Just a Mouse
Jan. 2nd, 2013 09:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rinkhcTitle: Just a Mouse
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Prompt: Hurt Comfort Parallel Fill: Job-related Trauma & Phobias (wildcard)
Medium: FIC
Word count: 645
Rating: Gen
Summary: Allie Porter has a problem with a mouse, Laura Cadman tries to help
Content Notes: no standard notes apply
“I thought I could do it. I can’t do it,” Allie said, shaking her head and backing away from the lab table, hands up in a warding motion.
Laura caught her elbow and pulled her back over. “Don’t be an idiot. I can’t believe you’re afraid.”
“I can’t help it.”
Lips pressed tightly together, Laura shook her head, annoyed with her. “I can’t believe you’re being such a chicken, just pick it up and do it. I thought you were a scientist?”
“He’s staring at me.”
“Allie.”
“Look at him. He’s all… beady eyes. And fuzzy.”
Laura made a noise of irritation and pushed her shoulder. “It isn’t going to hurt you. Look how tiny he is. You could squish him.”
“Eww. That’s horrible!”
“Just pick him up and hold him still. I’ll help you, I’ll be your nurse and hold your tools and after you jab him, we’ll put him back in the cage and observe him.”
Allie chewed her lower lip. With most of the real medical staff either sick or stuck in the quarantine area of the city, all hands were needed to find a cure for this alien infection. She dipped her hand into the cage. “Eeeeekkkk!” she screamed as the mouse ran across her hand in its haste to get to the other side of the cage, away from her. “I can’t do it, I can’t!” Allie backed away, shaking her head.
“Doctor Porter? What’s the problem?” Doctor Biro, the currently highly overtaxed and overworked pathologist called from the other side of the room.
Laura was never going to let her live this down. After tossing Allie a dirty look, she turned and smiled at the teacher. “Doctor Porter just has a little case of mouseaphobia, Doctor Biro.”
“She has what?” Biro looked confused.
”She’s scared of the mouse.”
Allie’s hands were shaking. This had always been a problem, even back in school. Frogs, cats, rabbits, other lab animals, she could handle. But mice? Mice freaked her out. “I tried…” Allie said, looking at the mouse, now in the corner of the cage. It was watching her.
Snickering in amusement at Allie’s predicament, Laura grasped her by the shoulders and turned her towards the cage again. “Sic him, Allie. You can do it.”
Damn it, it was just a mouse - a fuzzy, beady eyed, long tailed mouse that was definitely watching her. So was Laura. Just a mouse. And she had a glove on. She moved back to the cage and looked down at her small opponent. “Don’t move, you foul little beastie,” she whispered, reaching into the cage again. She closed her hand around it, careful not to squeeze, though she held it firmly. Thankfully, it didn’t make noise as she picked it up and held her hand out to Laura, who was holding the syringe. Laura handed her the syringe and Allie injected their test subject with the tiny needle and hit the plunger.
“Okay. Now put him back, let him go,” Laura said, taking the syringe from Allie’s trembling fingers. Allie was all too glad to put the mouse back in the cage.
“He’s watching me,” Allie said, wiping her hands on the hips of her lab coat as she shuddered. “He hates me now.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” Laura exclaimed, cuffing Allie lightly at the back of the head. “Just watch him back and make notes.” She walked away to dispose of the syringe, muttering to herself under her breath.
Allie sat on the stool and watched the mouse. He sat on his nest in the corner of the cage and stared up at her with his beady little eyes, and Allie couldn’t help but wonder what kinds of thoughts were going through his tiny little brain. “You’d better help me find a cure whisker face; this had better not be for nothing.”
The End
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Prompt: Hurt Comfort Parallel Fill: Job-related Trauma & Phobias (wildcard)
Medium: FIC
Word count: 645
Rating: Gen
Summary: Allie Porter has a problem with a mouse, Laura Cadman tries to help
Content Notes: no standard notes apply
“I thought I could do it. I can’t do it,” Allie said, shaking her head and backing away from the lab table, hands up in a warding motion.
Laura caught her elbow and pulled her back over. “Don’t be an idiot. I can’t believe you’re afraid.”
“I can’t help it.”
Lips pressed tightly together, Laura shook her head, annoyed with her. “I can’t believe you’re being such a chicken, just pick it up and do it. I thought you were a scientist?”
“He’s staring at me.”
“Allie.”
“Look at him. He’s all… beady eyes. And fuzzy.”
Laura made a noise of irritation and pushed her shoulder. “It isn’t going to hurt you. Look how tiny he is. You could squish him.”
“Eww. That’s horrible!”
“Just pick him up and hold him still. I’ll help you, I’ll be your nurse and hold your tools and after you jab him, we’ll put him back in the cage and observe him.”
Allie chewed her lower lip. With most of the real medical staff either sick or stuck in the quarantine area of the city, all hands were needed to find a cure for this alien infection. She dipped her hand into the cage. “Eeeeekkkk!” she screamed as the mouse ran across her hand in its haste to get to the other side of the cage, away from her. “I can’t do it, I can’t!” Allie backed away, shaking her head.
“Doctor Porter? What’s the problem?” Doctor Biro, the currently highly overtaxed and overworked pathologist called from the other side of the room.
Laura was never going to let her live this down. After tossing Allie a dirty look, she turned and smiled at the teacher. “Doctor Porter just has a little case of mouseaphobia, Doctor Biro.”
“She has what?” Biro looked confused.
”She’s scared of the mouse.”
Allie’s hands were shaking. This had always been a problem, even back in school. Frogs, cats, rabbits, other lab animals, she could handle. But mice? Mice freaked her out. “I tried…” Allie said, looking at the mouse, now in the corner of the cage. It was watching her.
Snickering in amusement at Allie’s predicament, Laura grasped her by the shoulders and turned her towards the cage again. “Sic him, Allie. You can do it.”
Damn it, it was just a mouse - a fuzzy, beady eyed, long tailed mouse that was definitely watching her. So was Laura. Just a mouse. And she had a glove on. She moved back to the cage and looked down at her small opponent. “Don’t move, you foul little beastie,” she whispered, reaching into the cage again. She closed her hand around it, careful not to squeeze, though she held it firmly. Thankfully, it didn’t make noise as she picked it up and held her hand out to Laura, who was holding the syringe. Laura handed her the syringe and Allie injected their test subject with the tiny needle and hit the plunger.
“Okay. Now put him back, let him go,” Laura said, taking the syringe from Allie’s trembling fingers. Allie was all too glad to put the mouse back in the cage.
“He’s watching me,” Allie said, wiping her hands on the hips of her lab coat as she shuddered. “He hates me now.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” Laura exclaimed, cuffing Allie lightly at the back of the head. “Just watch him back and make notes.” She walked away to dispose of the syringe, muttering to herself under her breath.
Allie sat on the stool and watched the mouse. He sat on his nest in the corner of the cage and stared up at her with his beady little eyes, and Allie couldn’t help but wonder what kinds of thoughts were going through his tiny little brain. “You’d better help me find a cure whisker face; this had better not be for nothing.”
The End