Author's Note: Hi, everyone! I came up with this idea a few days ago because honestly, who DOESN'T like puppies?! Throw in Squall, Rinoa and gang into the situation and you've got this little thing I made up. There will be multiple chapters, although I'm not sure how many yet.
On a more serious note, I wrote this in memory of my own dog of 10 years who we (meaning my family and I) had to put down. She got very sick very suddenly and we didn't want her to suffer. I miss her very much, and the little "head hug" detail I put in the story is something that she used to do. She was a good girl, and I know she is healthy and happy now (because I firmly believe that yes, ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN).
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVIII, or any of the characters.
It was hard to sit still and not worry when all Rinoa wanted to do was pace around. But the waiting room was small, and she didn't want to make a scene, so she sat down instead.
She always paced when she was nervous or worried about something. It somehow helped put her mind at ease. Rinoa would often mumble to herself as she paced, trying to separate solid facts from how she felt. Angelo would often join her, following at Rinoa's heels, concerned at her master's well-being. But soon enough Rinoa would sort through her feelings and, when she sat down, Angelo would lay her head in Rinoa's lap. Being a dog, it was the only sign of comfort she could give without licking her.
Angelo gave a gentle lick to Rinoa's hand. Rinoa, who was sitting in a hard plastic chair, jumped slightly. She seemed to come out of her worries as she looked down at her dog. Rinoa smiled and stroked Angelo's head. "Good girl," she said softly. Angelo gave the most of a smile that she could before laying down on the floor, her head between her paws.
Rinoa let out a sigh. The chairs outside of Dr. Kadowaki's office hurt your backside if you sat there long enough. She squirmed, trying to get comfortable. I hope she isn't much longer, she thought to herself, glancing at the closed door to her left. Rinoa had scheduled an appointment yesterday, and while she was grateful she could get in so soon, her appointment was nearly ten minutes ago. The tick of the second hand was torture to her ears. Rinoa had caught herself biting her nails as time went on – a bad habit that she swore she kicked years ago.
Rinoa usually wasn't one to worry. Sure, she would get concerned and even anxious at times, but it usually passed without her paying any close attention to it. But this was different. The situation itself demanded her full attention, concern and anxiety. And it wasn't even about herself.
It was about Angelo.
Her precious dog hadn't been acting like herself lately. For starters, she was sleeping a lot more than usual. Angelo wasn't necessarily hyperactive, but she wasn't a lazy dog either. Whenever Rinoa had taken her on her mid-morning walks, Angelo seemed to slow down more easily. Usually the two of them walked for about a mile or so, but by halfway through Angelo would get lethargic, practically dragging her paws across across the ground. Whenever they got back to the dorms, Angelo would plop on the ground and instantly fall asleep, sometimes for hours at a time.
And she had been more needy. Angelo was usually just fine on her own – as long as Rinoa gave her love and attention, she was content. But now she never seemed to leave Rinoa's side for a second. Even this morning when Rinoa was in the shower, Angelo scratched and whined at the door the whole time. Lately, the poor dog had been snuggling so closely and aggressively to Rinoa at night that it woke Rinoa up, resulting in bad night's sleep.
What made Rinoa decide to come to the doctor, however, was the throwing up. She had never changed the brand or amount of food she fed Angelo, so she was bewildered when Angelo took a few bites of her food and almost immediately threw it back up. Rinoa nearly burst into tears when Angelo looked up at her in what appeared to be complete misery. After cleaning up the mess and making sure her dog was comfortable, Rinoa placed an appointment.
She knew Dr. Kadowaki wasn't a vet, but it was the best option she had right now. And if anything, Dr. Kadowaki could refer her to someone who was a vet. She gave Angelo a loving stroke on the head. "We'll get in soon, I promise," she said softly.
As if on cue, the door to the office opened. A male student walked out, holding an ice pack to his head. Dr. Kadowaki walked out shorty after. "Hi, Rinoa. Sorry about the wait," she said with a smile. "Come on in."
Rinoa stood up, grateful to finally be out of that chair, taking Angelo's leash in her hand. "Come on, girl," she said soothingly. Angelo slowly stood up, walking alongside Rinoa.
