#elsewhere

“That’d be appreciated.” She admits, “there will be a lot of the same questions asked, and same answers, even though they’re all well meaning. Oh, and Sylvi is coming by, is that okay?”

Meanwhile, the result from an earlier coin flip remembered, Duncan the nurse attendant does NOT have a ring.

An amused look from Jonas, "Of course Sylvi is. She's a bit of a tyrant, but a benevolent one."

Siv makes a note of Duncan's status, and makes a mark. In the mean time, he texts a few more folks

“Aaaaand Rikki.”

Jonas says with an utterly straight face, "There is no god."

“True!” She says. “I’ve always thought, there has to be no god, or uncountable. Or maybe somewhere in between.”

Sylvi manages to get to the hospital a little sooner than 20 minutes, and is at reception trying to find out where Piper's room is.

"I was trying to be funny" He admits "Failing. But there you go. I Suppose Rikki is welcome. She might be a godmother after all"

“If she accepts. Did we decide between Kerri and Sylvi? I’m definitely closer to Sylvi, but Kerri is a great hearth which is a good influence,.. well, I guess we have time to decide. It’s not like we’re actually doing a baptism.”

A side glance to Jonas. “You’re not secretly catholic, are you?”

"About that" he says

And Sylvi has a pooka with her. Rikki chats folks up, gets answers, including a room number!

Sylvi might be a bit miffed at being upstaged, but she's gotta admit that Rikki's a natural.

Rikki looks over at Sylvi and smirks

"Thank you!" she says to the receptionist, and sticks her tongue out at Rikki as they head for the elevators.

As they head towards the room, Sylvi catches a hint of glamour from down another hallway. But, it’s the wrong direction.

And not especially unusual.

Jonas says "You see, I've been Thetan free since 2017"

A laugh!

Sylvi has never liked hospitals, and she hates the banality, so the glamour gets her attention. "Wait a minute...that's...." she turns and goes that way.

A smile from the new father "I have a respect for a lot of religions, believe it or not, and studied them. But if I am a member of any faith, it is the first church of the undecided"

Sylvi and Rikki finds herself headed towards a closed door - looks like an employee break room. She can hear chatter from the other side.

Rikki sniffs gently

She tries to be casual and inconspicuous as she glances inside.

Common enough, a little kitchenette, microwave that could use a good cleaning, a box of donuts partially devoured on the table, and a couple ladies in nurse scrubs chattering.

“And then I said, “Kate Spade? As IF!” The red headed clurichaun laughs, her back to the door as Cairrean chatters with another orderly.

The sequence of thoughts is almost lightning-fast: Oh, a clurichaun! That's nice. Wait...I know that laugh...oh...oh FUCK.

Rikki looks at this, then looks at Sylvi.

She ducks back away from the open door, back against the wall.

They don’t seem to have been noticed!

She looks to the ceiling and grits her teeth, muttering, "I do not need this crap." A sigh, and she says, "C'mon, let's go," to Rikki, back towards the door to Piper's room.

Chatter continues, mundane it sounds, discussion of the next shift, getting hours verified. The longer they stay there, it sounds like someone might come out.

Rikki takes a slow deep breath, ready to scream... then winks at Sylvi, and follows her safely away

A quick, narrowed glance at Rikki, then she schools her expression to something more positive before knocking on Piper's door.

An irate voice, “If you’re coming to stick me again, you can eff right off!”

Rikki says "You love someone sticking you. That's how you got the kids in the first place"

Jonas has turned purple

"Totally needle-free, I promise!" Sylvi steps in, hands up.

“Oh thank jeebus. Get in here.”

Piper is in a hospital gown and on a bed, the back raised to a seated position. “They took out the catheter, but said I can’t see my babes until I can get up enough to sit in a chair and be wheeled to the NICU.” A HUFF.

“They said maybe in a day or two. Can you believe it?!” Clearly upset.

Rikki comes in "No babies? Then we hold your stuff hostage from you" She says

Sylvi's carrying her backpack, and she sets it down on a chair. "Hey, Jonas, congrats! Piper, you look awesome." She goes over to offer a gentle hug to the little satyr.

“You’re a terrible liar.” She says, giving her a hug back.

"Well, I mean, considering..."

Jonas goes from blush, to puffing up with pride "Thank you, Sylvi" A sigh "And Rikki"

Rikki gives Piper a hug when Sylvi is done "You have a glow. Kind of a like a nuclear meltdown, but it IS a glow."

"Where's Siv?"

“It doesn’t feel real.” She says, a hand hovering just over her deflated belly. “Like, I was ready to go through labor and all… but this was…abrupt. It doesn’t feel real, like the whole pregnancy was a dream and I woke up… without any kids.” A sniff.

"Siv is at the NICU " Jonas answers

“She’s in the NICU holding down the fort with… the wee ones.”