Peter was calm and quiet as he looked to Doctor Alexander and then glanced to the window to the viewing area where Karen and Joanne had gone. He could see that the two women were calm, though it seemed like Joanne was leaning heavily on Karen and Karen seemed to be doing her best to pat the back of the older woman. Peter knew that made sense, given the statement that it could be up to a year before Monica Yuletide was anywhere close to where she was before the accident. Children and loved ones would always respond strongly to such results, however, his present concerns were a bit different and related to things that did not relate the present issue.
"She is your planned princess... the younger one?" Doctor Alexander asked in a soft voice.
"Yes," Peter managed, though his eyes soon glanced to where he notice the security cameras, and Doctor Alexander did notice this and responded.
"If you're worried about audio recordings... unless you yell or roar, that shouldn't be an issue," Doctor Alexander spoke, "and if you do not violate the law, our security won't make an effort to read lips."
"Good... because there are changes coming that are big that go beyond just Karen's future with me," Peter spoke softly, remembering the conversation he'd had with his father earlier in the morning, "well beyond that..."
Doctor Alexander frowned at that. The tone of voice was soft enough that the hospital's cameras wouldn't pick up what Peter had said, but what was said had some deeper meaning. She knew by Karen introducing Peter as her fiancée that Karen would likely become a werelion at some point, but that would be something personal between Karen and Peter and thus not her business. However, if there was something bigger that Peter was referring to, that would be something were related. For she'd actually come south to San Diego when Peter Talbot was still in elementary school. She knew of him, as Moon Lake's werelions were excited by his birth and talked about it, in a way that was somewhat similar to how all the werefoxes knew who the Tachibanas were in some way, shape, or form. As such, it was doubtful that Peter knew anything of her or her life in San Diego. The only connection was that they were both weres. That would have to mean that something "were related" was going on.
"And this would be?" Doctor Alexander asked, "Don't tell me you're suggesting... changing anything with Monica Yuletide's treatment?"
"No... not that," Peter shook his head, "right now... that would take away Monica's choices and I'm not in any position to make that call. My guess is that Karen might be as next of kin... but neither of us were aware that her mother had gotten engaged with Ms. Howard... so she might have some say there as well."
"And does she?" Doctor Alexander asked with narrowing eyes. She knew that there were cases in Moon Lake's history that dependent on the age of the patient, the Moon Lake Hospital staff would offer a Moon Lake resident the opportunity to become a were as a means to expedite the healing process. However from what Moira Alexander had found out when she did her internship at Moon Lake Hospital as part of her Med School studies, was that these cases were extremely rare and would still require the patient to heal normally to a point where becoming a were wouldn't either reopen the injuries or complicate them. Which really wouldn't shorten Monica Yuletide's status in a hospital by that much. And that would be something that would only work in Moon Lake, not in San Diego where there wasn't an apparatus that would essentially protect weres.
"Karen knows and has her pills to join me," Peter answered, "Ms. Howard does not... but that sort of change is NOT what I'm talking about."
Though he also knew that Karen had at least thought about that sort of thing, and he couldn't blame her. After all, if something happened to his own mother that was potentially fatal and someone had something that might help her, even if it wasn't something that his mother might actually want, a real part of him would be tempted. For love of one's parents was something to consider and that was what the present issue was for Karen with her mother. Thankfully he'd managed to talk her down from that and Karen didn't press on the issue.
"Then what are you talking about?" Doctor Alexander asked, "and please be brief. I have plenty of other patients to check on and things to do."
"Exactly what it is... I cannot be certain on," Peter admitted slowly, "I'd called my father this morning to update him on what Karen and I had found out. As last night was supposed to be something special for Karen and I... but the accident and everything that happened..."
"The King would be interested in a Normal's family?" Doctor Alexander asked.
"My father would be interested in someone who might as well BE family," Peter answered, emphasizing the word he felt the most important. He continued to avoid the whole royal title thing. For one thing, while his father played a leading role in werelion society, he didn't hold a seat on Moon Lake's City Council and thus had no political authority that related to being the werelion "king," just as the leader of a bowling league wouldn't have political influence just because he/she was the leader of that club/league. But Monica Yuletide's health would be a concern, because he loved Karen and would try to make her the happiest woman on Earth, and he'd figured that Karen had made a good impression on his parents and his father's brother's as well. This present incident might have delayed his welcoming Karen into were society, but he still intended to welcome Karen in. "For I do intend to marry her and make her happy."
"Okay," Doctor Alexander accepted that, "this other issue being...?"
"The exact point... I cannot say, for I don't know for sure what it is," Peter answered, "I just know that my father urged to let any "club members" give him a call. That would mean that something is going on... something that Karen and I don't know about as we'd left Moon Lake to come here... but it might affect you as a weretigress outside of Moon Lake. It might be something that would have to wait until you get home and can call on a secure line, but that is about it."
"And your father didn't mention anything more than that?" Doctor Alexander asked.
"Not to me," Peter answered, and pulled out his cellphone and scrolled through the contact list and eventually stopped on his father's number with the land-line number under it. "The highlighted number is my father's cellphone number and the number under it is the Talbot home number. It may be something to call him on when you're off duty and at home... but that's about all that suggest at the moment."
Doctor Alexander nodded, and pulled a small notepad from a pocket she wore. Normally this would only be used for notes to give patients or provide prescriptions, particularly when it came to painkillers, and those sorts of things also tended to come with a set end date, in part to make sure there was no issue with addiction, but for right now that wasn't the issue. She wrote down both the numbers that Peter had indicated and then tore that top page off before stuffing it into her pants pocket, the paper crackling as she did so.
"Thank you, young Mr. Talbot," Doctor Alexander finished, "a strange interaction... but then... as far as the larger world is concerned, when were either of us "normal," eh?"
"You're welcome," Peter managed as he backed up to let Doctor Alexander return to her duties and then moved to join the woman he loved and the other woman who might hopefully be an in-law one day as they visited with his love's mother... even if Monica Yuletide was presently unconscious.