Never have I ever [Lexie]

[Lexine Sullivan]

Well, at least the male understood that she might not want to pay the damn bill, and afterall, she hadn't brought herself here! And if she had her way she would have been gone already but the feeling of sickness was only just starting to go away. She would feel a lot better when she got home. Oh Christ! Home! Burt was going to flip once she returned- she had told him she was going out for the night but that she would be back before the morning ready for work...he was going to kill her or even worse, think she had been doing something she wouldn't usually do. She wasn't the kind of girl to stay over with men, hell she hadn't even gotten that far with anyone yet and the embarrassing thing was that he knew it and she didn't want to ruin what little innocence she had left. But back to the point...she would have to figure out how she was going to get the money to these people...she didn't exactly carry it around in lose change and she most certainly did not have a bank account!

“My friend’s a little off in the head and he thought it would be a great idea to pump you full of sedatives."

That had to be the most understated thing she had ever heard. A little off the head? He had to be joking! She had never met a more insane person in her life (and she knew some very convincing ones) and those eyes had to be one of the few things she would ever admit to herself scared her something terrible. She would never admit it off course but still, even she had weakness and knowing that someone out there had thought it fun to knock her out with some wolf drugs really quite disturbed her. She kept that thought hidden very deep within her, she would never admit it to anyone and most certainly not to this man.

She shook herself free of the rather depressing thoughts and instead concentrated on the male as he answered her question with a non committal answer. How could he not know where they were? Surely he or his friend had been the ones to remove them from her person? Oh she hoped not. She much preferred the idea of the woman doctor doing it although even that was a cold comfort. She wanted her Sai! She felt so naked without them she wasn't sure what to do with herself but it was more the fact that they had been her mother's and if they were lost she wouldn't know what to do. They were all she had left, the one thing she had kept that had belonged to her. One of the only things that she had kept of her old life. His other statement left her confused. He sounded almost...kind. Understanding. She wasn't sure she liked it.

When the knock came at the door the pair of them turned towards it, Lexi a little more sharply than she should have done causing her head to spin once more. God she would be glad when she could move without feeling like the room was off kilter.

She almost laughed as the two came into the room. They looked as if they were expecting some kind of war scene and to be honest had she felt on top form she might have caused one. But it was still rather amusing. Until the man told the doctor lady about her blades at least. That was not amusing. How dare this woman tell her she couldn't have what belonged to her! Had it not been against her morals to attack those who didn't deserve it she might have done something but as it was she settled for a cool stare that had chilled many a person to the bone. She was not amused.

“I’m sorry,”

Her cool gaze turned to the man with the horrible eyes and she briefly noticed that the nose looked a little different to how it did last night and then took great satisfaction in knowing she had caused that nice looking gash on his face- it might not have been as much damage as she had liked but it made her feel a little better. Unfortunately his apology did nothing but make her hackles rise in anger. Not that she really showed it. Not at all.

Her cool gaze turned from cool to icy in moments. "No your not." She rooted out his obvious lie with venom in her words. "And don't bloody pretend like you care. People like you don't care. You hunt and destroy but you most certainly don't give one little thought about the lives you destroy along the way!" She shifted on the bed so that she could face them fully. The look of sheer hatred had once again come into her face as she looked at the one who had knocked her out. Ok, so maybe this wasn't completely about her being knocked out and kidnapped but it was as good a reason as any. She didn't want to bring up the memory of her family.

Despite her anger she was secretly thankful that no one had made a comment on her scars. She didn't want to explain them since she wasn't sure what excuse she could even use. Let them assume what they hell they wanted, she didn't care. Really.

[Morrison Whelan]

It seemed that Morrison was the only amused by the look now imprinted on the girl's face. Iivan, who stood close to him, had tensed up, the side of his lip curling with annoyance and glancing back at Jeena he saw that she carried a very worried expression. This made him feel a bit bad, that he found so much humor in his friend's discomfort, but it served him right; he had been a bit of an idiot. Okay, perhaps that was a bit of an understatement, yet considering other sorts of things the wolf had done, it wasn't exactly startling.

"No your not."

The wolf opened his mouth to retaliate, with something probably along the lines of "How would you know?", but Lexine's words and tone stopped him, leaving him watching her with his mouth slightly gaping, adding a neanderthal like quality to his strong facial features. The three now stood very quite, all watching the human no the bed, though Morry was the only one who carried a smile on his lips, wondering what would happen next.

Yet for a few seconds, which seemed like an eternity, there was nothing, and the man's eyes started to wander, searching for any sort of clue in the girl's or his friend's body as to what they were planning to do to the other. However, his eyes settled for a few moments on Lexine's arms, covered in scars. He hadn't noticed earlier because he always looked people in the eyes, unless they intimidate him, which was thankfully not that often, though now that he saw them he couldn't imagine why he hadn't noticed them earlier. She didn't seem the suicidal type, even if appearances could be deceiving at times, and what off those scars on the inside of her arms, that were similar to yet so unlike the tracks on the inside of his on his own left arm.

He quickly told himself that it wasn't his place to try to take care of her or figure out what those scars meant... "Why don't you come over here?" Iivan's rough voice pulled Morrison back to the problem at hand and he fixed his smile so that it seemed less worrisome. "Come on, take a shot, right here." He gestured to his nose, taking a half step forward. The other wolf heard Jeena let out a sharp breath at this and held out a hand when she advanced on Lexine, stopping her from doing anything so they could see how this would play out.

(( Is short, booo. Couldn't think of much... But I hope it still works! ))

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi and the wolf stared at one another for a good few moments longer, neither willing to back down. She was stubborn enough to believe whole heartedly that she was right in what she thought of him and really, his behavior simply proved it to be true! He had knocked her out and had caused her to be stuck in this place racking up some ungodly clinic bill and all he had to say was he was 'sorry'. She didn't believe him one little bit and had the idea that it was only because of the other male that he was even giving that half hearted apology.

