Nor Live So Long (invite only)

Subject: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Mon May 31, 2021 7:32 pm

Crack!

They landed in a tangle of limbs, bodies and clothes stained red with blood, she remembered screaming for help, but not for herself.

Crack!

She remembered someone's iron grip on her, pulling her off Jake. Something about blood, and how he had lost to much of it...

Crack!

"Mimosa! Where's Mimosa," throat hoarse from sobs and screams, she had managed to choke the words out, only to be told her daughter was with the doctors. that it was too soon to say anything.

Crack!

"You were supposed to keep her safe!" desperate eyes pleading with nobody and everybody at once, landing on the French Heir with the burns newly converter from his body. "You promised!"

And then silence.

Azalea woke up in a room, a quiet, sterile room with a nurse by her side. The air smelt faintly like Dahlias.

"Where am I?" she tried to say but the words wouldn't come instead dying at her lips. The nurse nodded. Retributive a wet sponge, she wrung it slowly over Azalea's mouth dampening the dried orifice.

"Where.." The witch managed again, this time the word took better to the environment, releasing in a soft whisper.

"Bon après-midi mademoiselle," the nurse replied in a kind yet professional tone. " Je sais que tu es faible mais c'est juste un choc," she added slowly. Her words may have been incomprehensible but the tone was reassuring. "You'll be up on your fet in no time."

As she spoke, Azalea's mind began to clear, or clear enough to at least understand what was going on.

"Non... Français," she managed, using one of the very few words she knew in the language. The nurse frowned for a moment before she replied.

"Mon anglais n'est pas bon non plus... But I try."

"Thank you."

""You feel be... good," the nurse braved on, translating for Azaolea's sake. "You sleeping for... quinze... feefty hour. You need rest, you feel good."

Fifty hours... her brain tried to do the math and found fifteen to be a better number than the nurse's estimate. "Where's Mimosa... and Jake...?"

"Ah, Oui, Monsieur Newbury and ze children all here, into the palace." So Jake was here, as was Mimosa. Children? Had that been another linguistic error or... had Camoens manged to get Ethan? The brunette tried to focus on the nurse who was speaking again.

"You rest, and be strong, zen you see children."

The witch wanted to protest, but it was so hard to keep her eyes open.

the next time Azalea opened her eyes to the world, it was to a very familiar voice.

"Zay-Lea!"

Her eyes flew open, looking f he source of the sound and sure enough, there stood Adrienne contemplatng ehr carefully. Probably contemplating if she should jump intot eh bed with the older witch."

"Zay-Lea, wake up, wake up! You've been asleep for hooooouuuurrrssss!"

"Adrienne," she rasped. "How did you get here?" That was all the signal the tiny Newbury needed. Throwing caution to the wind, the child let out a squeal and ran headfirst towards Azalea, clearing the bed rails in one leap and settling down on Azalea's thighs even as the witch struggled to sit up. The shocked exclamation of the nurse was all but forgotten as Adrienne burred her head into Azalea's midsection and began to cry and talk at the same time.

"We were so scared! Daddy brought us here and then he said he would be right back and then he didn't come baaack. And then they took us a room with lots of toy and gave us ice cream but not the right kind. n then this lady came to put us to bed but she didn't read a story and she didn't say where daddy was. And this morning they made me wear a frock! Ivan, tell her! They won't let us see Daddy, I want to see Daddy, Zay Lea make them plaseeeeeee."

Trying to process all the information, the American witch reached to stroke Adrienne's hair before pulling the child's face from her body and bringing Adrienne close to cuddle her instead.

"It's okay sweetie, there's nothing to be afraid of. Daddy is here, he just... got really tired," she invested drowsily, forcing herself to look and sound better than she did for the children. "He just needs some sleep... a little bit more than even I did."

Her gaze turned towards Ivan who, true to form, was simply stood a little way into the doorway, watching everything with hesitation but not saying a word.

"What's wrong bud, not happy to see me?"

The boy shook his head violently at that before walking up to her bed. He may not have flung himself at her but soon enough, both children were curdled into her, Ivan weeping silently while his sister snorted and sniffed on the blankets.

The children stayed for tea, Adrienne quite dry eyed and hungry by the time a tower of pastries arrived. Azalea's assurance that Daddy was fine and that they would soon be back had really opened the child's perspective up to where they were, and now all she wanted to do was explore. Regaling Azalea with tales of how big the palace was, the child munched happily on macaroons while Azalea continued to rest and watch Ivan.

Unlike his sister, he didn't have much to say except for asking when they could see Dad. The nurse promised it would be soon. After tea, Azalea's vitals were checked one last time before she was free to go. the witch tentatively followed the children out, Adrienne bounding ahead to lead the way to the suite where the children had been staying.

That evening, the trio explored all the toys and books in the room, Adrienne deciding that all the fluffy teddies only had one use. Piling the teddies in a large heap near a banquette, the child climbed atop the structure and dove into the plush collection. Azalea wasn't too worried, even if the child missed her pile of teddies, the carpet here was thick enough to cushion a grand piano dropping from the ceiling.

Ivan, on the other hand, she suspected, was using his book just to not have to talk. Dinner was served promptly and magically frot he children. When a manservant rolled in a trolley ful of covered dishes, Adrienne had immediately asked what was inside. The man had politely responded to her by saying whatever she wanted to be inside. Trying to throw the servant off, Adrienne had immediately volunteered "Pizza with marshmallow and skittle toppings." Without missing a beat, the man had listed the cover off a plate to reveal exactly what the child had wanted.

"Ivan's choice of chicken noodle soup had been far more reasonable and Azalea - initially wanting to refuse food - had simply asked for a salad. If she wanted the chlordane to eat, she would have to as well.

Soon after food, bedtime followed. Adrienne was tired enough to fall asleep within five minutes but Ivan stayed awake for a long time, only pretending. Azalea made sure he was sound asleep before she crept out of the room.

