Disclaimer: All rights of Fairy Tail go to Hiro Mashima. I do not own this. Just a quick note, it has come to my attention that in the last chapter when I used the term "animal rights" I should have used the term "animal welfare". That's my bad and I do apologize for any confusion and will make sure to be more precise with terminology in the future. Thanks again to Silver Light of Dawn for catching that mistake and letting me know. I always appreciate any feedback you all give!
Also, there are mentions of blood and medical procedures in this chapter. If that bothers you then read with caution. Thank you!
Chapter 9: A New Book
Natsu pulled into Sabretooth's parking lot at exactly 8:15 in the morning. He'd made sure to get all his papers done for Gray before lunch yesterday and got a head-start on any work he'd have for this morning so he could free up his schedule. It helped that today was also Lisanna's day to open the hospital, so Natsu had a little bit of time before he had to be in at nine. He wanted to make sure he had breakfast with Haru just like he'd promised. Plus, he had a special surprise for the boy that Natsu was excited to give him.
The weather was still wonderful, if a little hot, and Natsu was already scanning the outdoor tables for those familiar heads of gold and auburn as he walked over to the front door but no such luck. Like always, Sabretooth was starting to fill up with the usual crowd. As one of the only three local joints that offered breakfast, people tended to swarm the bar and grill pretty early. It helped that Sabretooth was also the only place in town that offered steak and burgers round the clock. For meat-lovers, like Natsu, it was a dream come true. Not even Fairy Tail, Natsu's preferred place to eat, offered steak all day. Of course, being more of a sea food place, it made sense Fairy Tail didn't offer much in the way of breakfast food besides the basics. Place was packed every night though.
The only other place open this early was the Strauss Free Bakery (Natsu still laughed every time he heard the store's name. "Strauss Free", like "Stress Free". Ha…brilliant), and people could only have so many muffins before they wanted some grits. Even if Mirajane's baking was the closest thing to heaven around. And Elfman made a damn good scone.
He didn't have to wait long before one of the waitresses came over to seat him outside. Natsu asked for his usual and settled in his seat, patting his pocket to make sure his little surprise was safely tucked away. He'd opted for his large, baggy cargo pants today, needing the extra space the overly-large pockets offered compared to his usual worn jeans. He pulled Happy from his perch in his scarf and let the little kitten roam around the table. Happy stayed relatively close but Natsu kept a close eye on him anyway. Little guy had a habit of getting into things he shouldn't.
"Natsu!"
He looked up when Haru called his name, rushing out the front door with Lucy close behind carrying a tray of Natsu's order as well as her and Haru's breakfast. Natsu grinned and waved, automatically standing to take the tray from Lucy when she was closer. It was all so…normal and Natsu found himself wondering, again, how he'd managed to fall into this little routine so seamlessly so quickly. He liked it though, he thought as he watched Haru pick up Happy and grin ear to ear as he settled the mewling kitten in his arms. Yeah. He liked it a lot.
Lucy was already placing plates on the table while Natsu held the tray for her, chatting easily with Haru about constellations, of all things. Haru was shooting off question after question about the stories the different stars were named after while Lucy answered every one with practiced ease. It made Natsu wonder just how much she knew about constellations and stars in general. She'd mentioned something about having a minor degree in astronomy once before, but Natsu hadn't thought much of it at the time.
"Ya sure know your stuff, Luce," he said as they all settled down at the table. Happy perched on Haru's lap where the boy gave him small bites of his eggs. Natsu smiled and rolled his eyes, knowing from experience Happy tended to become a bit sleepy on the rare occasions he managed to get eggs. Little guy was gonna be out before he got to the hospital at the rate Haru was feeding him.
Lucy smiled softly and waved a dismissive hand. "It's just the basics, but I'd hope I know at least that much after all the classes I took."
Natsu chuckled as he cut off a small part of his breakfast burger to give to Haru. Kid had started takin to eating off of Natsu's plate, reaching out to take a piece of fruit from the small bowl or an extra piece of toast, much to his mother's horror. Natsu didn't mind at all, saying he'd done the same with his own father when he was a boy. Lucy didn't seem to mind anymore but Natsu could see the way her smile would turn just a little sad whenever he slid his blueberries onto Haru's plate.
"Well, if your job was anything like mine, you used everything you learned so much it's impossible to forget now."
Lucy tipped her head back and laughed. "Oh, it is. I could probably write a whole essay about the physics and aerospace dynamics of a dying star in my sleep."
Natsu choked around his mouthful of grits. He was no genius, but he was pretty sure topics like physics and aerospace stuff were kinda intense, just to put it mildly. And here Lucy was, tossing them around like they were hardly any more difficult than talking about the weather. And yet, she didn't sound arrogant in the slightest. A feature Natsu was certain only Lucy could manage to do.
