(no subject)

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

Date: November 3, 2000
Status: Private (Anathema, John, Loki) - complete
Setting: Hospital wing, Library, hospital wing again.
Summary: Anathema asks John to take Loki to see a doctor.


Loki was getting worse, regardless of what the god might say otherwise against that. Anathema was getting increasingly worried, though she tried her best to not show it. Picking up the phone, she dialled down to the front desk to get a specific number. The number to reach John at, since he had so generously not given it to her.

She hoped he would answer....

"Oh! Hi, you're in, good. Umm, can I meet you? I need to ask you something. The library, I can pick up some books for Loki. Alright, see you then."

She hung up, checked to see if Loki was being good and was still in his bed, and then left the hospital wing. She would meet John, discuss what she had in mind, and then grab some books for the only live in patient.

She made her way to the library. John should be waiting for her there.

Comments

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

John was thumbing through one of the old Satanic texts, shaking his head bemusedly (honestly, if people were gonna sell their souls they should at least get a clue in exchange) when the door opened and Anathema walked in.

"'lo, Ana," he said, shelving the books and dusting his hands on his trousers. "What's up?"

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Hello John. Umm, it's about Loki."

She walked in and sat down at the nearest seat available. "I think he should go and have a visit with his doctor, maybe get him started on chemotherapy agan, but I don't think he would willingly go himself. That and he is a bit weak to be going anywhere by himself anyway."

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

John leaned against a nearby bookshelf, frowning slightly. "And you want I should play chaperone? I can get him there if he'll go, I reckon, but I doubt he'll cooperate." He thought for a minute, then smirked. "Unless we can find a carrot..."

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"A carrot hmm?" Anathema thought about that for a bit. What could possibly be something that Loki would want enough to cooperate with a doctors visit. "Well, he would definitely be getting out of the manor and having a bit of fresh air, but I don't think that would be enough. You know him better than I do."

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

"Shit, I dunno..." John considered it, rubbing absently at the back of his neck. "I s'pose I could talk Chas into running about London a bit. I've always got shit to take care of. Maybe he'd like to take in a flick? Or pick up some new books, or something? He must've gone through most of the library here by now..."

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

Anathema chuckled at that. "Yeah maybe it would be a good idea. For him to get out and just have some fun as a reward for good behaviour IF he goes to the doctor first."

She frowned. "Speaking of books, do you know what kind he likes to read? Mainly I've been giving him what I find in the hospital which isn't much of a choice really. I just forgot to come here." SHe looked around at the books and gestured about.

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

"I've seen him with all kinds of stuff. Anything he can get his hands on, seemed like. Think he's been through just about all the medical texts that touch on cancer or blood disorders," John said, glancing around at the stacks and their still rather limited selection.

He'd been doing a lot of reading himself, lately. There wasn't a hell of a lot of material available on Czernobog, and nothing that helped much with the situation at hand, so he'd moved on to information on curses in general. Those were always fun; practically every magical system ever devised had a fair few of them, and more were being added to the lot every day. He wasn't sure where to start, especially since Loki's particular curse was a combination of several of them miscast at once.

"Aziraphale might have a better idea," he added, "he spends more time here and keeps track of what everybody takes out, I'm sure. Listen, while you're here--I haven't turn up jack nor shit that'll help with that damn curse of his. I'm starting to think we might need to find us an an expert."

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"An expert on cursebreaking? Well, I know of no one. Hmm, although I did have a rather interesting conversation with a young witch of the wandwaving type called Luna at the Barbecue earlier this year. I'd just gotten back here. Maybe she would know someone.

Anathema nodded at Loki's book selection though. "Funny, I wouldn't realyl expect someone from the Norse pantheon t be so interested in reading."

She then looked about and saw the complete lack of angels around. "And it doesn't look liek Aziraphale is in here today, or at least right now."

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

"Another stickbearer, eh? They're coming out of the woodwork these days," John muttered, dubious. He still didn't entirely trust a form of magic that struck him as far too easy, and at the same time, entirely dependent on a specific object that could be lost or destroyed. But maybe this problem required thinking outside the box. "You could ask Roman, too...I know a few who're into that sort of thing, but more on the invoking end than the breaking. I don't think I wanna get them involved.

"And I don't think Loki's a bookworm so much as just bored out of his skull. I'll ask Aziraphale about that next time I see him." Of course, he had no idea that the angel was soon to leave the Manor.