"Can I 'elp you, Miss 'Arrington?" She hadn't even made it five feet from her suite.

"Yes please, could you take me to Ja- I mean, to wherever Mr. Newbury might be?"

"Of course," the servant replied politely before showing her the way. they walked down the large corridor, then turned right then another right then up a flight of stairs, then what seemed to be a large elevator and then into another open hallway. Azalea was startling to lose count of how any door and windows they had passed. Finally, they stood outside a large room with clear glass windows looking inwards.

"May I go in?"

"I'm afraid not, zey are keeping him isolated in case of infection. But I can retrieve ze doctor for you." At Azalea's grateful nod, the servant disappeared, leaving her to lean against the clear windows to try and catch a glimpse of the man who was in this position because of her. She could make out a lump underneath the sheets, but only just. All else seem to be quiet.

"Ah, Miss Harrington, great to see you on your feet again," the doctors voice was warm, and not just from professionalism. His was the first unaccented English she had herd since waking up in Versailles.

"Good evening Doctor, did I disturb you?"

"Not at all, I'm on duty until noon tomorrow, you are here during my office hours."

The witch smiled thinly, letting him know she appreciated the stab at humor. Her eyes turned to the glass straight after though. "What's the prognosis?"

"Nothing to be corner about," the medical official began, his tone promising. "Jake lost a lot of blood when he arrived, but blood replenishers fixed hat in a few hours. The puncture wound from the bite was healed fairly easily too. My colleagues are just concerned abotu the nature... of the attack, hence the extended stay."

"Nature..?" the witch asked blankly.

"We detriment the puncture on his right arm was... vulpine in nature."

"Just a normal wolf," Azalea hurried to correct him, finally understanding what he meant. "And a very clean one, I know the animal personally. No chance of an infection or any sort of venom."

"That seems to be the consensus," the doctor agreed genially. "But we have to do our due diligence too Miss Harrington. A small observation period is healthy for the patient."

"So when can he leave?"

"If all goes well, tomorrow evening."

The witch let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Jake would be back with the kids soon enough. He was fine. Which meant.

"And... Mimosa?"

Numbness began to spread inside her as the doctor sighed.

"That is... a little more complicated. And truthfully, not within my purview to discuss. Her medical team will speak with you personally tomorrow."

________________________________________________

Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Mon May 31, 2021 8:16 pm

The Lord Clement had sunk slowly to his knees beside the witch that evening, the joints complaining at the movement, and all but screaming in discouragement when they touched the cold and hard stone of the sept floor beside his wife. He didn't say a word to the lady beside him as her eyes remained closed, her hands before her clasped in prayer.

It was remarkable, the number of times they'd come to this position in their lives.

Vanessa praying to the gods to not let anything happen to their family.

Him daring the Gods to deny his wife anything she asked them for.

"They're back." Louis had told her softly, though his presence would have denoted that much already. The dejected way in which he'd said it would have been enough to denote that the arrival of the children had not been in the manner they'd hoped. That the fears they'd had of casualties had come to fruition.

The Lady Clement did not move from her position, though. Her head remained bowed towards the gods with renewed vigour.

***

The medical reports had come through in a frenzy to Louis' office in the early hours of the morning. Mimosa's denoting the extensive damage that her small frame had gone through, but with the underlying note that this was not everything, just what had been found so far. Jacques had followed shortly after, mostly stating the man's refusal to be thoroughly observed due to his unwillingness to move from Mimosa's side. Louis had returned the nurse to his post with the instructions to ensure Jacques' condition was checked immediately, even if it meant doing so at Mimosa's bedside.

The volunteers who had gone with Jacques had been dismissed for the evening after easy checks and a debrief.

Azalea's health had been cleared shortly after. Other than shouting herself hoarse as she landed in the office, the witch had been declared well. Exhausted, and put in to a slightly medicated sleep to ease the anxiety, she hadn't been a problem for the Palace.

And finally, Jake. The man had lost a lot of blood, but the doctor's had acknowledged that he was clear within the first couple of hours since he'd returned. But they would keep him under observation and check on the nature of the bite before letting him go.

Louis had pulled Mimosa's report back towards him as he looked through the extensive list of problems already known and let out a soft sigh. He'd known the risks that they were facing, but he hadn't expected Mimosa to have been the one who would get hurt. Not this badly...

It had led to hours of agonising waiting, mixed with scarce moments of sleep that did little to refresh him.

Not that the man was really seen. Flitting between his wife and his office, the Lord Clement had kept away from most of the Palace through the hours that followed, only speaking with the doctors and nurses who brought news.

Jacques' full diagnosis came early the next morning. His skin had been severely burned on his forearms and upper arms. Some markings had appeared across his chest. The burns were of magical origin, and on the small look the doctors had gotten, they'd found that perhaps the magic to be of the cursed variety. The treatment would need to be more severe, and with Jacques not complying to their wishes to aid him, the man had simply been given soothing balms for now. The question of how long they could wait had been one that left the doctor struggling for an answer, and Louis had nodded to show he understood.

The evening turned to morning. Morning in to afternoon, soon the sun was setting again, and Louis stood stiffly from his desk before heading across the Palace towards the rooms left for the medical emergencies.

He hadn't been sure of what he was expecting to find there, or even what he might do. But one person he had not expected to head towards was the witch who stood looking through the glass doors at the patients inside.

The retreating back of the doctor from the door gave just an insight to what had just occurred before his arrival.

"Good evening, Miss Harrington." Louis greeted, letting her know he was there because her eyes were trained upon the glass in that moment. It wasn't a happy greeting, though, as the man's eyes turned inside the room too.

