Mid morning

Grace Eddy had made arrangements to spend most of the summer between her 6th and 7th years in London so that she could intern at St. Mungo's, gaining a feel for what life was like for the average healer. True to Grace Eddy form, as soon as she had determined that being a healer was what she wanted to do for all eternity, she had made it her mission to know every little detail about the profession. To the point of being an obsessed lunatic. Dangerously close to being worthy of committed to the very place she was now intent on studying for roughly two months.

No amount of information about the job and no potential task was too daunting for the overachieving seventeen-year-old. This was what Grace Eddy wanted and she was going to do anything--anything to make it happen.

That included sacrificing a majority of her free time to have fun during the best weather months. For as much as her brother, Cadan, tried to keep her from being completely work oriented. He had made subtle hints to Grace over their haphazard dinners together that she was free to invite her friends to spend time with her or that he could even drive her to spend time with them in between his University studies. And he all but forced her out of the house for some random attempts at sports, refusing to let her hide behind a book for too long.

Still, there was little that could contain Grace's indomitable spirit for too long and it was this determination that had her showing up early for her scheduled meeting with Moira Randall, the woman who had been set up to be her mentor. She had dressed professionally for the occasion, not really certain if there was some other way that she should dress in the situation. But she had deferred to the standard of her school uniform which included a skirt of a respectable length, a blouse, a simple cardigan sweater and a pair of comfortable flats.

Now she sat waiting patiently (or not quite so much by the frequency with which she looked at her watch) in the hospital's main reception area, eager for her day to begin.

Outfit

Moira had teetered somewhere between excited and nervous in the days leading up to the arrival of her floor’s intern for the summer, Grace Eddy.  She could remember the excitement when she did her own internship and the affect her mentor had on her decision to pursue healing after school.  She had become certain of her passion that summer and she wanted to pass that on to Grace.  She had arrived early to get herself settled for the day and get ahead on some paperwork so she could focus on getting Grace settled in.

Things had thankfully been quite outside of work.  She and Marcus were starting to settle into a comfortable routine of lunches and dinners, and thankfully had managed to avoid the press so far.  It was only a matter of time, she knew that.  All she could hope was that when they were finally discovered it wasn’t by that dreadful Rita Skeeter woman.

Making her way to the main reception area she scanned the room for a moment before her eyes fell upon a young woman waiting alone.  She smiled slightly, taking in the pencil skirt falling to just the right length, button down shirt and cardigan paired with flats.  It was similar to what she had picked out for herself the first time she had done this sort of thing.  They would have to get her a set of robes usually worn by volunteers and interns, but she was pleased the young woman knew how to dress to make a first impression.  It would serve her well later in life as well.

“Grace?” she asked when she was close enough, hoping her hunch was right.

Grace's wait time was curiously interrupted by some of the patients in the waiting room. She tried not to look surprised or even alarmed by their presence there, as afterall, it was a hospital and they were waiting to be treated.

But it was hard not to be baffled by some of the maladies that were waiting to be treated by the staff. Gruesome gashes or something that looked to be growing out one patron's chest...these all might be regular occurrences for the healers here, but not for Grace.

She suddenly felt her palms become sweaty, wondering if she had what it took to take care of these kinds of injuries. She could fix her own broken bones and even attempted to help some of her classmates when they would let her so that they wouldn't have to go to the school's healer. But those were all minor ailments. Clearly, as her widened brown orbs saw now, these were heavy duty projects.

Her neurotic worrying was interrupted by someone calling her name and Grace instinctively turned in the direction of the sound of the voice to see the woman who was likely to be her mentor. Grace stood and stepped closer, eager for the chance to not focus on the rest of the room and she extended her hand. "Yes, I am Grace Eddy," she responded with a small smile. "And you are, Ms. Randall, I hope?"

Giving Grace a warm smile she shook her extended hand.  She had gotten rather good over the years at the tunnel vision often required when moving through the waiting room of a hospital.  It was easy to get sucked into the various cases one might see there, and as she had learned more she found she would have to be careful to not waste time trying to analyze each one from a distance to see if she could identify the problem.

"And you are, Ms. Randall, I hope?"

“Yes, but call me Moira,” she offered.  “It’s nice to meet you…I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.”

Of course it was probably good for Grace to have to spend a few minute sitting in the waiting room.  It would give her an idea of what she could possibly encounter day in and day out.  Every day at St. Mungo’s was of course different and offered its own particular set of challenges, but Grace would discover that soon enough.  Moira was convinced it was part of what kept those meant for the medical profession coming back with the same amount of passion for their jobs day after day, the fact that every day was unpredictable.

“I thought maybe we could start with a tour and I can answer any questions you might have so far,” she told her.  “After we can get you set with a locker and uniform and I can walk you through some of what you’ll be doing this summer.”

Grace eagerly accepted her mentor's hand and gave it a firm shake before releasing it. Even though the woman implored her to call her by her first name, Grace knew that it would be difficult. She had been brought up to respect her elders, even if they looked young enough to be a sister. With a shy smile, Grace said, "It's nice to meet you as well. And no, I haven't been waiting that long."

