Simon and Noriko - Backdated to May 17
May. 17th, 2013 03:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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om_mainNoriko gets her gauntlets, and talks to Simon about how to go about detox.
Noriko walked out of Dr MacTaggart's office with a frown on her brow, looking down at the metal gauntlets now encasing her hands and forearms. They made a slight noise when she flexed her fingers, and part of her wanted to go back in to see the Doc and say that screw these ugly, clunky things, she'd keep on taking the drugs, thanks but no thanks.
Of course, that was the same part of her that wanted her to take another pill right now, although she presumably didn't need to anymore.
She looked up in surprise when someone walked into the hallway, and her shoulders straightened as her face closed down at the sight of Simon Tam - right then, it would have closed down at the sight of just about anyone, because she was expecting some sort of crack about the gauntlets. In fact, her gaze seemed to say, 'Come on, bring it.'
Only, Simon didn't seem to be at all taken aback by the new look. If anything, he seemed awed as he stepped closer, reaching out a hand, then stopping himself half-way to touching one of the gauntlets.
"Wow, they look great! How do they feel? Do you have enough range of movement? Enough dexterity in your fingers? Dr. MacTaggart was explaining the technology to me. The concept is revolutionary."
The flat look Noriko gave him made it pretty clear that she would have almost preferred a crack. Still, there was no harm humoring his professional curiosity, and she raised a hand to wave her fingers, trying not to let the sound the gauntlet made at the movement get on her nerves. "They're fine."
Simon toned his intrigue down a bit at the look, but that didn't stop him from taking a good look at the gauntlets themselves. "I realize that they probably aren't the best solution, but at least now, you won't be dependent on the medications."
"Yeah, that's what I keep telling myself," Noriko confirmed, less wryly, because it was true, even if she didn't have it in her to feel happy about that. Her emotions were too much of a mess when it came to all this.
"Has Dr. MacTaggart started you on a plan to start reducing them?" he asked curiously.
"Not yet," Noriko answered with a shake of her head. "Gotta make sure these work just fine, first. She said in a couple days, if there are no incidents in the meantime." She looked up from the gauntlets, up at Simon. "How do you think I should go about it?" Just because the doc said one thing didn't mean it was the only option, and Noriko wanted a second opinion, yeah. She trusted Jean-Paul enough that she trusted Simon to be a good second opinion.
Simon led her over to a couple of comfortable chairs. "The old-fashioned method would be to start reducing the dosage over a matter of weeks until you can do without it completely. But...that's still an adjustment period and your body probably won't like you very much, even after you're off of the medications completely. Sometimes it can take months for that kind of thing to exit the system."
Noriko sat down, since he wanted them to, but on the edge of the chair, and clearly didn't know what to do with her hands now that they were encased in big, clunky metal. She ended up resting them lightly on her thighs, and looked up at Simon again as he finished explaining. "And the more modern method? Cold turkey?"
Simon shook his head. And, yes, maybe his eye twitched a little when he said it, but, "I was going to suggest you ask Josh to help you through it."
Noriko nodded slowly. That sounded like the post-modern method, really. "You think he could? Like, what, flush it out of my system?"
"I'm fairly certain he can," Simon agreed grudgingly. "He's...very powerful. He probably wouldn't even have to really understand what he was doing. Just his natural healing tendency would probably purge it out of your body."
Noriko nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I'll ask him." But her frown wasn't going anywhere, and she realized at the faint noise the gauntlets made that she was clenching her fists, and loosened her hands again. "So, cold turkey plus Josh, right?" She wanted to make sure she had it right, and Simon knew more about medicine than Josh did, she was pretty sure.
"You'd pretty much have to, if you did it that way. I think Josh purges your system of medications anyway when he heals, so going the old-fashioned route would probably just defeat the purpose," Simon shrugged slightly.
"Okay," Noriko acknowledged what he'd said, and looked away, thinking things over. Taking stock of how addicted she'd grown to the pills, really; part of her wanted to go the old-fashioned way anyway, because it would mean having a safety net. Only cutting back, not quitting altogether. She could still feel that way, just less often, and that had to be better.
"But...you still want them," Simon guessed quietly.
"Of course I want them," Noriko answered immediately, sharply, eyes flashing at Simon. "I'm an addict." The sharpness directed at him was really aimed at herself; she couldn't afford to go soft on herself, if she wanted to get off of the pills. And she did want to, as much as she wanted to keep popping them.
To his credit, Simon didn't flinch, but he did swallow. He understood her predicament. Well, in theory, at least. "It...wouldn't mean much, except to your peace of mind, but you could keep stepping down on the meds, and let Josh help you through it."
"Would you tell a cocaine addict to quit it gradually?" Noriko asked with raised eyebrows. She was actually asking. She'd seen people in withdrawal before. They had never sought medical help through detox.
At that, Simon actually did flinch. "You aren't a cocaine addict, Noriko."
"I'm an addict," Noriko answered with a shrug, and shifted on the chair, her body language becoming more severe.
"Every addict's different," Simon countered with a sigh. "But I gave you my opinion. You should at least talk to Josh to see what he can do for you."
"I'll talk to Josh," Noriko confirmed. There was no doubt about that. Simon's words sounded like the conversation was drawing to a close to her ears, though, so she stood, still getting used to the weight of the gauntlets over her hands and forearms. "Thanks for the input."
"Noriko..." Simon paused, rising as she did. "If you need anything, let me know?"
"Sure," Noriko answered, without sounding as if she really would. She might, though; it was just the way she was. It was perhaps less on account of Jean-Paul and more on account of Simon not being a jerk that night at the restaurant, and again today, that she gave him a small quirk of her lips and a nod, before she turned to go.
