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[2xoom - Guppy's predecessor leaves him instructions. The Sandhus attend parents' evening, and make a discovery about the kid who's been hassling Fry.]

"You know why the old babysitter left." Guppy is saying, as he sits with the older two kids near the fire. "Because you tried to give her a meal of live worms."

"She said she likes to go down the garden and eat worms." Fry says, defensively, spinning the wheel on the train carriage he got from Kate.

"That was a song." Guppy says. "Not real life. We don't eat live animals usually in Britain."

"They did on that cooky show!" Coral protests. "And won tools and a tickin."

"...I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here is not a cooking show." Guppy says. "It's slightly famous people camping with no stuff."

With no answer to that, Coral wriggles on her tummy to push the other toy train around the track, chattering to herself.

Come join them!

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"I sincerely hope y'don't eat anythin' unless it's cooked first."

So says the cowgirl to the two children, as she crouches beside them — a good distance from Fry, so he'll see her before she's in his personal space.

She smiles warmly, and lifts her attention to Guppy.

"Howdy, Guppy."

"Kaaaaate!" Coral glomps her in a hug.

"Grapes." Fry says, glancing at Kate.

"Howdy Kate." Guppy grins, happy to see her ~~and in one piece~~.

The youngest Sandhu sibling is in a basket nearby, currently asleep, sucking the end of the bonnet tie. Keeping her nearly-bald noggin nice and warm.

She laughs softly, arms twining around the young girl.

There's something about little girl hugs that makes you feel truly special.

"Nothin' that has a face," she clarifies, for Fry's benefit. "N' that includes worms. Hello, you two. And hello, Guppy."

"What about smilie biscuits?" Fry asks.

"Those are cooked." Guppy says, moving over to give Kate his own quick less smothering hug around the little girl.

"Kate it was parents' evenin and they said I was very good." Coral says. "And I found this." She digs in her pocket and brings out a sequin, which she gives to Kate.

"I'm not sure what smilie biscuits are, dear."

She hugs Guppy in return, though her attention stays very firmly on the little girl.

"That's wonderful, sweetheart. An' what's this? My, but it shines."

"Is a... a squid." Coral says. "You have it."

"It's a sequin." Fry corrects. "Smilie biscuits are biscuits with a face on."

"How are you keeping?" Guppy asks, hailing a waitrat to bring them some food and drinks.

Kate is properly awed by all this new information. Her lips form an 'o', eyes bright with wonder.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I'll treasure this."

As if to prove it, she slips the sequin into her breast pocket, close to her heart.

"I've been keepin' well 'nough, thank you. How 'bout you an' yours? The young'ns look healthy, at least."

Coral cuddles her close.

"My ear exploded." Fry says. "But it got better."

She cuts a look to Guppy.

Surely that's just childish imagination at work?

Nope, Fry lacks imagination.

"Fry had an ear infection and decided not to tell us his ear hurt." Guppy says. "And then it burst. But it's nearly healed now, and he shouldn't have any long term effects."

"Good gracious! That sounds rather serious."

She sets to examining Fry's ears, naturally. Only looking, not touching.

"He's not goin' t'lose any hearin'?"

"Briefly his hearing went down to that of a normal person." Guppy says, smiling slightly. "He said that's why he didn't tell us his ear hurt, because the baby was less loud."

"You can't see it without a pokey thing." Fry says.

She exhales sharply, one wry laugh.

"I reckon there's some good in that."

He is such an extraordinary child. Shifting her grasp on Coral, she leans a little more into his line of sight.

"You feelin' all right now, sweetheart?"

Edited 2013-03-14 00:45 (UTC)

"I'm nearly always right." Fry says, still not keeping consistant eye contact.

"She means do you feel well." Guppy says.

"Feel what well?" Fry asks.

She snickers.

"How do you feel?"

If he says 'with my hands', she officially gives up.

Fry considers.

"It goes on my skin and then to my brain." he says.

"He's probably not going to be able to articulate that." Guppy says, with a wry smile. "Max tried to talk to him about emotions once and he was able to recognise 'excited' and 'upset' but that was about it. Physically, he doesn't tell us if he's hurting, you have to infer it if he's holding something funny. He doesn't tell us if he feels poorly either, but he usually goes cuddly and that's how we know.

He didn't do that with the ear infection, though he was getting up at night a lot. We'll be looking out for that if it happens again."

"I see."

She lets everything soak in, recalling past conversations and filing the new information away with the old. How are you farin'? Twenty pence.

"Y'gotta be diligent lettin' mommy an' daddy know when things is different with your body. Jus' in case."

She smiles, and lets him be with his new toys. Turning her full focus back to Guppy, she addresses the familiar items she sees he's picked up.

"How's everythin' gone over? I received Fry an' Coral's note a while back; it was very thoughtful."

Different... he can maybe do that, Fry decides. He pushes the train around the track.

"We've been pretty busy. I... kind of got promoted." Guppy says.

"Really? Guppy, that's wonderful!"

Beat.

"That is wonderful, isn't it?"

"I think so... I mean, I get my evenings and most of my weekends free, the only disadvantage is it's at City rather than St James'."

"Is that some ways away from your home? I know the uncertainty of your line'a work doesn't lend itself to a consistent schedule."

She's sure Fran must be delighted at the prospect of having Guppy with her more often, unless 'City' is somehow an awful fit.

"No, it's the hospital I used to work at. It's not too far, only ten minutes more. I had a few problems there before but I'll be in a different department."

"Oh, I see."

She doesn't want to press him. Being in a state herself the last few months, if someone doesn't automatically offer up details she's not going to ask for them.