Grace's gray eyes cut to some of the patients in the waiting room. "Just long enough to get an idea of the types of patients that come through here every day." After a prolonged look at one of hte more greusome injuries awaiting treatment, Grace swallowed and added, "I'll be sure to make notes in my journal later."

Grace nodded agreeably at Moira's plan for the day. It was dangerous for Moira to offer to answer her questions, as the soon-to-be seventh year had plenty stashed away ready to be unleashed at the right time. For now, Grace decided to start with something simple, even though the thought of having a locker and a uniform excited her. "Is it always this busy? Or just certain times during the day?"

Remembering her own internships for a moment, Moira remembered feeling eager to learn anything and everything she could about healing.  Those days had always stuck with her as she had continued training after Hogwarts.  There wasn’t a day she doubted her choice, even when things weren’t easy or pleasant.  It had been the passion of the staff members that she had worked with that had truly stuck with her even years later.

“It’s good you’re keeping a journal,” she responded.  “I still do that actually when I read about something new or someone shows me a new technique.  This is one of those fields where you’re always learning.”

She started to lead Grace from the waiting room to start their tour.  She planned to cover all of the floors, even if they’d be spending most of their time on the first floor in creature induced injuries.  That afternoon she also knew that she would be receiving a visit from a patient she saw regularly and she was slightly curious to see how Grace might react to the little girl.

"Is it always this busy? Or just certain times during the day?"

“It almost always busy,” Moira told her.  Of course on the first floor where you’ll be a majority of the time we’ll see mostly injuries that have been caused by a creature of some sort.  Obviously during certain times of the month we are still more busy then others.”  She was referring of course to the fullmoon when usually everyone was either scheduled or work or on call incase they were needed.

The mention of her journal caused Grace to flush, as even though she anticipated it being a part of her professional life, it still had a very personal connection. She wrote something pretty much every single day, even if it was a line or two. Along with her friends (who were considerably more laidback and easy going than she was these days) it helped her maintain her sanity.

When Moira mentioned that healing would be a profession that called for constant learning, something swelled inside of Grace. She didn't expect that any profession she chose would be easy (because Grace simply did not do easy in any aspect of her life), but she did long for what she did to consistently challenge her in pretty much every way imaginable. A quick look around the waiting room and she knew that it certainly would do that on a fairly regular basis.

Grace followed close behind her mentor and listened carefully to what the woman was saying while also allowing her eyes to roam around and take in what was happening around her.  Grace absently nodded to what was being said about creature injuries. "What creature would you say causes the most injuries?" she asked. And just as quickly she added, "And which injuries are the most difficult to treat?"

Reaching the lift, Moira pushed the call button waiting for it so they could start on the top floor.  Usually she tended to take the stairs as the lifts could be slow taking people between floors.  However she wasn’t in a rush like she usually was.  There was no patient waiting for her, and no one needing her immediate help.  It would also give her a little extra time to get to know Grace before they reached the first floor.

"What creature would you say causes the most injuries?  And which injuries are the most difficult to treat?"

“Well, I’d say the most common injury we see here are doxy bites.  I don’t know if you’ve ever encountered one, but they can be quite nasty and the bite is painful.  I’m always surprised on the weeks I don’t see at least a few cases,” she said as the lift door opened.  Stepping inside she held the door open for Grace before pushing the button for the fifth floor.

“Creature related injuries can be a bit tricky since every case is different.  It’s not like having a potion or spell backfire because it’s not always as clear due to the severity of the attack…I think the specific patient can also determine how difficult the case might be.  I know you’re looking for a specific sort of injury, but I think the hardest cases are those involving children,” she told Grace.  “For me I have an easier time treating an adult with a Runespoor bite then I do a child who stumbled upon a common Garden Gnome…if that makes any sense.”

Grace had read about doxies during Care of Magical Creatures class, but had never encountered one at length. And from what Moira was saying, that was a positive thing.

When her mentor went on to speak about injuries to children, Grace nodded gravely, her sense of empathy setting in as she considered how a younger version of herself might have coped with various injuries from magical creatures. Granted, a young Grace would not have had much contact with them since she had been oblivious, but still. That was probably part of the misfortune. Children didn't always understand what was happening to them or how it was to be fixed. And often the fear of the unknown was what was most startling.

"It makes perfect sense," Grace assured Moira. Grace continued to follow Moira through St. Mungo's, trying to do her best at multitasking--listening to her mentor talk while also taking everything in. She seemed to want to memorize every inch of the place as she fully expected at some point in the future to be working there.

Eventually, Grace focused fully on Moira and earnestly said to her, "I'm here to learn, Ms. Randall. So feel free to throw me into anything." Grace was quite adept at flying by the seat of her pants and she expected it would help her here too. "I'm really looking forward to it."

The lift doors closed taking them towards the fifth floor, and Moira smiled a little appreciatively when Grace confirmed that her sentiments made sense.  It hadn’t been something she had given much thought to until she was on duty late one evening in Salem’s Peak and been the first to respond when a child was brought in after trying to catch a wild Jarvey to turn it into a pet.  The bites had been deep, but still treatable.  However at four years old the little girl had hardly been able to understand what was going on and the girl’s terror was something Moira had never forgotten.

