There's dead silence in the room when Xanatos walks in. He looks around and sees the shocked looks on all the faces of the gargoyles and Elisa and then turns to see the look of regret on the face of Gwen. He's not sure what's happened, but there's only one way to find out.
"What happened this time?" Xanatos asks with a sigh.
"Dr. Knight says Brooklyn might never fly again," the little gargoyle says in a small, sad voice.
"It's a distinct possibility, but I won't know more until I see the x-ray," Gwen puts in. "I've called the hospital; they'll be ready to go when we get there. The question is how we're going to get there."
"I'll fly you and Brooklyn in the chopper," Xanatos states.
"Fine, the rest of us will follow you," Goliath agrees.
"Hold it right there," Gwen interrupts. "We're going to this hospital for a medical procedure, not a field trip, for one. For two, there's no place to land the helicopter once you get to the hospital."
"I thought you said that the hospital was near the zoo," Xanatos says.
"It is," Gwen replies. "But it's still a couple of miles from door to door. I refuse to make Brooklyn walk it."
"Then we'll take your car after we land at the zoo," Xanatos suggests.
"I don't own a car," Gwen tells him.
"Then we'll glide there," Goliath offers.
"There's no way Brooklyn can glide with that wing," Gwen points out.
"I'll carry Brooklyn," Goliath states. "Hudson can carry you, Broadway can carry…"
"STOP!" Gwen interrupts as she stands up. "Hold it right there. I already stated this isn't a field trip. This hospital is an emergency vet. This means that people are coming in with their sick or injured animals at all hours of the night. They're already stressed out and the last thing they need is to be freaked out by a bunch of gargoyles walking around."
"And here I thought you were different," Brooklyn grumbles, his wing still stretched out over the table. "But you're not. You think we're monsters, too."
"I do not think you're monsters," Gwen nearly shouts back, losing her patience. "But look at it from a pet owner's point of view. You're upset that your beloved pet is so sick or so hurt that it might not survive the night, so much so that you're willing to go through the expense of taking it to an emergency vet. You walk in the door and there's a bunch of beings that are startling to say the least. The pets, their owners and certainly not the staff of the hospital need to go through that. Besides, do you really want people freaking out around you?"
"She's right you know," Elisa adds. "You guys do take a bit of getting used too."
"We're not letting this woman just take Brooklyn and do who knows what to him," Angela snarls.
"Fine, two of you can go," Gwen grinds out as she points at Goliath and the smallest of the gargoyles. "You and you can come, but nobody else."
"Why them?" Angela demands, hands on hips and eyes glowing red.
"Goliath is obviously your leader, so he's a given," Gwen replies, not backing down in the least from the angry female. "And…I'm sorry; I don't know your name."
"Lexington," Lex replies.
"And Lexington because he's small enough not to get in anybody's way," Gwen finishes, shifting her bag of ice to another sore spot.
"Enough," Goliath orders when Angela opens her mouth to protest again. "We don't have all night. Where is this hospital and how do we get there?"
"It's in the Bronx, a couple miles north of the zoo," Gwen answers. "As for how we get there, that's still up in the air."
"I can drive the doctor and Brooklyn," Elisa offers, looking up at Goliath. "You and Lex can follow us."
"As the person bankrolling this little expedition do I get a say in this?" Xanatos asks, slightly amused by the small woman staring down an angry gargoyle.
"My car's big enough for all of us," Elisa shrugs.
"I'll pass, thank you," Xanatos huffs. "Dr. Knight, please give the address for the hospital to Owen. I will meet you there."
With that, Xanatos marches out of the room and more than one being sighs with relief. Gwen drops her bag of ice on the table and then grabs her things.
"If we're going to go, we should go now," Gwen states as she heads for the door.
"Lexington and I will be waiting on the building across the street," Goliath tells Elisa as they part company in the hallway.
Gwen follows Elisa as they head through the corridors of the castle with Brooklyn dejectedly trailing behind them. They're met at the elevator doors by Owen and Gwen gives him the address of the hospital. Once they're in the elevator, Gwen and Elisa finally go through the introduction thing as they ride down.
As they step out into the night air, a cool breeze sweeps past them and Gwen instantly regrets not bringing her jacket with her this morning as a shiver runs down her spine. She's briefly reminded of how cold it can get back home and is thankful for milder and shorter winters of New York.
She follows Elisa down the street and around the corner to a blue and white Ford Fairlane. As they step up to the classic car, Gwen glances up and sees a couple of faces watching them. It's actually a comforting sight and she turns to make sure Brooklyn is comfortably situated before sliding into the front seat of the car next to Elisa.
