“Hi Princess, How Are You Doing.” Julia Grinned As She Reached Out A Hand To Pretend To Shake Little

Julia wasn’t due to go into the hospital until later today because she was on the night shift - arguably the most stressful just because there was something about the whole world being asleep that made the weight of caring for tiny humans even heavier on her shoulders. Maybe that was why she’d agreed to go out to the beach with Ana, to provide a bit of headspace before she headed to work. “Oh sorry, no…no I’m not going to do that all day.” Quickly stepping to the side before she dropped down onto the ground next to her, careful to pick a relatively ‘soft’ spot. “I was just trying to see if that was a lighthouse or a wind turbine out there on the horizon…” @tctteredwings

for: @bhqextras ( open! ) location: rockaway beach

"You going to stand there blocking my sun all day or are you actually going to sit down?" The question came as Ana pulled her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose to observe the person standing right in front of her. There was a playful, cheeky smile on her features, head tilting to the side and brows lifting a moment. Giving herself the day off had been top of her agenda today, which meant she'd been heading straight for the beach, intent on spending every free second she had enjoying the sun, the atmosphere, and the people around her.

It was strange, knowing she was a mother but not being a mother, something Julia struggled with on her lowest days. Many would question why she worked so closely with children if this was the case but it actually brought her a lot of comfort ironically. Getting to help them in a way she didn’t get to help her own son or daughter was a weird way of her silently repenting for her failure to them. She was grabbing some food, actual food rather than something out of the vending machine for once, mid yogurt when Elliot came into sight. Returning his smile with a small one of her own she lifted the spoon to give it a little wave, nodding to the chair in front of her as a silent invitation to join her at the table. Waiting patiently for him to pass over his phone so she could read it, letting out a small chuckle at the question. A shake of her head as she started to reply. “I wish I could, but she’s going to carry on partying between 1 and 3am, it’ll just be out of the house when she’s older. No I’m joking - she should hopefully start sleeping better soon. Have you got much of a routine for her?” @elliot-appsley

Who: @drjuliarebeiro Where: The Hospital

Ever since becoming a dad, Elliot did his best to try and not work night shifts. Wanting to be home to take care of Sawyer and put her to bed for the night. But there were also times where it couldn't be avoided, where he would have to pull an overnight and that was where he currently found himself. Between a rough previous night with Sawyer, who flat out refused to sleep it seemed like, he had barely caught up on sleep during the day. So when his break finally rolled around, he made his way to the cafeteria. Grabbing the largest coffee he could get his hands on and a hot sandwich to hold him over. Looking around at the tables, he saw Julia not too far off, and made his way over to her. Giving her a tired grin in greeting as he sat and pulled his phone out. Even if you have to lie to me, I need you to tell me that at some point in her little life, Sawyer will want to stop partying from 1 am to 3 am. Letting out an amused huff as he slid his phone over to her.

“You didn’t want to just focus on one of them to really hone your skills?” It wasn’t intended as a pointed or rude question, sometimes Julia could just be a little intense in how direct she was with her words. Maybe that was thanks to being a doctor, time wasting wasn’t something she had…well ‘time’ for. “Do you often get days off?” She asked with light interest. She herself got shifts off, but days off were a little more rare because it was in her nature to want to work as much as humanly possible. It kept her brain busy which was a relief, plus if she wasn’t she’d just be thinking about her patients anyway. @infragilehearts

——- ❝ I had both skills and doing both is kinda nice. ❞ truly, valerie was just lost in work. she kept her mind at ease and she didn't even think of her life much since before moving to new york now. it was better for her mentally to a point — but one day, she would have to face it — deal with it and move forward with her life properly. for now, this worked. finding someone to talk to about things did really bring a light to her she hadn't had in a while, so the company was nice. ❝ yes — i do ! i work between retro and diner. my days off then become the much needed relax and recharge needed to work again. ❞

“You didn’t read them?” Julia had a surprised look on her face but she really shouldn’t be because that was the pot very much calling the kettle black. The amount of books she’d borrowed from libraries in the past but not even opened was numerous, and it wasn’t because she didn’t have good intentions when she got them. Simply that life tended to get in the way, especially if they were fiction books rather than something attributed to medicine or something she was specifically working on. Sensing the uncertainty coming from her she nodded in agreement instead of prying further, giving the other a small smile. “I’m sure - I head that is quite common among writers.” She doubted parroting that would be of any reassurance but it happened anyway. “Would you look at that, I think we’ve decided what your next purchase is going to be. Some call it a grocery bag, you call it a Circe bag. It’s flexible for ones needs.” 