"I'm sorry that we didn't get them all out safely." The Lord Clement continued, glancing sideways at the witch to see how she was getting on in that moment. "But, they're in the best care there is, and nothing is going to happen to them. I promise." His eyes moved back to the window at that time, only just making out the frame of the Auror in bed, to the right, a doorway led to another room, Mimosa's. From here, they wouldn't be able to see the child, but Louis knew enough to know that, for today, it was best Azalea was not shown what had happened to her daughter

"Is there anything I can get to help you sleep, I know it's very difficult when you're worried about others?" Louis finally offered, bringing with the question the underlying message that they couldn't stay here in the corridor waiting for those being kept under observation, especially when they both had other responsibilities to which they had to attend.

________________________________________________

~ Lord Clement ~ Profile ~ 55 ~

Thank you to the amazing Ruby for the signatures! <3

Subject: Re: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:23 pm

Azalea remained where she was, rooted as though in stone watching the doctor leave. True to his word, he had not divulged any details regarding Mimosa's condition save that she was still alive. Whether he couldn't reveal more or didn't know himself was anybody's guess. All Azalea could do was watch him leave with the noncommittal shrug that was the art of his trade.

"Dr. Desai is the lead surgeon on Young Miss Harrington's case, she and her team will brief you more soon."

Unsure what to do, Azalea turned again to the glass partition dividing her and a possibly sleeping Jake. She knew she couldn't get in but the unbearable loneliness of the situation was starting to sink in. Their daughter was here, but she was far from alright. If Mimosa required an entire team... The witch shuddered violently at the implication.

"Good evening, Miss Harrington."

"L-Lord Clement," she stuttered turning from the window to see the tall man had somehow made it two feet away from her without making a sound. "Good evening," her manner caught up with the brunette as she lowered herself into a hasty, probably clumsy curtsy.

"I'm sorry that we didn't get them all out safely."

Her own screaming from a day earleir came back to her, and the realization made her hang her head in shame.

"I believe I am the one who owes you and this house an apology, My Lord," she spoke, trying to remember the right way to address the Lord and Lady Clement that she had learned from two Christmases ago. It seemed like another lifetime now. "I was... out of my mind yesterday, I didn't mean to..." What hadn't she meant? She had failed Mimosa just as much as anyone had, more so even because she hadn't understood the wards probably blocking the child. it was foolish of Azalea to assume Mimosa would be left unguarded in the room while she and Joshua went out.

"You and your family have done more for us than anyone else could have, and I am grateful for that."

For a moment, it felt as if the Frenchman was about to say something. Something profound even. But the moment passed and his Lordship merely shook his head.

"Is there anything I can get to help you sleep, I know it's very difficult when you're worried about others?"

Taken aback, the witch replied without thinking. "No, thank you. I just... if I could get directions to... the children's room."

"Armando will escort you to the guest suites," and just like that, a footmen appeared from behind one of the doors, standing tall and visible. "I wish you a good night Miss Harrington," he added, then thinking again, amended his statement. "Or at least a short one."

Azalea curtsied once more, watching him walk away before heading towards the smartly dressed servant.

***

"But we want to see Dadddddeeeeee!" Adrienne insisted as the children dressed the next day. To her great dismay, she had once again been saddled with a frock and the fact that it was a beautiful powder blue had made no difference. Ivan found his clothes less objectionable though he really preferred long trousers as opposed to the shorts and bow ties laid out for him.

"And we will, Daddy's still sleeping but he'll be up by dinner and then we can all eat together.'

"Dinner! What are we supposed to do until then?"

"Well, I'm told this place has a maze. What do you say we check it out today?"

"A maze? A real one?" Adrienne suspicion soon turned to excitement as the servants came to fetch the kids, a kindly looking babysitter this time. Whatever worry Azalea had of the woman not being capable was put to rest when she tapped a wand on Adrienne and turned her dress into a powder blue pant suit.

With the children gone, it was Azalea's turn to dress. Not having opened her portion of the closet until now, the witch was barely surprised to see it fully stocked with dresses that adhered to the palace's code of conduct. Picking the first thing she grasped, a dark purple, full length, slim skirted gown, the brunette donned it quickly. Running a few cursory brushes through her hair and hastily adding a pair of pearl earrings, she existed the suite to see someone already there to escort her to Mimosa's team.

This time, the woman tried to remember the way, it seemed familiar at least but the effort was not primarily aimed at self sufficiency. It merely gave her something to focus on, to keep her breathing even as they neared the same room they had last night.

Mimosa was not being kept far from Jake, she realized as they passed his isolation pod, walking a little way down the hall. The servant held a gleaming silver door open for her and the witch thanked him quietly before walking in.

"Oh my goodness, Jacques" she exclaimed before she could held herself. The room she had walked into didn't register at first, all that did was the French heir sitting tentatively on a couch, one side of his body covered in bandages. Despite how clearly tired he was, the man didn't look like he had gone through a change of clothes. His shirt was wrinkled and torn, the sleeves probably had to go to make room for the plaster.

Too late, she realized that his father was also in the room, standing to the side in his usual quiet manner.

"Don't worry," the younger man replied with a painful grin. "It looks worse than it is."

"Umm... My Lord," she quickly greeted, turning to the Lord Clement and dropping a better curtsy than yesterday before turning to Jacques. "Who did this? It couldn't have been-"

"Would you believe it was Mimosa?" Jacques answered, his voice full of quiet pride and steely determination.

It took a few minutes for them to exchange greetings and small talk before Azalea took her seat beside the younger Clement on the sofa. Lord Louis remained where he was and soon enough, they heard the door open as another servant let in three people very conspicuously doctors. From their white coats to the charts in their hands to one constantly monitoring a tablet of some kind.

"Miss Harrington, may I introduce Dr. Sushma Desai, she's the leading thoracic surgeon of Mimosa's recovery team. And her two assistants, Doctor Langdon, he is an orthopedic specialist and Doctor Xie, he specializes in grafting."

The witch knew enough to understand broadly what these doctors did, but the idea of needing them all at the same time made her insides sink further.

"Miss Harrington, please accept my apologies that we meet under such dire circumstances," Dr. Desai began, her tone clipped but polite. "But believe me when I say we will do everything we can for Mimosa. With enough time and treatment, there is no reason Mimosa will not be herself again."

