LONDON CALLING

"You're very welcome," he told her. "If you need something during the night, don't be afraid to wake me. Goodnight." He went upstairs to go to bed.

Upstairs, Nigel had tended Angus and had managed to get him to take a dreamless sleeping potion and had gotten him into bed. Angus hadn't believed he needed the potion but he had only given Nigel a minimum of static before he had just not wanted to fight him about it anymore. It made Angus feel as if Nigel believed he wasn't alright, and it made Angus insecure, feeling like Ruby deserved better than the nut job that evidently he was becoming. The last thing that went through his mind was that perhaps he needed to give serious thought that he should give Ruby a break from whatever insanity he was bringing into her life these last couple days, and he should spend some time by himself to sort it out and maybe get a grip again. She deserved better than he could offer. She wasn't going to agree with it, no matter how true it was, though, so he decided that, for the moment, he wasn't going to bring it up to her. He knew perfectly well that there would be no positive ending to that conversation, so he saw no point.

Nigel's reasoning was sound, and Angus knew that. Nigel's point was that Angus had witnessed the violent deaths of both if his parents in 24 hours, and it was far more than any reasonable person could be expected to cope with. Nigel fully expected the fresh memories of that to live in Angus's head for awhile, and Nigel had been frank with Angus that he believed Angus might need a mild nerve tonic for awhile while he worked through all the trauma of it.

Angus had never needed a nerve tonic in his life, and up til the last couple of days, he hadn't needed a sleeping potion either. He certainly didn't want to believe he needed either one of them now. Nigel reiterated to Angus that what he had experienced was extreme, and he told Angus that it was not any loss of inner strength or character for him to need a bit of support to get through the next couple of days. Nigel had been clear that he did not foresee any major crisis, but he did think it was going to continue to be tough for at least a couple days for Angus. Angus wanted to try to wrap his brain around all of it, but he didn't have enough time to sort it further in his head before Nigel's medicines swept him away. Nigel had stayed the few minutes it had taken for Angus to go to sleep and hadn't left until he saw Angus was in a sound sleep.

In the meantime, Robert had finally come around. He woke up and found himself at home in his own room with Jess sitting beside him. At first he didn't have any memory of being in Tuscany, and he had no memory of being hit in the head at all. He hadn't seen it coming, so he had no memory of it. He had only a bit of a dull headache, and he didn't know that had been Jess's doing because of her removing most of it for him.

"Why am I here? What did I miss?" Robert asked Jess. He sat up, and his head spun viciously. He wasn't dizzy often, so he knew that was new. He felt the back of his head and found the large knot there. Well, that was new, and it didn't make him happy. He wasn't stupid, so his own symptoms added up very quickly for him--concussion. He didn't know how mild or severe it was, but he was positive Nigel was probably all over it. There wasn't much to be done for concussion anyway except for rest and pain relief and having people hanging all over him for the next 48 hours. 48 hours of monitoring was all part of it, and he knew it. He would have insisted up on it himself with any of his own patients. Now, it gave Nigel full license to be a pain in Robert's butt again for the next two days. He was frustrated at the very thought of it. He didn't want people hovering and stripping him of all his privacy and independence. He had had people hovering all over him for the last several weeks for one injury after another, and it was wearing thin with him. He realized it was necessary to some extend, but it was starting to piss him off, too. And he didn't want to take it out on anybody.

"Nigel's going to be up my ass again, isn't he?" he groaned. "This is all Gelding's crap, you know, and his repeated stinking attacks. The next time I get my hands on that little weasel, I'm going to cast so many jinxes on him that he will be miserable for months."

Ruby nodded to Edward and watched him head up to bed. She left the living room and headed to their room and saw Nigel there with Angus sleeping now. " hows he doing?" she asked Nigel as she walked in the room. She moved to the closet and took down a suit case placing it on a chair she began packing some of Angus's things along with her own that they would need for their break.

