It Was Fairly Rare That Julia Had Time To(or Allowed Herself) To Talk About Things That Weren’t In

It was incredibly rare for someone to be this sweet out of nowhere, plus she had just come off a long shift, so sentences weren’t coming easily to her either way. It was an embarrassment really and Julia internally chastised herself for that. At least her name was something she could get a solid grasp on. “Julia, nice to meet you Sebastian.” Thank you, for this, it’s really very kind of you. What inspired this?”  @sebastianxwinters

Sebastian looked over at her and she was failing to complete a simple sentence. That just proved how rare it was for someone to do something nice around here. Maybe that's how Sebastian was going to receive forgiveness for the horrible things he had been doing lately. As she ordered her drink, Sebastian then spoke to the barista, "Sebastian." He said and then handed over his card and then stepped to the side before looking back at the other woman slightly, "The name is Sebastian. What about yourself?" He asked her. @doctorjuliasato

[ Midori Francis, cis female, she/her ] — whoa! JULIA SATO just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for THREE MONTHS, working as a PAEDIATRIC DOCTOR. that can’t be easy, especially at only 33 YEARS OLD. some people say they can be a little bit PEDANTIC and GUARDED, but i know them to be EXTRAORDINARY and PATIENT. whatever. i guess i’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to BROOKLYN! 

Tw: Unwanted pregnancy, adoption, trauma

Julia wasn’t born wanting to be a doctor, she didn’t grow up playing doctor, but little did she know it was always on the cards for her. Pushed from a young age to focus closely on her academics she had two choices - doctor or lawyer, and in the end she chose the former. Her father was a well known cardiovascular surgeon and her mother one of New York’s top OBGYN, so it was hardly surprising when their only daughter was said to have her eyes set on medical school (Even if they were telling people long before Julia had any idea that’s what was happening.)

They tended to do that though. The pair of them would decide on something and before you knew it that was exactly what was happening, it was a control thing they loved to have, and it overflowed into every aspect of their daughter’s life. On the most part Julia was a sweet, normal child, she did well in school and didn’t make too many waves that drew extra attention to herself. With a select circle of friends - she was the girl you wanted to be in group projects with because it meant the ball wasn’t going to be dropped, you would have a finished project bang on time, and the lettering on the poster board would be impeccable to boot. Well if you’re going to do something you might as well do it properly, she knew the past of least resistance in her family was to excel so she didn’t put up a fuss. Just knuckling down to do what was expect of her. It wasn’t a miserable existence, did she get to go to as many social events as the rest of her classmates? Maybe not, but she never felt she was being deprived of anything. 

That was until she met and fell for Leo West. The two had been in the same grade for their entire school life but it wasn’t until they turned fifteen that their paths properly crossed and Julia’s eyes were suddenly opened to a world beyond her school books and music lessons. He had an freedom she had never been around before but wanted more of as soon as she’d been exposed, and it wasn’t long before (much to her parents disapproval) the two were dating. Julia’s first romance and it was a total whirlwind of infatuation and codependence they were inseparable and soon became a package deal. Even as she continued to study hard, it wasn’t with the same dedication that she’d had before and both the Sato parents started to notice, concern growing that this boy was turning their daughter’s head in the wrong direction. Not that they ever acted upon that thought - but they certainly made it known to Julia. Leo was due to go away on a year abroad once he finished high school and the Sato parents had already decided that this would be the end of their daughters relationship with him. And just like that he left when summer broke that year and Julia was back to focusing her attention onto her studies. 

Kinda. 

About three weeks later it was discovered that she was pregnant. A total disaster in her parents eyes the girl was made to go through with the pregnancy, hiding it for the most part thanks to her mother’s medical field, and the baby was put up for adoption the moment it came into he world. Never up for debate. Julia never got to hold it, they never even told her what she’d had. Instead she was just expected to go back to her studies as if nothing had happened without any kind of mental health or trauma support, and she did. But she was never the same. By the time Leo came home from his time abroad (which ended up going from one year to two) she had left for medical school so her parents didn't have to worry about the two of them reconnecting.

That was sixteen years ago and even after earning a place at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, a placement at Boston Children’s Hospital, and finally getting a job offer she couldn’t refuse back in her home town of New York, she still felt totally lost. So to combat it she threw herself into her work without letting up for a second, no time to think meant no time to hurt. At least with this career she could help children in a way she could never help her own child, but that didn’t stop her eyes from lingering a couple of seconds longer on kids that came in with features that reminded her of Leos’, wondering what had happened to their son or daughter. 

