(ooc: Yes, but, how else did you get wax-substance on every bit of skin in her body? O_o lol?)

Diane suddenly stopped the vial with one hand and sitting up. "Wait, please, is this the sleeping potion?" she said. She was still pretty apprehensive about this part. "Could you explain what the... procedure is, before you proceed?"

Having a bit of knowledge of it would make this at least a more... enriching experience. Truthfully, if it was up to her, she would just endure the pain and she trusted herself to do it without turning a hair... well, figuratively speaking since there was no hair to speak of.

"I'll be removing the rest of the wax while you are under. Then I'll use a tool and get into your pores open them and cleanse them and by the time you wake up I'll have time to brew your potion and have a snack ready." She said and put the vile on the girl's lips again.

Her mother always said never to put a potion in your mouth if you don't know what it does. Guess she did know so... Diane took the vial from under her nose, raise it and said, "Cheers," before she swallowed it in one go. She pretty much fell back like a three trunk, unconscious before she hit the matress.

After various exams and procedures...

"Miss Entelequia?" Alessia said shaking the girl's arm. "Diane... sweety... wake up... we're almost done." She said combing back the girl's newly grown hair. "Are you alright?"

The again now blond girl opened her eyes slowly. She was disoriented and uncomfortable. Her hands felt rather cold. "Where am I?" she said in a tone that sounded weird for her. Then her way changed. "Yes," she said suddenly. "Ah, thank you very much. You can..." She shook her head a lot. "How did my results go?"

"Well, not good at first. You absorbed a lot of the Dreadful Draught... but I applied an unction over you, while I encased you in an organic bubble. You should be fine now... I will need you to take four drops of this anti-dredning potion three times a day with meals for the next week and then come see me in my office on the fifth floor." She said going to wash her hands. "It was nice to talk to you Miss Entelequia, the next time will be under better circumstances."

Marcus dragged his feet into the hospital ward still grumbling under his breath about this whole incident. He gingerly pulled himself onto one of the beds and simply sat there looking around the room.

Spending all that time trying to keep the little girl and the elves afloat while he tried to fight strong current of the water had him extremely exhausted. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes just hoping to relax a bit, but he was fast asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Not that she didn't like her job, but frankly Caroline preferred it when the ward was empty. Hadn't Less JUST discharged Diane?

She braced herself for yet another argument with yet another combative patient. No one could be quite so difficult as Constantine, but Marcus was trying on her patience in a completely different way. But it seemed she wouldn't have to fight with Marcus. Not right this instant anyway.

He was asleep. And drooling a little. Oh attractive. Where was Aparecium now? If she had a tube of lipstick with her, she would be sorely tempted to draw all over his face, but that might just lead to more unwanted gossip. Hmmmm..

No, the only thing to do was wake him up. She placed a hand on his damp shoulder. "Marcus," she said gently.

He was standing on high platform under a very bright spotlight and when he looked down, there was a sea of faces looking back at him screaming their lungs out and going wild. In his hand was a guitar and his fingers were moving over it so fast and the chords were totally awesome. He. Was. Awesome. And as he finished his solo, he could hear the crowd screaming out 'Axe', 'Axe,' 'Axe,' 'Axe'...


"Marcus..."

It was a new voice and it sounded so much closer than the screaming which had now faded away and it was far too quiet. The last time he had woken in such a quiet place he had been tied to chair and was being held by...

He sat bolt upright, flicking his wrist as he did so and his wand was in his hand and pointed out in front of him. Pain seared through his ribs and he cursed loudly as his vision came into sharper focus.

Caroline was not impressed.

"Idiot," she muttered, not bothering to move. He wouldn't curse her. He couldn't even hold his wand properly. The man was in a heck of a lot of pain. If she was right, and she was sure she was, he'd broken his 3rd, 4th, and 5th ribs on the right. Depending on the severity and the location, he could have muscle or cartilidge tears too. She had a bad feeling about that. "Want to stop playing Death Eaters and Aurors for a few minutes so I can keep you from puncturing a lung?" she asked like he was a somewhat stupid child.

Well he kind of was.

Stupid and Immature anyway.