This time, the witch only realized she had shuddered when she felt Jacques' hand come to rest on hers, comforting her through his own pain.

________________________________________________

Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:05 pm

The small piece of his shirt that had been pulled from the wound had elicited pain to shudder up through his arms. Jacques Clement's eyes had retreated from the doorway in which Mimosa had left to look at the offending area and the person who'd caused the pain. The medical expert had apologised before moving on with the examination, insisting that he needed to be seen to immediately to ensure no lasting damage occurred.

Jacques head shook in reply. "Mimosa."

The reply didn't even register in that moment, Jacques' eyes returning to the door with the desperate need to follow the younger witch resonating within him. He wasn't even sure how his arm had been hurt, but right now, it really didn't matter.

His attention was taken again though as the soft sound of a portkey opening sounded on the other side of the office. No, it hadn't been the portkey, it had been the helpless cry of pain of another human being that had alerted Jacques of the arrival of Azalea and Jake. His eyes had moved to the witch, trying to take in if she was okay, but falling short because all he could see was the red staining her clothes. Her voice was not itself in that moment, calling out for help.

The man who had stood over him had left his side the next moment, examining the Auror who led unconscious on the ground. The Healer had set to work without another word.

"Mimosa! Where's Mimosa,"

Jacques' lips tried to move to reply, but they wouldn't work. The Clement heir just looked back at the witch helplessly as he tried to make her understand that he had done everything that he could. Someone else had answered, though.

"You were supposed to keep her safe!"

"You promised!"

***

Jacques hadn't remembered getting to the medical rooms of the Palace. He hadn't gone there as a patient, though. He didn't remember forcing his way to Mimosa's side, but the quiet whispers of the staff in the first swap of shifts hadn't been quite quiet enough for him to miss that they weren't to ask him to leave again. The man had simply sat watching Mimosa for hours, her small frame gently managing to breathe in and out, but the man couldn't have said if she was doing it herself, or whether a machine was doing it for her. All he knew was that he wasn't going to leave, Mimosa's hand would remain in his, and no matter what anyone else said, he wasn't going to stop telling her stories, or telling her what they were going to do when she was better.

Nobody would tell the man he'd spent hours repeating the same words again, because that made him feel better.

"You will get better, mon chouchou."

Especially when he started awake with Azalea's accusation that he hadn't kept the child safe.

***

The bandages upon his arms and torso had happened at some point. The man had woken to find himself wrapped in the soft material from finger tip to upper bicep.... he couldn't even be sure when. It had made holding Mimosa's hand much more difficult, but the man hadn't relented from his vigil. The doctors had learned to work around him in the hours that followed their return, and Jacques did nothing to ease that, too afraid of leaving her side.

But as the explanation came on the second morning -- the nurse had kindly explained the time that had elapsed since they'd been here -- that they would be explaining everything that had happened to Mimosa, and the route forward... Jacques had made the short walk from Mimosa's room to the adjoining waiting room for her doctors to follow, trying not to wince as his muscles screamed after moving from the same position he'd held for almost two days straight.

The Frenchman hadn't spoken when his father had arrived, too caught up in his own mind to be able to process conversation.

"Oh my goodness, Jacques"

The man had managed to focus on Azalea as she entered, though. Her concern denoting that her earlier stab at him hadn't... he wasn't sure.

"Don't worry, it looks worse than it is." The man played off easily in that moment. He'd given Azalea enough to worry about without him adding to that.

"Who did this? It couldn't have been-"

"Would you believe it was Mimosa?" It was a sad level of pride that Jacques replied with, though the small smile on his features would be a welcome change to the last couple of days. The look on Azalea's features showed she didn't believe him, but before he could explain any further, the door had opened again, admitting the team of doctors who had come to speak with them.

The introductions were purely for Azalea's sake, and as the realisation hit that the level of expertise that was needed to aid Mimosa's recovery, Jacques gently placed his bandaged hand atop the witch's to provide some comfort in the situation.

Dr Desai had looked to the Lord Clement in the next moment, who had ushered them on with a small nod of his head. "Go through it with us, slowly."

Slow or fast, though, Jacques had not been ready for the barrage of problems that Mimosa was going to face. It would show as any remnants of colour in the man's features fled, leaving him feeling very, very cold.

"You were supposed to keep her safe!" Echoed in his mind.

________________________________________________

~ Profile ~
~ Clement Heir ~ 24 ~ Athletic ~ 5'11" ~ French Accent ~

Thanks to .V0ldiemort @ TDA for my signature!

Subject: Re: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:28 pm

Once given the go ahead, Dr. Sushma Desai cleared her throat. In her experience, it was always better to get the tougher questions out fo the way first.

"In cases with multiple fronts of complexities," she began in her smooth, professional tone. "We find it more helpful for everyone involved to start with the more urgent issues and then work our way down to the minor details. In keeping with that, our main priority right now is to keep Mimosa alive." The fifty three year old Desi doctor paused to acknowledge the small gasp that escaped the young lady who she presumed was the mother. Mimosa's heritage had to be revealed to all medical personal as part of her treatment.

"Her lungs are not independently operational at the moment, we have had to instill a devise to artificially contract and eepand them. It was touch and go for a second but the mussel have adapted. She is breathing steadily now, albeit with the aid. We do not feel it safe to try and remove the aid at this time." There was more to it, of course. When the fourteen year old had arrived, her lungs had been torn to shreds. Already having suffered stupendous damage, they had been further pushed to the limit with the Heir Clement administering emergency CPR. It had gotten her lungs working but briefly, unsustainable, causing more damage with every breath. Had she been fifteen minutes later to the palace's medical facility, the child's lungs would have collapsed completely. Fortunately, they had only done so after the device had been introduced into her system.

