The girl slept hard and didn't even wake up when dinner showed up. I was laying on the couch trying to force myself to sleep, but the girl was whimpering and whining in hers.
Anytime a cry was let out my eyes would snap back open and the girl would toss and turn in the bed. It was probably hard to sleep with her legs tied down and I slowly got up from the couch and snuck to the end of the bed.
I undid the straps around her ankles and as soon as I did she curled her legs up and held them to herself in a little ball. Soon her whines stopped and the only sound she made were soft snores. I laid back down on the couch and now was trying to force myself to stay awake.
I'd give her a few hours of good sleep and then strap her legs back before she wakes up. At least that's what I told myself before my eyes went shut and I drifted into darkness.
When I woke up I stretched my arms and legs and when I opened my eyes I immediately noticed the empty bed. I shot up from the couch and started frantically looking around the room for her. I went to the bathroom but it was empty. Her scent was still warm and I knew she was still in the room.
I turned back around towards the bed and took a few steps closer. I could hear her heartbeat flutter faster and chuckled when I knew where she was. I kneeled down to the floor and looked under the bed to find the small white puppy curled up against the wall far away from where I could reach her.
Her mismatched eyes found mine and a little growl was let out from her as a warning. I let out an annoyed breath and got up from the floor and walked to the other side close to the wall. I leaned back down and reached my hand under to grab her, but soon a stinging pain went over my hand I pulled it back to see tiny puncture wounds and a small bit of blood pooling out.
This is so stupid I was not a child person and was definitely not a puppy and kitty type of guy either. I stood up from the floor and wiped the blood away from the back of my hand.
"Alright, come out here" I said trying to sound nice, but it came out as a command.
The small pup let out a yap in protest and I started tapping my boot against the tile floor waiting. After another few minutes the nurses from yesterday walked in carrying in breakfast, but stopped when they noticed the empty bed.
I held my finger up to my lips and pointed under the bed and they nodded in understanding. They set the trays down on the table and walked out making sure to shut the door. I uncovered one of the trays and thankfully the kitchen sent back only a plate of bacon and sausage links like I had requested.
I picked up the piece of bacon and waved it down low enough for her to see. I dropped it near the end of the bed to the floor and after a few minutes I spotted her tiny black nose poke out and quickly snatched the food up before going back under the bed.
This time I grabbed the plate and sat down on the floor with it. I held out a piece of bacon and sat it on the floor next to me. She took a little longer then before, but she eventually poked her small head out and her eyes looked up at mine.
She looked back to the food and slowly moved one small paw in front of the other and moved closer to me and away from under the bed.
When she ate the piece of bacon I had another one already waiting in my hand and held it up for her. She opened her mouth showing her teeth and I dropped it and she sucked it down immediately.
Her wolf was just so small it was still hard to believe that she had gotten hers so young.
When I ran out of bacon and started holding out sausage links and when those started running low I decided I was going to have to use bribery often.
I held out the last sausage link and like before she opened her mouth and waited for me to drop it. When I didn't she closed her jaw and cocked her head to the side to look at me.
"Shift back" I said encouragingly as I dangled the piece of meat over her head.
She cocked her head to the other side making her ear flop. She looked at me again and then opened her mouth waiting for the treat that she had been wanting. I shook my head no and tried to think of how I could get her to understand.
"Just.. relax your muscles and push your instincts down deep. You are supposed to be in control, not your wolf".
She closed her mouth again and looked down at her small paws. I wasn't sure how to explain to someone how to shift. It was just something you had to practice and then it came naturally.
She circled around a minute on the floor and widened her stance. A low growl was let from her tiny body and she slowly managed to push herself to shift back. When she was finished she sat up on the floor naked and looked up at me waiting for me to hand over the treat.
I quickly averted my eyes from her and stood up. She scooted back in the floor away from me and I snatched the blanket from her bed and covered her up with it. She looked at me confused and tried to take the blanket back off her. I shooed her hands away and covered her back up again and then handed over the sausage link.
She snatched it from me and began eating it without looking up. I sat on the couch and began digging into my own breakfast and made sure not to share this time. I didn't want to make a habit out of her eating from my plate.
When I was finished I looked up to the girl looking down at herself from under the blanket and she looked back up at me with horror written on her face. I could feel my face heat up in embarrassment and looked away while scratching the back of my head.
I looked over at the glass window and when I saw Dr. Hopkins walk by I stood from my seat and jogged quickly to the door.
"Dr. Hopkins there's a problem"I said nervously and she turned back and arched an eyebrow at me.
I mind linked her a vague idea of what was happening and she widened her eyes and quickly walked past me and into the girls room. She shut the door behind her and then pulled the curtain back shielding me from whatever she was doing.
I waited out in the hallway feeling awkward. This was territory that I didn't want to touch with a ten foot pole. After a while the curtains were pulled back and I could see the girl was now back in bed wearing a hospital gown and holding herself with her arms.
The door slid open and Dr. Hopkins walked out giving me a smile.
"She's okay I explained the basic anatomy to her and their functions".
I twisted my face up not wanting to hear any details and nodded my head before looking back at the girl.
"I'll have someone bring some clothes for her. You should take her outside to get some sun and let her walk around".
I didn't look back at her and I'm sure she could see by my face that I wasn't buying that idea at all. She patted my shoulder before walking past me and back down the hall. I took in a breath and walked back into the room and slid the door shut behind me.
The girl shifted in the bed and brought her legs up to her chest and tightly held them to her. I sat back in the chair and didn't say anything. I wasn't sure what I could say that would help and figured I was the last person she wanted an explanation from.
We stayed sitting in silence until a nurse brought in some clothes and I stepped out giving them privacy as she got dressed. When I came back she was wearing an oversized green t shirt and some baggy shorts. She was sitting on the edge of the bed examining her toes carefully.
"Want to go for a walk?" I asked trying to force a friendly tone.
She let go of her feet and looked up at me. Her one green eye and the other brown stared into my milky and blue one. Her curls were combed down a little more and the length went all the way to her waist. When she didn't say anything, I slid the door back open and stepped to the side and gestured for her to go through it.
She looked at me with wide eyes and then back at the open door. She looked back down at her feet and slowly moved to try and stand. She immediately slid down to her butt and started crawling on her hands and knees to the door.
I shook my head no and walked towards her. I crouched down to her level and she moved back and away from me. I held my hand out to her and she looked at me as if I were joking. I waved my hand around again trying to be patient and after another minute of staring she placed her tiny hand in mine and I helped her to her feet.
I held out my other hand and she steadied herself by holding on to both as she stood on her wobbly legs. I took a step back and she gripped her small fingers around my thumbs as she tried to take a step with me.
After a few shaky tries we had slowly made our way into the hallway and she quickly looked both ways trying to take in the different scenery. We repeated this until we were near the doors that lead to outside. Anytime someone would walk by she'd stop walking and would growl in their direction.
She watched people intently and anytime something new was passed she made sure to look and sniff at it like a curious puppy would.