ArchivedLogs:House Calls

House Calls
Dramatis Personae Iolaus, Matt, Lucien, Jane
In Absentia	3 March, 2013 Iolaus propositions Matt... With science.
Location <NYC> Tessier Residence - Greenwich Village
Understated opulence claims this spacious and well-kept townhome, the decor throughout the whole of it of the highest quality and carefully chosen. The front door opens onto the entrance hall, a closet close at hand to receive coats and shoes -- the pale hardwood floors gleam underfoot, unsullied by tracked-in mess from outside. The living room beyond the entrance is all dark woods and pale earth tones, comfortable couches and armchairs and a thick soft rug laid down beneath. Two large and painstakingly aquascaped aquariums flank the entrance to the dining room, with several brightly coloured species of fish within. Most of the rest of the wall space, notably, is taken up with shelves -- shelves crammed with books of every subject and genre. A study branching off of the main hall is cozy, small, done in pale blues and lined with books as well around the large computer desk and smaller futon, though these rarer books are cased behind glass. Another securely locked door leads to the basement, and another to the full bathroom downstairs. The kitchen connects to the living room; in contrast, it is sleek and modern and well-appointed, stocked by someone who takes their cooking seriously. And takes their alcohol equally seriously -- to one side of the kitchen there is a fully-stocked bar. The back door to the kitchen looks out on a small well-kept garden. As the afternoon begins to wear on, a cool breeze blowing down the streets of Greenwich Village, a taxi pulls up and drops two people off in front of the Tessier residence. Both of them are well-dressed in dress shirts and slacks, and both carry small satchels. The man and woman set off in opposite directions - the man, attempting to go around the house, and the woman, up the stairs. They stop as soon as they notice that they are headed in different directions, and have a quick, hushed, annoyed little argument. Finally, they both set up the stairs and the man rings the doorbell. Blue-grey eyes look up at the peephole on the door with a smile on his face. It takes a short while before the door is opened. Lucien has a quick smile for the pair at the door, though the woman gets a faintly puzzled glance. "Hello," he says, a little clipped, perhaps, but polite all the same. He pulls the door open enough for them to enter. He is casually dressed, jeans and a very soft green sweater; barefoot, as he gestures them inside. "Can I get you a drink? Food?" The woman gives Lucien a hard look, one hand raising, though there is nothing in it. Iolaus, for his part, looks surprised, and gives Jane a /look/. She does not return it, though a hard little smile appears on her lips. "We're alright, Lucien, thank you. I have an appointment with Matt?" he says, stepping in, the woman a foot behind. He glances around the hall, then bends down to take off his shoes, his partner echoing his movements. "May I introduce you to Jane? She's the head of the clinic security team, and my bodyguard." Jane nods, once, politely, but says nothing. Her eyes are elsewhere, scanning the room, the windows, the furniture, with a well-practiced eye. "Yes, he mentioned," Lucien agrees, closing and locking the door behind them. "Jane." He extends a hand towards the woman. "Welcome. Matt is in the living room." Which, indeed, he is, curled up in his chair underneath a pair of blankets. Dozing. "Thank you, Lucien." Iolaus says, with a warm smile up at the other man. Jane looks at Lucien's hand for a moment, cautiously, before reaching to accept it in a firm grip, the leather gloves on her hands creaking with complaint as she does so. Once Iolaus has removed his shoes, Iolaus steps into the main room. He looks around, briefly, before stepping over to the chair and crouching down so he is at eye level with Matt. "Matt? I'm sorry to wake you," he says, voice gentle and a smile on his face as he reaches a hand out to gently squeeze the other man's shoulder, once. Jane, for her part, takes up a position, standing, not too far from the doorway. Her eyes sweep the room, carefully, and she shifts the bag on her shoulder to unzip a zipper and remove a cell phone. This, it seems, is her entertainment while Iolaus works. Lucien's handshake is firm, too, one quick pump before leads them inside. He doesn't stay in the living room, though. He lingers in the doorway for a moment, watching Iolaus, and then retreats into the study. Matt shifts in his seat, quietly groaning. "Luc -- oh. Hi. Oh, god, did I -- sorry," he says, apologetic, "I didn't mean to -- I think time just got away from me. Hi." Iolaus waves a hand, smiling warmly. "No need to apologize, Matt. Rest is good." he says, voice gentle. He glances around and straightens up to pick the other armchair up and turn it slightly so it is facing Matt. He plops down into it, shrugging the bag off of his shoulders and onto the floor beside him. "It's good to meet you again, Matt. This time, albeit, a bit more... professionally." He smiles, eyes bright. "My name is Doctor Saavedro, and I'm a clinical geneticist at Mount Sinai Hospital. I've worked with your doctor at Sloan-Kettering a few times in the past, and we very briefly discussed your case. I wanted to talk to you a bit about what I do, and see what your thoughts are. Alright?" "You're Io," Matt says with a slight twitch of smile, "and you have good taste in tea." For a moment his eyes slip closed again, head nestling back against his chair. He opens his eyes a moment later, though, looking back at Iolaus. "Right. Doctor Saavedro. OK. I'm listening." His voice is kind of scratchy, and very quiet. The soft burbling of the aquarius nearby is not /quite/ enough to drown it out, but it comes close. "When I work in oncology cases, my job is two-fold. First, I analyze the cancer itself to figure out how it is working, what it is doing, and what its weaknesses might be. Then I analyze your genetic makeup to try and figure out how your body is fighting it off. My job is to help your own body cure you, in combination with drugs and radiation." Iolaus explains, eyes looking over the other man. "It is... the bleeding edge of medicine, and it is very experimental, still. There have been only a few hundred of these cases in the world. But we have seen some amazing results