Mated to the unknown

CHAPTER 2

It is 3pm and so far we have attended to 4 patients, A Bull Mastiff with a twig stuck in its foot, a Parrot with a broken foot, a Golden retriever with a cold and a rabbit with an allergy. We were on the 5th patient- a snake with skin lesions. Usually the hospital is way busier, today it's a bit slow which is an advantage because I haven't had time to check out Werewolves and find out everything about them. Prescribing the antibiotics for the snake didn't take long, so I had time to get a head start on my werewolf research.

I was seated at my table when my mom called me.

"Hey mom, how are you doing?"

"I'm great. How's the hospital? How's Dr. Wilson and your mini patients and how are you? How are you really doing?"

"The hospital is doing great. Dr. Wilson is fine and my very important patients and fine and healthy, as they should be. I'm fine, mother dearest. I really am. How are you holding up? New city, new town millions of miles away from your troublesome daughter."

My dad died 3 months ago and it's been hard on her. Her best friend and only friend, apart from me, was gone and she had to start from scratch. She took his death really hard, and in the weeks after his burial, she had to learn how to live without him. She moved away from our family home because she couldn't bear living there when he wasn't there anymore.

"I'm holding, my lovely girl. Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself and your job. Dr. Wilson called me."

"It's my job to worry about you, you're my mother. Who would worry about you apart from me? And why did Dr. Wilson call you? What did he say?"

"I am supposed to worry about you, you're my child. Don't worry about what Dr. Wilson said, I just want you to know that I'm proud of you and I love you very much. I have to go now honey, we'll talk later." Something is up, she's being very suspicious.

I got to the apartment building by 8pm and this time,the elevator was actually working. I stood outside waiting for it to open, I felt someone stand beside me but I didn't have the strength to see who it was. Finally the elevator opened and I walked in. I looked beside me and saw the prettiest girl I had ever seen. We stood in silence till we reached the 7th floor and she said

"Be careful around him." And then she walked into the crowd waiting at the elevator door and vanished.

I'm awake and it's 4am, I've been having the same dream for the past week. I always wake up when the mysterious animal attacks me.

Every staff member has a week off from the hospital to stop and breathe and heal, emotionally and mentally because being a vet doctor is not an easy job. So many lives depend on you, both the pets and their owners.

I decided to take a walk down to the park and breathe. The walk to the park was very uneventful. The bench was free, thank goodness and the park didn't smell like dog poop and wet fur, which was a change. I sat down on the bench and let the world take me away.

It got dark suddenly and then I saw it. I saw the dog but this time it looked twice as big, but its eyes were different. They weren't like a normal dog's eyes; they were brighter and more intelligent. I've never seen a dog like that in all the 4 years I have been a vet. The only animals that have eyes like that are... Wolves. Is this an actual wolf? Am I standing face to face with an actual wolf? Are the wolves back?

"Laura! Laura!! Laura!!!"

Is the wolf speaking to me? Are the woods speaking to me? What is happening?

"Laura get up! Laura!!"

I hit something hard and I felt pain.

I opened my eyes. Everything was dark and blurry, and it was raining. It took a while for my eyes to adjust.

"Laura, it's 7:30 pm. Why are you lying down in the park in the rain? What is wrong with you?" The same voice I heard earlier came again.

"Laura! Look at me!" I know that voice,

"Laura! Laura! Lau..." The voice was lost once again.

Something was beeping beside me. I opened my eyes to see a heart monitor. Why am I in the hospital? What's happening?

I tried to stand up but it felt like my head was splitting in two

"Don't move!" That voice once again, and a face came into focus. It was John.

"You came to the park didn't you? What's wrong with me? Why am I in a hospital?"

"I don't know what is wrong with you but there's something wrong. I just got here and I haven't seen the doctor yet. Yes I came to the park, I saw you go out this morning and I didn't see you come back so I came out to look for you and I saw you lying down on the bench in the park asleep. I tried waking you up but you were unresponsive, so I brought you here to the hospital, I have a friend here who's a doctor so they attended to you immediately."

" I see you're awake now. How are you feeling?" This was another voice, one unfamiliar to me.

"James, thank you once again. What is the matter with her?" John said to the doctor.

"I'm fine, though I do not feel fine."

"John, it's just fatigue. I have reason to believe that you do not eat for long periods of time because your charts show that you're underweight for a 28 year old female. Where do you work, are you employed and how many hours do you work per week? "

"Yes I am employed.I'm a vet doctor at The Pet Hospital and it's 84 hours every week."

"The Pet Hospital? The one Dr. Wilson owns? He's a very good friend of mine. 84 hours a week is a lot. Right now I recommend that you take time off work and ensure that you eat a lot more than you're currently eating. You need to eat to have energy to go about your daily activities. I will give you a diet plan that you must follow and John here will be in charge of ensuring that you keep to it. I will also call Dr. Wilson to inform him about the situation on ground and request that you take time off."

"What?" We both said at the same time.

"Doctor, that won't be necessary, I will follow the diet. I do not need a supervisor, right John?"

"I have no problem... "

"I am very capable of taking care of myself. I do not need you"

" I don't care. You could've died out there so no I will not heed your request. No one, and I mean no one dies on my watch," he said and my eyes opened wide in shock.

Dr James put his hand on John's shoulder and said, "Calm down and breathe. Breathe in and out, okay? Laura, John is a trusted friend and a good caretaker. I believe that he can keep you on track and help you stay healthy. Please Laura for my sake and yours. "

"Okay," I said reluctantly.