Meredith waited outside the doctor's office for Leon, one ear at attention and focused at the door. When he finally did come out her hip was cocked to one side with both paws on her waist. "Was that necessary?"
"What?" Leon said legitimately confused.
"The threat Leon. Really he is a good doctor and a brilliant one too." Meredith stated as she started to walk towards the front entry.
"I didn't threaten him." He started to run over what he had said in his mind while they walked.
"You didn't out right say it but it was implied. Maybe back where you are from threats like that get mammals somewhere, but here it doesn't." Looking over at him and finding his expression one of confusion she shakes her head. "You don't even know you're doing it anymore."
"I really don't" Scratching the back of his neck as he realizes what he had said and how he had said it. "I'll work on that."
Meredith could hear the mild defeat in his voice and pumped her hip into his. "Hay, I get it, we were talking about your sister after all." When Leon's expression didn't change, she decided to change the topic. "That statue was a bit spooky hmm?"
Looking over at Meredith with a raised eyebrow. "Did it feel like it was watching you too?" A grateful smile for the change graced his muzzle.
Meredith chuckled, "Yah, its probably how it was carved." Shrugging her shoulders.
Leon managed a mischievous smirk. "Careful Meredith, remember what happens if you doubt their powers."
Meredith chuckled and looped an arm around his. "Well I am half fox, perhaps the Kitsune will give me some leniency."
"Not likely." Leon chuckles before yelping in pain as he is punched in the very arm she held onto. "That wasn't very nice Ms Wilde."
"You earned it, Mr Scottsdale" Smirking wide after using the cover name he had been issued, she laughed when the skunk rolled his eyes. "Anyways, breakfast and then that small visit."
Standing up strait and taking a very strait stance, his left paw moving behind his back. "Yes Madam."
Leon couldn't hold back a smirk as he heard Meredith's giggles. As they walked away from the hospital, he remembered a diner that was about a block away. He angled their walk in the right direction and within moments the building came into view. Nestled between two taller buildings was the Trolley diner. Aptly named as the front of the building was a retrofitted trolley. Steal exterior with windows along the front, rear, and sides. The entry way was what was once the entry way to the Trolley itself. This part of the building still sat posthumously on steal rails. Even the large circular headlight in the front still functioned. In big black block letters on the side of the trolley facing out was the dinners name 'Trolley Diner' with smaller print listing the hours daily.
Once inside the building it extended further back than just the trolley. Booth seats had been built along the front wall, looking through the trolley's windows, opposite these was the breakfast bar with circular backless stainless steal seats topped with shiny red vinyl pads. Behind the bar where the servers were there was a shelf with all sorts of machines ranging from coffee makers to stainless steel milkshake mixers. The kitchen was behind that with a windowed shelf containing plates of food under red heat lamps until the plates were picked up.
Two waitresses, an older grey wolf and a sheep dressed in pastel pink and white dresses with white aprons, were behind the bar both speaking to customers. There was a third waiter serving a booth at the far end of the trolley that looked canine to Leon, his attention however was distracted by a deep voice coming from the kitchen.
"Meredith Wilde as I live and breathe." An older male grey wolf came out of the kitchen and walked towards Leon and Meredith. Jeans, a white t-shirt, and a heavily stained apron covered the aging wolf with a grandfatherly figure becoming soft around the midriff. Leon could make out the gently whitening fur on the male's muzzle. "How long has it been since you've been in here?" Pulling his apron off before wrapping Meredith in a familiar hug. "Your mother and father still visit me every week you know." Giving her a mock scolding.
"Oh well, you know I work nights now Samuel" She smiled as she returned the hug.
"Oh my, Betty my love, our friends' daughter Meredith works nights so she can't come visit us for a breakfast, at our Dinner." Giving Meredith a skeptical look while maintaining his easily kept smile, one which Leon figured was so natural on him that holding a scowl for any length of time would probably be tiring for the wolf.
