"Is that everything?"
"Uhh..." Kristoff's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, that's it."
Elsa let out a sigh. "That's good."
"Good?" Kristoff leaned forward from his seat. "Elsa, did you not listen to what I just said?"
"Two people, one being Mr. Weselton, were talking about how the old man got punched in the face." She took a sip of her tea.
"Yes, and they were lucky 'he didn't do anything stupid'!"
She raised an eyebrow at the boy. "The man wouldn't dare to hurt me, if that's what you're implying. He has a temper, but he's not stupid. Besides, that doesn't make any sense. What does he have to gain from hurting me?"
"I don't know... Isn't he next in line to be in charge?"
"Kristoff I'm in charge of a company, not a monarchy. There are steps to electing a new chief officer. First-"
"Hey, what did I say about your boring lectures?"
"'Save it for Anna, I don't care'," she glared at the smirking blonde. "Fine, but I'm telling you that there's no need to worry."
"If you insist. So..." He scratched at his head. "How's... You know..."
"'How's the chemo?' You can say it, I'm not going to get more sick if you say it out loud."
"Just answer the question smartass."
"It's fine, I'm actually on my two week rest before the next round," she poured herself another cup.
"That's good... Have you told Anna?"
Elsa flinched, spilling some tea on the table. Gerda came running towards her, only to be waived away.
"I'm fine Gerda, I got it." She took a deep breath as she wiped down the table. "It's not that simple."
"What- Um yeah, it is. Have you even considered-"
"Yes," she snapped. "Yes I have, Kristoff. I've considered everything, don't you think I, of all people, would consider every possible consequence imaginable when it comes to something like this?" She looked down at her hands. "A part of me wants to tell her. But-" She wiped the tear away. "What if..."
She flinched at the sudden contact. She looked up to see the boy kneeling beside her, handkerchief in hand.
"Don't think like that," he wiped away the tears. "You're gonna be fine. Trust me, I'm a doctor."
She laughed under her hand. "I don't think this is your area of expertise, doctor."
"Well... You got me there." He stood up, extending a hand towards her. "Come on, I want to show you something."
"Is this..."
"Yep, this is where I work. Pretty cool huh?"
As they walked into the office, she looked around the lobby. "Do you work here alone?"
"No, I have a receptionist and a few vets on staff. Come on, what I wanted to show you is in the back."
As she followed him down the white corridor, she noticed all of the awards hanging up on the wall. The distracted blonde nearly ran into the boy, who stood in front of an open door.
"Wait here," the boy waited for her to nod, before quickly disappearing into the back.
In the mean time, she studied the awards hanging on the walls.
'Award for Excellence in Veterinary Medicine', four years in a row. Impressive, Dr. Bjorgman.
"Okay, come on in," the boy shouted from within.
"What are you up to Bjorgman," Elsa walked towards the door tentatively. "If you scare me I swear to god-"
"Just get in here!"
She opened the door slowly, eyes widening when she saw several puppies sitting around the young doctor, vying for his attention.
"You said at Anna's that you'd adopt a dog, I'm keeping you to your word."
She stood there frozen in place, eyes fixated on the little creatures on the floor.
"It's okay, they won't bite. Probably." The boy stood up and approached her. "Relax blondie, they're puppies, haven't you ever seen a puppy before?"
She let him take her by the arm, eyes fixated on the puppies, who had now noticed her. When she was a couple feet away from a golden retriever, she got down to her knees.
"Not in a long time," she extended her hand towards the puppy, who carefully approached her, sniffing the air. When he was close enough, he sniffed her hand for a moment, before licking it.
"See, he likes you."
She didn't respond, completely infatuated with the small creature. She pulled back her hand, beaming when the puppy took it as an invitation to jump on her lap. Elsa giggled as the dog tried to lick her face, her hands pushing the pup gently. Once it had settled down in her lap, she smiled down at it as she ran her fingers over its head and back.
"I had a dog when I was little," she reminisced fondly. "His name was Olaf."
"Tell me about him," Kristoff joined her on the floor, two pups rushing onto his lap.
"He was a white lab, he was the sweetest dog. My parents used to say I would pull at his ears when I was a baby, but that Olaf never left my side. When I could walk, I used to play with him in the garden for hours. Sometimes I fell asleep on him, and he'd stay with me until my parents found us and took me to bed. I'd wake up in the morning with him at my feet, curled up at the foot of the bed."
"He sounds like a great dog."
"He was," her smile faded. "He was my best friend, my only friend, for a very long time."
"Well, it's your lucky day," he put a hand on her shoulder. "You now have Anna, myself, and today, you get to choose a new friend to take home! Hell, I'll even give you two for the price of one!"
"Isn't adopting a dog from a shelter free?"
"That doesn't mean I'm wrong," Kristoff stood up. "Well, if you're serious about adopting today, I'll need to pull up the paperwork. And I'll call Anna, she'll kill us both if we do this without her."
"That's probably a good idea."
He stopped at the door, turning to face the girl sitting on the floor. Due to the lack of Kristoff, Elsa had become a hot commodity, every puppy vying for her attention. She laughed as the puppies climbed over each other to reach her face. He smiled contentedly before walking out, leaving Elsa in their care.
A/N: Apologies for the delay, it wasn't ready yesterday. This was supposed to be one chapter, but I cut it in half so I could post something for you guys.
Next chapter will be up this weekend, and it may be my last before my leave. I don't want to push the story forward and leave it in a bad place.
Enjoy!