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Well, if I was stuck in a bed all day, I might be a bit bored out of my skull too."

Shaking her head she sighed. "I don't know this Roman. I haven't really met too many peole inside the manor yet. And if you could ask Aziraphale next time you see him that would be great. I haven't seen him much since coming here, though I did know him from...before."

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" John raised his eyebrows. "Before...like, with Adam, when it all tried to go kerblooey?" He waved a hand vaguely. Crowley had explained it to him, and he'd filed it all away under "Another Apocalypse Thwarted," but some of that had got caught in Hurricane Nephrithraxus and a lot of the associated names escaped him anyway.

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Yep. That's the one. Truly I met Crowley and Aziraphale when I crashed my bike into Crowley's car. Honestly, he should really use headlights when driving at night..." She smiled. "At the time I just thought they were out to do some bodily harm, until the word angel came into the conversation. I immediately felt better thinking they were a couple. That came afterwards though, the couple thing that is. I didn't know what they were until during the actual Apocalypse. Aziraphale had stolen my book, I wasn't too happy with him then, and I recognised him even with the wings."

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

John smiled sadly. Ana couldn't have known how close to right she had been, jumping to that conclusion, though that wouldn't be the case if it happened now. But... "You ran into the Bentley with a bicycle? Christ, you're lucky he didn't back up and hit you again. Hard to believe Aziraphale would steal anything, though. Even if he does have an unnatural literature fetish."

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Yes well, this was a book of prophecy that I had owned since I was a little girl that had everything in it come true. And as to the car...I think the main reason he stopped was because they needed directions anyway. That and Aziraphale healed me and my bike. Poor Phyton was never the same." She shrugged. "I had my knife ready, and they drove me home."

Maybe she would find another copy of Further Nice and Accurate Prophecies, by Agnes Nutter, Witch sometime. She was still kind of lost without knowing what was happening around her.

"It was good, knowing what would happen before it did, you could always be prepared. A second book was made for me but Newt made me burn it. Knowing Agnes though there is another running around somewhere waiting for me."

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

"Seriously?" John shuddered. "Well, better you than me. If I'd known all the shit I was in for from the beginning, I think I'd have thrown in the towel before I was old enough to shave. Who's Agnes?"

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Agnes was an ancestor of mine. A witch, burnt at the stake. But she had the last laugh with that one. She blew every person there to pieces when she went up in flames."

Anathema smiled bightly. "Maybe I should write my own book on that, heh, doubt it would be a bestseller, but it might cheer Loki up a bit."

"Yes well, havign it written that you would be at the end of the world and know it was a bit odd, bu tI had been readign that book since I could and it seemed natural growing up knowing I wouldn't have a future. It's what descendents of prophetic witches do I suppose."

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

John snickered and shook his head. "Sounds like my kind of ancestor. 'cept the prophetic part. My family's not too strong in the foresight department." To put it mildly. "Anyway, when d'you want me to haul his sorry arse to town? I'll need a day or so to arrange a ride."

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"As soon as possible would be best. He really doesn't look good. Could you arrange it for tomorrow?"

[dangeroushabits.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I can do that." John sighed. Chas wouldn't be happy, but then that was nothing new. And he wouldn't mind when he found out what kind of errand it was. "Go ahead and make him an appointment and I'll see he gets there."

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Alright, thanks John."

Feeling much happier now, she left the library, a few books under her arm, and made her way back to the hospital wing to make an appointment for Loki.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki was getting bored. He hadn't had a visitor all day, had read all the available books twice and even Anathema seemed to have deserted him. He'd last seen her when she'd started her shift this morning. She'd brought him breakfast, which he'd managed to force down somehow, because he knew she wouldn't stop nagging at him until he did at least try, and promised to bring him some new books to distract him from feeling sick.

Well, at least so far breakfast hadn't come back up, but he wasn't feeling that great and the wall was very bare and boring to look at.

Anathema couldn't just leave the hospital wing unattended, right? So she had to be out there and it wasn't that far. He rolled out of bed and leaning on the wall made his way to the door.

Hey, this was going better than last time! Barely any black dots! Maybe he could actually make it back to his room this time?

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

She had just gotten off the phone to the doctor, who had thankfully let her make an appointment for the next day, when she heard a noise coming from Loki's room. Looking up form the phone, she saw a familiar head peekign out of his door.