"Who could blame her dear, if you scold her like that. Though I do seem to remember her loving our carrot milkshakes." The female wolf finally looked up to smile at Meredith and noticed Leon standing next to her. "Who's your friend dearie?"
Meredith smiled "This is Lenard. Lenard this is Samuel and Betty, they own the place."
Leon extended a paw which was taken quickly by the wolf in a strong and confident shake. "Good to meet you. Now, you two hungry?" The male wolf deftly slid his paw behind Leon, and his other paw behind Meredith and ushered them over to a booth in the corner.
The pair had a pleasant breakfast of omelets with onions and peppers, Betty delivering a carrot milkshake for Meredith which she enjoyed. She shared a taste with Leon and found herself laughing at the odd expression he had made, obviously not sure if he liked it or not. After paying for their breakfast Betty called after them as they walked out of the door. "Make sure you and your boyfriend come back again."
Meredith blushed but waited to say anything until they were out of earshot of the diner. "So, what do you think of that?" It had honestly been on her mind for a little while now.
"Of the dinner? It was really good I think, though that milkshake I don't think that's for me. I think I'm more of a strawberry fan myself." Leon looked down at her to see a frustrated expression. "What did I say now?"
"I wasn't talking about the dinner Leon."
"Oh, you meant Betty's comment?" Leon's muzzle curled slightly.
"Yes," Meredith looked down at her footpaws as they walked, "That's what I was wondering about."
"Well, I guess that's up to you now isn't it." Smiling. "Remember where I'm from its decided for us for the most part. Here I guess we decide right? If it were up to me I'd call you my girlfriend."
"Way to make it awkward Leon." Meredith half grumbled. "But, fine. You are my boyfriend then."
Leon chuckled. "Ok not how I would have thought that would go at all."
Meredith laughed, "Same." Though she wrapped her hand around his as they walked into the precinct one building. As they did her parents were walking towards the front doors, both looking relatively upset about something. Though when Nick noticed them and nudged Judy with his elbow, he drew attention to their paws and both brightened up with smiles of their own.
"Leon, good to see you, I was hoping we could .. " Before Nick could say anything else the booming voice of Commissioner Bogo came from the third floor mezzanine.
"Detective Wilde!" Both Judy and Nick's heads appeared to shrink into their shoulders at the yelling of their names, "Get your tails in my office now!"
"Commissioner you really should stop using your bullhorn sir you'll scare the visitors." Nick yelled back up, unable to resist the remarks even to this day.
"Shut your yap Wilde!" The buffalo quickly disappeared from the railing and the sound of a door being slammed shut could be heard.
"Way to go slick." Judy rolled her eyes before turning to the pair. "See you a little later? Perhaps grab lunch on our lunch break?" Meredith nodded with a smile as they turned away. Though before leaving completely Judy turned around, ran back, and hugged her daughter. "I'm glad you're ok, and you two are cute together." Judy hopped back over to Nick's side on their way to the elevator before Meredith could respond. Nick looking down to his wife and saying something that caused the doe to laugh but at the same time to slug the fox in his shoulder who, in accordance with the ritual, rubbed his shoulder and once again told the doe that her punches hurt.
Leon chuckled at the display before turning back to Meredith. Meredith had slipped her paw from Leon's and walked calmly over to the center desk where a aging Clawhouser sat. The Overweight cheetah was eating a bowl of sugared cereal and displaying far more attention to his phone then would strictly be needed for a dark screen. "Good morning Benjamen." Meredith said sweetly before she hoped up onto the desk much like her mother would.
Looking up as if surprised, "Oh hello Meredith, you look beautiful as always." Smiling, he still saw the little kit that Nick and Judy had brought in on their way home from the hospital a few days after she was born. A paw went to where she had tugged out a few of his short whiskers as he remembered the day.
"Benjamin!" Meredith had noticed his attention trail off and was trying to get him back to the land of now.
"Oh, sorry Meredith." Glancing down where Leon had walked up to. "Hello sir." The cheetah smiled at Leon politely keeping his muzzle closed.
