Like Teacher, Like Student /// A Doctor Strange Fanfiction

Chapter 18

With Stephen's help and some grumpy cussing on her part, Casey managed to get the boot off her other foot. Her ankle was swollen. When she stood up and tried to put weight on it, she had to sit back down in the chair.

"See, this is why we're careful with magical artifacts," Stephen scolded.

"I get it, I get it."

"It may not be broken, but we won't be able to tell without an x-ray," he said. He knelt down beside the chair so he could examine her ankle, his touch gentle and careful.

She pulled her lips in between her teeth as he touched the outside of her ankle. "Aren't you a neurosurgeon?"

"Yes. But that doesn't mean I'm blind," he said, rolling his eyes at her. "I can tell you need to get this looked at. Or do you not trust my medical degree?"

"You worked on brains. This. This is an ankle. And do you even still have a valid medical license?"

"Wow. Okay. So my medical degree means nothing, good to know. We're still going to the hospital," he said. "Can you go put on normal clothes so people don't look at us like we stumbled in from the renaissance faire?"

"Sure, I wouldn't want to embarrass you," she retorted. She decided to not remind him that the first time she had seen him, he had been wearing his magic man outfit. Still, she would rather not show up around normal people in her current outfit. It definitely stood out.

After Casey had portaled herself upstairs and gingerly changed into street clothes, she met Stephen back in the library. He had also switched clothes, wearing instead a dark t-shirt and jeans. He had his cell phone out, and he was in the midst of texting when he glanced up at her. Extending his arm, he offered her his elbow. "Lean on me."

"When you're not strong," Casey mumbled, adding in the song lyrics. It got a smirk out of music-loving Stephen as she settled her arm onto his. It did make it easier, fully taking the weight off her ankle.

"Glad to see you still have a sense of humor."

"It's fading quick." Her ankle was throbbing now. It was like little razor-knives were being jabbed into her bone. "Do we even have insurance?"

"Actually, yes," he said, conjuring up a portal of his own. "Kamar-Taj has us covered. Oddly enough, it comes with being the resident master in the Sanctum Santorum and extends to family members. Or temporary mentees."

Which meant her. Casey made a mildly impressed noise. At least they had thought ahead. She glanced at the portal and looked up at him. "Is it okay to use this?"

"I've portaled into this custodial closet before," he said.

"Do I need to ask why?"

"I was dying."

"And you didn't portal directly to an operating room why?"

Stephen raised an eyebrow. "What if someone had been in there, in the middle of an operation?"

"Okay, good point."

They stepped through the portal, and Casey leaned most of her weight on Stephen. He balanced her better than she expected. The custodial closet was spic and span; there were shelves of cleaners and solvents, buckets, mops, brooms, plus one of those ridable floor cleaners like they had at her high school. She had always wanted to steal it and take it for a spin.

Casey bit her lip. Man, she would love to sit down right about now instead of standing like a flamingo, injured foot in the air. "This is where you used to work before, right? Shouldn't we have come through the front door?"