Chapter 3

- Day Four -

"So, you think he's gonna do it?" Logan asks, nodding at a teenage hyena who clearly had a concealed pistol, walking up to the counter of the convenience store.

"Looks like he's thinking about ittttt..." I trail off, judging the kids shakey exterior. "He's gonna do it." I consider, drawing my pistol and approaching the individual, while Logan has his taser.

"Gimme all your money!" The kid commanded the clerk, fear evident in his voice.

"ZPD, Put the gun on the counter and take a step back!" I command, keeping my aim low, hoping if the kid forces my hand Logan tazes him first.

The kid looks over his shoulder, finding two ZPD officers aiming at him. I look at the fear in his eyes and hope he makes the rational decision. Instead, he jumps the counter and puts the gun to the teenage leopard behind the counter.

"God damnit kid! You just made it ten times worse!" I yell, taking a few steps back while Logan radios it in, swaping his taser for his sidearm.

"I want a car ride! To the airport!" He yells, jabbing the gun into the clerk's neck.

Fucking movies, giving them unrealistic expectations! "I'll see what I can do!" I look over at Logan, seeing him aiming at the kid, I holster my weapon and come into plain view.

"Kid, I want you to take second to think about what you are doing." I begin as I hear tires screech outside. "Right now if you lower the gun it'll just be attempted robbery, if you do something... unwise, it will be a lot worse." I inform, not wanting to use the word 'stupid'.

I look him dead in the eye, judging his eye movements. His eyes are darting between me and Logan, no not me, behind me... he's looking for a way out. "What's your name?" I ask, going to the movie tactic, slowly inching my way towards the counter

"Why do you need to know that?!" He snarls.

"I don't think calling you 'kid' for prolonged periods of time would be good for either of us." I inform, now about five feet from the counter.

Behind me I hear the door open, and two sets of feet come inside, I glance at a mirror in the corner of the store to find Nick and Judy... yea it was Judy had arrived, Nick being armed with a tranquilizer gun and Judy with a pistol. Three feet, one more and I can go for the gun.

"Kid, do the right thing." I say, my hands raised defensively and I'm about to go for the-

*BANG* The kid fires his gun through the clerk's neck.

*BANG* One of my comrades responds by putting a bullet in the kid's shoulder.

"FUCKING HELL!" I yell, jumping the counter and kicking the kid's gun out of his reach.

I turn to the clerk, bleeding profusely. I put my hands around their neck, to a normal person it'd appear I'm choking them, but I'm just applying enough pressure to stop major bleeding. "Listen, listen, blink once if you can breathe normally, rapidly if you can't!" I command, the clerk blinking once. "Alright, now blink once if the wound is on the front of your neck, twice if it's the center, and three times if it's the back, of you can't tell, blink rapidly. I get one blink in return. "Alright, good news, he shot far enough forward that he didn't hit anything major, probably just took the skin off. Now stay calm, if you suddenly can't breathe, blink rapidly okay?"

I feel a pat on my back, I turn to find Judy. "Shooter is stable and in cuffs, EMS is five minutes out.

I turn back to the clerk, continuing with Judy. "According to the clerk, shot is in the front of her neck and she can breathe, I'm hoping it just took the skin. I'm applying enough pressure that blood can't escape rapidly."

"Alright I'll get that to the EMS." I hear.

I keep the clerk calm by talking to her, simple yes or no questions to keep her awake.

"One blink means you like baseball, two means you like basketball."

One blink.

"Nice, blink one eye if your favourite team has won the series in the past decade."

No blink.

"Blue Jays?"

One blink.

"Nice, that's my hometown, you know they have a good shot at winning this year, especially after the raptors just won the championship!" I explain, as I hear the store's door open and close again.

"EMS is Here." Judy informs. A zebra moves past me, before crouching opposite the victim.

"So through the front of the neck and you can breathe?"

One blink.

"That means yes." I inform.

"Let me guess, one blink is yes, two is no?" The zebra asks.

One blink.

"Alright, officer keep your hands there, seeing as it's worked so far, let's not fix what ain't broken. I'm going to slide this backboard underneath you, and we're going to move you to the ambulance. Officer you're coming with us, let's not risk anything till we get to the hospital."

"Fine by me... chocolate or vanilla ice cream?"

Two blinks.

"Ah we were agreeing on so many things."

"I see you know how to deal with shock." The medic notices as I hear another mammal come up behind me.

"Not really, I just know to keep em awake and keep them aware."

"Alright were going to move them to the stretcher, you ready?"

One blink.

"One three. One. Two. Three."

The medics lift in unison, I keep my grip on the clerk's neck, moving with the medics.

"Alright, let's move!"