"I'm here to learn, Ms. Randall. So feel free to throw me into anything.  I'm really looking forward to it."

“That’s a great attitude to have around here,” Moira told her with a grin.  “This job isn’t easy.  The hours are long and sometimes it can take a toll physically and emotionally.  But, if you have the passion for it there isn’t anything more rewarding then knowing you’ve helped someone.  Personally I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

When the lift doors opened again they were on the fifth floor looking at the tea room and hospital shop.  Stepping off, she continued, “I don’t usually come up here very often, but this is the tea room and the shop.  You’ll probably have quite a few people asking you how to get here on a regular basis and just direct them to the lifts and the fifth level.  It’s usually a good place for visitors to sort of catch their breath for a few minutes.” 

Grace nodded with every word that Moira spoke, looking like a little first year student who was listening to a professor spout off information like it was gospel. But Grace really did regard everything the mediwitch was saying in that light. This was her future. This was where she was meant to be. And she was committed to that end no matter what.

Of course, this didn't mean that she had any clue as to the magnitude of work and effort it would take to be successful. Conquering OWLS and NEWTS was one thing; surviving in a grown up world was another. Grace was eventually going to see that it wasn't the sunny perfection she imagined.

Grace couldn't picture herself not having the passion with which Moira spoke about her job. She echoed the sentiments the older woman said in her own mind.

Still, she took a deep breath as they entered the fifth floor and tempered her constant thoughts and excitement. There was no hiding that she was eager to get to work. The idea of catching her breath for a few minutes was lost on her.

"I do like tea," Grace admitted. "But I probably don't indulge in it as much as I should....for my own health." Grace grinned at Moira. "Do you ever find yourself so into your work that you forgo things like sleep?" Grace fingered the hem on her skirt. "I do that more than I should too."

“In school and during my training I was horrible about sleeping,” Moira said in agreement.  “Now I’m more likely to forget to eat during the day.  I suppose it does happen, the mind gets so caught up in the challenge that’s been presented you can’t help but focus on it completely.  I do tend to keep busy after work too…so I suppose I still do that a bit.”

Pausing she reflected for a moment before adding, “If I remember correctly your file said you’re in Gryffindor.  It sounds like you might have done well in Ravenclaw too which was my house in school.”

She knew if she was being honest she still tended to lose herself in studying a lot.  Usually she played the piano until relatively late, or sat reading the latest published study.  Usually it was about expanding her own knowledge, but on occasion she knew it was about the distraction.  It was easier to ignore some of her nagging concerns about her life outside of work if she was throwing herself completely into something.

“We could grab some tea to go,” she said after a moment.  “I could actually use a little something before we start back towards the lower levels.”  Crossing the sitting area towards the counter she knew that the only real chance to get to know Grace before they returned to the usual craziness of the first level.  An application in a file could really only tell so much, and so far it seemed like Grace would fit in well at St. Mungo’s.

Grace was beginning to feel a little more at ease with some of the revelations from her mentor, letting her know that she wasn't a complete oddball in her actions since deciding becoming a healer was her ultimate goal. Nothing was too much of a sacrifice in order to achieve that, right? Not sleep, not nourishment, not sanity, not even....time spent with loved ones?

Well, that might be her drawing point. Grace had not yet given up that. And when Moira mentioned that she kept busy after work, Grace made a mental note that she needed to keep her social life in check.

Grace nodded when Moira inquired about her house. "Yes, I am a lion," she confirmed proudly. But when the mediwitch suggested that she would have done well in Ravenclaw, Grace did not take offense. She simply smiled and told her, "Professor Bombay tells me that all the time. I don't think he likes the sorting hat all too much."

Grace let out a awkward little laugh but eagerly nodded again about getting tea to go. "Sure thing." She followed behind Moira but had to quickly side step an oncoming Healer rushing off to somewhere. Grace pressed herself up against the corrdior wall until the coast was cleared. She released a breath and flashed Randall a sheepish smile. "Oh! I should probably watch where I'm going already!"

Moira easily dodged the healer who sped past them, obviously on their way to some emergency.  After seven years of being in a hospital she had simply grown used to moving quickly out of the way.  She looked over to Grace giving her an understanding smile.  It took some getting used to, she was sure of that much.  She didn't get it perfect the first go around, and there were some things she was still learning.

"It comes with time," Moira told her.  "The first year I worked in Salem's Peak I was constantly running into things to get out of the way.  I always felt like a complete klutz....Then suddenly it just started to become a little more normal to have to shift my path quickly.  You'll get there."

The worst had been the day she had managed to drop three different containers of potion, making quite a mess for the maintenance staff.  One had even eaten through the enamel on the floor and they had been forced to replace a few of the tiles.  The whole thing had been mortifying, but she took it as a learning experience and part of the processes of learning.  You couldn't grow if you never made mistakes, and she had always tried to live by that principle.

"I think you'll do fine around here," she said as they reached the counter.  "In a week or two you'll be in a bit of a routine and it won't seem so chaotic."