Dr. Helen Magnus

Since Greg was more or less out of the danger zone and merely needed monitoring (physically, anyway. Mentally was another story entirely), Helen didn't feel particularly bad about making this clinic visit less about being a physician and more about being a friend.

A very worried, very angry and very, very pregnant friend. She lowered herself in the chair next to his bedside and cleared her throat, hoping to rouse him if he'd drifted off to sleep. While she understood that the mind could sometimes twist the body on itself, she hated that she hadn't noticed something was wrong and taken preventative measures, no matter how much Greg probably wouldn't have cared for it. Still, nothing to be done but address it now, yes?

"And how are we feeling? Better, worse, more of the same?"

Helen hadn't entirely expected the baby to come early and with the whirlwind of Thanksgiving and labor, it was really only a few days later that it sank in that she and Will were parents. She and Gregory were still settling into a rhythm with feeding and at the moment, it was more 'he cries, you feed' than anything else. While it was exhausting, the hard bits were yet to come, and Helen felt like the days were starting to run together.

It was just before dawn this time when Gregory cried and it was much easier to bring him to her breast and nurse when he was asleep beside her than the first few times when she'd gotten up to get him from his cradle; Helen had a sinking suspicion that Gregory was going to end up in bed with them more often than not.

Once she'd gotten Gregory settled and nursing happily, she looked over at Will, who seemed just as bleary-eyed as she felt. "I believe it may actually be our anniversary, if I've got my days and nights straightened out. Happy anniversary, Will."

Helen, frankly, was tired of having the emotions of a teenage girl and suspected that somehow she and Coraline had simply switched for the month. It was all John, mostly, with a bit of Nikola, and a whole lot of Will thrown in for good measure. There was Kate and her desire to make sure the island's girls were all safe and then there was the fact that Helen didn't think John was all that much of a threat.

It had been an Abnormal. The demon she'd painted in her mind, the man who'd beaten her and forced her hadn't even been the man, it had been the Abnormal. John had been nothing but kind and gentle since he'd come to the island and as a Council member, she wanted to uphold the ideal of the blank slate. If anyone should have an objection against John Druitt, it should be her, and she wanted to champion him instead.

All of it left her emotions in turmoil and made her feel guilty. She was newly married and by all rights she should see no other man or feel for any man but her husband and stupid John had her all turned on her head. She hadn't really talked about it, though, and instead had opted to share the couch with Will, the cat and the sloth and while she should have been reading (and was making valiant attempts at Bleak House), she kept looking over at Will instead.

She stretched, somewhat, and shifted her feet into Will's lap, curling her toes and giving him a pathetic attempt at puppy eyes.

"Foot rub? Please? I've been in ridiculously high heels all day."

After John's arrival, Helen had been more than a little unsettled and it took some doing to manage to get Kate alone in the vet's office without Coraline or Hiccup underfoot. Not that Helen thought Hiccup would do anything rash but Coraline would and the last thing she wanted was to endanger a little girl under her care because of John's showing up. Besides, Coraline reminded her of Ashley and it just opened too many wounds to discuss with her directly.

Kate, though, Kate had information that Helen needed. Helen didn't particularly like asking about her future but if what John had said was true, the island would have effectively nullified his madness and made him the John she'd known long ago, the John she'd been friends with and fallen in love with.

"Kate? Might I have a word? Some...things have come up."

While the island had changed for some reason or another, Helen wasn't particularly interested in exploring it. The constant din of carnival music made it nearly impossible to work and she was grateful her hut, at least, was some ways away from most of the civilization on the island. She had been trying to type up a state of the island address, or something to that effect, regarding her original campaign for Council and how she'd met her goals. She hadn't done as well as she hoped but at least Sam was working with Dr. McCoy and Alcuin with Nikola. She'd have to do better next term, if she were re-elected.

Normally not fond of sprawling out while she worked, Helen had sprawled out across the bed on her stomach, cursing lightly when one of her keys stuck on her laptop. "Bloody hell, Nikola, not only did you steal it, you had to go and spill wine all down in it too, didn't you?"

He was going to fix this if Helen had to stand on his neck until he thought it a good idea. She poked helplessly at the space bar, tacky with red wine, and sighed.

Helen had been supposed to meet Juliet for breakfast at the Winchester on Saturday morning and when she hadn't showed, she'd gone to her hut. She was...gone. No sign of her things, no sign of her, nothing. She'd asked one of her neighbors, a silver-haired fellow named Jack O'Neill, and the two of them had searched for a while before Jack said that he couldn't find a trace of her and she must have disappeared from the island entirely. Helen thanked him for his help and her steps were heavy as she made her way back to see Will.

Her heart caught when Will was still there, feeding Roy, and her voice was slightly shaky when she spoke.

"Will? Could...could we talk for a moment, darling?"

Something strange was afoot on the island and Helen wanted to keep as quiet as possible as to keep from blurting out something or other she shouldn't. She'd done well enough, spending most of the day in private research in order to brush up on animal surgical techniques. She spent a few hours in the Council office as well, handling a few items of business and familiarizing herself with the files kept on the island residents. A great many talented people came to this island, it seemed, and Helen felt lucky they'd chosen her to lead them.

Exhausted, she let herself back into the hut and dressed for bed in a light, cool gown before flopping into bed. Please, please don't let Will ask her anything.

Helen actually hadn't drunk very much at St. Patrick's Day, considering she was English and wasn't particularly inclined to get overly excited about an Irish holiday but Will had seemed very into the idea both of celebrating the holiday and getting pleasantly buzzed. Helen was inclined to let him; he'd taken care of her drunk more than once, after all, but it seemed Will was getting a little close to over imbibing. Imagining the best way to get him home was a promise of better things to come, she smoothed down her dress and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Would you like to go to bed, Will?"

Helen had been neglecting certain things of late. Her fit of melancholy had eased somewhat after talking with Will on Tuesday and by Sunday, she was more than ready to get out and see friends again. She'd never stayed down for long, never her style, and the listlessness that the island brought out in her could only be assauged with doing something.

Today, said something was seeing Juliet and Helen had the bottle of spirits and cranberry syrup Trixa had made her for Christmas. No time like the present to crack into it. She rapped lightly at the door frame

"Juliet? Are you home?"

The new year was always a cause for celebration and while Helen would have preferred for it to be held within the walls of her sanctuary and surrounded by family and friends, she couldn't entirely be upset with dancing with Will while wearing a gorgeous gown and being kissed at midnight to ring in the new year. She hadn't entirely expected it to be such a kiss and Will had surprised her there, but perhaps it was a prelude of things to come.

Helen had drunk a little more than she would have liked but she had always managed to sober quickly, especially when she was drinking because of a festive occasion and not because she was trying to numb her emotions. Her heels had pinched her feet at the party and she and Will had snuck down to the clothes box to get a softer pair for the trip back to her hut (atrocious little boots, but very warm and soft). They didn't normally stay at her hut, opting instead for the relative convenience of the compound and its kitchens and showers, to the point where Austen usually just walked up with Helen when she went to the compound to settle for the night.

But tonight Austen was curled in a corner in Helen's hut and they were staying there. Helen thought it prudent, given she was a little tipsy and less inclined to reserve herself the way she had to when they were sharing Will's bed in the compound. She tossed off the comfortable, yet completely unfashionable boots she was wearing and sprawled back onto her bed with a laugh.

"I shouldn't have put so many damn pins in my hair. It's going to take ages to take down, isn't it?"