We swiftly got into the ambulance, and I kept asking yes or no questions. The ride wasn't overly dramatic, with the clerk's vitals elevated but not dangerous, and the view out the window just buildings going by, nothing much.

"So your first reaction after seeing someone being shot in the neck is to choke them?" The second medic asks.

"Seeing as I'm currently keeping the bleeding to a minimum, I'd say it was a good reaction." I reply with a bit of venom.

"I'm not saying it was the wrong decision, it just wouldn't be my first reaction." He continues, choosing his words carefully.

The next few miles were a repeat of the last few, Yes or no questions, blurred buildings passing by, elevated but not dangerous vitals.

We pulled into the emergency bay quite soon after that, the ambulance coming to a halt and the rear doors opening.

"Alright, so shot through the front of the neck, no trouble breathing?" A friendly voice from a grey fox says.

"Oh hey Shawn." I say unimportantly.

"Hey Cameron, Alright, I have some bandages here, so we're going to swap your paws for them alright?" He says, making everyone aware. "Once you let go Cameron, jump out of the ambulance because I'm going to need to be next to her."

I nod to confirm.

"Alright, three, two, one, and go!" He counts, I quickly but carefully remove my paws, jumping out of the ambulance, and Shawn moves next to the leopard, tightly wrapping her neck with a long stretch of gauze.

I look at my hands to find them somewhat dripping with blood, I keep back as they quickly remove the patient from the ambulance and whisk them into the ER.

Behind me I hear footsteps and I find White walking next to the hyena who is with two paramedics on a stretcher, and a detective behind them.

"Hey guys." I say nonchalantly, as if I was just seated in the bullpen.

"Alright, so were gonna need your report." The detective says, looking me up and down.

"Yea, let's go inside, I need to wash my hands." I say, holding up my blood covered hands as an example.

We stroll into the ER, several mammals seated around the room, most of them appear to either be holding ice packs somewhere or just look sick.

I stroll over to the counter, and get myself pointed towards the nearest sink, which happens to be near the operating rooms, where the leopard clerk is.

I slather my hands in soap as Logan turns on the tap for me, allowing me to keep the blood off of everything. I wash my hands completely, giving my report as I clean, before wiping them on White's back, to which he grumbles some profanities.

"Thank you officer." The detective nods, walking down the hall, almost running into Shawn as he comes out of a door, strolling over to us, moving past me to get at the sink.

"You were right, shot so far forward that it just took the skin with it. She'll be feeling it for a while but she'll be fine." Shawn informs as I give him some soap.

"Is what about our shooter?" Logan asks, popping some gum into his mouth.

"Bullet hit his shoulder, shattered his collarbone, nicked the artery, he'll have permanent damage." Shawn informs, accepting a towel from me. "He'll be released by the end of the week, till then he's my issue."

"Thanks buddy, owe you a drink."

"I'll put it on Cameron's tab." Shawn retorts, a sly glint in his eyes that I've come to recognize.

"Hey now, last time you put it on my tab I got chased out of the place!" I interrupt, hoping to stop the thought train.

"Oh yeaaaa... Yea I remember that." Shawn says, stroking his chin.

I roll my eyes, walking towards the door.

-0-

"Seya Cameron." I say over my shoulder, getting flipped of as the reply. I laugh it off, Cameron and I have been friends since High School, and I missed his antics when he moved for college.

I toss the towel I was using into a hamper, strolling down the hall. I observe the signs as I go, several of the ER rooms having yellow flags on them, a sign of an infection. Sighing, I open a door, walking behind the ER reception, taking a seat at a desk.

"Tired already? It's only noon." The receptionist, a panda by the name of Alice asks sarcastically.

"Yea, when you have three emergency surgeries before noon, and a nasty case of the flu going around."

"Such is the life of an ER Doctor."

"Har-de-har, Anyways, any cases for me?" I ask, standing up and walking over to the counter.

"Kid who got hit by a car while jaywalking." Alice informs, tossing a file over her shoulder, which I catch on my way to the door.

I sigh, flipping through the file, happily finding that the injuries aren't life-threatening and that I'm just clearing them for release. I look up from the file, ducking down the right hall and then into the room listed on the file.

I find a teenage cheetah seated on the exam table, a cast already on his leg. A middle-aged cheetah in a chair next to the table.

"Hello Mr..." I begin, checking the form to be sure, "Spracy."

"Hey doc..." The kid replies, sounding like he's on some nice painkillers.

"Alright, just here to clear you to leave." I say with a grin.

"So all he did was break his leg?" The other cheetah asks,

"Yep, simple transverse tibula break, should fully heal in six to eight months. Keep weight off it, check in with a doctor as told, and take any medication as prescribed, you're lucky cause this is one of the nicest ways to break a bone."

