was what she was used to doing. But she was glad that Kate was on her side now, and she hoped that they could work together to catch this monster. She didn't even question it when Kate asked to see her hand, and she reached out almost blindly as the headache started to grow behind her eyes. It felt almost like a migraine, although she hadn't had one of those for years. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to relax. She hoped the doctor would be in soon....
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Post by Kate Donaghy on Dec 10, 2016 11:35:00 GMT -5
Kate pressed gently, then with increasing pressure, on the space between Paige's thumb and forefinger, she kept at his for thirty seconds then moved on other pressure points up Paige's arm.
When Kate had moved to the states and began her training at the academy, she also began learning martial arts from a Chinese man who taught her the fine art of pressure points. Certain areas on the body could be used to heal aches and pains, and other parts of the body could be used to inflict terrible pain and even death.
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Post by Paige Owen on Mar 25, 2017 18:17:09 GMT -5
Slowly the pain ebbed away, and some of the tension began to release. But she felt odd—sort of weak and shaky and nauseous. Maybe it was just the anxiety from her experience, or maybe it was the vile-tasting liquid he’d forced her to drink. Either way, she supposed that she was in the best place she could hope to be, and she was glad that Kate was there with her.
“Thank you,” she said softly, opening her eyes to look at the other woman. “I hope the doctor comes in soon. I feel a little silly, insisting on a woman doctor… It’s just that after what happened…”
She shivered again, and a waved of nausea swept over her. She closed her eyes, and for a moment she began to drift.
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Post by Lydia Kenyon on Mar 25, 2017 18:18:08 GMT -5
Lydia didn’t often work the day shift. She preferred the quiet of the night shift, even though the cases that came in during those early morning hours were often the most severe. The daytime hours were usually filled with splinching victims and other accidental magic, as well as various cases of dragon pox and kneazle scratches. Most of all, the pace was different, without the long stretches of eerie quiet.
She had just finished yet another splinching victim and was about to take her break when she was told that she needed to go see to a woman in room 4. She nodded, and headed down the hall to see the new patient, silently hoping that this case wouldn’t be too complicated.
She opened the door and saw two young women. The younger of the two was lying on the bed, her eyes closed. She was very pale and there was an obvious bruise on her face.
The older woman, a strikingly beautiful brunette, was holding the patient’s hand.
“Hi,” she greeted them in a gentle voice. “I’m Doctor Kenyon. What happened?”
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