"Let us begin with introductions." Stone started off the conversation, as the beast lady took a seat across from him.
"My name is Stone. I am a doctor of children, an apothecary, a healer of sorts, or maybe an alchemist?"
"Huh?" The beast lady tilted her head in confusion at the many titles Stone dropped on her.
"My apologies, I encounter many beings from all sorts of worlds, backgrounds, and cultures. I'm not sure what term is best suited for you to use, but just know that I am someone who specializes in the health and wellbeing of offspring."
"...You are a witch then." The beast lady spoke quietly, processing everything Stone said.
"Ah, I forgot about that category." Stone murmured, "You can call me a witch doctor if that makes you more comfortable."
"..." Still a little reserved and on edge, the beast lady took one last look at her environment before introducing herself to the doctor.
"My name is Alisa, former queen of the Vulpe kingdom, as for my surnames, they no longer matter…"
Her voice trailed off as her memories of her past resurfaced, a different time and place to her current situation.
Seeing the atmosphere starting to dampen, Stone brings up the state of her kin.
"You can tell me about your history at a later time, when you feel much better. But for now, I must talk to you about the little ones in your belly."
With the subject changing to her pups, and knowing his occupation as a 'witch doctor'. Alisa begins to think of the worst.
"It's not the worst case scenario." Stone clarified, "It's just that the time to deliver is very short."
"Deliver?" Alisa repeated the word, confused at why a item arriving is related to her.
"Sorry, slip of the tongue." Stone coughed as he reworded his previous sentence, realizing that some of his patients may not understand his linguistics.
"Within the next week or two, you can expect to give birth to your pups."
"..."
Stunned at the sudden declaration, Alisa slumps back in her seat at a loss of what to do.
Flashbacks of her running from pursuers in the forest right before she passed out consume her thoughts, she begins shaking in fear as she has no idea of where to go now.
Stone has also thought about her situation, from when she first appeared in the shop, covered in wounds and massively malnourished.
It's one thing to admit a patient that's about to give birth, it's another thing to shelter said patient long term after birth.
At a loss of words, Chelsea comes into the room, still bearing the gasmask, bearing some news.
"Dr. Stone." She began, "We can shelter here at the clinic. We have plenty of space in the back and once she has recovered back to full condition, she can work here as another assistant in order to pay off her debts."
"Are you sure? What about you?" Stone questioned, glancing at her gasmask.
"It's alright, I just have a very strong sense of smell. Just give me time to adapt." Chelsea dismissed his concerns. "Besides, it's not her smell that is giving me trouble. It's the sharp scent of life that is giving me trouble."
"Scent of life?" Stone repeated at a loss.
"I will tell you later at a different time. Just focus on our patient and future coworker for now." Chelsea then left the room.
"I shall get her room prepared in the meantime."
Watching her round the corner, and turning to the perplexed Alisa, Stone couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"Well then, how about it? Would you like to work here?"
—
Eight days later, four healthy pups came into this world, shattering the serene peace and calm with their cries.
Conducting some preliminary health checks on the mother and children, no issues popped up.
Stone and Chelsea helped move the new family into Alisas room, where she then changed into her beast form. A beautiful and majestic fox, with cream and white colored fur, along with multiple tails.
As she began nursing her pups, Stone noticed the slight look of pain in her pale blue eyes, along with several nubs at the base of her tails.
(She probably lost a couple tails when escaping her pursuers.) Stone speculated as he tried to keep his emotions in check, in order to not ruin the atmosphere in the room. (Some look fully healed, while others look fresh with scar tissue.)
Confirming that no issues have appeared, and that both mother and children were healthy, Stone and Chelsea left the room.
"Did you see what I saw?" Stone asked as they entered his office.
"...Yes" Chelsea confirmed as she took off her gas mask. "She has a very high pain tolerance. She barely made a noise when giving birth."
"She probably doesn't want to add to her debts." Chelsea ventured as she noticed that Stone kept silent.
"Maybe." Stone echoed, still lost in thought.
"It's going to be hard on them." Stone spoke up after a few minutes of silence. "Alisa's partner perished trying to protect her, and while we did patch her up to the best of our abilities, she still has hidden ailments that need to be addressed for the long term."
Chelsea nodded in agreement.
"Stone." Chelsea addressed him directly, surprising him. "Are you ok?"
Surprised at the sudden question, Stone mulled for a moment before answering.
"Can't say that I am ok."
He answered with a sigh.
After helping with Alisa giving birth, he couldn't help but think back to that day. The day where he lost everything.
He thought about a life where nothing went wrong, a life where his wife and children were still alive. His daughter would be about the same age as Chelsea.
While he couldn't confirm that fact, as she never talked about her age, something within him told him that was the case.
Stone thought he managed to push himself up and kept going, knowing that's what his wife and children would've wanted for him.
But the recent event told him otherwise. He still yearned so deeply for them, for his wife and child. He only disillusioned himself that he got up and kept walking.
"I thought time and helping others would've fixed me a little. Turns out, I'm still as broken as before." Stone rambled. "It's just impossible for me to move on is it?"
Laughing at himself and the delusions he had, Stone was about to fall into a state of depression, something that hasn't happened to him for a few years now.
Until Chelsea came behind his seat and wrapped his head in a warm embrace.
"Stone, you are not as broken as you seem." She whispered softly. "Time may not have been able to salvage everything, but there are still others here that want to help."
"You wouldn't be here if you were still as broken as you say. You wouldn't have been able to take that first step, to study so much to ensure that it never happened to anyone else, to open this shop to ensure that whoever needed it could get the help that your family never got. If you were still broken, would you have taken the help from that old friend of yours?"
Chelsea continued to comfort Stone, both of them crying slightly. Stone from the scars of the past and the warmth from his friend. Chelsea from the pain and suffering she felt from Stone.
After some time, Stone patted Chelsea.
"Thank you. Chelsea."
"..."
"I know what I must do now. But it is getting super late, we've had a long day today. Go get some sleep."
Removing himself from the long embrace, Stone faced a tear-stricken Chelsea.
"I'm alright now, it's time for bed. I shall see you tomorrow."
Stone reminded her as he wiped off her tears, forgetting he himself had tears on his face as well.
"We have a new family waiting for us right?"
He reminded her of the new occupants of the clinic.
Nodding to him, Chelsea took the towel from his hand and in turn wiped his own face, much to his surprise.
"Remember, stinky doctor. No more self depreciation ok?" She demanded. "You've come so far, don't let it all fall away. What would your wife and kid say if they saw you like this?"
"Heh, both of them would probably tell me off."
"There he is, the happy, better silly doctor. Promise me, no more sad, depressed, and bad thoughts doctor. Ok?" She continued. "Like you said, there is a new family that is depending on you. Me included."
"Alright, I promise." Stone gave it to her. "It's time to sleep. Can't help folks if you are sleep deprived right?"
"Good night, silly doc."
"Good night."