"Her heart is more or less the same. The chambers are unable to transport blood independently and we've had to make do with a similar artificial aid. Dr. Xie is currently monitoring its functionality as we speak." She nodded towards the doctor who held what Azalea had presumed to be a tablet but was actually a small, framed mirror. "The good news is that we will be able to address this issue more immediately. All she needs is a tissue donation to regenerate around her heart and bring it back up to sustainability. A donor has been identified and tested and we hope to proceed with the surgeries in forty eight hours." The olive skinned doctor had received very clear instructions on what to reveal, and she would stick to them.

"Most of her organs have either failed or are working at 20% to 35% capacity. Both her kidneys, her liver, her brain and everything else is in need to artificial bolstering of some sort but she is alive, albeit unconscious. We can assume she is not in pain because she has no pain receptors to register it and her mind remains in an unconscious state. Therefore, our immediate goals are to get her organs functioning interdependently before we move on to address more structural problems. Speaking of, Dr. Langdon."

The relatively young looking white male took the floor then, demanding everyone's attention with his quiet, contemplative voice.

"The young Miss Clement has suffered significant orthopedic damage to her skeletal structure. Having already suffered from a disease which makes her bones extremely fragile, the force of impact upon her landing was enough to cause fractures, splinters and even full cleen breaks along almost every bone in her body. Of course, broken bones are usually quite manageable under normal circumstances but our attempts to reattach or regrow seem to be having negative ramifications." The blond doctor paused, taking a moment to consult the file in his hands.

"We believe this is because her old skeletal structure is no longer viable or able to support her new anatomical formation. Simply put, we will have to wait for the bones to heal naturally - or as magically as they can - to observe what kind of new pattern they regrow in. From there, we will have to use charting to determine the course of the growth and help accelerate it." Closing his file, he added. "Unfortunate, there is no timeline of how long this will take but if the surgery planned for two days later goes well, we can move on to try and regrow and remove some of the cartilages to see what works."

"So..." Azalea spoke up for the first time since the explanation had started. "That means..?"

"It means," Dr. Langdon offered quietly. "That there will be several structural changes to Young Miss Clement when she survives the surgeries. Her body and facial features for example, are remarkably proportional at the moment. That may not be the case. Her height potential may be impaired as the new skeletal structure may be unable to grow on its own, not being natural but rather augments by us. She may not look the same, her limbs may not be as aesthetically shaped as they are. We cannot determine the extent of the changes until we see what kind of growth patterns her natural structure lends itself to."

He stopped speaking on that note, indicating is turn to bat was over. Dr. Xie was the final one to step in, handing his monitoring mirror to Dr. Langdon before he cleared his throat.

"I am Doctor Xie, I specialize in aesthetic and reconstructive surgeries. And in Mimosa's case, we will focus first on reconstruction." The man cleared his throat again. Of the group, he was the first to show some sign of discomfort at having to discuss a child on her deathbed.

"Young Mimosa has suffered a great deal of damage to her skin, so much so that large parts of her body have been exposed. The remaining skin comprises mostly of dead cells and ruined tissue and they are not enough to encourage regrowth. Therefore, my first priority would be to introduce fresh skin cells into her system. Sadly, this is a trial and error process as we do not know immediately what skin cells will be most receptive. We have started trying though as this process can be carried out immediately. We are testing live samples on the sole of her feet to see which should be shortlisted to graft into the rest of her body."

The man paused, when no questions met his explanations, he continued, rightly guessing that the American witch hadn't understood the full meaning of this.

"This means that we have no way of knowing what kind of pigmentation Young N Mimosa will end up with. Worse case scenario is that she may be several shades lighter or darker than she is now. This itself wouldn't be so jarring if her entire bone structure also wasn't going through changes. It is very possible... that she may be unrecognizable after her surgeries and recovery."

"But she will be healthy, and safe." This was said by the Heir Clement and it was not a question.

"That is our ultimate goal," Dr. Desai confirmed, back to center stage. "That Mimosa regains first her internal functions, then ehr physical profile and finally her psychological well being. At her age, I understand teenagers are very conscious about how they look. Any difference in how she's treated may impact negatively on her psyche."

"There is no difference." Lord Clement's voice had a tone of finality to it, brooking no questions.

Nodding respectfully towards His Lordship, the lead surgeon continued. "That is all we can tell you at this time, though if you have any questions, we will do our best to answer them." A practiced gentility entered her tone now, addressing mostly only one person in the room.

"How long... all this... I mean, how long will everything take?" Even as Azalea asked the question, she knew it was a stupid one. She may not be a doctor but she knew living things took time to grow, to heal, and to recover.

"It is a process, Miss Harrington," Dr. Desai answered, her tone still gentle. "But we have to have faith. Mimosa has the best care in the entire world and I am not exaggerating when I say that. Every drug, machine, treatment and expert we can think of, we have the immediate means to obtain. I choose to bank on the fact that we have already done the impossible by keeping her alive." She smiled for the first time, a thin, professional one but one that showed her determination. "The rest are just details, and we can handle details."

________________________________________________

Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:05 am

The reality of Mimosa's situation dawned heavy on the room. The Lord Clement didn't flinch through the entire thing if anyone had looked his way, his features trained to neutrality as he listened to the doctors speaking. Probably because the man had already known what was coming, it would hardly surprise Jacques if his father had arrived only for show this morning. The files the doctors had would more than likely have been feeding copies to the older Frenchman. He was here for support, Jacques summarised for himself as he listened on to each and every detail.

Medicine was not the Frenchman's specialty, and with his mind not completely in the room, he'd been more than grateful for the simplified wording of Mimosa's condition. Although, as they reached the end of the first doctor's explanation, he'd wished he couldn't understand what followed in the next doctor's wording, the uncertainty with which Mimosa's prognosis had been given on the reformation of her bones was one that left Jacques looking on almost helplessly.

"You were supposed to keep her safe!"