" Edwards booking us a get away at a villa of a freind he knows, he thinks getting away just us two will help him relax and recover from all...thats happened, I hope you agree becuse I need to ask if you could give me a mild sleeping potion for Angus to be able to sleep for a few days." she said placing in a light colered shirt for Angus along with several light trousers and a pair of swim trunks.

Jess saw Robert wake and smiled but that changed when she heard his words "wow take it slow, and Gelding?" she said confused " it was James who clocked you with a tea urn, don't you remember?" she moved to look at him then sent words to Nigel to come.

"and yes he is." she said hoping Nigel could figure out if he had amnizia or if it was something else due to the head trauma.

"He's irked with me," Nigel cast her a bit of an amused smile. "I told him I thought he needs a couple of days without responsibilities, and, he's definitely going to need some nerve tonic to quiet his nerves while he's awake and some dreamless sleep potion at night. Just for a few days. And he's not having it, not willingly anyway. Although, I have to say, he didn't give me much jazz about taking his sleeping potion tonight."

He listened to Ruby talk about wanting to take Angus away for a couple days for a change of scenery, while she was packing the bag. It didn't take him long to figure out that she had already made up her mind about going, so her question really wasn't as much about whether or not he believed Angus should go. She had already made her choices that she planned on taking him. Her question was apparently more about whether or not he would give him any medicines to take along.

"Well, I presume he's in favor of going? Funny, he didn't mention it to me, and I would have thought he'd have said something himself," Nigel said. "A night or two might be fine--might be just what he needs. However, I think it should be time limited, at least right now. I don't think its wise for him to be away from Edward or Robert or Kate for very long because those people have been unintentionally positive parental figures for most of the people in your age group that work in this organization. I think that as the shock starts to wear off and he starts to feel, he's going to want and need plenty of positive time with those older people in his life that provide a lot of strength and stability for him. Well, actually, they do that for all of you. Clearly his biological parents were real losers, and there was no love lost there. But, Robert and Kate can be of huge benefit to him, as he tries to separate that the fact that they couldn't have any sort of positive feelings about much of anybody, it surely doesn't mean that it was because there was some defect in him. And they can help him separate that. So, in short, a couple days would be fine. Longer than that? Not a good idea for now. Down the road when this is largely past him, I think you should be able to go as long as you like.

"Now, just so you know, I don't know what shape his shoulder is in, so before you go, I want a chance to take a much better look at him. I would think his shoulder might be healed enough that he could resume some outdoor activities that he likes, and that might be good for him. But I won't know for certain unless I get a chance to get a better look in the morning. Tonight just wasn't the time to pester the crap out of him. Let me do that in the morning, and then I'll know what he does and doesn't need. Fair enough?"

"I remember James being there, but he wouldn't have been there if Gelding's people hadn't aligned with him. He wouldn't have had the information about where Edward lived or how to get in past his protection grid--the grid that Jack and Brian put there--just a couple days ago," Robert said. "And, no, I don't remember him bashing me with a tea urn. My guess is that since the knot is on the back of my head, I didn't see him coming up on me from behind, and if I'd seen him coming, I'd have turned him into a paperclip so he could spend the rest of eternity doing something productive."

Ruby stopped packing and closed the case she realized she was over thinking again and turned to face Nigel to listen to him talk. "Your right, I'll mention the break to Angus in the morning, he should have a say if he wants to go and when." she listened longer and again could not argue with his logic " of course, again I'll let Angus know in the morning you want to check his shoulder, maybe I can perswade him to go for a casual run too, it might help clear his head...might." She looked at him sleeping " I don't see any defect in him, guess Im bios becuse I love him so much, But I need to let him know and show him hes got no defects and how he is is what drew me to him, and all the others too. " she said glancing at Nigel.


Jess moved to Robert and placed her hand on him checking his vitals " yep from what Jack said. James apeared, you fought, a tea urn was thrown and you went down, becuse they went to find Angus's mother, which they did but...lets just say it didn't go well." she said looking at him sadly. "All came home safe, but Angus is still dealing with what happened." she told him " nigels with him and so is Ruby, so rest, I have sent for Nigel just to double check nothing's perminatly broken." she smiled at him.