Wound tight, laser focused, a stickler for detail, and well overdue for everything she’d squished down to the depths of her soul and darkest parts of her brain to come bursting out, there was really no telling when this ticking time bomb was going to go off. 

Julia wasn’t good at sign language by a long shot but she always put in an effort with Elliot because she could only imagine how isolating it could feel at work to not be able to communicate with your colleagues as easily as they could with each other. Therefore she lifted her hands instead of writing back this time, slowly trying her best to sign out what she thought was ‘Hopefully this is just a little setback, she will get through it soon.’ But instead she’d managed to say ‘Hopefully this is just a little seatbelt, she will get through the moon.’ Which wasn’t exactly her intention. After pulling a face she reached out to grab the phone again, deciding maybe typing would be more beneficial in this instance. “Babies tend to go through phases, it can disrupt sleep, eating, they can get clingy, but it’s nothing abnormal. Tiring yes - but nothing to worry about and they usually come out the other side in a couple of months.” 

I'm going to get gray hair just thinking about her teenage years. He typed back, shaking his head some. Already having hard enough time trying to wrap his head around the fact that she was already six months old and trying to sit up by herself. Let along partying and dating and all of that. She went a go stretch with only getting up once a night for a feeding and going right back to sleep. But now once she's awake, she's determined to not go back to sleep. Still doing his best at figuring out this parenting thing. Taking a sip of his coffee, Elliot gave a nod of his head at her question. I like to think I do. I have a bedtime routine in place for her, same thing every night. Even on the nights I'm working, my sister or parents follow it. Always thankful for all the people he had in his life to bounces ideas off of, to get suggestions from. Whether it be friends, co workers, or family. @doctorjuliasato

Julia nodded with an understanding look in her eyes, not surprised to hear the unplanned was a cause for stress levels to rise, after all that was common with many people. “Understandable, well if you ever feel it getting to a level you cannot cope with then please do let me know and we can sort you out with someone to talk to. New babies as well as pregnancy both come with a lot of movable parts, unexpected developments, it’s a lot.” The mention of getting back to her normal life almost made Julia wince but luckily her experience in the industry had taught her how to keep her expression neutral when she needed to. If this woman thought her life was going to go back to being the same as it was prior to falling pregnant she had a big shock coming, but surely she knew that, right? She didn’t look stupid, quite the opposite. 

“I see…and when were you planning on taking this private plane over to Sweden?” Oh how the other half lived, but she didn’t need to think about that right now, it wasn’t important. Any kind of air travel was likely unadvisable as she’d already made pretty clear. “Which hospital have you decided to register with over there? And your doctors name of course - if it does go ahead we’ll want to make sure all your notes are passed across in plenty of time.” A calm smile as she waited patiently for the answer to be given to her so she could note it down. Still thinking this whole thing was an incredably bad idea. 

“I’m afraid I’m not kidding, this isn’t a joking matter. After all we’re all here to ensure the safe delivery of your babies - there is no ulterior motive.” Listening to the hypothetical situation she tried not to raise her eyebrows, there was so much resistance from the woman which surprised her since normally people with nervous dispositions were more inclined to do what the doctors instructed to ensure everything went smoothly. “Yes, I’m afraid you would need to do bed rest. And once they are both born, to ensure their immune systems are fully developed and neither have any issues at birth, you can fly after a month. Although normally we recommend not before three months. However I understand you would likely be keen to travel to Sweden.” @bjorkncaddel

𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 the doctor, swirling her wedding ring as a sign of nervousness, rested her hands now in her lap, as she remained in posture looking at the brunette before her. She shook her head. ❛ I don't think I need help. I got over it. I was just angry at first with a lot of small accumulations of things that turned out to be a big snowball. I am better…❜ She refers to mental state. Neva is more adjusted to her new life, and 'state'. After all a child, in her case children is a lot of changes in life without them. Trips are known to be a stressful thing to some people but not in her case. Neva needed it, and after her trips, she was a completely different person, lighter and less stressed. ❛ Unplanned things give me high stress even before this pregnancy. But I had to learn to manage my nerves. I'm accustomed to my new state and embracing it, and counting the days until these twins are out of me, so I can back to my normal life.❜ Normal life? Kind of a joke. She put in mind her life would be a little bit easier after having them.

❛ Of course. I mean, it wasn't the plan, but now it is. I wanted to have them in Sweden where I was born, and my husband suggested we go there to wait for them. My trip is all planned. We are going on a private plane to there. We have hospital, place, you name it. It's all checked, checked, aannnd checked. ❜ Not exactly all planned as she just stated, it was out of the blue this new trip, and she had everything settled, she looked for the hospital, a place to stay, her grandparents' house and lastly she needed to find a doctor over there, but hey! Baby steps. Neva didn't say anything to Julia, of course. But she was planning on bringing a doctor on board if anything got wrong.