"Ben, this is Leonard" Remembering to use his changed name, "He's with me."
"Oooh right you guys are doing that thing with Jack right?"
"Right. Benny …." Her voice taking a sweet and questioning tone which had the large cat on alert immediately.
"Aww Meredith please don't. I'm sorry for listening and watching but I sit here all day and you know I just like to know what is going on. I swear I didn't tell the chief about what your father did."
Meredith smirked at the cat. "Ben, what did my father do?" She smiled at the feline.
Benjamen's shoulders slumped as he looked down at his knees before looking up again. "Well, your mom and dad came in to start their shift this morning, and as they were talking to me as usual Jack walked in. Your father tried to stop her but Judy got all angry, you know how your mother gets when she gets worked up. Tapping her foot on my desk like she was going to drive it right through. I think there's even a dent there in the wood." His paw scrubbing at a spot just in front of Meredith's own foot.
"Ben, what happened next?" Once again Meredith had to bring him back on topic.
"Well she hopped down and did I mention Nick tried to stop her, but well she walked over and started talking to Jack. At first I couldn't hear them, but she mentioned something about you and Jack said it was all part of training and not to worry. She said something else and Jack told her she was overreacting. Well that got her pretty angry and they started to both argue. Nick, your father, caught up to them and Jack said something to them both and well, Nick hauled off and punched him in the eye that wasn't already swollen before they both stormed off."
Looking up at Meredith finally. "I don't know anything else. I tried to give Jack one of those ice packs from the first aid kit but he wouldn't take it. That's when I noticed his other eye was bruised."
Leon snickered at that. "Yup and he deserved both."
"Oh I don't know, he can be a bit umm dry but he's done a lot of good you know." Looking from Skunk to Hybrid and back again. "Chief says he causes trouble every time he's around and well he does, but still. The results are always worth it?"
Meredith just smiled at the feline and leaned in giving him a friendly hug. "Ok Ben, thank you for telling me what happened."
Ben purred as he was hugged quickly returning to his jolly old self, whispering to her, "You two are cute together." Both confirming that the feline missed nothing that was going on in that foyer and that he had forgotten the rule he had been taught by her own mother. She gave the whisker that she had once pulled out a gentle tug. "R r right, s sorry Meredith, lapse in memory."
Meredith let go of his whisker and smirked. "Try not to forget that." She then hopped down from the desk. "And Ben, try to lay off the sweets a bit ok buddy."
Ben smirked as Meredith took Leon's paw and started to lead off to the elevators herself. "Yes Doctor." Chuckling as he watched them until they were out of sight. After a moment he could hear the muffled hollering from the third floor. Shaking his head with a half smile he went back to his cellphone screen. "Some things never change."
Meredith led the way to the conference room where they had started from and found exactly what she was hoping she would find. The team and an added bonus that badger, the later of which was looking over Jack's latest black eye.
"Well nothing permanent but your going to need a week or so before you'll see straight out of this one." The badger stated.
"Thank you doctor," Jack grumbled as he shut that eye to place the icepack back on it. When he looked up with the other eye he noticed both Leon and Meredith in the doorway. "You still have twenty-four hours before you need to be back here."
"Well aware of that Jack." Meredith walked towards the pair as the others watched her closely. Leon stayed back by the door. "Doctor is it?"
The doctor stood up and nodded her head. "Doctor Susan Fieldson" She smiled at Meredith. "I must say you were quite impressive. With so little training I would have thought you would have started talking within the first hour."
"Oh, thank you Doctor." Meredith walked slowly over to the badger, closing the distance little by little. Only two mammals in the room noticed the agitated twitch to the tip of her tail. One was Leon who leaned against the door with an unreadable expression, while internally smiling. The other was Evie, who had been hanging out on Zoe's shoulder, and was now whispering into her mate's ear which promptly caused a small smirk on the roo's muzzle.
"So you designed the experience?" She asked politely.
