She told them the cost of the shot after it'd been administered. Ugh. Half a grand a shot. 4 shots. The math wasn't hard. It was just bad.

Raine raised her arm back toward the nurse. "Take it back."

Of course there were no takebacks at this point. She knew that, logically, but it was a dirty trick to put the cost out on the table after the fact.

"This is silly. I could have gotten a bite anywhere. I'll go back downstairs and we'll file the paperwork for insurance purposes like I walked in with an appointment." And, hopefully, her insurance covered getting bitten by a rat. "Then, I can just come into the clinic for the follow ups. No smuggling or cloak and dagger. If I'd gotten shot, that'd be a different matter, but— I mean, I think? Rats bite people all time, yeah?"

That was that. It was decided. Raine stood, ready to go and do the right thing.

What if it made her premiums go up? No. That was silly. They should have been up anyway since she was living the vigilante life.

The shot may have stung for Raine, but the cost made Rebecca wince. She was no idiot; medicine was almost always going to be more expensive than anyone could justify. Knowing this did little to soften the cost of something as uncomplicated as a rabies shot. Costs were usually high to get more out of insurance companies, but vigilantes did not qualify for insurance.

Knowing the price upset the young rat bite victim, who wanted Juliette to defy the laws of physics and biology to take back the administered shot. Sure, Raine might have had insurance of her own, but she was young, and insurance companies loved to wring out the youth and joy of their customers through increased premiums. More importantly, Rebecca was at least partially responsible for what happened.

”Put your arm away, Zero,” she advised curtly. ”You got bit on… duty.” There was a brief pause for hesitation as Rebecca almost said “on site,” before remembering the story she had already spun about the bite taking place on the way into the hospital. ”When that happens, I’m responsible. So grab your lunch, thank Jules, and go say hi to Shivs. I’m sure you’ll brighten her work day.” The two young women were always so peppy and fed off each other, so it was easier to pair them off when they were safely away from Rebecca.

Turning her attention back to Jules, Rebecca sighed, thinking about how she would deal with an unexpected two-thousand-dollar expense. ”Jules, just email me the invoice. I’ll discuss payment with Miss Barrowman.” Joanne Barrowman was one of the few hospital administrators who fancied herself an “ally to the cause,” and did her best to advocate for the X-Men when she could. In the same way Juliette would occasionally look the other way on rule breaking, Joanne would occasionally work with Rebecca to make costs more manageable. It was key that Juliette was unaware of discounted fees and Joanne was unaware of sand and cats. Compartmentalization.

Rebecca waited until Raine had given her goodbye and was out of earshot before giving Jules her proper thanks. ”Jules, I appreciate this. I know it’s a hassle. I’m just… thank you.” Juliette was not going to care about the struggles of her “silly superhero team,” so it was best to keep things brief and honest.

As honest as she could be while hiding a room filled mostly with sand.

Juliette crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the two women. Zero was being silly, and Impact was being insane. She couldn't very well take the shot back, but Impact was just acting like the situation didn’t exist and wouldn’t come back to bite them.

Yes, truthfully, Juliette had withheld information that she knew would probably stop Zero from getting the treatment, but it had been for a good reason. There was no way that she was going to let the woman die from a disease that could be cured. Yes, she was probably costing them money, but it would be a good thing in the long run.

”Yep,” was all Juliette said in response to Impact’s “thank you”. She wasn’t about to get all mushy in front of either of them. Feelings were for at home alone or over lots of alcohol.

The nurse stood up, stretched out slightly, and walked toward the door. ”I have to get back to work, so don’t do any more stupid things while I’m gone.” It was amazing how many weird situations that small group of people constantly managed to get themselves in.

She walked out of the door and then turned back on her heel with a bit of a sigh. ”You know where I am if any more of you get bitten on duty, okay?”

She would play along for legal purposes, but that was it. If any more rats showed up on their floor, she would be calling security.