As the last doctor explained the reconstructive needs of the Clement Ward, the guilt weighed heavily on the man's shoulders. The amount of problems that had been caused from the rescue mission hadn't been foreseen by any of them, they had planned as carefully as they could... but none of them had envisioned that they would have to ask Mimosa to jump from a great height to get her out.

He hadn't calculated nearly enough just how damaging asking Mimosa to jump was going to be.

"You were supposed to keep her safe!"

As Dr Xie came to an end of his explanation, Jacques spoke for the first time.

"But she will be healthy, and safe." He was not asking as his eyes moved between the three doctors, gaze fiercely daring any of them to allow the young witch to come to any more harm than she'd already experienced in the last couple of days.

"That is our ultimate goal,"

It did little to quiet his mind on the matter of letting Mimosa down, but the doctors had at least suggested they were going to do everything in their power to ensure Mimosa would be healthy again. Belief in the statement, however, would take it's time to come to being.

The question of treating Mimosa any differently hadn't even been a thought to Jacques. Never had he treated Mimosa as if she wasn't anything less than perfect in every way, and his mannerisms towards the witch would not falter now. But it wasn't Jacques who made it clear nothing would change. For the first time, his father had spoken, and the authoritative tone left no questions on how Mimosa would be treated once she was awake again.

Only time remained the question to be asked, and Azalea had asked that for them all. The answer had been expected by all of them, there was no schedule they could provide to them, because there was so much to do that it would be too much to ask of a medical professional to give any specific timelines. They'd all known it, though, and the gentle sag of the witch's shoulders had shown she hadn't liked the answer any more than he had. Jacques fingers tried to gently interlock with hers around the bandage, and he hoped it would be enough.

"Thank you," the Lord Clement spoke again, his tone grateful for all the information even though he'd probably already known everything that had been said. "We won't keep you any longer, Mimosa needs you all more than we do at this time."

The doctors all replied with their obligatory niceties before they retreated from the room, leaving the three of them on their own. Momentarily, at least.

"I will leave you two, I imagine you need to catch up a little bit." Louis said shortly after the doctors had left. "I need to feed back to your Maman, and check she's eaten." The last was said with almost too fond a smile touching the older Frenchman's lips, but it was gone almost as quickly as it had came as he remembered the company he was keeping. He started for the door before turning his attention back to Azalea. "If I may, Miss Harrington, if you can encourage my son to change before he heads back to Mimosa's side, the medical staff would be most appreciative. He doesn't seem to want to listen to reason. I'll send for a change of clothes."

The small conspiring smile would be all that the Lord Clement would leave the duo with before he exited, leaving Jacques sat beside the mother of the child he'd caused all too many problems for.

"I'm sorry." Jacques managed shortly after the door had closed behind his father. "I know I promised to keep her safe, and I really did try to do just that. Josh was keeping her in a cursed tower, I couldn't use magic to bring her down without potentially putting her in more danger. If I'd known what he'd done to the tower I could have worked around it... maybe... but I didn't know."

________________________________________________

~ Profile ~
~ Clement Heir ~ 24 ~ Athletic ~ 5'11" ~ French Accent ~

Thanks to .V0ldiemort @ TDA for my signature!

Subject: Re: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:33 am

The doctors finished professionally, leaving no room to doubt their experties. Whether their answers were satisfactory though, was a different matter entirely. Azalea watched helplessly as the Lord Clement dismissed Dr. Desai and her team, trying not to wrap her own fingers around Jacques' bandaged ones in case it ended up hurting him. She had caused the young man enough pain as it was.

"I will leave you two, I imagine you need to catch up a little bit.

The older wizard's gentle tone broke her reverie, snapping them all out of the haze of shock and sorrow they were in. As the Lord of the house mentioned checking in on his wife, realized it hadn't occurred to her even once to ask of the Lady Clement. Her Ladyship had been conspicuously missing from all the proceedings and the brunette wondered if it was because Vanessa Cement wasn't as interested in the situation or simply remained naturally aloof. From what Azalea could remember of the almost otherworldly beautiful woman she had met a few Christmases ago, Lady Clement didn't speak much and opined even less.

"Of course," the witch nodded as the Lord Clement wandered out loud if she could convince Jacques to change into a fresh set of clothes. It was the least she could do. "Please give my regards to the Lady Clement, and express my gratitude to her and the palace as well."

Once the door had closed, so did Azalea's eyes, for fear that if she opened them, tears would start pouring out yet again. The roller coaster ride of the last few days would have to wait to take an emotional toll. Right now, she had people who needed her, and she couldn't fail them again.

"I know I promised to keep her safe, and I really did try to do just that. Josh was keeping her in a cursed tower, I couldn't use magic to bring her down without potentially putting her in more danger. If I'd known what he'd done to the tower I could have worked around it... maybe... but I didn't know."

"No, no," the witch whispered, barely audible at first. And then, realizing he couldn't hear her over his own guilt, a little more persistently. "No, no, Jacques, no." Opening her eyes, she saw the picture of anguish in front of her. Had he spend the last few days loathing himself this way? Probably, and probably in no small part because of her.

When the young Auror simply hung his head in defeat, Azalea rose slowly to her feet. Her current position made it so that she was directly beside his injured body. Moving to his other side, the witch nudged him softly to move. When the wizard compiled, she squeezed into the small space between him and the armrest, curling herself up slowly to his uninjured side and resting her head on his shoulder.

Letting him know she did not blame him in the least for what had happened. That he was the only reason Mimosa was alive today.

"Thank you," she whispered, trying and failing to stem the slow trickle of tears running down her face and into his wrinkled shirt. "I didn't believe in guardian angels... until I met you." Reaching up to wipe the moisture away from her yes, she added with more determination.

"Nothing will happen to Mimosa as long as she has you." unknowingly the steeliness of the tone would reflect the same determination as Vanessa Clement's did when speaking of the Gods protecting those she loved. Unflinching and non negotiable.