❛ Are you kidding? I don't need a bed rest… ❜ Maybe, the health doesn't say the same thing. ⎯ ❛ Hypothetically speaking… If the exams get conclusive, will I need to do a lot of bed rest? And should I travel after they are born? How long can I hop in the first plane after they're born? Just remember, this is all a hypothetical situation. ❜ Because she is mentally preparing herself.

“Shit…” She looked down at her watch, fully aware her shift had finished a whole three hours ago. Luckily she wasn’t on shift again until tomorrow evening so she would have a little time to rest but this was Julia we were talking about so it was likely she wouldn’t do that anyway. “I was going home hours ago, but then I changed my mind. I wanted to be here when she came out of surgery incase something happened, so I could speak with her parents, I think they deserve that.” She rubbed her eyes mid yawn, letting it pass before speaking again. 

“She’s a fighter, and you’re an artist, she’s lucky to have you on her team.” The compliment entirely genuine as she let out a sigh of relief to hear the little girl was back in her room at least stable. That’s the least they could hope for right now. A drink. God that sounded so good right now - a chance to just take a breath, and the positive side of doing it with Rhys was that he would understand what she needed to detach from after the day they’d had. “Yes, absolutely, wherever you want to go.” Standing up from the bed as she tried to straighten herself a bit, still wearing her rumpled scrubs. @tctteredwings

Rhys did almost laugh at Julia's immediate reaction to being woken, but her words weren't exactly a laughing matter. That was and would always be the worst thing to get woken up over. At her second question, however, he shook his head and cast a glance toward his watch. "A little after eight-thirty now," he answered her. "I thought you were going home hours ago." His following words travelled with him as he moved around the room to pick up what he'd left there earlier. As Julia continued, he sobered, giving her his full attention. It was a serious matter, even if there was nothing bad to report. "She's doing fine," he answered. "We had a moment in there, but she's strong, she's a fighter. Knew that from the second I met her." A flicker of a smile then. "Everything went as planned." He grabbed the pen ( a favourite of his ) from the side, and then looked back to Julia again. "So you coming for a drink or what?"

As the blonde spoke, Julia noted down a couple of things on her iPad with the apple pen she had to go with it, silently hating the things because she was much more of an actual pen and paper person. This thing if you touched the wrong part it all would go mad - beyond annoying, especially when you were tired. “Okay, so did you manage to stay active at all during your pregnancy or is this something that’s been going on right since the first trimester?” Twin pregnancies were always harder on the body than single ones just because of the sheer strain they put on the body but that didn’t stop her from wanting to make sure there was nothing more going on underneath. “Have you had any blurry vision, sensitivity to light, shortness of breath, or swelling in your hands and feet?” She asked as she glanced up, wondering if there was a chance the woman had pre-eclampsia and her OBGYN just hadn’t caught it. @bjorkn

𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐀 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐀 small ghost smile appeared on her delicate features upon the light joke about being rich. All this time she was being extra careful because this was her first pregnancy to know she could've ONE glass of wine? She hated herself for not asking it before. A hand rested on her baby bump, as she rested her back on the backrest of the chair she was. ❛ I don't know how to describe it, but basically, I feel excessive fatigue, and very weak physically speaking. As if I lost my physical conditioning. Before this pregnancy, I was very physically active. Also, I'm struggling to keep food. I have morning and night sickness, and only afternoon I can eat decent. Also, dizziness as if I'm about to faint. My OBGYN gave me medications still I struggle these days as if there is no effect working.❜ One thing the blonde also noticed was that she was getting more sleeper.

"I...I am rambling..." Julia conceded, a small smile on her lips as she sat down because eh knew it was something she had a tendency to do. More often than not it was when she was talking about something medical related but apparently it could also be to do with lighthouses. "I know what you mean...there is something much more whimsical. Then again the wind farms are more practical, so it depends which takes precedence at any one time in your mind." Always one to undercut herself when she was worried her notion held too little practicality because she had been brought up to believe if she spoke it needed to have an actual purpose.

"We could do that - maybe. Sure, if they have snow cones I could go for one of those. Come on, i'll come with you." Moving to stand up, dusting the sand off her clothes. @tctteredwings

"You're rambling," mused Ana, her brows lifting in amusement as she wagged her finger at the other. Not that she really minded, of course, but she couldn't help but tease. "I love lighthouses, though, I kind of wish it was one..." A pause and she frowned thoughtfully. "We should go on a mission sometime to see as many as we can around here." As Julia got herself comfy, she smiled. "It might be... or a slushie."

