Yay, chapter 2!! Well, it's not as good as chapter 1 in my opinion. I just typed whatever came to mind because I just wanted to get the feckin' thing done. Oh, and thank you to whoever favorited and reviewed. I never thought people would like it. You make me feel so loved and appreciated! ^_^
The next morning when Carlisle was to set off for work, he decided to take the dog with him. It had been a long night trying to hide her from the rest of the coven, but Esme had done a pretty good job covering up the scent when her husband left. Before they could walk out the door, Esme took the dog's head in her hands, cradling it gently.
"Good-bye, sweetie. You be good for Carlisle now, okay?" she asked as if it were a small child.
The dog licked her cheek in response, her tail wagging back and forth freely.
"Good girl." Esme kissed the top of her head quickly. She then stood up to kiss her husband.
Carlisle chuckled and pecked Esme's lips sweetly. He patted his leg, and the canine followed at his heel, looking over her shoulder once at the woman. She dipped her head in a farewell and trailed behind the man to the garage. Esme couldn't help but smile. They were that much closer to getting the dog she'd always wanted.
When the Mercedes' back door opened, the dog hopped in and made herself comfortable on the slightly familiar back seat, laying down and tucking her right paw in. The doctor sat in the driver's seat and glanced at the animal in the mirror. Her ice blue eyes sparkled, and her pink tongue lolled out of her mouth happily. First stop, the veterinary clinic.
As they drove, Carlisle found himself having an urge to speak to the beast. He knew animals could display some intelligence, especially animals that could be trained such as dogs. But could they truly understand what people were saying to them?
He remembered a little girl that had been a patient at the hospital. Her older brother had waited outside with their schnauzer, Cupid, so she could see her pet. Carlisle didn't notice only the girl's joyful face, but the dog's reaction to her as well. His stub tail was wagging as fast as it could, and he was jumping on her, trying to lick her face. "No, Cupid. No jumping. Annabelle's hurt," her brother had told the dog. Cupid stopped instantly and sat at Annabelle's feet, an apologetic look in his puppy eyes.
The memory probed at Carlisle's brain as he kept his focus on the furry creature in the backseat. She was watching the buildings of Forks roll by outside of the window. Carlisle could see it now: Christmas morning. Esme unwrapping a plate of fine china to add to her ever-growing collection, Emmett testing to see just how hard he could swing on his new baseball bat, Alice dancing around in her new shoes (as if she didn't have enough already), Rosalie picturing herself in the brand new outfit she received, Edward reading notes in his latest piano book and playing away flawlessly on his piano, and Jasper opening a fresh laptop since Emmett had broken his last one when they were wrestling. What would they think of the dog? What would they name her? That is, if she would ever be theirs to name.
The vehicle pulled to a gentle stop in front of the clinic while the rain came down in a very light sprinkle. Carlisle let the canine out, and she followed him inside, sniffing at the tiled floor in some places. There were only two other people with their pets in the waiting room. They both greeted him with the same, "Good morning, Doctor Cullen." Soon, Dr. Cassidy, Forks's trusted veterinarian, came in. A look of surprise crossed his face when he spied Carlisle with the husky sitting patiently at his feet.
"Carlisle," he said brightly, "I didn't know you had a pet."
The vampire chortled, "Yes, well, she's not actually mine. I found her on the roadside."
"Ahh, I see. Come, let's go in the back where we can speak more on the matter."
Carlisle nodded and stood. The husky stayed by his heels loyally.
"So," Dr. Cassidy began, "on the side of the road, you say?"
"Yes. Just yesterday, in fact."
"Well, just by looking at her, I can tell she's rather healthy. Looks a tad underweight, but it's not bad. Help me get her on the scale to see."
Carlisle nudged the animal gently, and she complied by stepped on the large, silver scale. The digital numbers counted up then stopped. She was 24.8 pounds. The vet examined her closely, checking her teeth, eyes, legs, and hips. He picked her up without a struggle and placed her on the table. He listened to her beating heart, nodding happily at the results.
"Hmm… a slightly sprained paw, but that should heal up swiftly. All her vital signs are strong, and I'd say she's approximately… a year and a half. In another six months, she should weigh somewhere between thirty-five to fifty pounds since she should be completely full-grown by then."
Carlisle smiled at the good news. Then, the question that Esme brought up sparked in his mind. "Can you see if she has a microchip?"