The two remained curled up on the couch for an unknowable amount of time, or perhaps it was only a few minutes. Azalea would never be able to put a conventional value to it, Except that when she finally moved, there was a set of fresh clothes in front of them. Whoever had come to deliver them had done so with the epitome of discretion.

"Come on," she encouraged, straightening herself up and turning towards him with a forced smile. "I can change you like I do one of the children, or you can spare your dignity and get dressed on your own."

The ultimatums at least forced a short, unamused laugh but the message was taken. Jacques Clement disappeared for a bit and reemerged dressed. He may even have taken a lighting fast shower judging by the damp ends of his hair. Or he may have simply splashed some water on his head, either option seemed just as likely.

A change and wash was just about the extent of how human she could coerce him into being. The trolley that appeared for lunch was just as firmly sent back with neither in the mood to eat and a little while later, Jacques excused himself to go sit by Mimosa once again. Taking her queue, the witch rose to her feet and with a last hug, bid the Frenchman goodbye.

A return to the guest suites found that the children were not back yet, hopefully still happily occupied at the maze. This left Azalea to pace restlessly across the main room, trying not to let her mind wander down paths darker than it already had.

Ethan was her son.

And he was still with that monster.

The poor child had no idea how trapped he was in that mansion with a psychopath for a father.

A knock thankfully disturbed ehr thoughts and yet anothr servant netred, making th witch wonder how many people the paolace actually employed.

"Ms. Harrington, a note for you." Instead of being handed an envelope, Azalea was presented with a tray, complete with stationary, a letter opener and a lace cloth underneath. Taking the neatly folded note, she opened it to read a few simple words in an unfamiliar handwriting.

"Mr. Newbury is awake and ready to receive visitors."

The witch's hands dropped to her side in sheer relief, making her almost stumble where she stood.

"Will that be all, M'Lady?"

"Uh, I need to go to the medical wing again."

"It will be my pressure to escort you there."

Without another word, Azalea followed the footman once again, this time almost certain she could have made it on her own. This time, they stopped at the same glassed off room from the night before and his time, the same doctor stood at a side door, almost expecting her.

"Miss Harrington, just the witch I wanted to see," the American doctor grinned, moving aside to hold the door open for her. "I dare say Jake will be glad to see you."

"Is he-?"

"Doing just fine," the man assured her, leading her down a narrow corridor and towards another door in which Jake had been quarantined. "But don't just take my word for it, see for yourself." And with that, he opened the second door, letting her into the generous room where Jake Newbury had spent the last two days in the palace of Versailles.

________________________________________________

Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Wed Jun 09, 2021 7:54 am

Since landing in the Palace, Jake couldn't accurately say how much time had passed by. The only thing he remembered was the excruciating pain that originated in his elbow and travelled fast through his body. The following bout of nausea that had lasted through the halls that smelled too sweetly of flowers, and then the surgically clean smell that came next.

From there, it had been a sleepy haze, medically induced or otherwise.

Only small moments of consciousness had come, in which Jake had asked for three things.

"Is Mimosa safe?"

No reply.

"Is Azalea okay?"

No reply.

"The children are still here?"

"Yes, Mr Newbury. They're fine."

Each of the questions would be followed with him being gently pressed back in to the pillows with the insistence that he rested. It was futile to say no, too, the medical professionals had been far too many steps ahead of him, and their wands had pushed him back in to a sleep so as to ensure he rested. It hadn't occurred to the Auror to check himself over in the moments of consciousness, it hadn't been important, either.

It was morning again when the Auror opened his eyes, trying to get used to his surroundings as his mind slowly provided the reminder of where he was. Why he was here. The man took a minute to collect himself before he moved, his body screaming in protest as he did so. Not from pain, though, just the ache of being kept in the same position for too long, and the first movements not being enjoyed by the relaxed muscles.

Without thinking, though, the man tried to push himself up in the bed before his mind could suppl-

The hiss of pain had been the key indicator that something was still healing.

And had alerted the doctors of his conscious state.

Looking down to his right, Jake found his arm in bandage from the top of his bicep down to the middle of his forearm. Set in place, the mad realised that it wasn't of much use in that moment.

"Ah, Mr Newbury, you're awake. How are we feeling?"

"Like I've done a few rounds in a boxing ring." Jake supplied with a soft laugh, finally managing to get himself in a semi-upright position with just his other arm. The joke wasn't reciprocated with the doctor, though, and the Auror just rested back. For the next fifteen minutes, they talked through the treatment he'd had whilst he'd been unconscious in the last couple of days. Blood replenishment had been a must, apparently he'd lost a lot of that. His right arm had been minorly broken by the wolf's jaws, and the punctures from it's teeth had required the doctors to fix up a number of veins and the artery had been pierced above his elbow. All of the damage, though, had been fixed, Jake had been told. The bandage was more precautionary to allow all of their work to full heal. No scars, the doctor had announced proudly as he concluded, and Jake couldn't be sure he was happy about that statement.

He hadn't really had time to think about it, though. After the doctor was done, he'd been brought food and drink. Neither of which had lasted very long, the Auror found himself all but ravenous as he tucked in to the food. As he finished up the meal, the doctor had returned to check on him once more now that he'd eaten. No nausea or anything had the doctor looking pleased as he announced Jake would be free to leave the hospital wing that evening, they just wanted to check on him through another meal, keep an eye on him whilst he wasn't sleeping to ensure that they hadn't overlooked anything.

Whilst not overly fond of hospitals, Jake had agreed with that much on one condition. That Azalea could come to see him. If Jake had thought he would have to bargain for that, he'd been completely wrong as a footman was sent off with a note for the witch.

It had left the man with enough time to freshen up as best he could in a hospital bed. A brush of his teeth and a splash of water to make himself look a little less worn had been enough.

It hadn't taken long for Azalea to arrive, either.

