[FIN] How About This

[Blood_Goddess]

She was becoming far to familiar with this routine, she realized as she had found herself again walking the halls of the hospital.
She had lost count of how many times she's been in this place, visiting friends who had been hurt or sick.
It never felt right though, no matter how many times she did it, taking a seat next to Luke's bed, and folding her hands in her lap as she looked across to him, and the same question asked like she had every other time
"How are you feeling today?"
though there was a bit added "Any news?"

She knew from Luke telling her and Sera before that the doctors were going to do tests in order to get his legs working again.
she is sure it wasn't that simple, but it was close enough.  

[Suudonym]

Luke tilted his head to a side briefly in a painless quasi-shrug, "About the same as usual." As long as he didn't move around much or breathe too deeply, he had only some discomfort to tolerate. It felt as though he'd reached a plateau, though realistically it had only been a few days; he couldn't expect to be anywhere remotely close to top form. The request for news rapidly rekindled feelings of abject desolation, though he tried very hard to keep them from his tone and expression, "Nothing's had any effect. They're running out of ideas."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Neither bits of news were particularly good, physical state still in pain, still no use of his legs, she couldn't be surprised that his mood was still pretty down.
After his reply, she wasn't surprised.
there was a pause, Rosie trying to swallow the swell of disappointment at the news.
"Oh... well, you never know, maybe just the last ideas will do the trick." She tried to be encouraging. "Right? you never know." She repeated  

[Suudonym]

Idly he ran one thumb over the other, biting back the scoff that would have been his immediate reaction. He spent a moment in silence before turning slightly before mustering an insincere smile and forcing a strained quality of optimism into his voice, "Yeah. It wouldn't be the first time a doctor said something was hopeless and I made it work anyway." Granted, the last time was only because of Asch's sacrifice.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Hopeless." Rosie repeated as if she was no in favor of the way that word teased on her tongue. "They can't tell you that, nothing is ever hopeless."
She actually looked a little surprised "and you don't let yourself believe that either Luke. one way or the other there is always hope." She made a slight gesture to him as if happy with what he said, a smile renewing her expression "Ah- I don't need to tell you that though. If you know you can make it work for you anyway."

Her fingers fidget with the fabric at her knees. "It'll be okay."  

[Suudonym]

His expression didn't falter; mild though it was, its plasticity would easily become obvious. His response was a cool, concise, "Probably."

He seemed to realize his behavior, and some sincerity broke into his features in the form of a quiet remorse. "Sorry," he said, "I know I said I wouldn't regret it and I was okay with this - and I still feel that way, I really do. It's just kind of hard going through test after test thinking 'maybe this time, maybe this time,' but every time there's nothing." He gathered a bit of fabric into his hands, twisting it harshly. "It would be a lot easier to accept without all the hope, honestly. It's like a clock's pendulum, you know? Back and forth between hope and hopeless, over and over. Every time I hope, I end up disappointed."  

[Blood_Goddess]

"I understand... That makes a lot of sense." She replied once he clarified his side. and she did understand to a point, even if she didn't agree. the idea of hopelessness was the worse concept to her, she couldn't imagine a worse feeling.

She opened her mouth to say something, but paused before any words formed, hanging there for a split second before closing her mouth again, leaning back in her seat.
Clarifying her thoughts of the subject seemed redundant, and besides, she wasn't in his situation, maybe it wasn't what he needed to hear. Especially when he was reminding himself that he didn't regret this, leaving her to try and remind herself not to blame herself.

After a length of silence she found something to say "Have you thought about what you're going to do... if these tests don't work?"  

[Suudonym]

Another length of silence followed Rosie's question, broken eventually by a quiet, resigned sigh. "I have, but… I don't know. Some of the nurses like to talk about how people who can't walk can still live independently - after a test fails, usually," he couldn't stop from rolling his eyes, as if it were any question where he was getting his negativity over the situation, "but it's kind of a difficult situation since my arms are limited with my back torn up. My second-floor apartment is out of the question one way or another, but I'm guessing…" There was a frown in his expression, a stubborn reluctance to name the option as if it could be disregarded so long as it was left unspoken. "…I'm guessing I'll have to bite the bullet and go home."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie sat up a little, holding her hands up with a nervous noise when he mentioned that he might go home.
"Ah- w-well you don't... have to do that, do you? You can get a new place if you wanted or...Actually that's something I wanted to talk to you about."
She wasn't sure what she was saying. but she stopped to gather what she was trying to say.