Just out of the corner of her eye she could just see the male in question. For a moment she thought he was going to say something but he seemed to think the better of it and a fake smile plastered onto his face instead. Was it her imagination or had he been staring at her arms? She must have been seeing things but then again they had better vision than normal people and since her arms were on show it stood to reason he had noticed. But said nothing. Good. She really didn't want to try and explain that to anyone. She would lie of course, she didn't need anyone knowing about her past- she would rather them look down on her as a suicide case than have them look at her in pity. She couldn't bear the thought let alone the actual thing.

Then the silence was broken by the idiot stepping forward.

"Come on, take a shot, right here."

She eyed him silently, not trusting herself to speak. He must be an idiot. Apart from the fact he expected her to get up out of a hospital bed no less, he also expected her to stoop down to his level. What kind of person did he think she was? Yes she had managed to get that strike in last night but she knew full well that she would never stand a chance. She was ill (obviously) and human. Moron.

The doctor took a step forward, a worried look on her face and Lexi wondered whether it was fear on behalf of her patient or fear that there might be a fight in her clinic. Bah. From the way the wolf stopped her from moving too close Lexi guessed it was the fight option. Of course. What on earth was she thinking even entertaining the thought that the lady had her interests at heart. She was going soft. Once she was feeling better she would get back to the cages. She really needed to get back into the game...she was becoming slow and her instincts were obviously lacking! She had allowed him to sneak up on her and knock her out and all she had done was inflict a scratch!

Slowly she blinked and looked back at the wolf, eying him as if expecting him to lunge at her (although she wouldn't put it past someone like him). She doubted that no matter what she did he would try something.

"I'm not like you." Her eyes were narrow once again as she glared at him. "Why should I give you a reason to prove what I have said already? If I attacked you I know full well you could tear me apart claiming 'self defence'" She spat those last two words out with venom. The laws of this country were stupid. He could attack her with little consequence but if she returned the favour the book would be thrown at her.

[Morrison Whelan]

Well, this was becoming pointless. It didn't seem that the girl was yet capable of handling her balance while sitting down so it wouldn't have been a smart to try to stand up, even at Iivan's goading. Though she was clearly angered by him, with her pronouncement that she "wasn't like him". How many times did she think he might have heard that? In that case, how many times had Morrison heard it himself? Too many, he supposed, and it still bothered him, though he wasn't at all sure why. Her words upset the other man as well, though he did respond, his eyes only narrowed and his mouth clamped tight shut. This was very unlike him; usually, he would have shrugged the comment off and made some snide joke. He had been this way, and gotten worse, since Meadhbh’s death, but he wouldn’t talk about it. Morrison knew they had to talk about it eventually, but now was not the time, even if was on his mind.

Now, they had to do something about Lexine. She didn’t seem steady enough yet to go out on her own, but she also didn’t seem inclined to stay in the clinic. Not that she would trust him to take her anywhere, so perhaps staying where she was would be best until she could call someone to pick her up. Morrison felt like he may have to stay there with her, because, as sad as it seemed, he was the one she felt the most comfortable with, though he supposed he had helped save her life.

“Iivan, this isn’t helping,” he sighed, smile having faded off his lips.

The other wolf gave him a slightly relieved look though his jaw remained locked and he slowly turned around to exit the room. Jeena finally came forward again, her now relaxed expression smoothing out the premature wrinkles on her forehead. Morrison, not noticing the woman, ran a hand over his face, muttering softly to himself about the ridiculousness of this situation. Why everything had gone to absolute shit lately, he had no idea, but he was learning to deal with it and it hadn’t driven him crazy quite he yet, so he guessed he could handle one more abnormal day. At least as soon as he got this jacket off, it was getting too warm. Moving off to the corner of the room, where an extra chair sat, he slipped the jacket off then dropped it down, before walking back over to his friend, pulling at his tie to loosen it as he did. It was a bit odd to be back in a suit after weeks of not going to work, but it made him feel more in control of himself because he had force himself to behave in order to keep the outfit clean.

“ So,” the wolf said with another sigh, breaking a slightly uncomfortable silence.

This seemed to have broken Jeena out of a sort of daze because she shook her head and glanced between him and the girl on the gurney. “Oh, Mercy,” she looked straight to the other human now. Though the wolf instead looked to the doctor, confused, where had Mercy come from? Apparently she wasn’t going to explain, and he wasn’t going to ask. “Morrison says you were coughing up blood earlier,” she paused, perhaps to make sure the girl was alright with this subject, “and I’d like to run some tests to see if there’s anything wrong with you. Only with your consent of course, though Morry has already agreed to pay for all your expenses.” At this, the wolf looked away, scratching at the back of his head uncomfortably. Lexine had made it pretty clear that she didn’t want to be taken as a charity case and bring up the money issue again was not helping.

[Lexine Sullivan]

“Iivan, this isn’t helping,”

That was an understatement. She didn't want him anywhere near her let alone in the same room as her..not that the though of the other male being alone with her was any better. Being stuck with these creatures was a nightmare she had hoped would never happen. Of course it would happen to her with her rotten bloody luck! Goddammit why couldn't she just get through a day without having to bandage something up or do something reckless? Half the time it wasn't even her fault, she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (like last night) but it didn't stop her. She just couldn't help herself. If someone was going to start a fight she sure as hell would finish it...or apparently end up knocked out and taken to a bloody hospital.