"Oh yes, over many years of experience and practice of course. Though in practice we do use medications that are typically much stronger. Jack wanted to see how much you would resist though." Smiling, "I think everyone was happy to see you never once started to say anything of substance."
"What did you use?" A few steps closer.
The badger tapped her chin for a moment, "Well we used medical grade THC to disorient and give that out of control feeling." The badger was quite proud of what she had done.
"Emm that would explain it, but you kept me awake and I remember a second syringe." A few more steps closer, like she was stalking prey. She was almost in arms reach.
"Ahh yes, for that we used low dose amphetamines." She looked proud of herself.
"Those are addictive doctor." Meredith growled slightly.
"Well I of course know that, but we needed the desired effect and it was worth the risk." Doctor Fieldson replied as if there should be absolutely no concern about this at all.
Meredith took a few more steps forward before her paw grabbed the badger by the neck and pushed her against the wall. Surprising the Doctor, who typically only dealt with willing patients or patients who were well secured. She used her body and powerful legs to keep the badger against the wall. "And who the hell are you to make that decision Doctor? What if I had drug issues in my past hmm? You're a damn doctor."
"I … I … " The badger glanced around the room looking for any help she could find. Butch had looked up from what he had been occupying himself with and was now looking on with a pleased but relaxed smile. The Kangaroo, who was not Meredith's biggest fan but disliked the doctor even more, was leaning back with a smug smile on her muzzle and her mate was jumping up and down on the table clapping her paws excitedly. The skunk was still leaning by the door with that same blank expression he had maintained since entering the room. Jack had stood up but was pointedly staying outside of reach of Meredith's kick range. No help was coming, and she whimpered in a very un-badger like manor.
"Oh I see, so when you're safe and sound you can be top badger but without all of that your just a sorry excuse for a Doctor." Her paw gripped just a little tighter. "I should have you stripped of your license to practice if indeed you even have one." Meredith was about to continue when she heard the door behind her open again.
"WILDE!" Meredith quickly recognized the buffalo's voice. "Let the badger go."
Meredith let Doctor Fieldson go, but stayed right where she was and stared up at the cape buffalo, meeting his steeled gaze with one of her own. The only one in the room that could seem to do so. "Meredith …" Noting that she stayed put, his tone had changed slightly. He had known her since she was a kit. Nick and Judy had never been shy about bringing their children around the precinct and all of them had grown to love each of the children in some way or another. Meredith, much like her mother, had earned a soft spot in him, though he would never admit it publicly.
Meredith's shoulders slumped and looked like she had been caught with her paw in the cookie jar which had the badger and Bogo relaxing. That was until Meredith connected a solid right hook to Fieldson's left eye. "There now you can half match your coconspirator."
As the punch connected Zoe couldn't help but yell out. "Thata girl!" But quickly sunk into her seat at the stair from Bogo.
"Damn it Wilde, my office. You too jack." When he turned to walk out the door, he noticed the Skunk still where he had been from the start, though now with a devilish smile on his muzzle. "You might as well come along too, you're the reason my station is being turned upside down in the first place." Rubbing his temple as he walked out towards his office himself.
All three mammals started their way out of the room when Butch spoke up. "Hay boss." Only glancing up for a moment from his task of sharpening his field knife on a sharpening stone, just long enough to make sure Jack had turned. "Have fun in the principles office." Zoe and Evie both chuckled as Jacks ears laid flat against the back of his head and squinted his eyes at the three of them, causing his newly swollen eye and to a lesser degree the other as well to throb in pain. Jack quickly turned to catch up with the rest of the group.
Jack walked into commissioner Bogo's office right behind Leon, in time to watch Meredith hop up onto a chair too large for her and motioned for Leon to join her. Leon proceeded to pull himself up onto the chair next to Meredith. Jack decided to take the second chair to the others' left for himself.
