Who: Rachel Englewood and Hippocrates Smethwyck
What: A promotion for Rachel!
Where: St. Mungo's
When: Now :o



Rachel was really nervous.

In all likelihood, she probably didn't need to be, but she was. There was something extremely nerve-wracking about informing your superior (your JUNIOR superior) that you were leaving.

Well, she wasn't leaving, really. Rachel was only moving to nursing intern. And it wasn't as if she and Healer Smethwyck hadn't talked about her changing jobs. After all, Healer Intern was a very temporary and rarely-filled position, but she knew she had been "snuck in," so to speak, as someone who could file paperwork and double as a medic when needed, so it was only a matter of time before Rachel needed to decide where to go.

All in all, it seemed like a very good move. She'd idly thought about going for her H.O.R.S.E exams belatedly, but she didn't think she was quite suited for the role of Healer Englewood yet. Which was a little insulting to herself, because she hated to be anything but the top of the food chain, but eventually, perhaps, Rachel could address that issue later.

With papers in hand, she went to go find Healer Smethwyck, feeling slightly queasy. Of course, that was completely ridiculous, because she hadn't done anything wrong, so there was really nothing to worry about, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd be... letting him down? Deserting him? Something.

She opened the door to a room whose patient had left earlier that hour and found him, looking up from whatever he was doing when the sound of the door had caught his attention.

"Healer Smethwyck!" she cried, eyes going bigger. "I--er, I had something I needed to as--inform you of."

While Smeth will admit that Rachel had been acting a bit strange as of late - he had chalked it up to bad days, nothing really that major.

However.

For small periods of time, she had gone missing. Not that Smeth minded, for she had asked beforehand, but she provided little to no explanations, and those explanations were vague, at best. Although Smeth was intensely curious, he was a believer in that the truth would reveal itself in due time, when Rachel was ready.

And by the looks of her slightly panicked expression, she was. It was probably nothing, right? The thing she had to tell him. That was what he had to tell himself, despite of the small, sudden, unexplainable lump in his throat.

She couldn't really shake the feeling that she was in trouble, which was completely untrue. She hadn't done anything wrong, she wasn't going to hurt anybody. This was a sensible career move! It was necessary, even.

Taking a deep breath, she closed the door before her and took a few seconds and deep breaths to calm down before turning around to face Healer Smethwyck.

"I-- do you remember... earlier in... just--earlier, we discussed the idea that this arrangement was, perhaps... temporary?"

"You're quitting?!" Smeth blurted out before he could help himself. Alright, so much for waiting for the truth to reveal itself. But there was this unexplainable knot in his stomach that appeared almost immediately after the small lump in his throat did. He placed the clipboard where he was recording patient data down, watching her anxiously.

"I decided to--what! No!" Rachel looked at him flabbergastedly, a little annoyed that this was not going according to the script she had planned in her head. "I'm not quitting!"

She then paused as what he said legitimately sunk in.

"W--wait, do you--do you think I should leave?" Rachel asked, unable to help the childish pout that had crept onto her face.

Smeth's mouth dropped open in horror. "What?! No! Never!" He leapt to his feet, trying not to look alarmed (but failing). "I just - you've been the first and best Healer Assistant I've ever had, and I'd just really miss you - er, our constant companionship!"

That was a relief. "Well," she said. "I am exceedingly glad to hear that, Healer Smethwyck, because you aren't getting rid of me quite so soon!"

And here it came... "I--I've been thinking about how this was temporary for the past few weeks--I don't think I can continue on as your Healer Assistant in all fairness--but!," she added, continuing on hurriedly, "I most certainly don't want to leave! So, I've entered the nursing program and as of tomorrow, I officially start as a nursing intern..."

Rachel looked down and bit her lip. "That is, if you'll sign a few papers saying you'll let me?"

Smeth took a second to process the new information, before reaching out to take the papers. "Well, I must say that I'll miss having you around, but you'll make a fantastic nurse." That was very true, throughout the duration of Rachel's employment as his Healer Assistant, she had learned remarkably fast, being able to name symptoms and diagnose patients with relative ease. She had never failed to impress.

Picking up his quill, he signed the papers with a flourish, handing them back to Rachel. As he did, his fingers grazed her's, and he felt his cheeks heat up for the tinest of nanoseconds. Probably because of the good news of her promotion, he was sure.

He withdrew his hand a bit quicker than a normal person would have. "We'll still be on for our usual lunch, I hope? I think it's become a tradition."

She took the papers back, still unable to look Smeth completely in the eye. Rachel re-stacked them and smiled as she looked down at them. "Of course we'll still do lunch, Healer Smethwyck. I couldn't even begin to imagine forming some other sort of lunch-time tradition."

"Erm," she said, remembering the papers in her hands. "I-I promised I'd run this back up to them, and there are a few other things I've got to sign... but when I get back, I can follow you for rounds? You know, one last time as your Healer Assitant before you start you get to start bossing me around for doing things too slow and providing you with the wrong potions?"

Smeth grinned. "As a matter of fact, I've got one last patient with Vanishing Sickness, and I think he's a bit in denial of it, as we have no idea where he is right now. Ready to run?"

Argh, this man! She couldn't help but give him a big grin. "I'll change my shoes on the way back."

Rachel turned to walk out of the room, turning her head to give him a smug smile. "And I'm already warmed up from walking all over the place today. I am smelling a loss from Healer Smethwyck today, I am quite." And let the door click shut before he could say anything to negate her presumed victory.