"Am I seeing you, or the dog?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, glancing at Angelo with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, I'm fine," Rinoa said with a smile. "I just wanted to see if everything was alright with Angelo."
"...you know I'm not a vet, right?" Dr. Kadowaki asked with a small smile.
"Oh, I know," Rinoa said quickly, "it's just...Angelo hasn't been herself lately. She's been super lethargic and not eating as much. When she does eat, she sometimes throws it up. And she's been so cuddly and needy that I think something is wrong." Rinoa could feel tears sting her eyes. "I'm just so worried about her. I just want to make sure she's okay, and I know we're not allowed to go outside the Garden without permission, so I wanted to come to you first." She looked up at the doctor pleadingly. "I know you're not a vet, but can't you at least test her heartbeat or something?"
There was a brief pause. As if sensing Rinoa's increasing anxiety, Dr. Kadowaki said, "Well, lucky for you, I went to a few years of veterinary school before deciding to be a doctor. I think I can make an exception just this once."
"Oh, thank you!" Rinoa gushed, a smile lighting up her face. "Thank you so, so much!"
"But just this once," Dr. Kadowaki repeated as they all walked into the small room. "I could get in trouble if I do this more than once."
"Right," Rinoa nodded. "I really, really appreciate this."
"No trouble," Dr. Kadowaki said. She bent down and looked at Angelo's face. "Let's see how you're doing, shall we? Rinoa, can you help me lift her up onto the bed?"
Rinoa frowned slightly as she and Dr. Kadowaki picked up Angelo. She's never been this heavy. How can she be heavy if she's not eating as much? Rinoa's eyes widened in horror. Oh no. What if it's a giant tumor or something? What if Angelo doesn't have much time?
"How long has she been acting like this?" Dr. Kadowaki asked as she brought out her stethoscope.
"I first started noticing it about a week ago," Rinoa said, after thinking for a moment. "when we were out on our walk. She just got really tired all the sudden, and since then I've barely gotten her to go as far as we usually do. She's been sleeping a lot, more than usual. And then yesterday and this morning she threw up her food." Rinoa shrugged. "I mean, other than that she seems like her normal self, but I'm just worried."
"Hmm," Dr. Kadowaki said as she listened to Angelo's heartbeat. "that is a bit unusual. And she's never done anything like this before?" Upon seeing Rinoa shake her head she asked, "well, if you just noticed it a week ago, it could have just started. Or whatever is going on could have been going on longer and she just now started showing signs."
"Do you think she's sick?" Rinoa asked in worry, gently stroking Angelo's back in comfort.
"Well her heartbeat is nice and strong, so that's always a good sign." Dr. Kadowaki moved the stethoscope to the lower part of Angelo's chest. "Let me just finish taking her vitals and we'll see what we need to do. Has she been drinking water regularly?"
"Yeah," Rinoa said, watching the doctor in interest.
Dr. Kadowaki paused before mumbling a calculation to herself. "Her pulse is normal, that's another good sign." Dr. Kadowaki removed the stethoscope from her ears as she straightened up. She then gently tilted Angelo's head up, shining a light into her eyes. "Has she had any diarrhea, or coughing?"
"No, none at all." Rinoa answered, resisting the strong urge to bite her nails.
After a few more routine checks – such as checking Angelo's temperature, respiration rate, weight, and other things – Dr. Kadowaki said, "Well, I'm not seeing or feeling anything wrong. But just to be sure, I want to do a blood test. Maybe something will show up there that I couldn't see."
Rinoa sat next to Angelo, holding her in comfort as Dr. Kadowaki inserted the needle. Once the sufficient amount of blood was collected and Dr. Kadowaki left the room, Rinoa gave Angelo a kiss on the crown of her head. "You did so good," she said softly. "I'll get you a nice bone after this, okay? Or a new toy?" Angelo simply wagged her tail a little.
As the minutes ticked by, Rinoa pondered what the blood test might show: a virus of some kind? Rinoa knew it was possible for dogs to get sick. Or was it worms? Angelo had a mild case when she was a puppy, but she seemed to make a full recovery. Would it show cancer cells, heaven forbid? Rinoa shuddered slightly. If she were to lose Angelo, she would surely lose part of her heart and world.