Mindful of her injured passenger, Elisa takes it easy through traffic, being careful not to jerk the car around if at all possible. Gwen is eternally grateful for Elisa's driving since she's of the opinion that New York drivers are, for the most part, completely insane. It takes them more than half an hour to get to the hospital and as soon as they're parked, Goliath and Lexington land.
"What now?" Goliath asks in his solemn tone as Brooklyn climbs out of the car.
"Now we go inside and get Brooklyn's wing x-rayed," Gwen replies as she heads towards the front doors.
No sooner do the gargoyles step through the doors then instant pandemonium starts. A couple sitting in the waiting area start screaming and yelling as the receptionist bolts out of her seat and charges into the back area. In a second, several people come running up to the front, including an older man with slate gray hair and mustache.
"Hi, Bob!" Gwen greets loudly.
"Gwen!" Bob yells. "Perhaps you should take your friends into exam room one!"
Gwen simply nods and waves the others to follow her as Bob goes to calm the couple in the waiting room. A few moments later they're standing in a small room that's made to seem even smaller by all the bodies in there. After a bit of shuffling around, Brooklyn and Elisa are sitting on the only two chairs available, Goliath is sitting on the floor next to Elisa and Lex is sitting on the floor next Brooklyn. Just as Gwen sets her bags down in the corner Bob walks in.
"Gwen, when you said you were bringing a gargoyle in, I thought you were pulling my leg," Bob chuckles. "I guess the joke's on me."
"I guess so," Gwen replies before turning to the others. "Perhaps I should introduce you to everyone. This is Goliath, Elisa Maza, Brooklyn and Lexington. Everyone, this is Dr. Taylor, he runs this hospital."
"So, who's our patient?" Bob asks.
"Brooklyn is," Gwen answers. "Brooklyn, please come show Dr. Taylor your wing."
Brooklyn begrudgingly stands and walks over to the two vets, dragging the damaged wing as he goes. Bob only has to glance at it to know that they're going to have to get an x-ray.
"I'll have the techs set up the room," Bob tells them. "Someone will come and get you when they're ready."
"Thanks, Bob," Gwen says as he leaves the room.
Brooklyn goes back to his seat and flops down in it. Elisa pats him on the shoulder and he gives her a sad smile. There's an awkward silence for a few minutes until a question is asked.
"If you can fix the wing, what would it involve?" Goliath asks.
"I don't know yet," Gwen replies as she leans against the examination table. "From what I could feel, the bone has already fused back together. So, it may be as simple as cutting the bone, realigning it and then attaching a couple metal plates to hold it in place. However, I was feeling a lot of strange bumps in there and that's what's got me worried. We'll know more soon. But if it is salvageable, it will require surgery."
Silence falls again as humans and gargoyles shift uncomfortably waiting. Fortunately, a young woman sticks her head in a couple minutes later.
"Dr. Knight, we're ready for you," she states.
"Thanks, Karen, we'll be there in a moment," Gwen says. "Come on, Brooklyn. Let's go take a picture."
"Can I come too?" Lex asks, a bit timid.
"If you can keep out of the way of the techs, then I don't see why not," Gwen smiles.
Gwen leads the two gargoyles down the hall and into another room. Karen and another person are already there when they walk in. Lex stops at the door with a look of wonder on his face as Gwen leads Brooklyn over to the table.
"Cool," Lex whispers as he stares at the large machine above the table.
No one hears him as Gwen and the techs get Brooklyn set up. The best way to get the picture they need is to have him lie on his back, perpendicular to the table so that his feet are on the floor and his back is arched over the table. He keeps shifting his feet, trying to find a comfortable position despite the impossibility of it.
"Who's going to hold him in place?" the male tech asks.
"No one," Brooklyn growls causing both of the techs to jump.
"Brooklyn, you need to stop moving around," Gwen instructs patiently. "If you don't we'll have to do this again."
"I could sit with him if you like," Lex offers, coming over to Gwen on all fours.
"Thanks for the offer, but it's not a good idea," Gwen tells him. "We're about to expose his wing to x-ray radiation. And while it will only be a small amount in a concentrated area for a short time, it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Oh," Lex says disappointedly.
"Besides, how are you going to see how they work the machine if you're out here and the controls are in there?" Gwen asks as she points at control booth.
"I get to watch?" Lex asks excitedly.
"Do you two mind?" Gwen questions the techs and they both shake their heads 'no' while looking horrified of the idea. "Good. Now, Brooklyn, when you're told to not move, don't move."
"I know," Brooklyn grumbles as everyone starts towards the booth.
The male tech leaves as Karen, Gwen and Lex cram into the little booth. Even standing on tip toe, Lex can barely see the controls. Gwen crouches down beside him and looks him in the eye.