So when he moved to leave the room she almost let out a sigh of relief but it was squished down before it could escape into any kind of expression or body language. Her eyes watched him leave, still narrowed, as if making sure he was actually leaving them alone. She could tolerate the other two- the woman more than the male- but she didn't want him here any longer! Had she been the kind of girl to express herself like that she would have screamed and shouted until things had gone her way but she much preferred the silent treatment...besides it stopped her from saying something she would probably regret at some point or other.

Her thoughts were stopped from their slightly hateful process as she watched the other two left in the room. For a brief moment her eyes moved to the male and she watched as he moved to remove his jacket. Why hadn't she noticed he was wearing a suit earlier? God she was getting unobservant! She would have to work on that...no wonder she had ended up in this place! She was disgusted in herself, in her weakness. She should have died, it would have been best. She didn't deserve to live after all of this. One didn't survive if they were weak- she had learnt that a very long time ago. Her eyes followed him back to the woman and she told herself that she was only doing it because she was observing his movements in case he decided to attack her or something. It had nothing to do with the fact her head was betraying her and leading into thoughts that told her he was actually quite attractive....for a disgusting freak of nature.

“and I’d like to run some tests"

She blinked slowly;y as she tuned into what was being said. Tests? What tests? Why would they need to run tests? She forced herself to think about what she could possible need a test for and the only logical conclusion was to do with that damn cough she had had. Why would they bother? As far as she was concerned it was just a lousy cold or something. Maybe they just wanted the cash? It was a hospital afterall... these days they didn't have 'free health care'. Must be it. No other reason for it. Her eye almost twitched as the woman mentioned about the man paying for treatment. She was not a charity case!

Although it was about time she knew his name. Morrison huh? It wasn't a bad name she supposed. God Lexi get a grip! The drugs had really done a number on her bloody head. And she didn't mean the ones she took willingly.

She shifted so that she could rest her back against the headrest, trying to move some of the stiffness from her limbs as she did so. Oh she wished she could move! She was not used to being stuck in bed like this, she always got back up. Always. Finally she looked at the woman again and shook her head.

"I have no interest in staying here any longer. I'd like a telephone," And as an after thought as if realising she was being really very rude, "Please."

She would have to phone Burt, tell him to bring plenty of cash. He was going to be pissed and would blow this completely out of context...not to mention he would assume she had done this to herself. Bloody fabulous. She wasn't looking forward to it but what choice did she have? She never carried that much cash about and she didn't trust the banks as far as she could throw them since they were all corrupt and not to mention mostly run by species she really wished she didn't know about. He was her only choice since she also refused to allow this thing..this Morrison...to pay her bill. Granted it was entirely his and his mates fault for being here but still...she had her pride!

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison figured that to stop speaking would be best. This Lexine, or Mercy, or whatever, was very upset with the situation and understandably so. However, it didn't seem that there was any way that they could calm her down and he suspected that she could only feel better once she was out of the clinic and away from all these people. Or perhaps she just needed to gain her strength back, this being the most sensible explanation for why she was being so defensive, even to kind-hearted Jeena.

"I have no interest in staying here any longer. I'd like a telephone,"

The woman to whom this was directed frowned softly and glanced down, apparently offended by the girl's tone, but she straightened and nodded softly once a slightly apologetic "Please." was added.

So this human was not completely devoid of manners and social grace, the wolf thought, staring at Mercy before shifting his eyes over to the doctor when she spoke. "I'll go find one for you." Morrison put a hand on her shoulder as she turned to leave the room and pulled out his own cell phone. This would be much easier than setting up one of the phones from the front desk in here. He now moved over to the girl, turning the device on to check to signal and battery only to find that he had quite a few text messages and a few voice mails. Most were from his colleague Dean, who he'd forgotten to pick up that morning. Whoops. Oh well, he wasn't really friends with the man and he was sure he'd been able to find some way to get the office. Not caring that the phone would remind of him the messages later, he tapped ignore then pulled up the call screen and handed it over to Lexine.

He hoped that whoever she was calling would be able to come get here and that she would recover before they got there, because he didn't want her sitting around here any longer than she needed to and he was very sure that she wouldn't accept any help on walking to a car. He also needed to get to work; his funds were starting to run a bit low, at least lower than he was comfortable with given the high rent on his apartment, especially now that Iivan had been unable to help with the payments these last few weeks. He would try not to let it bother him though, not today at least.

Just then, a nurse stuck her head in through the door and asked tentatively "Dr. Hughs?" Jeena turned at the sound of her name and lifted a hand, "Just a second." She now looked back to Morrison. "I'll try to be back as soon as I can, and don't..." She sighed and shook her head, dismissing the rest of her sentence before she left the room to follow after the nurse. He knew what she had meant to say "Don't fight." It seemed to have become a mantra of hers lately, at least around the two wolves (being him and Iivan), and it was actually splendid advice. It was a pity that they both had such a hard time heeding it.

Good thing Morrison felt no desire to get into a fight with Mercy, mostly because he would feel bad about her being so young, not to mention unstable. Though he did have to remind himself of all the times young humans had almost gotten the better of him. Almost. With a sigh, he moved back and sunk into the chair that he'd dropped his suit jacket on. His eyes slowly focused on the edge of the bed next to which Lexine's arm rested and he couldn't glancing at her skin from time to time, where it was so scarred. And yet, his mouth remained shut on the matter, not trusting himself to say a word anyway. He supposed he could have left right then, not having a thing to do or gain from being there, but he needed his phone back and for some reason, he didn't want to leave Mercy alone, thinking that she might just miss the company.

Was it just him or was the room getting fuzzier? He blinked and shook his head softly, leaning back and trying his best not to doze off again. He reached up and loosened a few buttons on his shirt and pulled at the tie a bit more, giving him more room to breath. It would have been a good idea for him to have gone to sleep earlier last night, but as usual his mind had been busy going 'round and 'round in circles. Perhaps he would have to pick up some sleeping pills later, lots of them, for when he really needed them on the weekdays. And on the weekends, he could just drink himself to sleep.

