fandom_clinic | FTEC -- Sunday, March 23 -- Evening.

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FTEC -- Sunday, March 23 -- Evening.

Thankfully, Edgar seemed to have no problem with sleeping through most of the trip and the start of Adah's shift at the clinic, where she settled the robotic baby in her lap as she working on updating her research samples. However, of course, a sleeping baby was a rare gift. Too rare, as Adah felt a sharp tug, becoming all too familiar, at her hair, followed by a bubbling giggle, and she knew the girl was up. So she resolved to distract Edgar from her hair by showing her all the bacterias and molds and organisms in her petri dishes, which were perfectly self-contained and sealed, and therefor very, very safe.

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An exhausted Karal trudged into the clinic, looking rather the worse for wear, but he managed an apologetic smile for Adah.

He'd finally remembered, and in his current state getting the fake baby back from Adah had suddenly become Very Important. "I'm sorry I wasn't here yesterday," he told her, leaning a little on the front desk.

After lifting her eyes from where she was starting to show Edgar her current, prized sample, Adah stared daggers toward the person walking through the door. While she knew she couldn't cause any physical harm short of actually just throwing Edgar at Karal, she was feeling like it was a damn good thing they were already in a medical facility with how she was feeling in regards to him showing up. She was almost thinking it might be better for him if he just hadn't. Then she could at least get a guaranteed good grade, as well as the additional, satisfying knowledge that he'd receive a failing one.

On the other hand, she was just glad he came in when he did, because, two seconds later, she would have been talking, and getting caught talking about heavily alter her ability to settle that very displeased glare as effectively.

He wilted completely under it, shoulders slumping and eyes dropping. "Forgive me." Not that he thought there was much chance of that. "I would have been here if I could. Umm, I'll take her for the rest of the time."

Adah's eyes narrowed at Karal for a second before her eyes shifted away; in the midsts of her glaring, she'd realized that Edgar had managed to slip the petri dish out of her hand. Her shoulder's instantly went rigid when she saw the red of Edgar's gaping mouth and her hand moving on a direct path for it. She took a hold of object and tried to coax it away. Edgar, she'd discovered, mostly through pain, had on hell of a grip on her, so it wasn't easy. The dish was sealed and safe even if Edgar did want to chew on it, but it was still delicate. The fight for possession could break it if she weren't careful, and the efforts, of which she was getting better at, took front stage to her focus. It was almost like Karal wasn't even there until she'd gotten it away, let out a relieved sigh that briefly filled the space before Edgar's lip started quivering. The crying would start soon; she set the petri dish aside and then the crying did start, and she slowly, effectively, lifted her eyes to return a look toward Karal, filled with the exhaustion that having to deal with this, literally single handedly, all weekend had caused.

"I'm sorry," he said again, exhausted and guilty, and he came around the counter to hold his hands out, reaching to take the baby away from her. "I'll deal with her from here on, and I will tell Professor Skywalker to dock my grade for not meeting my responsibilities."

No matter that he had had others to meet, this had predated them and he should have thought of a way to take the burden from Adah. "If there is anything you wish me to do to make it up to you, just tell me what it is, and I'll do it."

He also wasn't thinking too clearly, or he would have put some limitations on the offer.

To Karal's advantage, Adah was too exhausted to make the best of that offer. All she knew was that, at the moment he started moving toward picking Edgar up, she felt a sharp jolt through her spin that forced her to sit up straighter, shoulders squared. She frowned, sinking a little to the side to flip open to a fresh page of her notebook.

"I'm not comfortable with you just taking her like that," she wrote, and hoped he didn't expect her to explain, because she wouldn't know how. She hadn't expected him to even bother showing up in the long run, to be honest, much less could she have expected to find herself objecting to the arrangement. She should just let him take her; maybe it was that she knew that he probably wouldn't have nearly as much trouble, and therefor, it hardly seemed like an apt exchange...

He rubbed his forehead, trying to figure this out. "I won't let any harm come to her, and it is not fair that you should carry the burden alone any further. If you wish, I will tell the Professor to fail me, but please, allow me to at least try and meet my responsibilities."