Bogo looked from Jack over to the Hybrid and the Skunk, the view of the smaller mammals sitting side by side on that very chair causing a brief twitch of a smile in the old buffalo's muzzle. It brought back memories of the hybrids parents sitting in that very chair. Some far to recent which brought his mood right back to the grumpy old mammal in charge that he could be. "Wilde, I've grown to expect antics from your father, and less so your mother. I've known you since you were knee high to a grasshopper and you've never been like this. I'm disappointed."
Merediths ears drooped along the back of her head. It was one thing to be yelled at, but another to be told by someone you respected that they were disappointed in you. "I'm sorry sir."
Bogo however had moved on, "And you" Pointing a finger at Leon. "I know something is going on here." His finger moving between both Leon and Meredith. "Nickolas seems to like you for I don't know what reason but if you keep causing problems for my god daughter, I'll find a place to plant you for the rest of your natural life." He never would have thought it possible but for some reason all he could do was shrink into the chair.
Leon even looked down at his knees. "Yes sir."
Turning his attention on to the other Lagomorph in the room. "Jack, I've about had it with you turning my station into a circus. Every time you come in here you make a mess. I'm tired of it Jack. Get your training over with and get the hell out of my station." Leaning back in his chair with a huff. "Get to it." He watches as all three start to climb out of their chair. "You two stay, Jack you can go." Glaring at Meredith and Leon until Jack had walked out and the door had closed.
"He deserved it, and so did that damn doctor. All that said, you both can't just go around assaulting other mammals. Especially in my building." Bogo leaned forward with both of his arms against his desk. "I understand you both have the rest of today off, go, and do whatever it is you young people do with your mate or whatever."
"Oh Commissioner Bogo," Leon spoke up, "We aren't mates." Looking at Meredith as she looked into his eyes with a look he didn't recognize. "I mean we … umm … dating I guess right … and …." Smiling when she took his paw in hers.
"Don't care just get out of my office." Putting his glasses back on his muzzle as the pair left his office, only cracking a smile once they were out. He looked down at the stack of applicants on his desk with a groan. Ever since that ZNN three part special hit tv, he'd been flooded. Those damn shows always made the work look exciting without showing the damn paperwork and long nights.
On their way out Leon and Meredith had a short and to the point conversation with Jack about being bright and early the following morning. The pair shared a pleasant lunch with Judy and Nick, some of the discussion focused around their trip to Bogo's office which naturally meant they had to explain the reason for them being there. Leon in particular was happy with the seeming nod of approval even if it earned him an elbow from his wife.
After lunch the pairs went their separate ways. Meredith used the afternoon to walk Leon around the city, showing him a few of her favorite spots. They ended the afternoon with a riverside dinner at a small artisan pizza place that was run by a particularly robust shrew who insisted on ensuring that Meredith and her date were properly taken care of. Once they were done with dinner the pair finished their evening by walking back along the river towards home, or rather Leon's hotel room.
They spent some time talking in general, and some time talking about the training that Meredith should expect. Leon warned her that the expectations of her would be exponentially higher given her performance on the first day, regardless of the condition she had been put in. Unsurprisingly Meredith made it clear that she would be disappointed and even offended if she were not held to that standard.
The conversation eventually turned to that of his sister's condition. Meredith, being gentle, explained to him that though there was hope that he should be prepared that she may not wake up from the coma she was now in. They talked about some other possible outcomes such as deficiencies if she were to awake. Leon eventually decided that it was time to call it an evening, partially due to it being late and them needing to be up early, and partially because he no longer wished to dwell on something he had no control over.
The remainder of the week consisted of early mornings, long days, and sore evenings. The evenings were spent together in playful complaint about the physical pains gained as payment for the abilities gained or perfected. By the end of the third week the group was operating efficiently and at times with minimal need to verbally communicate. Halfway into the second week Jack had started to participate in the exercises to be sure that as the leader he was working with the rest of the team.
Thursday after training the entire team returned to the station after the night shift change as had been the usual. When they got to the conference room this time there was a large cooler sitting on the long desk. The sight of which brought smiles to the three typical members of the team.