"Hi Thoth," Danny replied, mustering up enough good cheer to put a smile on his face as he set his massive medical bag on a chair nearby.
The boy undoubtedly looked a bit different from the last time they'd met. There were dark bags under Danny's eyes, as if he hadn't slept well - or often - in the last few weeks, something it looked like Thoth would understand well. He'd lost some weight, thanks to a lack of appetite recently, and put on a bit of muscle from lugging around heavy containers of medical supplies and water and assisting the staff in moving some of the patients who couldn't get around on their own. His hair stood on end, as if he'd run his fingers through it often in the last few hours, and his eyes, which were usually sparkling, were a bit dulled with a lingering bit of sadness he tried to hide. He looked at least a year or two older, though it hadn't been nearly that long since they'd last met. But Danny didn't care about his appearance, or his feelings, right at the moment. His focus was on Thoth, and how he ought to approach the older boy. They weren't friends, exactly, though Danny would've liked it if they were, and Thoth was what Dr. Gupta called a "professional patient", the sort who had been there and done that more times than anyone. Was he supposed to be professional and detached? Friendly and personable? Some of the patients he'd run into recently were more or less the resigned "just get it done with" sort, while others wanted to chat. Danny decided to play it safe, going middle ground.
"How are you-?" Danny started to ask, intending to see how Thoth was feeling, when his eye was caught by the open book on the bedside table. He smiled, a little tiredly, and pulled his own well-read copy from his medical bag. His notes were a bit tidier, pressed between pages here and there and color-coded as best he could manage, but had clearly been done in a hurry. "You too?"
Danny rubbed a hand over his face while Sol, taking advantage of Morveren's sleeping, snuffled at her curiously before flopping down near the foot of the bed. Near to Danny, who he knew needed some moral support, but out of the way. Danny plopped his book back down on the chair, riffling through his medical bag for a second as he remembered the potion Dr. Gupta had helped him make specially for Thoth.
"Dr. Gupta said you weren't sleeping so well last time he saw you. How are you feeling now? I can give you something to help, if you like. It'll likely make you a little sluggish first thing in the morning, but it's enough to get you a good night's sleep at least." |