At The Precipice Of Something New

Something Freeing

Goodneighbour
June the 12th, 2288
19:22

"You feeling alright, Duncan?"

For Robert Joseph MacCready, seeing the bright smile of his son, something he thought he would never see again, brought him a sense of peace and happiness he had almost forgotten he could feel. Looking up from reading his comic books, the little boy who had just turned five waved excitedly at his dad, who took off his hat, stepped into his son's room, and sat down on the edge of his bed. Duncan all but tossed his comic books to the side to hug his dad, looking up with wide eyes when he saw the woman who hesitantly lingered in the doorway. After a minute, one of her smaller medical bags in hand, Dr. Annette Davis slowly came over to them, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the reduced swelling and number of boils on the five year old's arms. Happily reaching for his comic books again, Duncan grinned and started telling her about the latest turn of events in the series before looking up at his dad, still thrilled his dad had, much to his surprise, come home from work the day before with a slightly late birthday present, one Hancock had helped him find. Affectionately ruffling his son's long hair, MacCready laughed a little when Duncan tightly hugged him again. Things felt right, again, almost as though they always had been.

"I checked last night, most of the ones on his back have gone away or are healing," MacCready said, gently scratching his son behind his ears to keep him calm while Annette prepared and sterilised her needles. "I was right. Med-Tek really was the place."

"And, thankfully, we were able to get back without too much trouble or worry about losing anything. After what it was..." Annette paused. "Something was wrong in there. I'm relieved we got back safe."

"I am too," MacCready shook a little at the far too recent memory. "On time for his birthday, too."

Duncan giggled. "You finally managed to bake cake!"

"It may have taken me three years, but I learnt," MacCready said with a slight chuckle. "Helps Daisy is pretty good at it."

"I take it she's helped you learn a lot of practical skills over the years?" Annette said, glancing over at him. "I'm just glad you were able to be there with him."

"Daddy's the best!" Duncan said, reaching up to mess with his dad's hair. "He's helping me feel better! You too, Anne!"

"I'm certainly glad to know you're starting to recover, though it may be a slow process," Annette gently reminded him. "Things might not keep easing so quickly. That's why there's three doses."

"Today's the second dose," MacCready added, relieved when his son nodded. "You feeling up to it?"

"I think so," Duncan said, a bit nervous when he saw Annette preparing the next vaccination dose. "It's not going to hurt, is it?"

"It shouldn't," Annette said calmly, reaching over to numb the injection site on the five year old's arm. "I know it's a lot to go through, but it's all to get things better. You ready?"

Duncan fell silent but eventually nodded, squeezing his eyes shut when he felt the needle press into his arm. Keeping his little boy steady, MacCready reassuringly patted his back, his own anxiety easing when he saw Annette finish the injection and clean the injection site. Once she was done, Duncan pulled over one of his blankets and wrapped it around himself before turning back to his comics. MacCready looked between his son and Annette, who delicately put the used needle in a secure bag to be safely discarded before putting her things back into her bag. Almost as though she were in a trance, she zipped the bag shut, awkwardly patted the five year old the head, and then silently left the room. Giving his son a hug and an affectionate kiss on the forehead, MacCready stayed in the room, picked up his hat, and kept an eye on his son for a few minutes. When he was sure he was alright, he too left the room, Duncan contentedly reading his comics. Happier than he anticipated when he stepped into the living room to see Annette having stepped out onto the balcony to have a cig, MacCready set his hat back on his head and walked out to join her, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a new pack, smiling when she raised an eyebrow upon him handing it to her.