Ch. 36:

Rick felt like a kit on his birthday. He practically skipped off the bus that dropped him in front of the Manehattan General Hospital, already adorned in his internship scrubs. He had put the eggshell blue outfit on back at the motel room he would be staying at over the break.

He straightened the name tag pined over his heart before hurrying through the front doors. Inside he was greeted by the scent on antiseptic and many, many, animals. He looked at the crowd that walked around the large lobby, either working at the hospital, visiting a patient, or was a patient. He noticed a small gift shop not far from the receptionist desk and looking up he saw floors and floors of rooms full of animals that were either sick, injured, or having a baby.

Rick knew not many mammals liked the hospital and of course he understood why. To many the hospital was the last place you wanted to be but for Nick he felt it was a place for hope and a sanctuary. When you were sick or hurt or expecting the hospital was the place they went, the place they relied on. Rick wanted to be relied on, he wanted to be a hero, and there were moments in his life that he couldn't control the bad things that happened. And he was downright fascinated and almost obsessed to learn how to stop bad things from happening to animals.

"Did your feet get stuck?" an annoyed feminine voice broke Rick from his thoughts.

He turned around to see a female pig in the same scrubs as his own, holding two trays of Stagbucks coffee. Rick hadn't even realized he was blocking the door.

"Sorry," he quickly said, jumping to the right so the pig could continue walking. He followed after her, "Are you an intern too?"

"I'm not wearing these scrubs because they make my hips look small," she replied not looking at him as she headed to the receptionist desk.

Rick chuckled slightly then picked up his pace, walking at her side so he could look at her name tag. "Nice to meet you May Swinton."
She looked up at him then, the well-brushed tuft of silver blond hair atop her head sweeped across her violet eyes, she glanced at his chest, "And nice to meet you…Richard Wilde."

"You can call me, Rick," he offered with a smile.

"No, I don't think I will," she replied before stopping before the receptionist desk and placing the trays down. "Good morning, Mrs. Goat."

The chair behind the desk slowly whirled around to show a very old goat, smacking her gums as she peered at the two younger mammals from behind her glasses. Rick looked for a name tag or something similar because he didn't believe her name was actually Mrs. Goat but he couldn't spot anything.

"Hello, Molly," Mrs. Goat greeted May.

The pig smiled patiently at her. "Is Dr. Doug Moore in? I brought everyone's coffee."

The elderly goat nodded and lifted a shaky hoof toward an elevator, "Up on the third floor."

"Thank you," May said then looked at Rick. "Said you're a intern?"

"Yes," he replied.

The pig shoved one of the trays into his paws. "Then make yourself useful, carry this and follow me." She picked up the other tray and headed toward the elevator, Rick glanced at the old goat before hurrying after her, slipping inside the elevator with her as it started to rise up.

"So who is the coffee for?" Rick asked, looking at the different names labeled on each cup.

"The doctors and nurses who asked for it," she replied, "They texted me what they wanted this morning."

He looked at her, his brow furrowed, "How did they have your number?"

"Oh my God," she let out an exasperated sigh, "I've been an intern here for months, and part of the intern's job is to get coffee for the doctors and nurses."

"You've been an intern for months already?" Rick suddenly felt more like a newbie than earlier. "You didn't have school?"

"I'm home schooled," May answered, "I've been interning here for almost a year now."

Rick swallowed and looked back at the coffee in his paws, "I'm only here for winter break."

"Bummer," she said her voice unsympathetic.

The elevator stopped on the second floor and then two antelope like mammals crowded in next to them, they also wore scrubs similar to Rick's and May smiled coolly up at them as the elevator door closed. "Hey Bucky, hey Prong."

"Hey, May," the one called Bucky greeted.

Prong narrowed his eyes at Rick who took a step away from the three. "Who's that?"

"Apparently we got a new intern," May answered, glancing over at the fox. "His name is Ryan or something."

"Rick," he corrected her.

Bucky and Prong shared a look before turning back to the fox, "So what?" Bucky asked. "You're training to be a doctor?"

"Yes," he answered and the three mammals let out a round of chuckles. Rick's ears folded back in defense, "What's so wrong with that?"

"Nothing's wrong with that," Prong said. "It's just…a fox has never been a doctor."
"I know," he replied. "I'm just going to be the first."

May looked at him from the edge of her vision, "You have to have patients to be a doctor."

"So?"