"He probably will choose to go simply because its easier to agree than to do much thinking," he told her. "I think he'll appreciate that you thought about him, and I expect him to be fine with it. Let me see what his shoulder looks like before you plan activities though. I'll be able to give you much better ideas then."

He listened to her talk about her love for him. "Ruby, he knows you love him. I don't think he doubts that. But he is very aware too that you are biased. Just a suggestion, of course, but you might get your point across more effectively by just being there and, for now, redirecting his thoughts away from negative things. So, for example, take him on a walk--not a jog--just a peaceful walk. Try a chess game if its rainy. Try a couple's massage. Or, Edward mentioned to me that Angus loves boating. Depending on how good his shoulder is, he might like going boating. Or--if he can't do the boating himself, just chartering something for an afternoon might be nice. Don't preach. Show him there is still a lot of life left to savor and experience. I think that will be a far better reminder for him. And isn't that why you're taking him?"

"Not surprised Eileen was eliminated. I guess I knew that would be the outcome. And I'm sure Angus is going to struggle because of their callousness. He's still paying for their utterly outrageous neglect and abuse. He'll be alright in time. He's strong and resilient, and he has a lot of people around him to remind him of all the good things he has left. As for the tea urn, I suppose it could have been worse than being lobbed in the head with an overgrown teapot."

Ruby smiled and nodded " all right, a slow walk, chess or boating depending on your recomandation, after your inspection of his shoulder." she said " and yeah it is." she looked back at the bed where he was sleeping. "Hum, hiring a boat sounds a good idea, he did enjoy sailing when we were away on our short vacation as did I." Now she thought about hiring a boat as she remembered Edward saying his freind had one they could hire.

Jess smiled and nodded " if its any consolation Maruc clocked James twice and knocked him out too." she said chukaling still as they waited for Nigel to check Robert " I agree hes strong and has strong freinds and family too." she kept any pain he had down to a minamum " so feel any pain?" she asked icing the bump again.

"I'm guessing someone's been using a pain spell," Robert said to Jess. "It isn't as bad as I would expect it to be, given the other symptoms, and I am grateful for that."

Nigel plucked the flying message out of the air and read it.

"Ah. Robert's awake, and, if I know him at all, he's probably achy and snarky. I'd better go deal with him so Jess can go to bed and so can I," Nigel said. "I'll be around in the morning. Goodnight, Ruby," Nigel said. He went down the hallway to Robert's room and knocked on the door and then went in. "Good to see you awake finally," Nigel said. "So, let me have a quick check and then I'll let you go to bed in peace."

"As you wish," Robert said, trying not to be overly rude or sarcastic. Nigel sat down on the edge of the bed, checked the knot on the back of his head before checking the concussion symptoms.

"You already know, don't you?" Nigel asked.

"Concussion? Yes. Significant?" Robert asked.

"Not as mild as I hoped but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I think, unless we stay ahead of it, you'll have a couple days where you'll wish you could just take off your head and put it on a shelf and come back to it when it quits thumping. For tonight, though, I'd much rather you get a good night's sleep. That will help you more than anything."

"Do tell them they don't need to wake me up every two hours," Robert told him.

"That really is a myth," Nigel told Jess. "If this old lion is sleeping, for God's sake, don't poke him and wake him up. Just let him sleep unless the house is on fire. I don't think you should bother with ice anymore tonight, and I think it really is safe for everyone to go to bed, including you, Jess. Kate knows she can wake me if she needs something. After the day this household has had, I think a quiet night is the best prescription for everyone. I'll try to have better directions after I see him in the morning. Oh, and I might be needing you to put together a bit of a travel med kit for me. Ruby and Angus are considering a couple of nights away if they can get permission."

"Tell them they've got it," Robert said. "I'll have Brian notify Owens that she's going to miss a couple days' training. He needs the time away, certainly, and she's certainly going to be his preferred traveling companion. If its more than a couple nights, they just need to let us know how long they'll be gone."

"I don't think I want them gone more than two or three at best. I think a short change of scenery is good, but I also think he needs to be in the company of all the people here who love him."