The door to his room had been opened by the footman who had left, and Azalea had come through it looking just as worried as any woman would be stepping in to a hospital ward. Jake's features had adopted the soft smile that would hopefully relax her in that moment, lifting his left hand from the bed he silently encouraged her to the bed until she took his hand.

"Hey," the man greeted gently, using their joined hands to guide her to sitting on the bed with him rather than taking up the chair beside the bed. When the witch was seated, Jake would take her in. She looked tired, but he wasn't sure that that wouldn't be expected in this situation. Her eyes were a little puffy, denoting she'd been crying at some point, too.

"How're all of the children?" Jake asked, because he knew Azalea wouldn't not tell him what was going on. Their priority would only be the children now, and the hopefulness in the Auror's tone would denote that he didn't know anything of what had been going on outside of this room.

________________________________________________
~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~
~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

Subject: Re: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:03 am

Azalea wasn't sure what to expect as she entered Jake's room, even the doctor's reassurance putting her on edge. It seemed too unbelievable for someone to come out of this unscathed so it took seeing Jake, siting up in bed and smiling softly, for her to fully accept the situation.

He was okay.

He wasn't hurt, he wasn't unconscious, he wasn't changed in any way.

He was alright.

Drawing in a breath she had been holding ever since having seen the doctor, Azalea finally exhaled, reaching out to take his hand. The witch didn't notice the door close behind her, the staff giving them some privacy. As he drew her towards the bed, Azalea followed, still thankful to any forces that existed for keeping him safe and whole.

And hers.

"Hi," she responded, her voice cracking slightly as she sat on the very edge of the bed, afraid of hurting him if she moved closer. "How're you feeling?

In usual Jake fashion, his first question was about the children, all of them.

"Ivan and Adrienne are perfectly fine," she reassured him gently, trying to soften the blow of what was coming next. "They're worried about you and can't wait to see you again, but otherwise they're okay. They've even started having fun around this place, today they're exploring a maze somewhere on the grounds." The witch shook her head to stave off any worries Jake might have. The children were in good hands, she wouldn't have let them go if they hand't been.

"Mimosa is..." she began, curling her fingers softly through his. The motion may have been to comfort the man but in that moment, she needed the physical touch as much as he did. "She's hanging in there, she's a real trooper," the brunette began cautiously. If the American witch had thought starting with the good news would help, it hadn't. Her voice hitched several times as she relayed in brief the condition their eldest daughter was in and the measures being taken to treat her and manage her symptoms.

"She goes into surgery in within two days, and that is a pretty big milestone," Azalea finished, still stroking the back of his hand, her fingers shuddering now and then but always finding their way back to him. "They have the best doctors from all over the world here, and the team thinks she has a fighting chance. Now we just have to be there for her to cheer her on."

The witch waited for Jake to digest all the information before she continued. "The Clements have been unbelievably kind throughout this whole thing. Jacques and his father sat with me through the medical briefings, probably unnecessarily, just to make sure I had someone in the room with me. They've also arranged for lots of activities to keep Ivan and Adrienne occupied. They want Mimosa to get better just as much as we do."

________________________________________________

Come Plot With Me <3

Subject: Re: Nor Live So Long (invite only) Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:17 pm

Azalea's question of how he was was ignored in favour of learning about the children first. His own report would wait long enough to know that all of their children were safe.

"Ivan and Adrienne are perfectly fine,"

He would have relaxed if that had been all of the children accounted for, but as Azalea continued on about what the younger children had been getting up to, Jake couldn't help but feel as if the witch were stalling to get to the news of Mimosa. The man simply nodded as he heard of the explorations, assuming that if they were out exploring and Azalea was here that one of the staff had been instructed to look after them. A question he didn't have to utter because Azalea would never allow the children out of someone's supervision and be sat there so calmly.

"Mimosa is..."

The shift in tone wasn't nearly as telling as Azalea's body language. The way her body tensed as she slowly started to explain that their daughter was in a critical condition had made him all too aware of how difficult this whole situation had been. How much stress it must have caused the witch to put their daughter in harm's way -- unknowingly -- and be left with a series of medical procedures that the Auror couldn't pretend he had truly kept track of as Azalea explained them all to him. The worry would be written in his features though, showing that even if he couldn't list everything back to the witch, he understood the magnitude of the situation.

And he knew that the picture was bleak.

"I should have gone with him." Jake managed quietly as Azalea finished. He didn't blame Jacques for the decision he'd made, getting Mimosa out had been the mission for them all. But if they'd have been together...

But Azalea cut over that thought as she explained how good the Clements had been with everything. How Mimosa had the best care that was available to her in that moment. Of course, he couldn't blame the Frenchman for the decision he'd made. In the same situation, Jake probably would have made the same one, but when you could sit by objectively, it was all too easy to pick holes in the actions others had made in the spur of the moment.

"Are we allowed to see her?" Jake asked, but Azalea's shake of the head showed that that wasn't an option to them at the moment. He conceded without further comment, there was nothing he could ask for that Azalea hadn't already tried herself. As always, they would have to sit on the outside of their daughter's life, waiting to hear more from the family Jake still didn't understand the connection of.

"The doctor said I can leave her tonight." The Auror provided, belatedly answering the question the witch had first asked. "The wolf had broken my arm, and pierced the artery in my arm, but it's all fixed up now, the bandages are precautionary, no lasting damage." He would have said the last a little more hopefully had their daughter not been fighting for her life, but it was the best he could do in that moment to bring a little bit of good news to them.

"What about you, are you alright? You didn't get hurt?" He asked, looking Azalea over for a sign of injury and coming back with nothing -- thankfully coming back with nothing. "Have you... heard anything from him?"

________________________________________________
~ Auror ~ Profile ~ DADA Professor ~
~ In a Relationship ~ 36 ~ Father ~ 6' ~ American Accent ~

» The World That We Live In (Finley)
» Learn to Live a Little (Open)
» It's been a long day (Lilith)
» Shall Never See So Much (Invite only)
» Long Time Running (Vickson)