He didn't have anything else, just leaned a hip against the counter and waited for her decision.

Adah drew in a careful breath, writing with a short, clipped precision to match her point.

"You already had a chance to do that."

She looked at Karal a moment while she gave him the chance to read that, and then wrote again.

"Far be it from me to actively interfere with another person's grade, because I wouldn't want someone doing that to mine. She's your assignment just as much as yours, but I'd like her maybe Wednesday night, when I'm finished with the library. And, for the sake of my grade, I think I should have some interaction with her Tuesday, as well. I don't want it seeming like I'm a negligent parent who would just dump her the first opprotunity she got."

Despite the fact that the entire weekend was blatant evidence against that.

Karal winced, but didn't make any excuses, just accepted it as his due. "Yes, that sound like a good plan. I will bring her to you on Tuesday morning, and on Wednesday afternoon to the library," he said. "If that is all right with you?" All he wanted was to sleep, he'd agree to anything at this point just to get it.

Adah looked up at Karal a moment longer before she shifted her eyes toward Edgar. She was staring again, quietly, like she had with the Eel and his faces at the library, not sure what to make of things. She gave her a soft, but dubious sort of smile. She'd like to think that Edgar's programming would be good enough to have remembered her day with Karal before. But what if she didn't? What if her fake brain was developed realistically to the point where it hadn't developed memory that well, and what she'd remember was this weekend, with Adah, and not Karal at all? Would it confuse her?

Worst of all, would she think that Adah had abandoned her? Adah's lower lip ducked under her teeth thoughtfully, worry creasing her forehead. If anything showed up to reflect her on this exercise, that was the last thing she wanted. Dog, just so long as she didn't start fussing or crying if Karal took her. Even if it was just that she was tired, or hungry, or even gassy, she just...she wouldn't be able to handle it...

She let out a careful breath, forcing herself not to even think about it as she turned her attention back to her notebook.

"Don't you dare do anything that would even start to threaten my chances of getting a good grade on this."

"I won't, I promise," he said, wearily but sincerely, and held out his hands for her. "If I may?"

Adah looked none to pleased about it, but her head made a few movements that seemed to be quick nods. They were jerkier, though, shorter, than they even usually were, and she looked toward the droid for a moment with eyes that seemed to almost be pleading it to just not start fussing...

Karal's eyes were just as pleading as he reached out and picked Edgar up, cradling her carefully against his chest. It was stupid, he knew it was stupid, but the small fake child was actually a comfort and he held her close.

And held his breath, waiting to see if she'd cry, if she'd fuss.

Adah felt her chest would burst from the breath she was holding as Karal picked Edgar up and she squirmed a little, slightly, and she looked at her hand. She made a reach out, toward Karal, missing him and grabbing at the air just below his shoulder. She turned her little fist over and opened it, mouth opening in concentration when she discovered it empty. So she tried again, higher this time, toward his head, toward Karal's full head of curly hair.

Adah smirked, instantly relaxing. Ah, good. She can discover that her fake father had hair, too, and then he could spend some time feeling like he'd be bald with a bleeding scalp by the end of the week. She could accept this as partial retribution.

"Ouch." He winced, but made no attempt to try and free himself as Edgar tugged and pulled and twisted. "She is rather fond of hair, isn't she?" he said quietly.

Ducking her head, Adah gave it a slight twitch so that her ponytail (because she certainly hadn't been leaving it loose this weekend), would fall forward and she could give it a firm look before turning her eyes toward Karal, as if asking him if he thought that, yeah. She hadn't had the chance to discover that one yet at all.

"I take your point." He gave her a small smile and hefted Edgar a little bit closer. "Tuesday morning. I give you my word, I will bring her to your room."

OMG, just getting home. All day long family get-togethers can be toxic to your soul.

BUNNY!

....I can't wait until I have children and I start a new family tradition of hasenpfeffer for Easter dinner.

*dies* Also: YUM!

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FTEC -- Sunday, March 23 -- Evening.

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