Noriko walked out of Dr MacTaggart's office with a frown on her brow, looking down at the metal gauntlets now encasing her hands and forearms. They made a slight noise when she flexed her fingers, and part of her wanted to go back in to see the Doc and say that screw these ugly, clunky things, she'd keep on taking the drugs, thanks but no thanks.
Of course, that was the same part of her that wanted her to take another pill right now, although she presumably didn't need to anymore.
She looked up in surprise when someone walked into the hallway, and her shoulders straightened as her face closed down at the sight of Simon Tam - right then, it would have closed down at the sight of just about anyone, because she was expecting some sort of crack about the gauntlets. In fact, her gaze seemed to say, 'Come on, bring it.'
Only, Simon didn't seem to be at all taken aback by the new look. If anything, he seemed awed as he stepped closer, reaching out a hand, then stopping himself half-way to touching one of the gauntlets.
"Wow, they look great! How do they feel? Do you have enough range of movement? Enough dexterity in your fingers? Dr. MacTaggart was explaining the technology to me. The concept is revolutionary."
The flat look Noriko gave him made it pretty clear that she would have almost preferred a crack. Still, there was no harm humoring his professional curiosity, and she raised a hand to wave her fingers, trying not to let the sound the gauntlet made at the movement get on her nerves. "They're fine."
Simon toned his intrigue down a bit at the look, but that didn't stop him from taking a good look at the gauntlets themselves. "I realize that they probably aren't the best solution, but at least now, you won't be dependent on the medications."
"Yeah, that's what I keep telling myself," Noriko confirmed, less wryly, because it was true, even if she didn't have it in her to feel happy about that. Her emotions were too much of a mess when it came to all this.
"Has Dr. MacTaggart started you on a plan to start reducing them?" he asked curiously.
"Not yet," Noriko answered with a shake of her head. "Gotta make sure these work just fine, first. She said in a couple days, if there are no incidents in the meantime." She looked up from the gauntlets, up at Simon. "How do you think I should go about it?" Just because the doc said one thing didn't mean it was the only option, and Noriko wanted a second opinion, yeah. She trusted Jean-Paul enough that she trusted Simon to be a good second opinion.
Simon led her over to a couple of comfortable chairs. "The old-fashioned method would be to start reducing the dosage over a matter of weeks until you can do without it completely. But...that's still an adjustment period and your body probably won't like you very much, even after you're off of the medications completely. Sometimes it can take months for that kind of thing to exit the system."
Noriko sat down, since he wanted them to, but on the edge of the chair, and clearly didn't know what to do with her hands now that they were encased in big, clunky metal. She ended up resting them lightly on her thighs, and looked up at Simon again as he finished explaining. "And the more modern method? Cold turkey?"
Simon shook his head. And, yes, maybe his eye twitched a little when he said it, but, "I was going to suggest you ask Josh to help you through it."
Noriko nodded slowly. That sounded like the post-modern method, really. "You think he could? Like, what, flush it out of my system?"
"I'm fairly certain he can," Simon agreed grudgingly. "He's...very powerful. He probably wouldn't even have to really understand what he was doing. Just his natural healing tendency would probably purge it out of your body."
Noriko nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I'll ask him." But her frown wasn't going anywhere, and she realized at the faint noise the gauntlets made that she was clenching her fists, and loosened her hands again. "So, cold turkey plus Josh, right?" She wanted to make sure she had it right, and Simon knew more about medicine than Josh did, she was pretty sure.
"You'd pretty much have to, if you did it that way. I think Josh purges your system of medications anyway when he heals, so going the old-fashioned route would probably just defeat the purpose," Simon shrugged slightly.
"Okay," Noriko acknowledged what he'd said, and looked away, thinking things over. Taking stock of how addicted she'd grown to the pills, really; part of her wanted to go the old-fashioned way anyway, because it would mean having a safety net. Only cutting back, not quitting altogether. She could still feel that way, just less often, and that had to be better.
"But...you still want them," Simon guessed quietly.
"Of course I want them," Noriko answered immediately, sharply, eyes flashing at Simon. "I'm an addict." The sharpness directed at him was really aimed at herself; she couldn't afford to go soft on herself, if she wanted to get off of the pills. And she did want to, as much as she wanted to keep popping them.
To his credit, Simon didn't flinch, but he did swallow. He understood her predicament. Well, in theory, at least. "It...wouldn't mean much, except to your peace of mind, but you could keep stepping down on the meds, and let Josh help you through it."
"Would you tell a cocaine addict to quit it gradually?" Noriko asked with raised eyebrows. She was actually asking. She'd seen people in withdrawal before. They had never sought medical help through detox.
At that, Simon actually did flinch. "You aren't a cocaine addict, Noriko."
"I'm an addict," Noriko answered with a shrug, and shifted on the chair, her body language becoming more severe.
"Every addict's different," Simon countered with a sigh. "But I gave you my opinion. You should at least talk to Josh to see what he can do for you."
"I'll talk to Josh," Noriko confirmed. There was no doubt about that. Simon's words sounded like the conversation was drawing to a close to her ears, though, so she stood, still getting used to the weight of the gauntlets over her hands and forearms. "Thanks for the input."
"Noriko..." Simon paused, rising as she did. "If you need anything, let me know?"
"Sure," Noriko answered, without sounding as if she really would. She might, though; it was just the way she was. It was perhaps less on account of Jean-Paul and more on account of Simon not being a jerk that night at the restaurant, and again today, that she gave him a small quirk of her lips and a nod, before she turned to go.