If anyone else had told her that everything was okay, the child was in a good place, the parents were happy, she probably would have double checked herself but hearing that from Rhys allowed Julia to believe it. To let out the tension she’d been holding in her chest even during sleep to give him a smile, nodding her head. “Okay, alright great, thank you. I guess that means we need to have a drink to celebrate your handiwork and I can set it to one side until I check on her in the morning.” Knowing full well she’d be in at least an hour before her shift started in order to check in on patients before she was pulled to all directions by emergencies. “That works, give me five.” Holding up five fingers before heading off towards the locker room to collect her stuff. 

Throwing on her civvies in record time Julia looked at her hairbrush in the locker considering pulling through her hair really quickly, but then deciding against it. Instead just making her way to the front of the hospital where Rhys was waiting for her, feeling a little more relaxed than before. Which for her was saying something since Julia was never truly relaxed at all. “Where do you fancy tonight? My drinking future is in your hands.” @tctteredwings

Shit indeed, Rhys thought, but he didn't voice it, instead he merely nodded his head and offered her an encouraging smile. They'd all done it every once in a while, it came with the territory, especially so if you adored your job, if it meant absolutely everything to you. It did to him, it did to Julia, he'd known that the moment he met her. "Well her parents are bouncing off the walls with happiness right now, so you're off the hook," he answered her kindly. "You can relax. For tonight, at least." At her words, he shook his head, shrugging it off —- all in a day's work. He'd never really accepted compliments all that well. As she gathered herself once again, agreeing to join him for a drink, he nodded his head. "Okay, you go change, grab your stuff and I'll meet you outside in ten? That work?" he queried with a smile.

Julia didn’t know Zahra well - they were both in the library together on multiple occasions seemingly browsing or reading the same section, meaning she recognised her face as they came across each other at the door of the public library. As for judging her for this many books? That would be the pot calling the kettle black so instead she just gave her a small smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Here, you take one handle and I’ll take the other.” Luckily she didn’t have any books with her right now due to being on the way to pick one up, so her hands were free to attempt helping. Not that she was particulaly strong. 

“You need to invest in one of those wagons they put kids in to pull them along.” She joked lightly. @ofzahras

where: outside of the new york public library open: to anyone!

A drawn-out sigh escaped Zahra's lips as she stared at the massive, blue Ikea storage bag filled with books to the point where it would be a miracle if the bag remained intact for the last few steps. It had become evident she would not be finishing - or even opening - most of them in time, and paying late fees for the lot didn't exactly appeal to her. So, there she stood, trying to steady her breathing before entering the building. Evidently she needed to invest in a gym membership if she were to start lugging dozens of unread books on a weekly basis.

Feeling someone's presence next to her, she glanced at them almost sheepishly. "Don't ask," she muttered before flashing a nervous smile, "please."

Julia sort of regretted going to the festival as soon as she got there, she thought it would be good for her to get out and be among other people but really the noise and crowds was just increasing her stress levels. She had a drink in her hand that was rapidly being drunk just to help loosen her up a bit, wandering over to the lawn games in the hope it might be a bit calmer there than near the main stage. Puzzles were something she’d done since she was a kid, very encouraged in the Sato household as a problem solving activity, not that they were ever fun brightly coloured ones. In fact the main beast she remembered from childhood was one that was entirely blue - all one shade, it had taken her two months to complete. This was jenga though - she wasn’t as well versed in that. “What about this one?” Moving round to where there was one block that technically might be possible to remove without the whole thing tumbling down. “As long as you take it from the right side so as not to throw off the balance with the movements. Plus if it fell then it would fall away from you, not towards.” @expirednostalgia

STATUS: closed for @doctorjuliasato / @collinsappsley / @rowanelodie (whichever muse you prefer)

LOCATION: Puzzles Lawn Games

With the way Miguel carried himself throughout the whole festival, one would have thought someone forced him to be there, and they would sort of be right. He did pretty much force himself to come out to the festival for at least one day seeing as though he already had the day off and could definitely use a break from his very uninteresting usual schedule of work and strictly going out for the sake of his kid rather than actually doing something for himself. In an attempt to actually enjoy himself, or maybe just get time to pass quicker, he found himself partaking in one of the lawn games Puzzles had set up. "I'm beginning to think there aren't any safe blocks left to pull and I might just have to accept defeat on this one." He commented as he carefully examined the giant Jenga tower in front of the pair.