poly_chromatic | 026: VIDEO

[The doctor is in his office, where he's been since just before midnight. It is now two pm.

He's on the phone, back to the camera.]

Tell him I'm not available for surgery today.

Because I'm not available for surgery today. Yes, I'm in. I'm in my office.

[He shoves a hand back through his hair, frustrated.]

No, Manda, I don't want a coffee brought up. I'm busy.

It's fairly straightforward, you tell him I'm Not - Available - For - Surgery...For God's sake, he's not that frightening, is he?

Then tell him to call me and I'll tell him I'm not available for surgery.

Yes, unless it's life or death.

I'm sure about the coffee.

I'm fine.

I'm fine.

You're very sweet, but I'm fine. I'll speak to you later.

Right, maybe later I'll want coffee. Bye.

[He hangs up. The sigh on the click of the receiver isn't an exaggeration - nor is the startled look when he turns to notice his device is recording.]

Oh, for-

[Transmission end.]

[Chase is wearing a white T shirt, the slogan of which cannot be seen on camera. It is, howevever, I KILLED A MAN AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS... please feel free to try and bother him by network or in person, some characters may get in, but that door is locked.

ALSO this will be backdatey because uni has started and I'm tired.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There are a few I don't mind giving up. I don't think I ever told anyone how I really broke my leg when I was twelve.

Okay. How'd you break your leg when you were twelve?

Jumping off a second floor roof to impress Morag Lully.

She wouldn't go out with me after but she did agree to go along with the story that I came off my bike.

Girls don't love anything more than a guy who's willing to jump off a roof two floors up. I like your dedication, though.

Want to know how I got arrested when I was fifteen?

I'm guessing releasing all the rabbits in a research lab.

Sure, tell me.

That's a really good guess, but nope. This guy I knew said he'd never talk to me again if I didn't drive him downtown and--of course--we got caught. Mr. Johnson bailed us out, but he was pretty mad about me borrowing his car.

Auto theft? Can you hear that? The sound of all my illusions about you being shattered.

Tell me you never spoke to the guy who said he'd never speak to you again, again.

Sorry about those illusions. I probably shouldn't tell you anything about college, huh?

Well... he never spoke to me again. Same outcome?

Not enough penance on his end.

Now I really want to hear about college.

Maybe karma caught up to him eventually.

And it's one secret per secret.

I have this story I tell patients when they ask why I wanted to become a doctor. When I was nine I had my tonsils out - a couple of nights in hospital, lots of ice cream, fussed over by cute nurses. Ever since then I paid the extra attention in biology class and eventually got the white coat.

I still have my tonsils.

So why did you become a doctor?

That would be two secrets.

[And from the pause he might almost leave it at that but - well, he just gets the heavier part over with quickly.]

After mum died it was the only education my dad was willing to pay for. I pretty much went to med school for the gold card. Luckily I was smart enough— and I was interested, too, not that I was going to admit that to him.

[And well, there was a lot more to his interest than that.]

Basically it was that or manning the surf shack at St Kilda.

[She was hoping he'd continue. That doesn't mean that she likes what she hears.]

I think you made the right choice. Sorry about your mom, though... and your dad, actually. Parents should be supportive when they're around. I mean, that's what I think. I had a few foster parents who were really great... really supportive.

Dad was never really 'around'.

[But that's a half-hearted comment, it seems less of an issue compared to:]

A few? How long were you in the system?

Then who took care of you?

[Oops. That wasn't something she'd meant to bring up.]

Twelve-ish.

You were four?

[Leaving her question unanswered, and assuming sixteen's the cut-off point for finding a family.]

Six.

[She really doesn't know what to say.]

[There's a hesitation at the end of the line - not stunned silence, just a delicacy to finding the right words. And of course they don't exist. He knows there isn't a platitude that's ever worked on him.]

...And sometimes I remember I don't have that much to complain about. So, I think you were about to fill me in on your wild college years?

Edited 2012-09-30 04:48 (UTC)

[That works. Well played.]

There's nothing wrong with a little complaining.

Right! Well... I mean, it was a fine arts college, so it was more like a bunch of eccentric people hanging out than a legitimate college experience. Not that there weren't serious students, but they were the ones who were really good and didn't get much into partying.

Preamble. I'm waiting for the part where it segues into 'girls gone wild'.

[And then, despite this claim-]

What was your major?

Studio arts. Just drawing and stuff.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but my kind of wild was the kind that involved lots of drinking and pot, random classical instrument jam sessions, and, when we really needed money, street performance art. ...I guess there were nude modeling sessions outside of class that could get pretty interesting, but that wasn't really my thing.

Never your thing, or mostly not your thing?

[It's teasing, just teasing.]

So your secret is that you did pot and drank in college. I think there are a few other former students carrying a similar burden - don't know about the classical jam sessions, though.

I'm a big believer in experimentation, so mostly.

[Teasing or not, Chase will get an honest answer.]

Yeah, the jam sessions are my darkest secret. That and filling my purse with the little packets of salt and pepper and sugar whenever I was at a fast food place.

I didn't know you were such a free spirit. And I'm suddenly regretting my total lack of artistic ability.

Better keep the last part to yourself. I hear Starbucks hire teams to track people like you down.

audio;

anunluckypenny - 2012-09-30 20:09 (UTC) - Expand

intheblanks - 2012-10-03 22:12 (UTC) - Expand

anunluckypenny - 2012-10-04 02:16 (UTC) - Expand