As if she could sense her master's worry, Angelo laid her head on Rinoa's knee. It was always something she did when she knew Rinoa was upset; Rinoa called them her "head hugs." Rinoa smiled, petting Angelo's head lovingly.
At long last, Dr. Kadowaki came in. Relief flooded through Rinoa as she saw that the good doctor was smiling. "Angelo is going to be just fine," Dr. Kadowaki said soothingly. "she's just having a little bit of discomfort."
"She's not sick?" Rinoa asked, puzzled. "then why is she throwing up and being so slow?"
"Rinoa," Dr. Kadowaki said, still smiling. "Angelo is going to have puppies."
Rinoa felt her jaw drop. "What?!"
Dr. Kadowaki walked forward, showing Rinoa a piece of paper. "These were the results from her blood tests. Usually this hormone," she said, pointing to a specific name listed on the paper, "is usually not this high in female dogs. But when it is, it means that they're pregnant."
"Angelo – babies – preggers – what?!" Rinoa sputtered, still dumbfounded at the news.
"And all the symptoms you've been describing are typical signs of pregnancy in dogs," Dr. Kadowaki continued. "She's just more tired because her body is preparing for her babies' arrival, and her behavioral changes are totally normal. She's probably a bit unsettled since this is her first litter of pups, and wants comfort from you. And when she throws up? That's basically a dog's version of morning sickness. It'll pass with time. In fact, she'll probably eat more."
Rinoa made a few more unintelligible sounds before she finally spat out, "How can she be pregnant?! There are no other dogs in the school! And she never leaves my side!"
Dr. Kadowaki shrugged. "It had to have happened somehow. Maybe someone else here got a dog recently. Pets are allowed at the school, after all. As for her never leaving your side, it had to have happened at some point. Maybe you just don't remember right now."
Rinoa was silent for a few moments, thinking over the past few weeks in her mind. Nothing unusual had happened; Angelo usually stayed in her dorm during classes, and Rinoa took her for her daily walk after classes were over. Her dorm was practically escape-proof; she made sure it was so before she moved in there for Angelo's sake. And Angelo wasn't the type of dog to try and plot an escape…
"Rinoa? You okay?"
Rinoa snapped out of her stupor to see Dr. Kadowaki looking at her in concern. "Uh...yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Just wondering how in the world it could have happened." She absentmindedly scratched Angelo's back as she asked, "what do I need to do for her? Does she need special food or anything? How far along is she?"
"She's not showing a lot yet, so I'd say she's about a few weeks along," Dr. Kadowaki said. "Dogs are pregnant for two months before giving birth, so you've got some time to prepare. As for what you can do, make sure she keeps at a healthy weight and is eating a good quality dog food. Increase it gradually and make her meals small; have her eat a few small meals a day rather than one large one. And seeing a vet, of course."
"I assume that vet isn't you?" Rinoa asked, somewhat sheepishly.
Dr. Kadowaki laughed. "Sorry, kiddo, but that's out of my jurisdiction. But I can ask around and see if there's a good vet in Timber or somewhere else close by. And I'll talk to Headmaster Cid to let him know of the situation."
After profusely thanking Dr. Kadowaki to the point of visible discomfort, Rinoa left the doctor's office with Angelo at her side. Once the two of them were alone, Rinoa bent down so she was at eye level with her dog. She could feel the biggest smile cross her face as she said, "You're gonna be a mama, Angelo! A mama!" She wrapped her arms around her dog's neck in a hug. "And you're gonna have the most beautiful, smart babies in the whole world! I just wish I knew who the Papa was." She let out a sigh as she pulled back, stroking Angelo's ears. "Too bad dogs can't talk. If they could you would tell me, I know that for sure."
She straightened up, pulled out her phone, and called Squall. She bounced on the balls of her feet, excitement and glee flooding her as the phone rang. When Squall answered with his typical stoic hello, Rinoa blurted out, "Guess what, Squall?! WE'RE GONNA BE PARENTS!"