"So he can go back to work immediately?" The parent asks.

"What's your job?" I ask the kid.

"Retail, I work accounting."

"As long as you move using the crutches, don't put weight on the leg, and take your medications you are good to work. Not this week though, gonna have to call in till at least Thursday."

I hear a disappointed sigh as I leave the room, checking my watch to find that my break had started. I smile, flicking my ear to stop an itch as I wander past the ER counter, handing the file to Alice as I pass and continue down the hall, ducking into the break room.

"Hey Shawn, haven't seen you since Thursday." I look up, finding the newest nurse under my command, a lion named Pulizo (Pu - lee - zoh) who is mid sip of the water in his ramen.

"Hey Ivy, Friday I was at my friends graduation, and then all weekend I was dealing with his hangover. Great way to spend my days off eh?" I smirk, inserting a few coins into the ramen machine, imputing what I want.

"Yea I just got in, was about to go see what my first task of the day was."

"Yea, Bryson moved me to the night shift, so I get 6 PM to 4 AM effective tomorrow." I complain as I hear the ramen machine working in the background.

"You too? Man I thought that bison had it in for me." Ethan chuckles as I retreieve my dispensed meal, grabbing a spoon before going to sit with him.

"So how's the mystery date?" I ask, inquiring into a date he had over the weekend, to which he gave zero inquiry as to who it was with.

"I will give you one hint if you give my bedpan duty to Emma." He says, looking around to see if anyone else was eves dropping.

"Done." I snap, almost too quickly.

"Well he's in the Z-" he begins, being cut off by an ambulance screeching to a halt outside.

I grumble as I down the rest of my ramen, scrambling out the door and towards the ER, Pulezo hot on my heels. There were always a few calls that came without warning, though we usually had plenty warning before they came in.

I run out the door, coming to a hault infront of a gruesome sight. What barely could be described as a living being, about the size of a rabbit, but they were covered in fresh and dried blood, their limbs twisted at various angles, bone sticking out of several joints.

"They're alive?" I ask, barely holding in the ramen I just ate, seeing one of the most horrendous sights I have seen in my career.

"Found by sanitation workers in a garbage bag, I have no clue wha-" The EMT begins, being cut off by the telltale sound of a flatline.

"IVY! Defib!" I yell over my shoulder, ushering the cart and medics inside, directly towards one of the operating rooms.

We stop short of the OR, Ivy catching up with the defib.

Ivy attaches the electrodes to where he thinks the heart would be.

"Stand clear of the patient!"

One jolt.

Unsuccessful, stand clear of the patient!

Second jolt.

Unsuccessful, upping dose, stand clear of the patient!

Third jolt.

Unsuccessful, please hit the start button if you wish to continue.

I hit the button, realizing it's probably futile.

Stand clear of the patient.

Jolt.

Unsuccessful, stand clear of the patient!

"1:22 PM." I consede.

Unsuccessful, stand clear of the patient!

I hear someone turn off the defib behind me as a slight rage begins to boil up deep inside me. Who the living fuck could do something so cruel?! I let my emotions take the better of me as I punch the wall infront of me, leaving a fist sized hole in the drywall.

I feel a slight prick on the back of my neck, so I reach around to find a tranquilizer dart. Wait, why is there a tranquilizer dart in my neck? And why is the floor coming towards me so-

"NOT THE FACE!" I yell, rocketing up to a seated position. I look around, finding Nick and Judy at the opposite end of the room, backs against the wall, both aiming tranquilizer pistols at me. I look down, finding myself on the couch in the break room.

"You good Silver?" Nick asks, easing himself back into his chair. I look around, finding several of my co-workers in various stages of shock at my sudden awakening, ranging from identical reactions to the Officers, to no reaction from the deaf janitor.

I stand myself up, feeling the couch under me complain as I push off it, heading for the hall.

"We still got some questions for you Doctor." Judy says as I stroll outside, far enough from the building so that I can smoke. I struggle with a lighter, eventually able to light the blunt.

"Doc is that..."

"Yes it is... Who was the mammal?" I ask, my mind racing, and my fury still wanting me to kill someone. I look at the officers, exchanging glances.

I motion for them to speak as I take another long drag from the blunt, letting the smoke burn my lungs.

"DNA identified her as Kristine Carols, went missing two years ago in Bunnyburrow." Hopps says, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"What was the nail in the coffin?"

"Repeated doses of nighthowler and then the antidote. Heart finally gave out." Wilde informs.

I drop the blunt, crushing it under my foot. I get a chill down my spine because I feel like a lot more of these are going to happen.

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I can feeeellll it commmmmin in the airrrrrr tonight, ohhh loooord...