With another heavy sigh, he stretched his arms before slumping forward and resting his forearms on his knees. Morrison glanced up to Lexine's face then looked back down. He wanted to get a conversation going so that he would definitely stay awake, yet the only thing he could think of was to ask about those scars and that didn't seem like the most polite topic of conversation. And so his mouth remained shut while he stared rather solidly at the gurney's headboard.

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi accepted the phone from the wolf although she wasn't entirely sure whether she was pleased about it or not- she would have been fine using a public phone or whatever but she guessed this would be quicker in the long run. The sooner she got Burt here the better she would feel. She really hated hospitals!

She muttered a thanks and turned her attention to the mobile. Now then, would he be at home or work? She checked the time on the screen and decided he would be at work now although to be honest he was there more often than she was and she lived above the damn place! She typed the number in and pressed call, listening as it rang on the other end. Hopefully he answered quickly...although she doubted it since she was the one who usually answered the damn thing. The man was a complete techophobe but she didn't blame him since she much preferred mechanics to computers.

As it continued to ring she suddenly realised that none of them had told her where she was and so her eyes moved about the room looking for a hint as to the address or name of the place until they landed on a sticker on one of the machines. 'Property of ((insert name there))'. Well that would do. She moved again and with her free hand moved the sheets off her legs and slowly pulled them up so her bare feet were flat on the mattress, her arm then moving up so that her fingers could tap against the bare skin of her knee that peaked through the rip in her jeans. Come on old man...what the hell was he doing?

Just as she was about to give up the phone was finally answered and a breathy 'hallo?' came down the line.

"About time old timer!" Lexi growled down the phone although her tone was significantly lighter than it had been since she had woken up. She really tried not to get close to him but he was all she had left now and she couldn't get rid of him if she tried...he stuck to her and refused to let go. She guessed it was something to do with her father being a good friend of his. "I need you to come pick me up..." She listened to the swears that came down the phone and a small smile played over her lips. She might not want him around but he really did cheer her up...she loved him in her own sort of way and she couldn't change that. Pity really.

As she listened to him have a go at her for not coming into work or letting him know where she had been all night her fingers had moved from mindless tapping to moving across the skin almost as if she was playing some sort of invisible piano- it was a habit that came out every now and then that if you knew her would tell you she was trying to keep herself in a calm state of mind. She hated it when he got on her case.

"Well if you hadn't have taken it all I wouldn't have been out! Now shut up and listen you old coot I'm in a bloody hospital and you need to spring me," She paused and then gave the name of it, "And bring money..." Another pause, "Of course I don't have any! I can't flipping walk!" Her eyes moved to the male in the room and watched as his eyes flickered between her arms and then the head board. Huh...she really hoped he wouldn't ask cos then she would have to lie.

"Yeah I'll see you in a bit..." She pressed the end call and almost put it down before an idea came into her head. she knew enough about these things to know how to get into the call history and deleted the number she had called. She didn't need him knowing how to find her again after today...it was bad enough they probably knew her name (her real name) she didn't like the thought that these things could find her through Burt. She just hoped the old idiot knew not to come in a car with plates. She didn't need anyone tracking her down! Once she had deleted the number she placed it down on the bed side table.

"Thanks." Her fingers stilled and she leaned forwards so she could rest her arms on her knees and then her head on the left arm so she could keep an eye on him. She didn't want him out of her sight, she didn't trust him one jot and the thought of turning her back on him was one she didn't want to think about again.

[Morrison Whelan]

Whoever Lexine was talking to was not the friendliest of sorts. It was clear by the way she joked with them and the expression that grew over her features. Morrison didn’t really listen to the one-sided conversation, but the speaker on the phone was loud enough that he could tell that the other person on the line was a much older male, probably human because the girl trusted him enough to pick her up. He would have thought it was her father, but her words didn’t fit that sort of relationship and so he went with somewhat of a friend, possibly someone she looked up to, though she kept that hidden well under a peeved and sarcastic voice. This was another thing the wolf would have to avoid asking about, mostly because he didn’t think he would get much of an answer; she wouldn’t think a lie was needed for this, while the scars, well, they were just far too obvious to ignore. It came to him that she must wear jackets all the time, even in summer, which he could relate to, though his reason for the adoration of donning a coat was that he thought he looked silly without one over his street clothes, plain and simple.

Morrison’s mind had started to drift as Mercy continued talking on his phone and yet his eyes remained half focused on the head board behind the girl. He wondered what Jeena was doing right now, saving someone’s life perhaps, and how Iivan would look with his nose all healed up, though he honestly believed the man would look much better because the new nose was a slight bit thinner and much straighter than the old one. It would change his appearance a bit and it would take a while to adjust to, but he might find himself getting along better with ‘the ladies’.

"Thanks."

Blinking, the man looked up to the human’s face then glanced over at the phone she’d placed onto the bedside table. “No problem,” he smiled, getting to his feet and moving over to her. He picked up his cell and turned to the side as he flicked through the settings to recent calls. She had erased the number she had dialed. Paranoid much? He chuckled, tucking the phone into his pocket then looking down at the human, facing her now. She had withheld so much throughout all the time he had been there and he couldn’t understand it at all. “I’m not going to be tracking you down,” he told her, grinning softly, though it would look slightly crazed to others. “Honestly, you’re just not that interesting at the moment.” If she wanted to keep on imaging that even strangers were after her, than she could be his guest, but once she was out of there, she could easily disappear with the rest of the world and he wouldn’t even wonder what happened to her. The scars were her most intriguing aspect of her being, so far, but they weren’t quite enough for him to want to help her. The drugs, that did bother him a slight bit, yet she wasn’t experiencing withdrawal at the moment so he had to assume that she didn’t have a problem, at least not yet.