"You've made your decision, then?"

"Hey kids, why don't you race to the karaoke machine and back?" Guppy says. "Ready, steady, go!"

Both kids jump up and run towards the machine. Guppy turns back to Kate.

"I got beaten up by a gang when I worked there before. They're in prison now but it's part of the reason why I have anxiety problems. I was apprehensive of going back there but my decision is made. I'm contracted there for a year while the doctor I took over from is on maternity leave."

"Oh, Guppy."

The sad thing is he gets beat up so often it's hard to keep track of where and when it happens.

"Are y'sure that ain't gonna be too hard on you?"

Tiny half-laugh. "No going back now. And career progression works that way, most people don't stay in the same hospital. If I didn't take the promotion in city, it might be years before one opens up at St James'.

It gives me more time with Fran and the kids. It's hard for her to get all three to bed on her own."

She nods, smoothing the concern from her brow and smiling instead. She cups his cheek briefly.

"Jus' so long as you're happy, sweetheart."

"I'm... nervous, but hoping it works out for the best." Guppy says.

"I win!" Fry announces, getting back first.

"Where's Coral?" Guppy asks, peering over him.

"Fell over." Fry says, as the tiny little girl tries to make her way through the sea of legs to get back.

"Oh. Oh dear."

As Kate's in a crouch, she's poised to make a move for the young girl. Which she does, posthaste.

Edited 2013-03-17 01:38 (UTC)

Guppy was about to do the same, but Kate moved first, so he stays with the other two.

Coral gets knocked over again by an orange-haired student rushing past, who fails to notice or stop. When Kate reaches her, she grabs on fast!

"Oopsy!"

"Mind your feet," she warns the student, brow creased. "You all right, sugar?"

She bends lower to see if she can get Coral to detach herself from her legs long enough to take her hand.

"Piss off!" the student calls back, as he strides across the bar.

"What's pissoff mean?" Coral asks, taking Kate's hand and not looking the slightest bit injured. She's the smallest kid in her entire school so she gets knocked over all the time...

"It means that man is in sore need of a good beltin'."

Unamused Kate is unamused.

Putting on her best smile for the little girl, she lets it roll off her back and leads the way back to the boys.

"He smelled funny." Coral says.

"That's Vyvyan, he always smells like that." Guppy says when they get back. "Thanks Kate. You okay Col?"

"Yes!" Coral jumps on her Daddy to prove it. "That man is in sore need of a good bell tin." she informs him. "So's we can hear him coming."

That makes Kate chuckle.

"Perhaps if we can hear 'im comin' soon enough we won't have t'smell 'im at all."

She then shoots an apologetic look at Guppy. Well, at least it's not half as bad as most of the things Gene gets Alex to repeat.

"He smells like armpit." Fry comments.

"Okay, let's tone down the smell comments." Guppy says, reaching over to get Brooke out of her baby seat as she's woken and is blinking around at them.

"Well hello there Brookie, did you have a nice nap?" he asks, sitting her on his knee.

Kate coos at the baby.

"She looks awful smart in that bonnet. I'm glad it suits her."

While Guppy is preoccupied with Brooke, Kate casts a sneaky look at the other two, pinching her nose and pulling an exaggerated face. Smell comments may not be polite, but they are funny.

And she agrees with Alex.

Coral laughs. Fry headtilts curiously at the gesture.

Guppy passes Brooke over to Kate for a cuddle.

"She's been getting several compliments from cooing passers by." he says. "Asking where they can get one."

"Oh — really?"

The question isn't in reference to the bonnet. It's in reference to Guppy trusting Kate to hold Brooke. She suddenly looks rather concerned as she helps settle the baby in her arms.

(She still smiles at her, of course, but with the way her life has gone holding an innocent child feels beyond her.)

"I ain't sure I have the circumstances t'make a business outta it," she chuckles softly. "But I'm happy folk like it."

"Of course!" Guppy says, more than happy to let her hold the baby. Heck, she's held the other two.

"You should go to see the Dragons." Fry says.

She's a cross between stunned and awed. Cradling Brooke as if she's scared she'll break at any moment, Kate tenderly adjusts blanket and clothing so she'll be comfortable, and smiles.

A small, charmed smile; the look of someone falling helplessly in love.

"Hmm? Pardon — Dragons?"

Brooke is a chubby baby, the opposite build to Coral. As such, she wriggles around contentedly, then starts to nom the corner of the blanket.

"The dragons have lots of money and they say 'Your business is great' or 'I'm out!'" Fry says.

Kate drags her attention away from the precious bundle in her arms, looking to Alex first.

And then, when his explanation further befuddles her, to Guppy.

Help?

Never trust a baby, Kate, Brooke's got your hair.

"Dragon's den is a television program where five rich people give money to budding businesspeople." Guppy says. "The rich people are called the dragons and the businessnpeople have to convince them they're worth investing in."

"Oh. Oh, how very odd."

That ... doesn't make very much sense to Kate, however she turns to Alex and smiles.

"That's a very ingenious idea, sweetheart. Perhaps if I wanna make a business of it, I'll have y'help me, all right?"

Brooke gets only a crooked smile, as she keeps her head tilted at an angle where she can chew on her hair all she likes without tugging it off Kate's head.

"I don't know about bonnets." Fry says.

"Maybe you could help test how soft they are?" Guppy suggests.

"Do I get to go on telly?" Fry asks.

"If Kate got through, but I think she's a way off there yet..."

Kate remains quite confused about everything, and seeing as how Guppy and Alex seem to know what they're talking about she leaves them to it.

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