Alan is a pediatrician for the very simple fact that he loves children and hates it when they're in pain. Any kind of pain, really. He likes helping them, and he likes it when they arrive in tears and leave with a smile.

Not the tears bit, the smiling bit. He likes making them feel better.

Check-ups, while repetitive and sometimes tedious, are one of his favorite things to do. This is partially because he usually gets to say 'Johnny is just fine, Mrs. Smith' or something very similar.

It's a pleasant break to the children who have to stay in the hospital.

He's on his way to one of those right now, actually. The check-ups, that would be, not the children permanently stuck here.

A little boy by the name of Turner. New patient. Should be interesting. Shouldn't be out of the ordinary, though.

Amanda is dressed up, of course. Since getting back into the dating scene, she's less likely to be dusty and covered in paint and more likely, as in now, to be neat in flowered print and heels.

Ted's not exactly sulky, but not exactly talkative. He's been taciturn lately, which Amanda puts up with, because lordie, he's almost a teenager too - three teens at once. Gods above and below....

She'd rather pretend it isn't happening.

This will continue until she sees his report card. Then, there shall be explosions.

"Dr Gardinier? This is my Teddy Bear."

Ted looks sour. He hates that nickname, even if he puts up with it for her sake.

Alan smiles, his friendly, reassuring smile that can bring a smile from even the most sulky little kid.

Usually. We'll see if it works today.

"Hey there." A glance at Amanda--and a wink for her, as well--and he adds, "What would you like me to call you, hm? I'd feel kind of weird calling you 'Teddy bear.'"

The funny bit? He talks like this to everyone. Casual, friendly, right on a first-name basis with everyone.

Except that awful man, Kael.

Ted tilts his head to one side, Looking at the nice doctor. "Ted." He isn't exactly sullen anymore, but he isn't chipper.

Amanda, ahem, tweaks his ear. Magically, you understand. It's rude to use Sight on someone, you know.

"I think I'll wait outside, unless you need me?" She has accountbooks to work on. The downside of running your own business.

Technically, legally, she should probably be present. Ted is a minor, after all.

But what's going to happen?

"That's fine, Mrs. Turner."

He nods to her and returns his attention to Ted, having no idea that Ted is Looking at him, not just looking.

"Sit up here, all right, Ted?"

Ted obeys, silent-like.

And he Looks at Alan again, because he has never been one to obey his mother without question.

Sigh, for Alex's influence on his morality.

And Alan does doctor things, with his usual chatter. He doesn't use as much of it, or in as condescending a manner as some doctors, but he does talk a good deal.

Mostly because he's friendly and he actually likes telling interesting stories like this.

Several of them are funny or odd incidents that have occurred while he's been working here.

There's a sort of worry in the back of his mind, though. He didn't stop Kael. He didn't, and someone else might get hurt. And what if the ex-doctor did turn things back on the faun? And...

His insides twist up in pain, and he pauses in his tale. And then he continues.

That spell hasn't quite worn off yet; the memory spell went faster, for some reason.

Pause.

"So you hate Mr. Douglas too?"

...look, Ted is....

Honest in his feelings.

All of them.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Alan is pretty sure he heard that wrong.

For being innish, he's pretty unnish.

Ted looks patient.

"Mr Douglas. He's old and creepy and used to be a doctor and he lives on (something or other) street. Remember?"

Honestly, sometimes adults are stupid.

"... Douglas Kael?"

Blink.

"How did you know I know him?"

He isn't even asking how Ted knows he dislikes him.

One step at a time, please.

Pause.

"'Cause I do?"

Ted has a hard time with non-specific questions.

"That's not an answer."

Pause.

"What told you that I know him?"

Remember your background, Alan. That's a good boy.

"Well I watch him 'cause I hate him and I saw him talking to you so I wondered who you were and all I saw was a horse and that was weird and I don't know but you're a real doctor so you hate him 'cause he's a pretend one."

Pause.

"Right?"

That was one long run-on sentence.

Alan has to take a moment to unravel the run on before he can answer.

"That's... not quite right."

Long pause.

"I don't hate him, anyway."

Another pause.

"And it's not because he's a pretend doctor, it's because he... Er."

Frown.

He remembers what Douglas did to Bo and Matteo, and he doesn't want to detail that to an eleven year old boy.

"Oh. That."

Pause.

"He's a nasty."

Pause again, and then, confidentially, "We should have a club. 'Cause he's mean."

That's Ted for you. Honesty. And a very, very simple worldview.

Blink. Again.

It's an odd effect, Alan's blinking, especially to other senses. That 'horse' that Ted saw might be more prominent when the good doctor is thinking.

"I... don't think that would be a very good idea."

Pause.

"I also think you should stay away from him."

Ted is sulky.

"Everyone says that. But I can't just let him go. No one else is trying to make him sorry. "

Something he couldn't tell Alex, but Alan will understand, won't he?

... Alan thinks about this.

And then he gets a downright mischievous smile on his face and tilts his head to one side.

"What did you have in mind, anyway? To make him sorry?"

Shrug.

"I dunno... I mean, pranks are fine, but... they're just pranks. 'Nd I think Mr. Barclay would be mad at me if I started a fight with Mr. Douglas, 'n... I dunno."

He's just a kid.

"It would probably be a bad idea anyway, given what I know of him."

Alan sighs.

"Can't your Dr. Barclay do something?"

"He's...." Pause.

"Mr Douglas is... Iunno. I think they're friends."

Pause again.

"Or at least, they don't fight. Dunno why."

Alan frowns.

"They didn't seem like friends to me..."

He did see them together once.

It was one of the most terrifying experiences of his life.

Ted tilts his head to one side.

"Really? When?"

"Oh, quite a while ago."

He frowns even more.

"They seemed more like enemies than friends, to me."

Of course, that was probably because Douglas was not-so-indirectly threatening Keye.