When his vision finally cleared and he could see properly, he noticed that it was Caroline standing in front of him and he quickly stowed his wand. He couldn't help but smile a little because it reminded him of the first time he had met her. He had drawn is wand on her that time too when she had crashed into him.

Marcus rolled his eyes at her, his good nature returning once more.
He loved it when she was angry. "I'll be good I promise. It's not everyday you get a pretty lady wanting to take care of you" he teased as he lay back down on the bed.

Oh that felt so much better when he laid flat. "How are the kids doing? Are they going to be okay?" He asked with concern, he sincerely hoped they were. They had risked themselves for him and Caroline would probably see that as stupid but he thought it was very admirable of them.

OH he was TRYING to make her mad. She knew it. And she wouldn't take the bait.

"You mistake wanting too for HAVING to," she replied testily. "And DON'T call me pretty, or I'll send you down to Iliana to be treated with the house elves."

Okay, so much for not taking the bait.

Caroline shook her head at him exasperatedly as he laid down. "Just what do you take me for? I'm dealing with them. A bit of potion, some rest and dry clothes and they'll be good as new. Which reminds me," Caroline summoned a Hospital Wing Bathrobe. "It's this or a hospital gown until I can find someone to get a change of clothes for you. The house elves are quite rightly dealing with their own problems at the moment."

Marcus chuckled at her and was about to place his hands behind his head but the movement caused his ribs to burn with pain. "Oops sorry. Would you prefer if I called you ugly then?" He raised an eyebrow and chuckled again, which caused him to go into a racking cough and then followed it up with a sneeze. When they had finally subsided, he gave her a grin. "Doesn't bother me, Iliana is pretty too." Okay yeah he was pushing it but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

He took the gown from her and his face never changed in expression. He had...worn worse. "So how come I'm in here and they're already fixed up and good to go?" Oh yes Avalon, you can deny it as much as you want but clearly you love taking care of me. Marcus, swung his legs off the bed and stood up gingerly and he held up the robe. "A little privacy please."

"Don't call me anything," Cari was about to get into a long lecture about how Marcus was shallow and stupid and foolish and a liar, when he started coughing. "Blast it Marcus!" she leaned over him and steadied him as he coughed. It rewarded her with a sneeze in the face. Wonderful. "Are you TRYING to pop a lung or something?"

Oh Iliana is pretty is she? Well if she has any brains at all, she'll afford Marcus a wide berth.

He's not going to do it this time. He's not going to get a rise out of me.

"You're here because you broke your ribs and you were vomiting in my hospital wing," Caroline explained patiently. "I felt three broken ones, I have no idea how many others are cracked. Then there is whatever you have managed to do to yourself. So if you want a permanent injury, by all means pick yourself up head on out, but if you want to continue doing active work without constant pain, shut up and do what I tell you." She turned on her heal and stomped back into the waiting room.

Okay, still need to work on my temper... a bit...

Honestly the woman could be slightly infuriating at times. He could not help it if he was coughing, he had been in that cold water for a long time. Oh but of course he coughed just so that he could more damage to himself.

Marcus, couldn't help but grin at her little rant at him. It amused him that he seemed to be able to get a rise out of her with the simplest of words. He wondered if it was just him or was she like this with everyone? He couldn't help but smirk as she stalked out of the room, she was such a feisty little thing.

He waited until she had left and he got up and drew the curtains around his bed and got out of wet clothes and put the robe on. Hmm...the color suited him. He opened the curtains and got back onto the bed, he opened his mouth to yell out to her but then chuckled softly and laid back onto the bed. Well she did tell him he was not to call her anything, so he simply closed his eyes again and waited for the explosion.

Caroline clicked her heals loudly as she re-entered the room. Short of whistling, a skill she had never mastered, it was the best way she could think of to announce her return. She did NOT want to walk in on Marcus... in a state of undress. Things were already tense enough between them.

She carried with her a veritable arsenal of supplies, which she deposited on the table next to his bed. "I hope you haven't gone back to sleep," she said dryly, "I'll just wake you again."

