Fic what I wrote (Green Wing, Joanna POV)
Apr. 5th, 2006 08:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
girlofpreyTitle: The English Girl Who Went Up A Hill
Fandom: Green Wing, gen
Rating: U.
Wordcount: 910
Disclaimer: I do not own them. I do not own any of them.
Notes: I wasn't sure of the age, but my Joanna's about 16/17 here. I may have taken some liberties with the Swiss medical system.
Feedback: Appreciated, as ever.
Summary: Joanna had her first baby up a mountain in Switzerland.
'People just ain't no good' (Nick Cave, "The Boatman's Call")
'Ooh, you should set that to music, it'd make a fantastic lullaby'
What she remembered of the pregnancy was feeling absolutely huge, like she was going to burst at the seams, and the way the nurses had smiled at her, in the hospital she checked into for the last few weeks. She’d spent most of her time ignoring them though, trying to plan the note.
What she remembered of the labour was that it really, really hurt, and that the nurses kept going off into bloody French.
She’d had to spend a day resting afterwards – had to – however much she wanted to be up and off. Just splayed out, on the starched, white sheets. While he waggled around in a plastic cot beside her.
He seemed to be moving around almost constantly, which was nice for him, since she felt so shagged out. Shifting about, looking around, at everything and nothing. When he wasn’t just screaming, which was most of the time. Sometimes he needed feeding, or changing, but mostly he just screamed, until someone came and picked him up.
One of the uniformed nurses had come over to do it, that evening, when they’d started to notice she wasn’t inclined to do anything about it herself.
“ Ooh, ” the woman had breathed, hoisting him up against her more-than-ample Swiss chest. Bouncing him gently. Smiling up at her. “ He likes attention, this one. ”
“ He likes nurses, ” she’d muttered, under her breath. She hadn't sat up from the pillows, just watched as the woman fetched a bottle and settled down into a chair, cooing, to feed him. She could tell from their pointed looks that they thought she should be doing it. Au naturel, and all that. She wasn’t planning to, as long as she could help it. Ever.
She’d always thought babies slept peacefully. “Cherub-like”. This one seemed to just sort of nod off, sprawled out the little mattress, when he was done shifting around and crying. Like someone just sort of switched him off for a few hours. And then he woke up and started waving his arms around again, and then crying, like he didn’t know he’d been asleep.
She’d wondered, idly, if all babies were like that. Or just him.
She didn’t think about it for too long, of course. As soon as she was sure he was out for a while, she rolled over in the bed, under the sheets. She needed all the sleep she could get.
* * *
They were all amazed at how quickly she got back on her feet. She’d smiled, and put it down to extreme youth and fitness, ignoring the way their smiles sort of froze, eyes narrowing, as she said it.
“ I want some time alone with him, ” she’d said, sweetly. Picking him up with one arm. “ Yes. I’m sure. Yes. It’s fine. Yes. Ye – look, just fuck off, will you? ”
Finally she’d managed to get outside, to some fresh air. She wasn’t checked out, but it was enough for the moment.
It wasn’t easy, getting the fag out and lighting it with one hand, but God it was worth it.
She blew the smoke out, after savouring it for a minute, and looked down at him. He’d gone quiet, for once. He seemed to do that with her. He was just looking up at her with his big dark eyes. Nothing like hers.
She’d taken another drag on the cigarette, and blown it out, over his head.
“ There’s no sense looking at me like that, ” she’d told him, as he kept looking at her. She flicked the cigarette ash, idly. “ I can’t keep you. ”
He went back to playing with his arm.
She took another drag on the cigarette, and tried to remember which of the instructors had had dark eyes. She wasn’t counting the other students. They were too young, weren’t they?
Fucking hell.
She finished the cigarette, stretching out the last few pulls since she wasn’t likely to have another any time soon, and went back in for her bag and the rest of the arguments.
* * *
She tried to keep the note simple. Debated for a few minutes whether or not to put her name to it, before finally scribbling it at the bottom. She bought a nice basket. Stuffed it full of blankets. It wasn’t an easy trek, up the mountain (it was much easier to come down, she remembered), but she persevered. Extreme youth and fitness, and all that. She pinned the note to the top, somewhere visible, and pushed the covers more tightly around him, to keep him warm.
He didn’t cry when she left him. Just watched her go, kicking at the blankets.
