Lock and Key

Trauma Response

"As you likely know the train can be incredibly dangerous and the level of quality medical care available is minimal to say the least." Amelia explained as she and Grace went on towards the exit. "So I made a suggestion to One that we create some cars that show up every so often and have trained medical staff. At first he was quite hostile to the idea, as he is to all of my ideas, but after I explained to him that more people would lower their numbers if their lives were not in peril he agreed to a test run."

The door swung open and Grace was greeted with an active hospital looking car that was staffed entirely by turtles. "So, turtles are kind of your thing huh?" she asked. Amelia rolled her eyes.

"One told me I'd have to eject all of my creations as they weren't originally a part of the train. But, since this car was created with them in mind I chose to repurpose them." Amelia explained before walking over to a turtle in a lab coat and explaining the situation. The doctor looked over at her and nodded, gesturing for Grace to come with him. Grace followed behind him.

"Alright, we are going to make a mold of your leg and fit you with a cast. I'll have my assistant come in to take the measurements and I'll be back with a cast. Take a seat here," he gestured to a chair. "And wait a moment." Grace did as he asked and sat down only to be quickly approached by his assistant. Grace would have recognized that mess of blond hair anywhere.

"Hi, Hazel." Grace said more shyly then she'd meant to. Hazel stared at her for a little before giving her a small smile.

"Hi, Grace." she responded. Grace was reminded of the conversation she'd had with Hazel in her dream and her concerns that Hazel wouldn't be okay. Looking at Hazel now, having comfortably settled into her turtle form and reading over a clipboard that Grace noted was just filled with crayon drawings, Grace decided that Hazel was okay. "How have you been?" Hazel asked as she began taking measurements of Grace's leg.

Grace couldn't bring herself to tell Hazel anything about what her life had been like since they'd become separated. It was bad enough to have so many people feeling guilty for everything that had happened. She wasn't going to bring Hazel into that guilt. "I've been fine." was the reply she settled on. Hazel looked at her seriously.

"You know Grace, it's bad to lie. And it's even worse to lie if you're bad at it." Hazel said. She didn't press Grace any further on the matter however. "I'm a helper in this car sometimes. Usually I just go wherever I want." she explained. Grace nodded thoughtfully.

"That sounds nice." Grace responded. "What I've been doing is...complicated." Grace tried to ignore the flashes of what she'd endured, the images of what she'd done, that popped up in her head. Grace started shaking and she wasn't sure why. The photo she'd brought with her fell from her pocket. Hazel picked it up and examined it before handing it back.

"You were pretty when you were younger." she said quietly. She didn't even acknowledge that Simon was in the photo. Grace felt grateful for that.

"Thank you." Grace said though she wasn't sure if she was thanking her for the picture, for the compliment, or for simply being there. Maybe it was a combination of all three. Hazel looked at her seriously.

"Grace, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Hazel asked. Grace did want to talk about it. But not with Hazel. She was so young, she shouldn't be exposed to those types of things. It quickly dawned on Grace that Hazel already had. That in the time she'd been with her Hazel had grown up much more than she should have.

"No, I'm fine." Grace responded. "It's very complicated." she added as an explanation. Hazel looked at her exasperated.

"Most things are." the doctor entered the room and dismissed Hazel. Before she left she turned to Grace. "We'll talk more later." she said in a way that was more of a statement of fact then a suggestion and Grace found it oddly comforting. The doctor fitted Grace with a cast and she quickly felt better.