"So…" Bucky spoke up, "I don't think many mammals are going to trust a fox to stitch them up or delivery their kid."
Rick scowled at the three but before he could reply the elevator doors opened onto the third floor and they marched out, Rick followed them with a glower. Bucky and Prong gave May an adieu before they headed off down a hall, starting an argument that got heated the farther they walked away.

Rick followed May to a desk where a couple of nurses and doctors were loitering before their shifts started. They greeted May with friendly hellos and smiles before taking the coffees she offered.

"A new intern is here," the pig nodded to Rick who pulled his lips up in an awkward smile.

"Ah yeah, I was wondering when you'd show up," a ram walked over to Rick and took one of the coffees he held, Rick checked his name tag and saw it was Dr. Doug Moore.

"Pleased to meet you all," Rick greeted the group, standing up straight and trying to look as mature and professional as possible. "I'm here to help and learn everything I can."

He got numerous reactions from that, a few, May included, rolled their eyes, some smiled in either amusement or kindness, and Doug just gave him a bored look as he sipped his drink. "Sure, whatever," the ram replied before holding up a clipboard that he held in his other hoof. "You can help carry around some equipment or something. May, show him the ropes."

The ram walked off down the hall, leaving Rick to stare after him in disbelief while the other doctors and nurses went off to do their own jobs. The fox looked to May who was looking at the screen on her phone, texting someone.
"Uh…" he finally spoke after a few moments of silence. "May?"

"What?" she asked, keeping her eyes on her phone.

"Dr. Moore said you're supposed to show me the ropes?" the words ended up as a question and Rick couldn't help but feeling like a helpless, unwanted kit.

May placed her phone in her pocket, "Let's get it over with then."

She headed down the hall and Rick followed after her. "So what medical field are you going to specialize in?" he tried for small talk.

"There's no need for us to get to know each other," May said as they passed doors and bathrooms, "You won't be here for long."
Rick's lip curled, "Excuse me?"

She looked over her shoulder at him and smirked arrogantly, "These mammals will eat you alive."

"You, Bucky and Prong seem to be doing just fine," Rick pointed out, holding back a snarl. He didn't know why this pig had such a bad attitude but he was getting really tired of it.

"Bucky and Prong are more ferocious than most predators I know," May told him. "And I've been working on being a doctor since I could walk. And we're not foxes."

"You can't seriously be that small minded," Rick snapped as he kept pace with her.

"I'm not," May said. "I'm just realistic and know what society thinks of you, Foxy."

"Heh, you're going to wanna refrain from calling me Foxy," he growled.

"My bad with that smile you gave me earlier I just assumed you were used to getting what you want by using your looks. So I figured you'd be used to words like Foxy."

"Uh, no," Rick replied with a sarcastic lilt. "I didn't get here by my good looks I got here because I'm one of the smartest mammals in my school." He usually didn't brag about his intelligence but obviously this pig was going to bring out the worst in him.

"Okay," she rolled her eyes, the one word coming out in a mocking laugh. "Tell me if this is familiar: book smart little kit thinks 'Hey look at me I'm super smart and I'm a dreamer I could totally becoming anything I wanted'. Only to find out-" she turned around to walk backward, placing her hooves on her cheeks, "Uh-oh, you need more than your big brain to make it out in the real world. You need connections and you need to know how the world is. Realizing this, the little kit has no choice but to settle on something more his level." May looked him up and down before turning around to face the hallway, "I'm thinking janitor."

Rick scowled at her back as they passed the maternity ward, May giving him the lay about of said ward. "Guess what Miss Piggy," he finally spoke up, his voice coming out as a growl.

The pig stopped her tour and looked up at him with an amused smirk, "What, Foxy?"

"You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do."

"I'll well aware of that," she replied. "I was only trying to give you some friendly advice."

He snorted, "Friendly advice?"

"Yes, and you're welcome," she turned on her heel and started to go on her way. "Now let's get this silly tour over with."

"I don't need your 'advice'," Rick told her, not budging.

"Then let me give you my opinion," May turned to look over her shoulder at him, her hooves clasped behind her back. Her expression was calm and detached, "You'll never be a doctor." She shrugged and smirked, "You'd be an attractive CNA though. So hey, you hang in there."

*bangs head on table* BUCKY! PRONG! I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT YOU I'M SO SORRY! I JUST LOOK AT THE THIRTY EARLIER CHAPTERS AND IMAGINE HOW MUCH FUN YOU GUYS WOULDVE BEEN AND AM JUST FULL OF REGRET!

…But in other news since Rich Moore and Byron Howard aren't using their deleted characters I will.