[Open-ish]

[the_good_doctor]

Who: Watson, Tsukiko, Hatsuharu (open to patients of Zen's clinic, interested parties!)
What: Zen's gone -- the clinic staff (and patients) react.
When: Day 49.
Where: Yakuzen Hall, the clinic in Heimdall.
Rating: G!



First Watson was accosted by a strange old man while on his way to the clinic. Then, when he arrived, it was to find that Zen wasn't in his office. In the short time he'd been working with the other man, Watson had grown to enjoy their chats, even if it was just a brief outline of what they had lined up for that day in terms of patients and a professional opinion.

Still, everyone was entitled to an off day, and Watson went about organising himself for his patients expecting that Zen would either call or show up in person. When the first of his patients had arrived and Zen had not ...

Well, fortunately as junior partner, Watson's schedule was not so full that he could not take on Zen's patient's in addition to his own. But even so --

It was mid-afternoon before Watson had the chance to sit down and catch his breath. Leaning at his desk, he looked at the patient records in front of him without taking them in. He was worried. You didn't have to be a great detective to know that this did not bode well.

Comments

[starryguyed]

The fall of quiet footsteps announced Tsukiko's presence a few seconds before the girl herself did-- by knocking with her free hand. The other arm held a stack of paperwork secure. First Suzuya had vanished, then the man who had hired her... it was a lot to take in, so she did what she did best when things threatened to overwhelm her-- she worked.

"Ah... I'm sorry, are you busy right now?"

[the_good_doctor]

Watson looked up from his desk at the knock, smiling despite himself at the question.

"You know I'm not, Tsukiko. Come in."

He stood as she entered, the Victorian courtesy automatic, raising an eyebrow at the stack of papers. "Goodness. Are those all for me?"

[starryguyed]

Her smile was an apologetic one, verifying the answer even as she nodded and brought her armful over to the desk. "Some of them were for Zen-san, but they're a little urgent, and I haven't been able to find him, so if you wouldn't mind looking them over..."

She would have helped if she could, but her medical experience didn't quite cover as much as Watson's did. She organized more than anything.

[the_good_doctor]

Watson took the papers automatically but didn't look at them immediately. "There's still been no word from Zen?"

He was sure there wasn't; Tsukiko would have informed him at once. "It seems we're not the only one's to have noticed his absence. There was a patient on the bracelets looking out for him."

Pause.

"We may have to face the possibility that Zen has left us."

[starryguyed]

Try as she might, Tsukiko couldn't entirely prevent her shoulders from slumping in dejection. Yes, she'd had her suspicions, but she hadn't wanted to think about it, not when they had just gotten to work. But it wasn't like her new employer to shirk his own business, and with anyone able to find him...

"Then what should we do?"

[the_good_doctor]

"That is the question, isn't it?" A glance at Tsukiko and Watson reprimanded himself. Now was not the time for uncertainty.

"The important thing is to remain calmly. We'll hope that this is some whim of the gods and that Zen will return soon, but we'll prepare as though we may not see him for some time. Now -- our first duty is to our patients." Watson realised he'd assumed a lot and ducked his head in quick apology. "That is assuming that you do not object to working with the junior partner of course, Miss Tuskiko."

[starryguyed]

Almost immediately, her arms were up, hands waving somewhat frantically in front of her face. It was probably for the best that she'd set the papers down, or they would have gone flying by now.

"No, I don't mind at all! I-if you're all right with working with me, that is-- I'll do my best to help out as much as I can!"

Yes, Watson. What was that about remaining calm?

[the_good_doctor]

What indeed.

Watson moved a paperweight on top of the papers as a precaution, before reaching over, intending to place a soothing hand on Tsukiko's shoulder.

"Deep breath, Miss Tsukiko. And let it out slowly -- and again. Deep breath and -- breathe out. Now. Feeling better?"

[starryguyed]

So he wasn't Suzuya, the voice of motherly authority (and she could already imagine the sigh he would have released if he'd been there to hear her), but he was still older and authoritative in the comforting sense, and Tsukiko obediently inhaled, held it, then released it.

Okay, so maybe thinking of Suzuya hadn't been the brightest of ideas and thinking of the disappearances of her friend and her employer didn't help with the whole 'feeling better' front, but she didn't want to focus on that right now. Working with Watson was an opportunity she definitely didn't want to turn down.

So she nodded. Meekly.

[the_good_doctor]

Watson beamed encouragingly. So that wasn't the reaction he'd hoped for -- he suspected that Tsukiko was not entirely all right -- but they had to start somewhere. "Good girl. Now, I'll tell you what we'll do."

"For the next few days, it's business as usual -- or as close to it as we can manage. I'll ask John -- that's Dr John Watson, my counterpart, if he can help us out. He works at the hospital, generally, but should be willing to lend us a hand ... he's in Heimdall, fortunately. And then, when I've an idea of just what we'll need by way of extra staff, I'll put out a post looking for applicants, but I'll be relying a lot on you to keep the clinic running smoothly in the meantime."