She couldn’t find the right change when the bus came, but the driver let her on anyway. Probably partly because of the thigh-high boots. But that was fucking fine, frankly, because they were practically torture to walk in so they might as well serve some use. And she was bloody cold, as well.
Collapsing into a tattered brown seat, she’d stared out of the window at the snow, blinding glaring whiteness, for what seemed like hours as they’d wound their way down the mountain.
‘ Bloody Switzerland, ” she’d thought, putting her arms round herself, rubbing them for warmth. She hoped there’d be someone at the airport she could scam some airfare out of. Make the boots properly earn their keep.
‘ Bloody men. ’
Fandom: Green Wing, gen
Rating: U.
Wordcount: 910
Disclaimer: I do not own them. I do not own any of them.
Notes: I wasn't sure of the age, but my Joanna's about 16/17 here. I may have taken some liberties with the Swiss medical system.
Feedback: Appreciated, as ever.
Summary: Joanna had her first baby up a mountain in Switzerland.
'People just ain't no good' (Nick Cave, "The Boatman's Call")
'Ooh, you should set that to music, it'd make a fantastic lullaby'
What she remembered of the pregnancy was feeling absolutely huge, like she was going to burst at the seams, and the way the nurses had smiled at her, in the hospital she checked into for the last few weeks. She’d spent most of her time ignoring them though, trying to plan the note.
What she remembered of the labour was that it really, really hurt, and that the nurses kept going off into bloody French.
She’d had to spend a day resting afterwards – had to – however much she wanted to be up and off. Just splayed out, on the starched, white sheets. While he waggled around in a plastic cot beside her.
He seemed to be moving around almost constantly, which was nice for him, since she felt so shagged out. Shifting about, looking around, at everything and nothing. When he wasn’t just screaming, which was most of the time. Sometimes he needed feeding, or changing, but mostly he just screamed, until someone came and picked him up.
One of the uniformed nurses had come over to do it, that evening, when they’d started to notice she wasn’t inclined to do anything about it herself.
“ Ooh, ” the woman had breathed, hoisting him up against her more-than-ample Swiss chest. Bouncing him gently. Smiling up at her. “ He likes attention, this one. ”
“ He likes nurses, ” she’d muttered, under her breath. She hadn't sat up from the pillows, just watched as the woman fetched a bottle and settled down into a chair, cooing, to feed him. She could tell from their pointed looks that they thought she should be doing it. Au naturel, and all that. She wasn’t planning to, as long as she could help it. Ever.
She’d always thought babies slept peacefully. “Cherub-like”. This one seemed to just sort of nod off, sprawled out the little mattress, when he was done shifting around and crying. Like someone just sort of switched him off for a few hours. And then he woke up and started waving his arms around again, and then crying, like he didn’t know he’d been asleep.
She’d wondered, idly, if all babies were like that. Or just him.
She didn’t think about it for too long, of course. As soon as she was sure he was out for a while, she rolled over in the bed, under the sheets. She needed all the sleep she could get.
* * *
They were all amazed at how quickly she got back on her feet. She’d smiled, and put it down to extreme youth and fitness, ignoring the way their smiles sort of froze, eyes narrowing, as she said it.
“ I want some time alone with him, ” she’d said, sweetly. Picking him up with one arm. “ Yes. I’m sure. Yes. It’s fine. Yes. Ye – look, just fuck off, will you? ”
Finally she’d managed to get outside, to some fresh air. She wasn’t checked out, but it was enough for the moment.
It wasn’t easy, getting the fag out and lighting it with one hand, but God it was worth it.
She blew the smoke out, after savouring it for a minute, and looked down at him. He’d gone quiet, for once. He seemed to do that with her. He was just looking up at her with his big dark eyes. Nothing like hers.
She’d taken another drag on the cigarette, and blown it out, over his head.
“ There’s no sense looking at me like that, ” she’d told him, as he kept looking at her. She flicked the cigarette ash, idly. “ I can’t keep you. ”
He went back to playing with his arm.
She took another drag on the cigarette, and tried to remember which of the instructors had had dark eyes. She wasn’t counting the other students. They were too young, weren’t they?
Fucking hell.
She finished the cigarette, stretching out the last few pulls since she wasn’t likely to have another any time soon, and went back in for her bag and the rest of the arguments.