With a sigh, and scratching the back of his head, Morrison took a few steps away from the bed then turned and stretched his arms. He stared at a picture on the wall, depicting a scenic boat filled dock, before turning again to look at Lexine. “When do you think your ride is going to be here?” he asked, holding a hand to the side of his neck. “Coz we’ll probably have to get you a wheelchair beforehand if he doesn’t want to carry you out of here.” He smiled gently to her, not sure if she would be insulted by such a gesture. It didn’t matter, she would have to do with what she was given.

[Lexine Sullivan]

He took the phone and she watched as he checked the phone, no doubt checking to see the number she had dialed. Well if she had had a phone she guessed she would have been nosy about who people had called with it but this didn't exactly disprove her ideas about the male before her.

“I’m not going to be tracking you down,”

Yeah, like she believed that. She had been around the block enough times to know better than to believe what people told her, especially when those people weren't even people anymore. Although to be fair to herself and her thoughts she didn't trust humans very much either- she only trusted Burt enough to keep her job and live in the flat he rented out to her but that was because she needed those things to survive. When it really came down to it she didn't trust him much either. She wondered briefly if he knew that....

Hold on, what did he mean by 'at the moment'? She really hoped that there wasn't something about her that would cause him to want to get to know her. The thought sent mental shudders through her and she had to stop herself from allowing that to show on her face. She couldn't bear the thought of anyone thinking her interesting enough to follow anywhere...it had happened once and it had not ended up very pretty. In fact the last she had heart the poor bastard had been hospitalised. Oops. The only other time anybody in her family had been followed home it had ended up with her being an orphan...she really needed to stop thinking about these things! It only caused pain and she had enough of that every day without having to remember that as well.

She watched as he moved back and as he turned around her eyes flickered to the door and then back again, just to make sure than no one had come in without her realising although she would hope that she would have heard it but you never knew when doped up with drugs. God she hated it here! The sooner Burt turned up the better.

As he asked her the question she thought back to the conversation she had had with the man and gave a one shouldered shrug as if she wasn't really bothered about it. "About half an hour or so...he speeds." Which was probably not a good thing now she thought about it. He might accidentally give himself a heart attack or something...which when thought further it was a good thing he was coming to a hospital. Ok now she was just over thinking the whole thing. She needed to get out of this place and now. She also wanted her Sai back and she hoped the doctor lady would bring them back soon.

"Wheelchair...right.." She should have thought about that. Maybe she would be able to get up and try walking? Afterall she hadn't really done anything to prove she couldn't walk and the numb feeling was starting to dissipate now. If she couldn't do it well she would crawl out...there was no way she was going to be leaving this place in a chair or even worse carried by her boss. Not going to happen.

Sitting up she swung her legs around and noted with satisfaction she didn't feel dizzy as she did so. That was an improvement to however long it had been since she had woken up. Her feet touched the floor and she shivered slightly as the cold tiles met bare toes before placing her feet flat on the floor. Now she knew she could do this...she had no choice!

She pushed herself off the bed, and immediately reached out for the edge of it as her legs buckled slightly. Oh..that was not good. She held onto the bed until she felt herself ready to let go, which she promptly did. She took four steps before her legs collapsed on her again and she sank to the floor with a small growl of frustration. she hated being unable to do things.

She threw a look at the male as if daring him to laugh at her. She had no doubt that he would if wanted to but she really hoped not...this was embarrassing enough without him making her feel worse about it. Now she just needed to get back up and try this again.

Or she would...just as soon as her legs co operated with her.

[Morrison Whelan]

"Wheelchair...right…" Lexine’s enthusiasm was astonishing.

Morrison couldn’t blame her for not wanting to use a chair; it seemed a bit undignified when you hadn’t broken anything, only that your legs were a bit wobbly. Though, honestly, he would take a chair, given the choice. He had learned the hard way that in most cases it was a bad idea to push your body and he used to do so all the time, until he started falling ill and his joints grew weak. Jeena hadn’t been around then and he had been traveling often, so he’d had to figure out how to help himself, which turned out to be useful later.

As the girl slid to the edge of the gurney, Morrison turned to her again and took a half step forward, knowing she intended to stand and making sure that he could catch her if it looked like she was going to fall on her head. There was a moment of hesitation and he wasn’t sure if she was going to try to stand after all, her legs perhaps feeling that weak, but then she grabbed a hold of the edge of the bed and slowly got to her feet. Her muscles shook visibly with the effort, though she was able to move forward a few steps and it looked as if she was going to be fine until her knees completely collapsed. The wolf winced, expecting her to smash into the ground, and rushed to her, only to be stopped after a step by the look Mercy shot him.

Clearly, the human was embarrassed by that tumble, but he wasn’t laughing, not thinking the situation all too amusing. He didn’t want her to be so incapacitated (well, maybe he did a little bit, just so that her pride was tempered) mostly because it meant he’d have to deal with helping her when she didn’t desire it. Though, right now, he would have to get her back on the gurney and he was very sure that she couldn’t do that herself. Quickly, so that she would have little time to protest, Morrison stepped over to the girl and bent to grab her under the arms then pull her up. Just as quickly, he transported her back to the bed, sitting her down and then immediately releasing her. He could imagine that she would be rather annoyed with him right now, yet he didn’t care.