Geez. And I thought Levy was smart, Natsu thought, rubbing his chest to ease the ache after coughing so hard.
Lucy chuckled at him over the rim of her coffee cup. How she could take that stuff with only a few sugar packets added Natsu would never know. He needed at least seven and a good amount of creamer just to choke it down. "Speaking of work, what do you have planned today?" she asked, brown eyes lighting up with curiosity.
Natsu grinned. "Well, I got a few surgeries today between ten and two. Plus a good amount of standard appointments and checkups. No farm calls though, so I'll be in bed by ten tonight," he chuckled.
"What sort of surgeries?" Lucy asked.
Natsu paused to take a sip of his tea. He'd always liked tea in the morning instead of coffee. A fact he could attribute to his mom as the woman often ranted about the health risks of too much coffee. "Well," he drawled. "First on the board is what I hope is a hernia on a stray cat we named Merp. Could be a tumor but we'll just have to see when we get in there!" He smirked at Haru's giggle. "Then a few routine spays and neuters, the normal stuff." Natsu paused to make sure Haru was listening for the next part. He was. "But the big one," he grinned, "is I gotta remove a part of a dog's leg bone." Natsu tapped his upper thigh, "The femur bone."
Haru gasped and even Lucy looked intrigued as Natsu explained very carefully what was wrong with the dog's leg, or specifically her hip joint. The leg wasn't broken but the head of the femur was oddly oval shaped when it should've been more round. He'd just cut it off and smooth out the edges and presto! Leg fixed. It would still take time and a good amount of physical therapy for the dog to walk normally, but Natsu was confident the dog would be running around in no time. It was a pretty big procedure given all the steps needed to make sure the bone healed properly, which was why Natsu's day was so empty.
Haru was completely entranced with Natsu's little speech. It wasn't until the boy leaned forward and grinned as he asked, "Will you see blood and guts?" that Natsu thought the kid would make a good vet one day.
He leaned over to Haru and winked. "Would be a weird day if I didn't."
He and Haru snickered but Lucy only had to frown in disapproval as she tapped a finger against her cup for them both to focus on their food again. Natsu still snuck little winks and quiet jokes with Haru that they both hid behind their hands. It wasn't until Haru had pushed his empty plate away that Natsu decided now was the perfect time to whip out his amazing gift.
"So, little man," he said, turning to Haru with a serious look. "You been lookin' after Plue good?"
Haru nodded, a wide grin stretching over his chubby cheeks. "Yeah! Me and mom are still working on cleaning her room so Plue has to sleep with me in my room. I let her sleep on my bed and have my blanket cause she needs a soft and warm place to sleep since she's pregnant. Mom said it was okay too!"
"Only until we get Plue's room cleaned, Haru," Lucy said, ever the voice of reason. "She can't have the puppies on your bed."
Haru actually pouted at that and Natsu laughed so hard at the boy's expression he nearly fell out of his chair. "As awesome as that would be," he said, winking at Haru as he recovered from his laughter, "I think you're forgetting something important."
Haru and Lucy blinked. "What's that?" they asked.
With an exaggerated flourish and excited grin, Natsu reached into his pocket and pulled out a real, state-of-the-art stethoscope. Haru's eyes widened and he gasped as his mouth fell open. "Woah…"
Natsu held it out to him. "Gotta make sure those puppies are doin' good. And what better way than to listen to 'em grow yourself?" he said.
Carefully, and with shaking fingers, Haru took the stethoscope from Natsu. It was his old one he'd had in vet school. His parents had bought him his current one when he'd graduated but he'd kept the old one for sentimental reasons. It had hung on a hook in his home office since, but now Natsu figured it'd have a better time in Haru's hands. Kid would likely listen to a frog's heart just for fun.
For a moment, Haru said nothing, too busy looking over the shiny metal and red rubber to do much else, but then he looked up at Natsu with wide, awestruck eyes and Natsu was sure this kid was something special. "This is mine?" he asked, voice soft and a little timid sounding.
Natsu chuckled and nodded. "You betcha, kiddo!"
Haru had never smiled so large before. "Thank you!" he cried, practically leaping forward to clutch at Natsu's scarf and pull him into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Natsu grinned and ruffled the boy's hair as a hugged him back. Haru laughed as he pulled away and spun to Lucy, proudly showing her the genuine stethoscope he had. "Look mom! It's a real stethoscope. Just like Natsu's!"
Lucy smiled and this time there was no trace of a small, sad tilt to the corners. She laughed when Haru excitedly pulled her down to test out his new tool. She peeked at Natsu over the top of Haru's head and mouthed, 'thank you'. Natsu smiled and rubbed the back of his now warm neck, shrugging as he watched Haru fumble with the chest piece a bit.