Dr. Cassidy nodded and left the room. He came in with a device that Carlisle had only seen on Animal Planet. The vet turned on the small machine then scanned across her back a few times. He looked at Carlisle.
"Nope. No microchip. You picked up a stray, Carlisle." A pleased grin played his lips. "Looks like you've got yourself a new dog. That is, if you want to keep her."
"Of course I'll keep her. Esme wouldn't dream of letting her go."
The dog let out a joyful bark, and her tail moved from side to side eagerly.
The vet laughed out loud. "Well, I'll need to give her vaccinations, but other than that, she'll be ready to go."
"I'll wait."
The dog lied motionless but whimpered once when Dr. Cassidy came in with an injection. Carlisle laid a comforting hand on her head as the needle pierced her skin. She neither growled nor snapped at the vet as Carlisle had seemed some dogs do. Of course, he never took the time to study dogs in the first place.
After the procedure of setting up his new pet's records, a dilemma crossed his mind. Where would he keep the dog now? Esme couldn't possibly hide her all day at the house, and he couldn't take her to the hospital with him. Oh, what to do? What to do?
Two white paws on his chest interrupted his thoughts, and Carlisle found himself staring into the husky's ice blue eyes once more. A whine escaped her, and her tail moved slightly. She tried to lick at his face, but he cringed back. He gripped her head tenderly and softly shook it back and forth.
He sighed, "I just don't know what I'm going to do with you, girl. I can't take you, and I can't send you back."
The vet came out from the back room. "Is there something wrong?"
"I don't know where I'm going to have this dog stay for today," Carlisle said simply. "I can't risk having my kids find her at home."
"Ahh, I see. Well, she can stay here if you approve."
Carlisle smiled a little. "That would be great."
As Carlisle paid the man, the husky pressed herself closer to his leg. She trailed behind him when he turned to walk out the door. He halted and looked down at her then began to force her to back up using his legs and pushing her slightly. Once she was far enough, they locked eyes again.
"No," he commanded. "You have to stay, pup. I'll be back later."
Surprisingly, the canine sat where Carlisle forced her back. Some sort of sadness was displayed in her eyes, and her ears went flat against her head. Her head tilted to the left, silently questioning him about the coming back part. Carlisle smiled at the dog and laughed to himself. She understood, but she was clearly not happy about it. He waved a short parting to her then got in his car and drove away.
Once she could no longer hear the purr of the Mercedes' engine, a long whine was released from her throat. There was suspicion in her mind that he would just leave her. No, not again. She wouldn't lose another chance for a family that cared.
She watched over her shoulder for the vet to come and take her to the back room again to be monitored, but he never came. One of the women sitting in the chairs stood and went to the back with her golden retriever who whined, tugging against the leash. The husky felt sympathy for him… probably here for a neutering. She shook her furry head from side to side, trying to get the thought out. She had more important things to worry about.
The other woman rose from her seat, hooking her dog's leash underneath the chair, which was nailed to the floor. The small Yorkie yipped twice and propped herself up on her hind legs, waving to her human. The lady giggled, patted her pet's head, then left to use the bathroom.
The husky trotted over to the glass door and stood on her rear legs to prop her white paws against the metal handle. It was raining a bit harder than when she got here, but it was nothing she wasn't used to. The man's face flashed in her mind, and her tail began to wag at the happy memory. The dog resumed standing on all fours then pushed against the door with her muscled shoulder. It started to slide open gently. The Yorkie stuck under the chair yapped at her, asking her what she was doing. She didn't stop to answer. As soon as there was a gap in the door wide enough to fit through, she slipped through it quickly and shot off down the sidewalk. Carlisle's face appeared in her mind once more, and her paws propelled her even faster. After all, loyalty was a big priority, and she would follow him anywhere.
Well, bye-bye, puppy! She's off to...well, you should be able to guess where she's off to. How's that for loyalty? Okay, I'll try to have chapter 3 up soon. Either that chapter or chapter 4 will be the Christmas one. Lol, Emmett broke Jasper's laptop. Clumsy oaf.
Emmett: Hey, now. I take offense.
Me: Oh...my...gosh! You're Em-Em-Em-Em-Emmett Cullen!!!!
Emmett: Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes, I am.
Me: *faints*
Emmett: Uh oh. *sees computer* Hey! *randomly presses keys* What's this do? What's that do? What's this do? What's that-- *keyboard breaks* Oops... *places keyboard by me and walks away whistling*