"You can climb on my back if you like," Gwen offers.
"No, I'm good," Lex replies immediately.
"Suit yourself," Gwen shrugs as she stands back up.
After watching the tech fiddle with the equipment for a few seconds he reaches over and touches Gwen's hand.
"Can I change my mind?" he shyly inquires.
"Sure," she smiles as she kneels back down.
A second later, he's looking over Gwen's shoulder, taking in everything the tech is doing. A few moments later Karen nods to Gwen.
"Ok, Brooklyn, take a deep breath and hold it," Gwen calls out.
They watch as Brooklyn inhales deeply and then stops moving. Karen quickly pushes the button and then there are a couple of clunks as the machine does its thing.
"Ok, Brooklyn, you can move now," Gwen says as she comes out of the booth.
Brooklyn gladly stands back up and then stares at the doctor.
"What are you doing up there?" Brooklyn asks with a scowl on his face.
"Watching the tech work the machine," Lex unashamedly answers as Gwen leans down for him to get off.
"Come on, let's get back to the others," Gwen says as she heads for the door. "It's going to take a few minutes for them to develop the film."
"Can I watch them do that?" Lex questions excitedly.
"I'm afraid there's nothing to watch," Gwen tells him. "It's done inside of a machine."
"Well, can I at least see the machine?" Lex inquires all but jumping up and down like an excited kid.
"Maybe later," Gwen laughs as she opens the door to the exam room.
When they enter, they find that Xanatos has finally arrived and is waiting for them.
"Good, you're here," Xanatos starts. "I've talked to Dr. Taylor already and I've told him to do whatever needs to be done."
"Why are you doing this?" Brooklyn asks as he goes back to his seat and sits back down.
"I was wondering the same thing myself," Goliath adds, staring at the man.
"Your clan has saved the life of my family more times than I care to count," Xanatos replies. "What price can I possible put on that?"
"Fair enough," Goliath replies, visibly relaxing.
"Since I'll only be in the way, I'm going to bed," Xanatos states. "Please call me and let me know what happens, doctor."
"Of course," Gwen agrees as he walks past her. "And Mr. Xanatos, on the off chance any of the gargoyles ever need my help again, please just call me. Leave Weisman out of it."
"Of course," Xanatos smirks over his shoulder as he exits the room.
"Who's Weisman?" Goliath asks.
"My boss and a bigger pain in the patoot you'll be hard pressed to find," Gwen answers.
"What's a patoot?" Goliath quietly questions Elisa.
Elisa leans over and whispers in his ear and he gets a slightly surprised look on his face when he gets the answer.
"So, how was your first x-ray?" Elisa asks after she sits back up.
"The doc's right, that table is cold," Brooklyn grumbles. "I think I scared at least one of the people in the room."
"I'd say you startled them, more than scared them," Gwen tells him. "Just remember they aren't used to their patients being able to talk."
"Then why did the guy leave?" Brooklyn inquires.
"Because he wasn't needed," she replies. "Usually one tech holds the patient in place and the other one runs the machine. Since you didn't need to be held down, he left."
"I bet this place is just filled with all sorts of cool stuff," Lex says, eyeing the examination equipment on the counter.
"They do have a lot of gadgets and gizmos here," Gwen chuckles. "Maybe can I get someone to give you a tour around the place later."
"Really?" Lex asks excitedly. "That would be so cool."
"I'll see what I can do," she laughs as Karen sticks her head in the room.
"Dr. Knight, Dr. Taylor would like to see you," Karen tells the doctor.
"Thanks, Karen," Gwen replies. "I'll be back in a bit, guys."
Gwen follows Karen out, closing the door behind her. Goliath immediately starts glaring at the door and Elisa sighs.
"Uh-oh, I know that look," Elisa states. "What's the matter?"
"Who is this woman?" Goliath asks. "Where does she come from? Why does she accept us so easily?"
"All I know is that she's a vet at the Bronx Zoo," Elisa answers with a shrug.
"Angela nearly killed her and instead of running out of the castle, she stared an angry gargoyle down," Goliath continues as if he didn't hear Elisa. "Humans don't do that. And she seems to have this familiarity to our kind, like she knows us. I don't like it."
"I like her," Lex mumbles.
"You would," Brooklyn snarls grumpily. "It's not like she's been poking and prodding you. And what was with you being on her back?"
"You were on her back?" Goliath demands, horrified at the idea.
"I couldn't see," Lex replies defensively, starting to sulk. "She gave me a boost."
"Guys!" Elisa nearly yells. "Enough already. She's just trying to help. Why all the suspicion?"
"Because there's more too this Dr. Gwendolyn Knight than meets the eye," Goliath growls, narrowing his eyes at door.