For the next fifteen or so minutes, Natsu showed Haru exactly where to place the chest piece to hear different internal organs, using a slightly sleepy Happy as a practice patient and occasionally Lucy or Natsu himself. Haru's favorite part was listening to Natsu's stomach gurgling as he finished his eggs and bacon. It was more fun than Natsu had had in a long time. Haru was laughing and asking so many questions Natsu felt like he was being quizzed for his final exams again. Lucy was smiling with such a soft look in her eyes as she watched them that Natsu felt his chest squeeze every time he looked at her. Eventually Lucy began loading up the empty plates and tapped Natsu's shoulder from where he and Haru were bent over Happy listening to his heartbeat.
He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. Lucy smiled, "It's about time for you to head out if you don't want to be late."
Natsu glanced at his watch and blinked. When had it gotten so late? "Shoot. Didn't realize the time. Thanks Luce!" he said, and gave her a quick smirk when she waved him off. He stood and ruffled Haru's hair when the boy held up a dozing Happy to him. "Thanks, little man. We'll finish practicin' with that tomorrow, yeah?"
"Okay!" Haru said, nodding excitedly.
Natsu grinned and pulled his keys from his pocket before he paused and turned to Lucy. She raised an eyebrow at him as he pulled out a pen from his pocket. Without a word, Natsu grabbed Lucy's arm and quickly scrawled two numbers across her skin. Lucy squawked at Natsu to 'use a piece of paper, idiot!' but he just chuckled as he capped the pen and backed away.
"Top number's mine, in case you have any questions about Plue. Bottom's the number for a friend of mine that's great at fixin' up gardens and stuff. Give him a call and he'll get that backyard taken care of in a few days. Promise."
Lucy stood blinking at him as she cradled her arm against her chest. Haru waved from where he stood next to her holding the chest piece to her stomach. Natsu gave a quick salute and dashed over to his truck. Just because he knew it would annoy Lucy, he'd made sure to wash it last night, cleaning off all the mud that had been stuck on it since his farm rounds two weeks ago when it had rained. The white veterinary symbol on the front doors still stood out remarkably well against the dark red paint despite the wear and tear on the rest of the truck. Most of the dents were from normal things like tree branches and small fender-benders but a few were from cattle or horses getting a little out of hand and kicking the sides as they ran past. Still, it was a thing of beauty in Natsu's humble opinion.
As he pulled out of the lot he glanced in his mirror at the little family. Haru was showing off his stethoscope to Yukino who'd managed to waddle her way outside. Natsu chuckled thinking of how ecstatic Haru would be when he realized he could hear the baby. Sting too would likely want to listen in on his baby. Natsu had never seen a prouder parent, and the kid wasn't even born yet!
His eyes flicked over to Lucy as she huffed all red-faced at the logos on his truck. She still held her arm close to her chest though, and something about the soft gesture made Natsu's chest feel a little lighter. He happily drove to work, unaware of the dopy smile on his face the whole way.
It was a disaster of the worst kind. Something that would, no doubt, go down as one of the worst things to ever happen to the Heartfilia household. At least, that's how Haru made it out to be. In all honesty, Lucy didn't think it was such a terrible thing. Surely not worth the threat of tears. But when she'd found Haru sitting in the middle of his room, Plue lounging along his back, with all his books lying around him as he clutched his stethoscope with tears welling up in his eyes she would have sworn her son had just been told he wouldn't have a birthday party this year.
"Haru, sweetie. What's wrong?" Lucy asked, hurrying over to his side to pull him into her arms.
Haru sniffed and blinked up at her with watery eyes. "I can't find it," he mumbled.
Lucy blinked in confusion. "Find what, Haru?"
"My animal book!" he cried before dramatically throwing himself onto Lucy's lap. Plue seemed inclined to follow her boy's example, because the next thing Lucy knew she was knocked back onto the floor with her son and pregnant dog sprawled overtop of her.
Wiggling a hand out from under Plue, she placed it on Haru's head, running her fingers through his fine hair. "You can't find you animal book?" she asked.
Haru shook his head against her stomach, letting out a pitiful whine to only emphasize his point that this was truly a tragic event. Lucy knew exactly which book he was talking about. There were three books that Haru absolutely loved. His large book of Fairy Tales that Lucy read to him every night, his Mythical Creatures Book and his Animal Dictionary that cataloged nearly every species of animal on the planet. All were gifts from his father for various birthday's, but more than just their obvious sentimental value Haru loved to read and re-read the stories and information in them. Lucy couldn't count how often she'd find her son on his bed in a make-shift pillow fort reading up on the anatomy of anything from a troll to a shark.