"We'll be back at Brian's by the time they get back, so he might feel more like things are back in order if he's back in his own home and in his own room."

"Well, that will also be a huge help," Nigel agreed. "Jess, please leave a dose of Robert's sleeping potion out for him in case he needs it, but once you do that, you're free to go to bed. I'm going to head to my own room, so get some rest you two, and I'll see you in the morning. I'll send Kate back when I leave. Goodnight." He left and headed to his room.

Ruby smiled and watched the note lfy to Nigel. She nodded as he read it and excused himself "All right, good night Nigel " she said and then readied herself for sleep.

Jess was now sat beside the bed as Nigel entered the room  she watched the interaction betwen the two and then chuckled " I wouldn't think of doing that, I let sleeping lions, sleep" Jess said "and I know how cranky you get" she stood up and moved to let Nigel have space to check Robert as she went and prepared a dose of sleeping potion. Smiling she placed it next to the bed beside a glass of fresh water to wash it down with.

Hearing Nigel sugest it she motioned to the does on the night stand. "Its ready for him." she said but waited for Nigel to leave before heading to her room, she knew Kate would not be long and it was safe to leave Robert alone. Once there she found Jack face down on the bed, out cold and lightly snoring. Rolling her eyes she pushed him to lay on his side before changing and climbing into bed herself and sleeping..well trying with Jack snoring next to her.

It wasn't light yet when Angus woke, unable to sleep anymore. He slid out of bed to avoid waking Ruby and he freshened up and dressed and went downstairs. Finding that the coffee and tea were ready to go, he turned on the pots and went outside. He sat down on the back porch steps and hadn't been there long when Archangel flew over and dropped his magical rat toy in Angus's lap. The toy was an enchanted stuffed rat that, when released, could scurry along the ground for Archangel to fetch. He had the rat that crawled, a toy fish that swam, and a little toy bird that flew, all designed for him to hunt, fetch and return.

"So, you need some play time today, huh?" Angus asked the bird, and Archangel squawked in his ear and flapped his wings, excited. "You haven't asked for a long time, so alright. I'm game." He took the rat and tapped it with a wandless spell to activate it, and then he released the rat. Off it raced, scurrying along the ground, and Archangel was off like a shot. It wasn't more than about ten minutes later when Abbey came out in her pajamas and saw Angus playing fetch Archangel.

"Hi, Aggie!" she sat down right beside him.

"Hi, Abs," Angus smiled.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked.

"Playing with Archangel. Watch. He'll bring his toy back, and then I'll set it lose again." He showed her and she squealed with delight.

"Can I do it?" she asked.

"Sure. I'll show you when he brings it back." He showed her how to release the rat and when she did, the bird raced after it. She was thrilled, as if she had done something hugely important.

"I do-ed it too!" she bounced up and down.

"You did, and he's having a great time. Good job, Abs," he said.

Ruby woke to find the bed empty but the smell of fresh tea and coffee made her smile. Dressing she walked down and pored a cup of tea, it was now she heard Abby and Angus out side. Moving she stood at the door and watched smilign at them both. "You two having fun?" she said with a smile " morning " she said to Angus and then looked at Abby " and you too " she said as she picked her up and sat her on her knee. " its good to see you awake." she said to Angus then saw archangel return.

Jess woke and slipped from the bed heading down to the kitchen to start the food heating that had been prepared the night before for every one. She looked out and saw Angus and Ruby with Abby but didn't go out side instead took a small peice of food and fed Fudge" sorry for fogetting you yesterday fudge, we got busy...rely busy" she told him.

Ruby lent her head on his shoulder "Once we've eaten, would you like to go for a slow walk to the lake?" she asked him softly hoping he would acept feeling he could use the quiet and peace it might bring. It was now Jessie aperated in and smiled seeing Abby.

"hey just the little helper I was looking for" he said transphigering her clothes to a small set of work clothes " I need your help with the animals in the barn once you've eaten." he said smiling to her " I hear the pygmy puffs had a litter again."