"Who could possibly sleep with those heels clacking against the floor?" He opened his eyes slowly and grinned at her. He spied the vials amongst other things on the table and the grinned faded and Marcus eyed her warily. "It's just a couple of broken ribs. Do we really need the whole medicinal cupboard?"

She wouldn't really poison him would she? He knew he had been a pain but really was that worth dying over? Probably best not ask her that though. He sat back up on the bed and used the sheets to cover most of him.

Oh if he only knew how many potions she kept in stock....

She pointed at each potion in turn, identifying them. "Pepperup Potion, Antidote, Pain Potion, Boneknit Draught, Muscle Relaxing Potion and a Sleeping Potion- some of these are just in case. Hardly my entire stock."

She picked up the pain potion, and held it out for him, "We'll start with your ribs. I don't want you to take the Pepperup Potion only to puncture your lung coughing, I'd get in trouble."

Marcus sighed deeply as she went through all the potions. He really hated taking potions, in fact he hated hospitals altogether. He had been through worse than this and had never bothered taking even half the stuff that she was suggesting.

He took the potion from her and grinned. "And we certainly don't want you getting into trouble, especially over little ole me." He downed the potion in one go and gave an involuntary shudder. It tasted like crap but at least it was doing the trick, he couldn't feel the pain in his ribs anymore. Marcus handed the vial back to Caroline. "Next?"

Cari's mouth quirked. She wouldn't laugh. It's not allowed. But Marcus obviously didn't want to take his medicine! How cute. No. Not cute. Annoying.

"No we wouldn't want that. You certainly aren't worth it." The little dig made her feel better. Like she was in control of the situation. Meanwhile she rose up and down on her toes expectantly. Yep, totally in control.

"It's up to you if you want to be knocked out," she said, prompting him to make the call, "Obviously if you get combative I'll decide for you, but if you can behave yourself, I'll treat you while you're conscious."

Oh she was just loving this wasn't she? Yes he was a baby when it came to taking medicines but he wasn't about to admit that. Weren't all men little babies when they were sick? Of course he wasn't sick exactly unless of Kazi's poisons had managed to contaminate the water.

Marcus snorted, "And like I would let you treat me while I was unconscious." Merlin, only knew what he would look like after she was finished with him, if he woke up at all. "I am being good aren't I? I took the potion like a good little boy without any fuss." He gave her a small smirk, he was being a downright angel at the moment. "What do you need me to do?"

He was being co-operative. Which was a problem. She didn't have an excuse to knock him out, and she dearly wished she could. Right now there weren't many injuries Caroline could think would be more embarassing for her to treat. Why, why, WHY did it have to be his ribs? Why couldn't he have broken his neck?

Of course, that evil blush spread across her cheeks and her nose. Deep Breath. Neutral Tone. "I need to be able to see what I'm doing. So would you please remove your robe to the waist?"

And kill me now?

He raised an eyebrow at the blush but said nothing. Marcus, was pretty sure her patience would only be tested so far. And besides he liked the way his face looked and he didn't want to give her an excuse for hexing him.

Taking a small breath, he slipped his arms out of the robe and looked at a spot on the wall over her shoulder. Oh there were so many jokes and quips he could be using right now but he held his tongue like a good little patient. "Ready when you are Caroline."

Hmmm....

Well...

Hmm.

Cari bit her lip. Better than saying something stupid. Okay, broken ribs... First... um.. oh yes! Location, other cracks, cartelidge damage, muscle tears. Not that she was distracted or anything.

A quick revealing spell told her, "You are the luckiest man alive," she murmured, leaning over him to get a better look. "Three clean breaks in the ribs, minimal cartelidge damage, Some tearing of the Pectoralis major and minor."

When she leaned in closer, Marcus unconsciously leaned back slightly and held his breath. Oh yeah he knew he was lucky but it had nothing to do with his superficial injuries and everything to do with the woman in front of him.

He could hear her describe his injuries but his brain was slightly fuzzy from her scent. "Is that gardenias I can smell?" He blurted before he realised what he was saying. "Um...I mean...so you can fix my ribs then?" Merlin, why did his face just grow warm? Surely he was not blushing, not in front of Caroline Avalon.