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“How bad is it?” Bjorn asks, after who he assumes to be the doctor, has checked out and cleaned the deep gash on his leg.
“You will definitely need stitches,” the assumed doctor answers. “Remind me again how this happened?” he asks, making Ragnar chuckle, before he quickly stops himself.
“Dad!”
“I’m sorry, but it was funny.”
“I dropped a firework after I lit it,” Bjorn sighs, “and I tried to pick it up. But then I realised how hot it would be, and I tried to run away. And I tripped over the fence…” The teenager looks more than just a little embarrassed, but Ragnar can’t help but laugh again. He had warned Bjorn not to mess around with any fireworks because it was too dangerous, so watching him ignore his warnings to impress his friends, only to have to run away and fall flat onto his face in front of everyone was hilarious to Ragnar. Not that he was laughing when he saw that Bjorn was actually hurt, though. He had picked him up and driven him to the hospital right away, but once the wound was cleaned out, it was obvious that it wasn’t nearly as bad as it looked and that he would be just fine.
“I’ll go see if someone is available for stitches.”
“Thank you…” Ragnar checks out the doctor’s name tag, flashing a smile that could only be perceived as flirty. “Athelstan.”
Bjorn rolls his eyes, but he is too busy checking out the gash in his leg to give it another thought. But when his father chuckles again, he looks up with an irritated look on his face.
“What?” Ragnar laughs. “It was funny.”
“It was stupid…”
“It was.” Ragnar agrees. “I warned you, didn’t I?”
Bjorn bites back his words, knowing full well that his father was right to warn him. But he didn’t think he was going to drop the fireworks and fall in front of his friends, did he?
The tension in the room is broken by Athelstan and an older woman coming into the room. The woman sits down without introducing herself, and she gives Bjorn’s wound another once-over.
“I cleaned it out, and…,” Athelstan begins, but he is quickly cut off.
“It needs stitches,” the woman says, already getting the things together to do so. “You were messing around with fireworks?” she asks without looking up.
“Mhm,” Bjorn mumbles, not wanting to tell the story again. The doctor glares up at him, shaking her head, clearly tired of having to take care of people who think they’ll be the exception and that fireworks can’t hurt them.
“This is going to hurt,” the doctor warns him, before looking over her shoulder at Athelstan - who both Bjorn and Ragner assumed to be the doctor, but who clearly isn’t. “Would you like to observe? You might learn something.”
“Sure.” Athelstan nods, flashing an uncertain smile. “Thank you.”
Bjorn clenches his fists, looking nervous about getting stitches for the first time. Ragnar may have been laughing at his clumsiness before, but now he just feels bad for him. But before he can say or do anything, Athelstan has extended his hand to the teenager - clearly having dealt with nervous patients before.
“Do you want to hold my hand?” he offers. “To squeeze when it hurts?”
“No, thanks…” Bjorn scoffs. His face has lost its colour, but as nervous as he may be, he doesn’t want today to get even more embarrassing.
“I wouldn’t mind holding your hand.” Ragnar grins, and when Athelstan looks at him, it’s obvious that he thinks he’s serious. Until he realises that he is trying to flirt with him, and his cheeks flush.
“Dad!” Bjorn rolls his eyes again. “Stop trying to flirt with the doctor, will you?”
“I’m a nurse, actually,” Athelstan points out, but he doesn’t tell Ragnar off for flirting with him. In fact, he has a shy smile on his face as he watches the actual doctor stitch up Bjorn’s wound.
“Stop playing with fireworks,” the doctor warns Bjorn, and without another word, she’s gone.
Ragnar can’t help but stare at Athelstan as he is rattling off the information on getting stitches removed and how to take care of the wound, disappointed to find that Bjorn can get his stitches removed by their GP, and that they won’t have to come back here. While he’s glad not to have to return to hospital, he’s disappointed not to get another chance to see Athelstan.
“Come on, dad!” Bjorn says, making Ragnar snap out of his thoughts. “Let’s go.”
Ragnar follows his son out of the room, but when they reach the lift, he looks over his shoulder, only to find Athelstan watching him from where he’s standing. Athelstan quickly looks away, though, hoping that Ragnar hasn’t noticed. But it’s too late for that.
“Give me a minute.”
“Dad, please tell me you’re not going back to talk to that nurse.” Bjorn sighs, and when Ragnar flashes a grin, he knows enough.
Ragnar turns, expecting his son to take the lift downstairs to wait for him there, as he heads over to where Athelstan is still updating Bjorn’s file. Athelstan jumps up when he hears Ragnar’s voice, clearly lost in thoughts, but he quickly flashes a polite smile - expecting Ragnar to have come back to ask him something about Bjorn’s wound.
“If I were to ask you out right now,” Ragnar begins, thinking it’s best to come out with it right away instead of beating around the bush - especially as Bjorn has the car keys, and he’s not sure what he’ll do if this takes too long. “How would you rate my chances?”
“Of…”
“You saying yes,” Ragnar answers, flashing a flirty smile - although it slightly fades when Athelstan looks down at the file in his hands. “Maybe we could go for a coffee?”
Athelstan smiles shyly, taking a moment to consider his answer, before looking up at him again.
“Or we could go out to dinner?” Ragnar continues, getting slightly nervous that Athelstan still hasn’t given him an answer. “Maybe a movie?”
“I don’t even know your name.”
“Ragnar.” Ragnar says, holding out his hand. Athelstan hesitates for a moment, but then he shakes it, unable to keep the smile from forming on his lips. “Ragnar Lothbrok.”
“Nice to meet you, Ragnar Lothbrok,” Athelstan chuckles, pulling away his hand.
“Now… will you go out with me?”
“Alright,” Athelstan laughs, clearly flattered by his persistence. “I’ll go out with you.”
“Can I call you?”
“Athelstan!” the stern doctor who gave Bjorn stitches yells from one of the doorways.
“I should go back to work,” Athelstan quickly says, “I’m sorry.”
“You have my number,” Ragnar quickly reminds him before he gets a chance to walk off. “It’s in the file.”
“Athelstan!” the doctor yells again, sounding frustrated and impatient. Athelstan quickly heads over to the doctor, but before following her into the room, he looks over his shoulder, only to find Ragnar standing there, mouthing, “Call me!”
“I will!” Athelstan mouths back, before disappearing into the room. Leaving Ragnar standing there, grinning like an idiot - completely oblivious to the fact that at the end of the hallway, Bjorn watched the whole thing, and he is shaking his head in embarrassment - a smile still forming on his face when he sees his father’s excitement.
