New Normal

Dorcas often went away for days or even weeks on end, and Rodolphus never bothered to question it. Where she went or what she was doing was her own business, though mostly he assumed she was working whenever she was away. There was always the consideration that she was off secretly aborting his baby, as she had admitted to doing in the past, but considering their current circumstances that was highly unlikely. Lately, Dorcas had been getting annoyed by things she once would have tore his clothes off for; boring family dinners, breakfast in the kitchen, Rodolphus reading the paper silently. She seemed to take offense to the mundane moments in their lives, and with the news that they were going to be parents twice over, it came as no surprise that she’d thrown herself into her work or whatever she was doing. He knew she’d come home as soon as she needed a good, hard pounding, so it was rather a shock when word got to him that Dorcas had been taken to St Mungo’s after collapsing in the Ministry Atrium.

“I will purchase this whole sodding hospital just to sack your incompetent arse if that healer isn’t standing in front of me in 30 fucking seconds!” Rodolphus’ tirade had not yet earned him the company of Dorcas’ healer, who was apparently in surgery with some other patient Roddy didn’t give a shit about, but he’d been directed to Dorcas’ room and that was at least a start. He pushed open the door just in time to be greeted by Dorcas’ Auror friend, Dorcas draped in a towel on the bed behind him. “What the fuck is this?” he growled at Dorcas, as though Dorian was not standing between them. She was covered in hideous scars that any healer worth his salt should have been able to heal by now. Rodolphus, unaware that the wounds had been werewolf inflicted, was appalled at the state of his wife.

Dorian did not want to be caught between the pair of them, but as Rodolphus had not moved from the doorway, Dorian had little choice of where else to go. He took a step to the side as Dorcas attempted to send her husband away. "Rodolphus," he said in a polite, yet short greeting. "I was just leaving," he explained, hoping that would be enough for the younger man to move out of the way.

Refusal to speak to him or explain herself was par for the course, as far as Dorcas was concerned. Rodolphus moved closer to her as the door shut behind him, and he looked over the visible scars on her shoulder, taking her by the arm and turning her around like a ragdoll so that he could get a better look. His grip was loose and easily broken but he had seen enough to grow further enraged, though where exactly to direct his anger was still to be determined. "Who did this to you?" he snarled, certain he would get nothing in the way of answers from his wife but having no one else in that moment to inquire with. "I'll rip their fucking head off."

"You never tell me anything because you like it when I tear it out of you.” She was stubborn but always willing. But without having spoken to the healer yet, and with Dorcas playing her usual pig-headed self, he was reluctant to throw her around like he normally would have. He bowed his chest up and looked down at her, standing impossibly close to her as if he was going to eat her alive like she wanted but restraining himself with uncharacteristically impressive control.

Back to work? She looked as though she’d been shoved in a wood chipper, so it made perfect sense that his stubborn-arsed wife would be thinking about work. “Get fucking dressed,” he snarled, looking down at her cleavage which was still bundled up by a bath towel and just screaming to be freed. “I’m having you transferred to Hanley just as soon as someONE FUCKING RINGS THE BLOODY HEALER!” He turned his head and hollered the last half of his sentence to make his anger at the elusive healer known once more. Rodolphus was thoroughly unimpressed with St Mungo’s care of Dorcas and her condition and was certain his family’s private healer would be able to do much more for the hideous scars that covered the gorgeous brunette.

Rodolphus ignored Dorcas’ whining and turned his body in the direction he’d been yelling and headed towards the door, pulling it open as he started up again. “Where the fuck is the sodding healer?” he bellowed as he stepped into the hallway and headed towards the matrons desk, the door falling shut behind him.