A shrug of her shoulders in regards to what she was specifically looking for, pressing her lips together silently for a second. “There is a case I’m working on at the moment is a child with Adrenoleukodystrophy, it’s not something I’ve personally worked with before so although I know the facts from medical school I wanted to come and do some more reading on it incase there is anything I’ve missed. Are you staying a while?” She asked, referring to the library. @ofzahras

"I guess you're partially right. I just wish I had actually read these instead of just hauling them home and now bringing them right back." Obviously no one knew - or cared - that she hadn't even cracked open most of the books, but the shame was palpable nonetheless. The shame seemed to be her constant companion, increasingly so ever since her brain had decided it no longer wanted to partake in any additional reading or writing. The feeling only grew as she thought about future deadlines and word counts, the threat of falling behind making her sick to her stomach. "I am sure it's just a writer's block," she muttered, mostly to herself, before snorting in amusement. "See, I like where your head's at. I could smuggle Circe everywhere and become the ultimate cat lady."

A realisation lit up Zahra's face as Julia admitted she was only heading in. She laughed, shaking her head softly. "Ah, there you go. It's good to know some things don't change. Are you looking for anything in particular?"

This was frustrating Julia no end, she couldn’t get the lines to go where she wanted them to, and the ability to allow artistic flair to take ahold of her was something she found totally impossible. She’d spent almost as much time erasing lines as she had drawing them, the whole while a small frown line between her eyebrows as she beavered away. The woman could feel Audi’s eyes moving onto her every so often but she didn’t do the same, instead drawing the face she knew as well as her own, from memory. Her bottom lip had been pulled between her teeth as she hummed under her breath without realising she was doing it. A sign of concentration. When words were finally spoken however, she looked up, coming back into the room in a slight daze. The sweet, compassionate words that came from the other were something she herself found difficult, expressing emotion verbally, but she knew it was reciprocated which was why there was no pressure to do so. “I don’t think I’m going to have done any better so as long as you agree to grant me forgiveness before I let you see this, then I’m happy to do the same for you.” Leaning forward she took the picture, swapping it with her own so her own shame could be revealed. “I mean, I had no idea my head was that shape but I really like the top you’ve put me in…” Julia laughed a little as she took in what was before her, still thinking it was head and shoulders better than her own. “I didn’t even get to colouring, did you know you have a very hard nose to draw? It’s so…specific.” Taking things far to seriously as per usual. 

status:  closed, ft. julia. ( @drjuliarebeiro ) location:  aurea's apartment in the bronx. when:  late night. 

   SHE'S DEEP IN CONCENTRATION, EYES BOUNCING back and forth between her sheet of paper and julia as she completes the final touches. according to the card she pulled, they're to draw each other's portraits and, well, it's safe to say that audi did the world a favour by choosing to pursue writing as her art form.  ❝  juls. my kind, loving, beautiful soul sister. let me preface this by saying i swear i didn't use this sleepover as an excuse to insult you. hell, i didn't mean to insult you at all, but...  ❞   her words dissolve into a fit of laughter when she looks back to her drawing,   ❝  blame my hands, okay! they only ever wanna do what they're told when i'm cooking and, truthfully, even that's a sometimes sorta deal. like, seriously. julienne cuts are easy, so why. why! do they refuse to do them? ...yeah, yeah, i know. let's just rip the bandaid off.  ❞   she uses a hand to cover her face with another laugh before her other one offers her guest the artwork, a portrait that looks like it belongs in jason rekulak's hidden pictures as one of the five year old's horror drawings, face down. she peeks through her fingers with a sheepish grin,   ❝  at least my colouring is pretty, right?  ❞

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

Looking up from the chart she was reading as she headed into her next patient’s room she noted that they were there for a consultation regarding a set of twins that weren’t yet born, not that this was unusual. Sure the OBGYN team would be closely monitoring this too but she was no doubt brought in to discuss something to do with the actual baby care after they were born. Most likely in the event they came early so that everyone was on the same page. “Miss Bjork, it’s lovely to meet you. I'm Doctor Rebeiro.” She gave her a warm smile, offering her hand in greeting, beside manner very much switched on. “Well, I wouldn’t worry. Let’s just see what we have going on here. So you’re coming up to seven months - is that right? How have you been feeling?” @bjorkn

𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 her trust commented about Doctor Ribeiro's excellent job, and she wanted the best for her unborn children. Normally to all doctor appointments, Neva goes with her fiance. Today, this is not the case because this is one of her 'impulses attack'. ⎯ The blonde came to ask some doubts. Once her name was announced she entered the room, introducing herself. ❛ Hi doctor, I'm Neva Björk. I heard a lot about your work, and I'm not really sure why I'm here. They aren't born yet. ❜ Fucking hell… This is starting badly.

