colors spilling from night to day (ota)

[nursetemple]

CHARACTERS: Claire Temple & Derek Hale; Claire Temple & you
LOCATIONS: Dinah's, the hospital, wherever you'd like
WARNINGS: None, as far as I know so far, will edit if required
SUMMARY: Claire goes on a breakfast date, and is here for any and all scratches. Come see her!!


i. closed to derek's; dinah's

[ The night was barely letting up, even as 6 am rolled out. Still in her scrubs, a comfortable hoodie thrown over them, Claire leaves the hospital under the night sky, despite her shift being over. Winter days always makes her feel like she should be staying longer, like her shift isn't finished until the sun is coming up.

It's also that shifts, in Cadelle, feel too long and too short all at the same time, because she finds herself with very little to do too often. It stretches the hours but also makes her feel like she's not doing enough. A weird dichotomy.

But this morning, she's ready for her work day to be done. She's starving, which makes her drive faster than she should to Dinah's for breakfast - not the fact that she's supposed to meet Derek there, no. The diner is empty when she makes it there anyway, the bell sounding loud in the quiet of the place as she walks in, gets herself situated in a small booth. She can wait for him anyway - at least that way she gets some coffee, to fight how cold her fingers feel.

When he does come in, she'll greet him with a little wave and a big smile, before going back to the menu in front of her. ]


ii. open; hospital

[ The more common accidents that happen in Cadelle are not the ones that Claire is the most used to dealing with. Here, there are no bullet wounds, no gang fights, no violence between men. Here, she helps with domestic accidents more than anything else - not that they can't be very bad themselves, but it is refreshing, in a way, for her to deal with accidents that have nothing to do with men hating other men.

And, more often than not, the hospital is quiet. So tonight, when you come in with your emergency, Claire is most probably rearranging the supplies locker for the umpteenth time, or maybe racing herself around the empty corridors, or dancing to the radio while cleaning up a bed (or the Christmas decorations she put up a few weeks ago). Whichever it is, she'll stop everything to help you out, of course. ]


iii. open; wildcard

[ Hmu with anything! Find me at ellievolia if you'd like to plot something in particular! ]

Comments

[shitmagnet]

And there it is. The shadow of the white elephant starts to loom over them. Frank doesn't look uncomfortable beyond the way he shifts in his chair. It's not like he's never thought of sleeping pills but he'd rather take the nightmares over the side effects at that time.

Here though, When the biggest monster was himself and there were no more big demons to chase, the idea of it didn't sound so bad at all.

"You gon' write me a prescription for killing my wife in my sleep every night?" Frank asked lightheartedly, taking a candid approach to breaching the topic.

[nursetemple]

She can't help the way she reels back a little, the words impactful even if he tries to pretend his tone isn't. It hurts. She can't imagine the nightmares, how deeply rooted they must be. She breathes sharply, through her nose, looking away for a second before her eyes settle back on him.

"Maybe." She pauses, looking down at her hands, wrapped around her glass. "I get that you don't seem to want to shed this guilt, but what's the point in being here if you're not even trying to work with it?"

Her tone is soft, even if her words aren't. She's not pretending she can save him, or heal him. But maybe she can help him.

[shitmagnet]

He doesn't want to snap at her when she's been nothing but good to him all night. She wasn't even the one who brought this up even though he had a bit of a feeling that she wanted him to talk about it. It's not like he's never tried talking, but they wouldn't be here right now if talking worked the first three dozen times around.

"I've tried talking, I've tried grieving, hell I've even tried closure. If pills will do it I'll take 'em," he remarks with a small shrug. If that's how she wants to help him she'd be doing more for him than most others have.

[nursetemple]

She nods, clenching her jaw for a moment before looking away, finally standing up, gathering their plates and bringing them to the tiny kitchen, dropping them in the sink.

"Come by the hospital, tomorrow, during clinic hours. We'll get you something."

It might not work, or it might. It won't save him, or take away his pain, and this guilt he's carrying like a suit of armor, but at least he might have some dreamless nights.

She walks back to the living-room, leaning against the doorframe as she crosses her arms. She opens her mouth, closes it, and then thinks, fuck it.

"Is that your wish? To get your wife back?"

[shitmagnet]

He moves when she clears his plate, leaning forward out of instinct even though she doesn't need his help. Dark eyes watch her figure retreat into the kitchen and for a moment, now that dinner's done and the offer of drugs has been made, the soldier considers whether he's been dismissed.

He's on his feet when she asks him a question that gets him between his ribs and pierces straight into the soft, fleshy bits of his chest cavity. He could feel his lungs tighten as his weight shifts uneasily from one leg to the other.

"Something like that," is what Frank thinks he hears himself end up saying. "Long as she's alive. And our kids. Even if I don't see 'em again or- or whatever it takes." And she knows he's a 'whatever it takes' kind of guy so he doesn't feel the need to elaborate more than that.

[nursetemple]

Claire nods, bottom lip caught against her teeth. She understands. She might not know the kind of loss he's dealing with, or the guilt he's carrying, but she knows grief. She knows how it sits on your lungs, stabs between your ribs, hurts in all the worst ways, and how there is nothing to alleviate it.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she says, with feeling and sincerity, just like every time she has to say these words.

"And, it might not mean much, but if you ever need somewhere to crash, where you're not alone... you're welcome here."

[shitmagnet]

He nods like he's heard her even though he doesn't hear those words anymore. He's been told them too many times in all different tones and accents that it's lost its meaning for him.

Pushing his seat back, he flashes her a tight-lipped smile and just nods. "Yeah." She knows he won't bother her unless he really needs something he can't take care of himself, but he plays along with the pleasantries anyway. The last thing he wants is for someone else to think he's unstable, with the way he turns his head every time he thinks he hears the ghost of his children running past.

"Thanks for dinner, Claire. See you 'round."

[nursetemple]

Claire can only nod back, watching Frank get ready to leave. She leans against the doorframe of her kitchen, lips tightly held together.

"Yeah. Take care, Frank."