For a moment, the man looked down at Lexine, expression telling her that he wouldn’t do that again, though he probably would if he needed to. It was more so that if she did fall down again, she wouldn’t try to punch him when he approached her to get her back up. With that sort of thinking, he might be judging her character wrong, yet she hadn’t shown him anything that would make him feel differently about her. She was harsh and proud, no different than most people he met these days, she even reminded him a great deal of Nessa, though he hadn’t seen her in weeks. With a sigh, trying not to imagine what had become of the other woman, he tucked his crossed his arms over his chest and took a few steps back to lean against the wall. He supposed that now he would just have to wait with the human until her ride got here. This wouldn’t have bothered him so much, but he found the lack of conversation a bit irritating and he knew that eventually he would have to ask about those scars on her arms, they were just so strange.

Okay, if he was going to bring it up sooner or later, then he should just do it now. “Your arms,” he muttered, cautiously, not sure how she would react, “how’d you get them like that?” He just stared at her, at her face, waiting for an answer and resisting the urge to run his fingers over his own arms, tracing the patterns he saw on her skin.

[Lexine Sullivan]

She eyed Morrison from her position on the floor, glad he hadn't laughed at her really embarrassing situation. Or she was right up until he moved forwards and, gripping her under the arms heaved her up and then moved her to the bed. Oh no he did not just do that to her! She glared at him from beneath her pink hair, a scowl fixed on her lips. She was not amused in the least and she did not appreciate being lifted about like a bloody doll. Once she was back on the bed she moved so that she was sitting upright against the head board once again, her eyes glowering at him in annoyance. If she had to sit here then she would but there was no way in hell she was being carried out of this building...she would die before suffering that humiliation! She had survived worse than this and had walked away so this was a new and really very unpleasant experience, one which she was not enjoying at all.

As he moved back to his position against the wall she took the time to look over him again, this time taking in a little more than what she had been doing. He was well dressed which showed he was well off, but then again she didn't need a suit to tell her that...most of his kind were rich and many of them flaunted it with little problem. Or offered to pay for bills they had no right to go about doing....(She was going to be annoyed about that one for some time). Otherwise she couldn't really read him. His friend had been more than willing to kill her or at the very least main her in some way but this one confused her slightly. She could understand a wolf wanting her dead because frankly thats what she wanted of them but to save her and get help was really...strange. She didn't like it and it made her wonder what she would have to do to make up for it.

She shuddered mentally in revulsion, not willing to show it physically. The very thought of owing her life to a creature like him was sickening. How could she had been so stupid to allow herself to be caught? But what had happened had happened and now she would have to deal with it and whatever consequences came about it.

She still hoped Bert would get here though....

“Your arms,” He had muttered it so softly that she only just heard the start of the question and her head jerked up to look at him a small piece within her dreading what he ws going to say next. “how’d you get them like that?”

Damn.

What the hell was she going to say?

No. She didn't need to think of anything. She would simply tell him what she had been telling everyone else for years. There was no way she could tell the truth, betray the memory she still had of her brother. She just couldn't. If she spoke of the past then it would make it real...well, more than it was anyway. How could she possibly tell a stranger that the reason she was like this was because her family had been torn apart by the actions of one person? That he had destroyed everything by getting involved with creatures like the one before her? No. She couldn't do it.

Of course these debates were going on in her head but she only had to think for a fraction of a second, with only a minuscule beat showing that she had indeed thought about her answer. Unconsciously her right hand moved up and lightly ran down the raised skin of the left arm as if making sure the lines were still there.

"I'm a cutter," The scowl from earlier came back but this time it was all a part of the mask, "I'd have thought that was obvious."

She was suddenly very glad she had worn jeans. Despite wearing skirts and shorts often there were some barely noticeable scars on her legs, thighs and back but since most normal people couldn't see those she didn't have to worry about explaining them- unless they happened to have good eyesight. Of course many of those marks were caused by her fighting...only the oldest of them were from before.

Oh why wasn't Bert here yet? She wanted him to hurry up and take her away before she drowned herself in unwanted memories that this man had dragged up simply by asking a question. Bert never knew the full details, simply thought she had done self harm at some point and that she had stopped. But Bert was practically family and he kept her sane...or at least more sane. Where was he?

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison had, of course, struck a nerve with his asking about her scars. Earlier, every time he’d glanced at her arms, Lexine had shot him a slightly warning look, telling him not to ask. He was a curious man, unfortunately, and he’d had to ask. Plus, it would give the two something to talk about until the woman’s ride got here, if it ever did. The wolf actually almost wished that she would be left stranded here so that he could take her wherever she needed to be. He knew she would prefer Jeena to drive her if it was needed, but the woman couldn’t spontaneously take off work; sick people didn’t work that way.

"I'm a cutter; I'd have thought that was obvious."

The man resisted the strong urge to roll his eyes and instead shifted away from the wall to fix his belt and tucked in shirt, looking away from Mercy for the moment to keep from chuckling. Leaning back into the wall, the wolf continued staring at the girl, wondering silently what to say and speculating as to what the scars were really from. He didn’t care in the slightest if she had done this to herself or if it were something embarrassing or disgraceful. He wasn’t someone who judged because he’d had plenty of disgraceful shit happen in his own life and heard just about everything; there was very little she could surprise him with. Whatever was really going on with her could only yield her more sympathy from him, nothing else.

“I’ve known quite a few… cutters,” he paused before this last word, not liking the sound of it. “and they weren’t so haphazard as you…” He forced himself to bite his tongue after that, knowing that he’d say something offensive or outrageous if he continued speaking. “How about this,” he sighed, abandoning the route of disproving her claim of cutting. “if you tell me the truth, you don’t have to explain it, then you can ask me anything and I’ll be totally honest.” If Lexine did take him up on this, it could easily turn painful, for him, if she knew the right sort of question to ask. He was 200 years old and there were plenty of demons to dig up, though the recent ones (his deceased friend, estranged son, disappeared druggy friend) were the worst to think of.