@drjuliarebeiro

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.

“What do you put in your breakfast sandwich?” Well it was polite to ask follow up questions, show interest in what someone else was saying, at least that’s what her thirty three years on the planet told her. Even if she herself was set in her ways when it came to her own bagel choices. Cream cheese, onion, tomatoes, avocado, and capers on an everything bagel. Perfection. “The pumpernickel? It was very good. Didn’t keep very well. I had some the first day I got it but by the time I went to have some the next day it was sadly a bit dry.” @infragilehearts

——- Biting her lower lip ever so slightly as she listened to the other, giving a nod before offering a rather friendly smile. ❝  i actually enjoy pumpernickel and bagels are my weakness. i make this nice breakfast sandwich with them that's — everything ! ❞ valerie explain sounding a bit giddy as she was so proud of her cooking skills after all. ❝  so — how was the pumpernickel bread ? ❞ she asked curiously even if she already planned to buy some along with bagels — of course.

Truth was Julia had seen a lot in her career as a doctor and an expectant mother wanting to have a drink after being deprived for almost nine months was hardly the most shocking. In fact it was probably far more common than the blonde in front of her realised, but her attention had been entirely swayed towards something else. The mention of symptoms that could contribute to something more serious. “I’m so sorry to hear about your first trimester struggles, do you feel you’ve managed to find coping mechanisms for that? If not I’d be happy to refer you to one of our wonderful members of the mental health team here. You just let me know.” A soft smile before turning back to the iPad and scribbling down a quick note with the apple pen. “Unplanned things can often be stressful, having children is a huge undertaking so there is no shame in taking a while to get your head around that fact. There is no judgment in the room, so please feel free to say what you need to, everything stays between us.” Offering an encouraging smile because you never know what a patient might say that could be related to their condition even in a way they didn’t expect to be relevant. Her eyebrows rose slightly the next time Neva spoke, not because of the answer to the issues she was having because truthfully she’d expected that, but no it was more because of her statement that she planned to have her babies in Sweden - meaning a long flight would be involved. “You have a transatlantic trip planned prior to your babies being born? Due to the things you’ve told me in the last ten minutes I really must advise that that’s a bad idea. I want to get some tests run on you for pre-eclampsia and if they come back conclusive we’re going to need to think about putting you on bed rest. A long flight could be catastrophic, the list of risks are extensive.” Her look of concern was genuine as she tapped a couple of buttons that would register Neva for the appropriate tests that needed to be done to confirm or deny what she suspected. Although Julia was pretty sure - this was arguably textbook. “I would be remiss if I didn’t urge you to consider changing your trip until after the twins are born.”  @bjorkncaddel

𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐒 hesitated in answering some of the questions, which explains why she had a second or two to respond to them. She feels utterly bad for not having her husband by her side in this impromptu appointment. She did not want him to think she wanted to hurt their babies by sipping an alcoholic beverage. On the other hand, the Swedish is a lot overthinker, maybe she was worrying too much when she shouldn't. This is why she is here, to consult and ask for professional guidance. The blonde did not trust Google and didn't want to read about pregnancy in books, because she knew both sources would stress her out. ❛ I was advised to not be too active. My activities were radical. I did a few others that I was capable of doing. 'Soft' activities. Besides my first trimester was stressful for me, I didn't want them, and I was in a deep depression. ❜ The phrase sounded kind of bad, but she corrected it. ❛ I didn't want them now. I don't like unplanned things. It gives me a lot of stress. And I would like to this be our secret. My husband would be sad to hear it. ❜ In truth, she didn't want to have them at the moment, but her husband was so happy, and she knew what his desires were, and the thought that she was just like her mother haunted her mind, the fact she didn't want them. As she grew further with the pregnancy, she learned to like them. This was the first time she admitted it out and loud for a doctor. Maybe deep down, Ryan knew or kind of suspected it. This is a topic she would never bring to him, nor she reckons he would never bring to her. ⎯ Neva rested her back on the chair, and she thought she couldn't omit information forever. Her gaze dropped to her wedding ring, where she continued toying anxiously. ❛ Yes, yes, and yes to the majority of all the things that you said. I want you to know, that my babies will be born in Sweden, so I have a trip planned. ❜