"Ah, Loki, I've got to talk to you about something."

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"Great, I'm bored," Loki returned happily. "What's up?"

Well, maybe not the best time to leave, but at least he was getting some entertainment.

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"How would you like to go into London tomorrow with John? Get out for a bit of fresh air."

She would start with the reward. John could certainly take Loki somewhere he wanted to go and do something the sick god wanted. She would have to eventually bring up the appointment and that John was already setting up the drive over there.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"London?" Getting out would certainly help fight the boredom, but he hadn't been able to make it out of the hospital wing in weeks. Just remembering the last time he'd dragged himself back from London made him feel exhausted again. Or maybe he'd just been standing too long?

"You won't let me out of bed most of the time and now you're offering an excursion to London?" Not just the restaurant downstairs, not even Lower Tadfield, but London?

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Well, I just got an idea that's all. See, if I give you a blood infusion, you should feel a bit stronger and a bit more your normal self, and I tohugh tif I gave you one tonight you might to go with John into town."

Come on, Ana, she thought to herself, time to spill the beans "Well, you see we are all worried about you and want you to go see a doctor, and John will take you, he has said that he will gladly take you somewhere you want to go, do what you want afterwards."

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Go where he wanted to go? Little Bran would be born soon and this might be his only chance to get him a gift ...

"Wait a minute, blood transfusion? And what do you mean afterwards? After what?"

He was not going to accept a blood transfusion, of course. Not unless it was Odin's blood. Anything else was unthinkable. ... Well, maybe Uriel. Uriel was his sister anyway, but she was pregnant and could not spare the blood.

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"To see the doctor. Well, if it would make you feel better, you can do what you want first, but you'll have to get up earlier then."

She could see it in his eyes now, he was going to refuse. Damn, maybe she'll have to call John and get him in here, since he was better at this kind of manipulation then she was. "Please. You will be a bit stronger after a transfusion, and it shouldn't make you feel sick at all. Wouldn't you liek to spend more time out of a bed?"

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"I don't want to see the doctor. I always feel a lot worse afterwards. Bet you I couldn't even make it to the toy shop after the visit." Besides they were going to keep him over night and then it'd be Sunday and the shops would be closed anyway. If they actually discharged people from hospitals on Sundays in London.

"And I'm not accepting a stranger's blood. I just can't. It's out of the question."

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

"Well you can always go to a toy shop before the doctor then." A toy shop why ever would...oh, of course, for Uriel's baby. She smiled. "And I am sure someone around the manor would give blood. Then it won't be from a stranger."

No, she was definitely not good at this persuasion game. Maybe she really will have to get John over here to help.

"Either way, I have already made an appointment for you. If oyu don't take a transfusion, then I will just get John to drag you there."

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki thought that over. The doctor visits were annoying and useless and he always felt like shit afterwards, but he'd gone through a lot of them already. He could take one more, if it meant that he'd have something to give Uriel for little Bran. If he didn't live to see his nephew, he at least wanted Bran to have something to remember him by.

"Alright, I'll go on the condition that we go to a toy shop first and straight home afterwards." All he'd want to do after the treatment would be sleep. "And no blood transfusion."

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

Anathema wasn't really sure it would be a good idea to get Loki to go without the transfusion, bu tif she said he had to have it, he wouldn't go. Fine she would play it his way then. If he falls down in a dead faint in public he had no one else but himself to blame.

"Fine. I'll tell John then.Try to get some more rest. You'll need it for tomorrow."

Oh, she had almost forgotten, she picked up the books she had gotten. "Here, I bought some books from the librbary. I didn't know what you liked so I grabbed a little of this and a little of that..."

She walked into the room that Loki was staying in and put the book pile on the desk by the bed.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki nodded tiredly. "Thanks."

He stumbled back to his bed and climbed in. The books would be nice to have later on, but after his excursion to the door he first needed some sleep.

"This and that's fine. I like books." He wasn't sure whether he should have mentioned that. It didn't quite fit his image, but then these were more literate times than the ones he'd grown up in.

[anathema-witch.livejournal.com]

Anathema nodded and smiled. "Well thats good then. Get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow."

She closed the door behind her. Let Loki get some sleep. It looked liek he was ready to collapse just from a walk to his door and back t his bed. Hopefully he would come back in one relative piece.