Would Mercy even care though? She might not think gaining information from him was worthit after telling him something so personal. It would disappoint him a little, since he was so keen on ‘saving’ people and knowing someone’s life story was part of that. If she just knew how much he’d like to help her… That may actually creep her out though, since she seemed so distrustful of just about everyone. He found himself wondering if she had many friends, if she was lonely, which would be quite sad because she was rather attractive, and would be more so if she didn’t dye her hair that unnatural color. Dammit, there he went again, being a man and being so keen on young humans. He needed to find a girl his own age or at least one that looked his age. Why was he even thinking of this right now though? He needed to concentrate…

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi didn't need to see the smile to know that he was laughing at her. Guess she couldn't lie herself out of this one! Dammit it all to hell. She had hoped that he wasn't as clever as he looked but it figured she wasn't that lucky...

Now what was she going to do? If he didn't believe the lie like everyone else seemed to then she was stuck with the truth and that was something she couldn't face. She had never spoken to anyone about what had happened, had never been able to admit it which was probably why she carried so much hate within herself- afterall they said that the best therapy was to actually talk about your problems didn't they? Or was she making that up? she couldn't remember where she had heard it from but she was too afraid to try it. And yes she could admit that to herself (just) but to admit it to another was a weakness she wasn't sure she wanted to have.

The way he said the word 'cutters' told her that he had a problem with people who did such a thing. She couldn't blame him. She wasn't someone who could accept that either. When everything had first started she had toyed with the idea but once he had picked up the knife and did it for her the idea had soon flown from her mind. It hurt. It was painful and watching the blood run was one of the things she had never been able to stand. Sure she still had those thoughts but they didn't focus on her doing it herself...she would wait for someone else to do it for her- which was why she was surprised these two hadn't done her in when they had the chance.

At his next words however she had to blink before it suck in. He wanted to know the truth? She couldn't remember the last time someone had even bothered to look past the lies. Apart from the one or two doctors when she had been younger no one had thought any different- hell, even Bert thought she was a cutter and he had known her since she was born!

"I..." She started but she choked up on it before the sentence could even form. She couldn't do it...This was a weight she had carried alone for so many years she didn't think she would ever get rid of it, and certainly not to this man who had appeared in her life because his friend thought it was a good idea to try and eat her or whatever.

She had tried to tell Bert once but the words had stuck in her throat. So he had accepted the lie with no questions asked. Just like he had accepted that her family had been caught up in 'gang warfare'. He had never even thought that the reason for all of this had been the cause of her brother. But then who would have thought that the seemingly normal family would have such a dark and horrific past? It was like a horror movie or something.

Lexi lowered her head and allowed her hair to fall down over her shoulders so that her face was partially covered- or most importantly her eyes- and inspected her bare arms. She hated these marks so much! Why had she been the one left to deal with the pain of what had happened? She had been such a happy person, so full of life and ready to take on the world. Why had she been the one to suffer during those long years unable to tell a soul because of the fear she held for her brother? Lexi doubted she would ever get the answers to these questions but she knew that it would take more than a stranger to ask for the truth...there was years of pain to break through and then there were the problems she had anyway.

She shifted so that she could run one of her thumbs over the raised skin of her arm as she contemplated the problem she now faced. It had been so long...no one had ever cared enough to ask and the fact that it was a wolf asking set her on edge! A part of her craved comfort no matter where it came from but the larger part of her told her not to listen and to ignore him since it could be a trick...a trick to lower her defences (not that they weren't already).

She had been told a long time ago that her eyes allowed people to read her like a book and since she had learnt that she had made herself stop feeling so she couldn't show the truth. But there were times where she just couldn't hide it away...like now. Her eyes swam with mixed emotions, but mostly with terror. She didn't know what to do.

Finally she raised her head and raising her arm she pointed with her finger at one of the faintest scars on her wrist.

"I got this when I was eight...." She swallowed the fear and continued, "Thats when it started." Why was she doing this? For gods sake this was a wolf! She blamed the drugs for her loose tongue.

"You...don't think it would happen to you...why would you at that age?" A bitter smile came across her lips and for just a moment a tear almost seemed to glisten in the corner of her eye before it was blinked away, gone before it could be commented on or pointed out.

She took a shuddering breath as she ran the finger over the line. She had another exactly the same on the other wrist- one of many that actually looked like she had done it herself- and of course there were the rest that got stood out more the further up you looked.

She started to speak once more, "My bro-" She was cut off as the door opened and her head whipped around at a startling speed to look at the person who had just saved her from spilling her darkest secret.

"Old man." Her voice was laced with relief as Bert stepped into the room, a look of annoyance on his face which soon turned to worry and then suspicion as he clocked Morrison in the room.

[Morrison Whelan]

Wow… So nobody had asked seriously about those scars before? What sort of people was she around all day? Perhaps he had been right in thinking she was lonely and he suspected that she liked to keep it that way, but still. There had to be more people like him, which were willing to help someone even if they were a complete stranger or least sit down and listen to their story. And if not, Morrison would have to step up his meddling, because there were a lot of people who needed a bit a therapy yet didn’t want it or know it. Now, he wasn’t considering himself a psychiatrists, he actually hated the lot of them, but he knew a thing or two about sorting out mental issues.

The wolf was silent as Lexine paused, considering how to answer him, and even when she muttered a choked "I..." he said nothing to encourage her to continue, letting her speak as she could and wanted. He was even doing rather well with holding in his surprise about the girl starting to become so open with him. Very few people would be so quick to let him into their thoughts since most soon realized that he was a wolf and they had learned at a young age that those ‘beasts’ were ‘bad news’, his mother had even taught him that this was how humans viewed their kind and so he had always hidden it in school, had never made any friends. Until now, distrust was the only thing Mercy had shown him, perhaps with a little gratitude mixed in, but it was only because she hadn’t had to be around Iivan any more.

