In Which Severin Is Indulged With Polite Mock-Interest

November 12, 1196

"So?" Severin began, trying his best effort at his 'people person' manner. Follow-up appointments were the worst part of his job. Initial diagnoses at least provided a puzzle, but follow-ups only served to prove him right or wrong. If he was right, then he'd send them on his way; if he was wrong, he'd revise his treatment based on the available information, but needing a second guess was a swift punch to the pride. The fatigue of having four-month-old quadruplets at home--home being directly above his surgery, thank God for his oh-too-willing-to-nanny-them mother--had not made this part any more pleasant.

Dora, at least, was quite easy-going, even if she did look oddly like Alyssin--and, for the most part, in excellent health. "That tea still seems to be working for your headaches?"

"Yes, I think so." She did look to be of a clearer head than the last time he'd seen her. Still would have been nice if he'd known what was causing the headaches, though. "I've even started cutting back on the amount of leaf, and that seems to be going fine."

"Not a bad sign--though be sure to taper off slowly." Hmm. Had it been something serious--like a goddamn tumor--then treatment wouldn't have been so easy. An environmental trigger, perhaps? There might have been some headache-inducing substance in her home; she lived alone, so there were no other cases to confirm, but no anti-cases to disprove either. "Do you remember when the last especially painful one was?"

"Yes, actually. My birthday--the fifth of August."

"Huh." That was far enough back now that he didn't think they ought to be too concerned for much longer. That wasn't why that date struck a chord.

"That's my brother's birthday."

"Really?" Dora tilted her head in what Severin assumed was polite mock-interest. At least, he wouldn't have been interested, in her place.

But why did he keep talking? "You're about his age too, come to think of it."

"That's quite the coincidence." Not really. Except, from the look of her... kind of. "Any chance of meeting this brother of yours?"

Severin sighed. Why oh why had he kept talking? "He actually went missing a while back."

"Oh." Dora recoiled--as if she possibly could have known. It had been a while since anyone had last attempted an active search for Teodrin, and the family hadn't spread the news too far beyond neighbors and close friends. "I'm so sorry."

"Not as if you could have done anything about it," he dismissed with a shrug. "He, uh... he was always a little lost, I guess. He might just have gone to find himself." He doubted it--but it wasn't impossible.

"I hope that's true."

"At this point, it's probably not, but I appreciate the sentiment." Damn. Now that Teodrin had gotten into his head, it would take at least two screaming quadruplets to chase him out of there. "So... any other medical concerns you'd like to discuss?"

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