* * *
She tried to keep the note simple. Debated for a few minutes whether or not to put her name to it, before finally scribbling it at the bottom. She bought a nice basket. Stuffed it full of blankets. It wasn’t an easy trek, up the mountain (it was much easier to come down, she remembered), but she persevered. Extreme youth and fitness, and all that. She pinned the note to the top, somewhere visible, and pushed the covers more tightly around him, to keep him warm.
He didn’t cry when she left him. Just watched her go, kicking at the blankets.
She couldn’t find the right change when the bus came, but the driver let her on anyway. Probably partly because of the thigh-high boots. But that was fucking fine, frankly, because they were practically torture to walk in so they might as well serve some use. And she was bloody cold, as well.
Collapsing into a tattered brown seat, she’d stared out of the window at the snow, blinding glaring whiteness, for what seemed like hours as they’d wound their way down the mountain.
‘ Bloody Switzerland, ” she’d thought, putting her arms round herself, rubbing them for warmth. She hoped there’d be someone at the airport she could scam some airfare out of. Make the boots properly earn their keep.
‘ Bloody men. ’
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-05 02:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-05 02:20 pm (UTC)I love them both, and I love the fact they're mother and son ("just because the sight of you makes me feel physically sick doesn't mean I'm not glad you're not dead"!), and I suddenly wondered what she must have been thinking/remembering the night she found out she did sex with him and he ran away, and it all just fell into place. In, yes, a slightly brilliant and terrifying fashion. But I'm quite pleased with it, yes :)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-06 01:24 am (UTC)I melt at the thought of Guy as a baby, so untainted by the world and yet, he already likes nurses. That was such a funny little add, I laughed out loud at that. Then again, you kind of wonder how Guy would've turned out if she hadn't left him behind.. Probably even more messed up, heh.
The end makes me feel kind of sad and yet not, because I know I would've probably arrived at the same decision if I'd been pregnant at 16. Anyway, Joanna felt so in-character, especially her speech - you wrote her really wonderfully. I hope you get inspired to write more GW fic as the new episodes continue, thanks so much for writing this one.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-06 04:58 am (UTC)I tried to make Guy the attention-grabbing little get I think he probably would have been. The urge to write him as 'perfect' was strong, but it was more fun writing him as 'Guy'. I found myself wondering what he'd have been like, too, while I was writing it - I decided 'a bit of a chav', and neither of them would have probably turned out as successful as they did, which they could have had all new issues about. I like to think he'd have met Mac anyway though!
I think Joanna came out a bit more hard-faced than I originally planned for, but I suppose that's part of her character, really. And I thought I had more time than I did, but the canon was that he was abandoned at two days old, so she really had to be quite efficient, and I still love her anyway. Fic-writing kind of comes and goes with me, but I do love Green Wing (and Guy), so probably, who knows?
Thank you for the feedback!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-07 07:58 am (UTC)He's the attention grabbing, loving females male we know and love in a teeny tiny widdle bundle of joy and screams!!!
How's the new series? Haven't seen it yet, being on holiday but have got someone to tape it for me ^^.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-07 08:58 am (UTC)I really really enjoyed the first episode, but there was a whole lot of Guy and Guy/Mac scenes, so it could have just been that confusing me. But it seemed quite good, and most people seemed to enjoy it. Hopefully the rest of the series will keep it up! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-07 09:06 am (UTC)Sorry, I posted earlier about wanting a Joanna icon and then I saw this and YAY! It's great :)
On entirely another matter (you posted somewhere else about Wicked), you should come to London because it's great. And let me know if you're struggling for somewhere to stay if you do get tickets for it, as my parents already think I'm weird for having friends on the internet so I'm sure we can figure something out, and hopefully by the time you come down we'll have got rid of my sister ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-07 09:59 am (UTC)Oh, you are kind! The Wicked thing is still kind of up in the air - I really need to think about Cuba, and - my career - first. I probably should go to London, at some point in my life, however. So thanks, it's nice to have the option! And I completely understand about the sister. Mine doesn't live with me anymore, but from the sounds of it they are LIKEN UNTO TWINS ::sympathy::
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-13 05:28 am (UTC)Late replying to this, but oh dear, you too? She's driving me spare at the moment *sigh*...
And yay, more GW tomorrow!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-10 02:29 pm (UTC)That is all the intelligent comment I gots. Yes.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-10 02:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-10 02:45 pm (UTC)