He watched her now as her head fell forward, pink curls obscuring her face, and her hand moved onto her arm, tracing the raised lines of skin. Whatever those scars were from was too obviously a painful thing to think of and having such visible and inescapable reminders of it must weigh heavy on her. He noticed her fear, the way she held her body together and how she sat so still betrayed how hard she was thinking. If she ended up not wanting to tell him, that was alright with him. He did like to pry and he was damn good at it, but he had learned when to stop and didn’t want to break this girl’s spirit; she seemed strong and the world was running a bit low and girls who could hold their own.

Pushing himself off the wall, Morrison moved a step forward, stopping when Lexine’s head rose and she pointed to a faint scar on her wrist. "I got this when I was eight... Thats when it started." Eight years old, jesus, that must have been a deep wound for its scar to still be as visible as it was. "You...don't think it would happen to you...why would you at that age?" Whatever she meant by it caused her eyes to glisten for a moment, but she held back the tears with a forced smile. The man moved toward her again, only this time he intended to sit on the bed beside her. If she was going to keep talking she may need a shoulder to cry on and her voice would get quiet, even if she shunned him at first, he knew she would appreciate the comfort.

The door opened. Morrison stopped in the middle of the room and turned to walk over to it, thinking it would be Jeena and wanting to ask her to give them a while. Instead, it was a man, and one that Lexine was glad to see. "Old man." The OldMan looked to her, brow furrowing then relaxing in concern before he looked to the wolf, not surprisingly regarding him with distrust. Whoever this human was, though he knew it wasn’t the girl’s father, he suspected her father dead anyway, Morrison didn’t like him. She’d been so close to telling him what had happened to her and this man’d had to show up and ruin it. Well, fuck him.

A flash of anger creased the wolf’s forehead but he quickly covered it up with a soft smile to the OldMan before looking to Jeena who had now entered the room. He shot the woman a quick look of annoyance, not much liking that she had let this stranger in, even if he was here to pick up Mercy, before going back to the chair to pick up his jacket and fold it over one arm. Now, Morrison went to stand beside the gurney, looking down at the girl. “Think you can stand up on your own?” he asked her, wondering if she’d had enough time to recover mobility yet. If not, they would have to get her a wheelchair and he already knew that she wouldn’t keen on that.

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi couldn't describe the feeling of relief that swept over her as Bert came further into the room and had she been the kind of person she would have wrapped her arms around the man and wept with happiness. As it was she just gave him the smallest of smiles before her face schooled itself into its usual cold and stony demeanor. She must have been mad to even contemplate telling Morrison her past! She didn't know him and sure as hell didn't trust him! The best excuse she could come up with was the drugs had screwed with her head and quite possibly a cute face as well....not that she would ever admit it.

There were very few things that terrified her and the things that did she kept well hidden- it was a mistake to allow anyone to know what they were and she had learnt a long time ago that you couldn't trust anyone but herself.

She was afraid of the supernatural, although that was mostly because she knew they could easily tear her apart and there was that small matter where they had murdered her family with no regrets. She had often wished she had been home that day so she could have at least died with them...she could have avoided this life of pain and anger if she had been there. Another thing she was afraid of was a new one- this friend of the man in the room with her. This was again probably due to the fact that she knew he could have torn her apart if he had been able to get away with it. And finally she was afraid of getting close to someone; allowing them into her life was petrifying! She was afraid that if she let anyone in they would be disgusted with her and more than that, she was afraid that she would lose them like everyone else she had ever dared care about.

No. She would not admit that a cute face had almost made her blurt her secrets. A face that belonged to the kind that had destroyed any hope of happiness a long time ago (granted it got rid of her brother but still...)

Her thoughts were interrupted by Bert coming a little closer to her and she looked up into his face, ignoring that the wolf had stepped closer to her at the same time.

"What the hell have you done to yourself now?" Of course, the moment he opened his mouth the first thing would be that. Typical.

"Had an accident." She shrugged it off, not willing to go into the specifics. "Wouldn't have happened if you hadn't stuck your nose in." She looked over to the doctor lady before back at Bert. "Pay the lady so I can get the hell outta here."

“Think you can stand up on your own?”

She almost jumped but stopped herself just in time. Yeah. She really needed to work on her skills! This was just idiotic! She turned her head slightly so she could look at him and silently glared at him.

"I'll manage," And to prove her point was swinging her legs over the side of the bed and her feet touched the ground once again (wishing she knew where her boots were). Lifting herself up she was annoyed to find Bert instantly at her elbow hovering next to her as if she were an invalid he had to help out. Ok, granted her legs felt like jelly still but she hadn't fallen down yet and she turned to look at the male, allowing a small smirk to cross over her lips as if to say 'in your face'.

Bert meanwhile was looking between Lexi and the man and his mind automatically went to places it shouldn't. Who was this man and why was he here with his charge? Which was why the next words out of his mouth probably weren't the best planned ones.

"Are you her dealer?" He ignored the look Lexi through at him as he glowered at the taller male, "Like I'm going to believe she had an 'accident'" You could just hear the air quotes in the word.

Lexi stared at Bert as if he had grown another head. Was he completely off the rails? She knew he wasn't exactly a pushover but was he blind to the fact the other male was a wolf? For heavens sake he was going to get himself killed!

Since her thoughts were more preoccupied on her stupid guardian her knees gave way and she ended up stumbling slightly causing Bert to look at her in concern. Fuck it all. This was beyond stupid....and she better not end up in a chair or she was going to kick off! She threw a look over her shoulder through the curls of her hair as if warning the wolf to try and do anything that would involve either lifting her up anywhere or hitting her guardian- at the moment she was debating which was the worse of the two. It didn't take long to decide that putting her in a chair was the worst.