"I talked it over with Rodney, and if you wanted, you can come stay at my place."
Her eyebrows arched, leaning her elbows against her knees. "Even if its just while you're learning to adjust, and while you're back is still healing. Whatever you need."  

[Suudonym]

Going home wasn't ever his first wish, and the idea that it was his only choice was absolutely dismal. Although, he supposed, it wasn't necessarily his only choice - he could find somewhere new to stay and hire a stranger to help with the things outside of his ability, or he could admit himself at some kind of assisted living facility. Neither alternative seemed much better, though, and rather than voice them, he looked to Rosie as she broached the subject. A faint surprise responded to her suggestion, followed shortly by a conflicted contemplation. "I don't know," he responded at length, hesitant. "I know you and Sera are always saying not to worry about about bothering you, but this is… This isn't just bothering, you know? I couldn't even get a shirt on like this."  

[Blood_Goddess]

She expected this to be the first response from him, and she didn't blame him for the way he replied.

"I know." she met his gaze when she spoke, treating this like a serious conversation, since it should be treated as such. "Rodney and I discussed it, I know its not going to be easy for you to move around until you at least can use your arms again, Rodney did some research and he understands your current state, but still... I would be more comfortable knowing that I can help you, instead of leaving you on your own, or staying here, and especially more then you having to go back to Grand Ile."

She sat up clenching her hands on in her lap "B-but it works out, we have an extra room on the bottom floor, so stares won't be an issue, if you're uncomfortable about anything, Rodney said he would be there - if he's not at school he's usually home, I will be there most of the time too, and we're located by a lot of places too , so its a really convenient aria. even though its a smaller place there is still lots of room for your pokemon too, and a park close by so we don't need to walk far at all to let them out."

She took a breath once she was finished talking, worried that it seemed like she put too much thought into it.
"This if your choice, and you don't need to make it now. But after what you did, its the least I can, and want do, and i wish i could just do more."  

[Suudonym]

He listened with the same sincerity with which Rosie spoke, taking in her words for the consideration the offer warranted. For a good space of time, he didn't know how to respond. Of course staying near Rosie was preferable. He understood her feelings and was certain that he would match them were their situations reversed, but this was entirely different from staying over for a single night to escape a storm.

"I don't want to go back," he said, finally. "To Grande Ile, I mean, though I'm sure you know that much. But I don't even know how long it would be, and I can't even think of all the things I won't be able to do myself - though I'm sure you know that too." If she was offering, he could be sure it wasn't halfhearted or on a whim. If she'd discussed it with her cousin, he could be sure they'd been over everything and knew the kind of inconvenience he would be. And because she was Rosie, he could be sure she didn't see it as an inconvenience at all, but…

"I'll think about it, for a while." The words were quiet, laced with uncertainty.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Her nod would confirm that she had thought about it, more than that Rodney had pointed it out. He knew her tendency to want to help and do things without thinking them through first, and he wanted to make sure that both of them knew what they were getting into.

"I thought you might, take your time."  

[Suudonym]

He nodded, resisting the reflex to raise a hand to push through his hair. "Thanks."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

A soft knock sounded from the other side of the closed door, but it didn't open until after receiving a response from either Luke or Rosie - or both. When it did, Nicolette peeked her head in briefly before entering the room completely, quietly shutting the door behind her. Resisting the urge to speak in her favored language, she offered them as bright a smile as she could muster given the circumstances, and a small wave. "Hello Luke, hello Rosie! How are you feeling?" The question was obviously aimed at Luke. A thought seemed to strike her then, as her hands flew anxiously to her cheeks and she aimed a worried look at the both of them, "Oh! Was I interrupting something? I'm sorry; I can leave and come back later, if you'd like," she offered, even going so far as to reach for the door again as if she for sure had interrupted something, even though she had no idea if she actually had yet or not.