in cases that traditional means would have been able to do nothing with." "You done this with lymphoma patients before?" Matt wants to know, curling his legs in to ball up further in the chair. And his next question: "Have you talked to Luci about this?" He glances towards the study with a note of apprehension in his eyes, though his quiet voice certainly doesn't reach through its closed door. "It is most often done with leukemia, but the genetic makeup and action of the cancer is more important than the type. One of the strange things about this technique is that, often, two treatments may be more similar for totally disparate forms of cancer than similar ones, depending on how it is acting in your body." Iolaus glances, too, towards the study door, and his lips thin, a flash of sadness briefly glowing in his eyes before it is replaced with the warm, calm mask of professionalism. "I have mentioned it to him. That is a second matter. I have a conflict of ethics, here, that I want to let you know about. Doctors are not supposed to treat the family of... friends." "Friends," Matt echoes, soft and thoughtful with a long look at Iolaus. "It's just, with Luci, I don't want to --" Matt's eyes flick towards the study again, and he curls slightly to the side, dropping his chin to rest on his arm. "Is it going to be okay? For you? I mean, with him? Doing all this?" "My oaths are as binding as always, despite my... relations with your brother." Iolaus says, slowly. "In the end, the bond that I have with you is more important. I will not break your confidences or let it compromise my judgement. But I must warn you regardless, so that you can decide if you want me as your physician. If not, I will not take any offense. There are other doctors who I would trust if I was sitting where you are that I can refer you to." "Okay," Matt says, and for a long while this is all he says. His eyes close again. Maybe he's fallen back asleep. Eventually, though: "It's just," he starts, slowly, "I don't want him to -- this last round of -- this was supposed to be the last. I think he's been getting used to the idea of me gone. If there's something that has a chance of helping I'm willing to try but I don't -- want to get his hopes up." "It is entirely up to you what you want to tell him." Iolaus says, softly. He studies Matt for a moment, before he says, "But. We will see. I have some paperwork for you to sign that lets me speak in detail with your doctor, and then I just need to take a swab of your mouth. I will know more about what I may be able to do to help after the analysis. It will take me a few days. Then, after you know what we think, you can decide what to share with him." "Just a swab?" Matt grins, quick and bright. "Man, you are /way/ more gentle than most of my doctors. Maybe you should doctor me more often. I'm usually left full of holes. Feel kinda like a junkie, the abuse my veins get." Iolaus smiles, wide, and winks. "Genetics are easy that way. Your DNA and RNA is in everything. Why bother going right for the blood like a vampire when the saliva will do just as well?" he says, brightly. He reaches into the little satchel and pulls out two pieces of paper and a pen, then a sealed set of swabs and a little vial. "You read this over, and open wide, while I just grab a couple samples from the inside of your cheek." he says, opening the seal on the swabs and slipping it down carefully. "I don't know, cuz vampires are hot right now? And bloodsucking's more exciting of an afternoon than cheek swabs?" Matt suggests lightly. "Though give me /Buffy/ over those /Vampire Diaries/ things any day." He takes the papers into his lap, or what passes for it in his blanket nest, looking them over as his mouth opens dutifully. Iolaus' touch is delicate, swabbing the inside of Matt's cheek and rubbing the q-tips-with-aspirations against his cheek. He withdraws it and immediately places them in little sealable plastic vials. Then, screwing the caps down hard and covering them with medical tape, he slips them into his bag. The paperwork is simple - release of confidentiality, treatment payment agreement. Matt looks over each paper in turn, actually reading them carefully before signing. The release, first; the second gets a longer look, a worried glance towards the study again. He signs it, though, too. Slowly, each time, his fingers gripping the pen tight through each. "It was nice of you to come out here," he says, once both are signed. He offers pen and papers both back to Iolaus. Iolaus smiles and his eyes twinkle as he puts the paper back in his satchel. "As long as you don't pick up Twilight between now and our next appointment, that will be payment enough for me to come to you at your house." he says, with a wry twist to his lips. "One of my patients keeps going on and on about it. It is enough to drive me to madness." he says, with a playful wink. Matt's head turns, looking over at the extensive bookshelves that line the room. His smile returns, quick and bright. "I don't think Luci would let that book dirty up his shelves, you shouldn't worry. I think we've got /Dracula/ and /Let the Right One In/ and /I Am Legend/ if you're in the mood for bloodsucking while you're here." Iolaus turns to glance at the bookshelves, and his eyes widen slightly. They look over the well-kept shelves, then his eyes turn to Jane, giving her a dirty look. A moment later, he turns back to Matt. "Quite the collection," he says, zipping up the satchel. "You should get some rest. I'm sorry to have woken you from your nap." he says, extending a hand with a smile. "It was good to talk to you again, Matt. I'll be in touch in a couple days." "S'only part of it. You should see the study." Matt struggles to sit up, leaning in to take the offered hand, more of a brief press of fingers than a proper shake. "Was good to see you, Io -- er, Doctor. Um. Thank you," he adds, a little warmer. He's already nestling back into his chair, looking at Iolaus though only for a moment before his eyes close tiredly. "Good to see you as well, Matt." Iolaus waits several moments for Matt to settle, then he turns, silently, and walks over towards Jane. He glances at the doors of the study, pausing in his walk and looking at the doors for several moments. Then, pursing his lips, he beacons to Jane and heads for the entryway. Slipping into his shoes, the pair slip back out into the street, closing the door firmly behind them.