Now Lucy could see why her son was so distraught.
"Well, I'm sure it's here somewhere," she said, trying to gently nudge Plue off her so she could sit up. Dog wasn't having it. "H-have you checked in all your boxes?" Lucy wheezed when Plue's elbow hit her diaphragm a little too hard.
"Yeeeeeessssss," Haru whined.
"Well…maybe it's in one of my boxes."
Haru sat up then, and of course Plue did as well. "You think so?" he sniffed.
Lucy smiled. "I'm sure it's somewhere."
It wasn't somewhere. In fact, Lucy would say the book was nowhere. They'd opened every box that Lucy had meticulously packed all her books in, to the point that her bedroom looked like a library going out of business, and still no Animal Dictionary. Haru was nearing tears again and Lucy could honestly say she felt a little disappointed too. The only other boxes in the house were filled with seasonal decorations and extra pots and pans for the kitchen. Hardly where one of Haru's favorite books would be.
With a defeated sigh, Lucy slumped back against the foot of her bed. Plue licked her face once from her spot on Lucy's bed tucked amongst the pillows and downy comforters. Lucy had tried to convince the dog to get off the bed as soon as she'd hopped up, but after the third time of Plue blinking up at her with bright eyes that looked a touch on the sad side, Lucy had decided she could give Plue a pass this time around. She'd been pregnant herself and knew the comfort a soft bed could give, after all.
"I don't know, Haru. Maybe we accidently left it back in our old apartment," she said, despite how awful she felt if that were the case.
Haru frowned from his spot to her right, slumping back against the bed much like Lucy was. "Maybe…"
Lucy reached out and took his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Why were you looking for this book anyway, sweetie?"
A pause that Lucy knew from experience likely meant something she wouldn't approve of lasted a few seconds too long. She glanced over at him and saw her son twist his shirt in his free hand. A habit he'd developed whenever he felt nervous or sad. "Haru," Lucy warned, her tone dropping into a slight warning as she looked down at her son from the corner of her eye.
He fidgeted with his t-shirt and mumbled, "I wanted to read about birds."
Lucy blinked. Birds? What would Haru want to know about birds? "Why did you want to read about birds?"
He shrugged. "Just wondering about eggs and stuff."
Lucy pursed her lips. After dealing with her often rambunctious and energetic son for so long, Lucy had learned to always, always be at least partly suspicious over Haru's seemingly innocent curiosity. The last time he'd asked about lobsters, of all things, Lucy had found a small crawdad sitting in the bottom of her toilet. She still didn't know where he'd gotten it from and the boy never said. Lucy suspected Sting was behind it, though that was more from her brother being an avid prankster than any real evidence. Point being, Haru wondering about birds likely stemmed from the fact that he either already had or was planning on bringing a bird into the house. A definite "no-no" in Lucy's book.
Still, Lucy didn't want to jump into a long lecture about the dangers of bringing wild animals in the house. Again. Not when Haru was so clearly upset over his missing book. "Well, I suppose we can always try looking for a new book in town," she said.
Haru sat up and blinked away his tears instantly. "Really? You think they have an animal book?"
Lucy hummed and nodded, promising that they would look in one of the local bookstores.
And that was how Lucy and Haru managed to walk into Solid Script after her morning shift the next day. Lucy looked around the small bookstore and took a deep breath in, relishing the smell of old paper and ink. She had always loved the smell of bookstores. The smaller the better, in her opinion, and Solid Script was certainly little. The hole-in-the-wall store was located down a side alley branching off from the main street in town. Close enough for there to be a good line of customers during the tourist seasons but out of the way enough that on days like today it was wonderfully empty. Which meant Lucy and Haru could browse for as long as they needed to find their animal book. And if Haru happened to knock over a few books then Lucy only had to deal with the manager.
Still, something about the place nagged at the back of Lucy's mind. Erza had mentioned the store to her during one of their now frequent "playdates", as Erza liked to call them. The woman had been especially fond of the 'Romance' section Solid Script had to offer, specifically the adult novels. Much to Lucy's amused horror. But that wasn't why this place seemed vaguely familiar. Wandering down the aisles, Lucy tried to think back to the many times she'd visited the local bookstores with her mother when she was a kid. She had a feeling she would've remembered coming to a place like this though.
Thick, mahogany shelves towered all around them, reaching just shy of the ceiling and ladders had to be placed every few feet along the sleek tracks that ran around the floor like a series of curling snakes. Some shelves sat in rows but others were placed in loose circles, making an odd and almost disorientating place to browse. In fact, Lucy couldn't even see where they were meant to check out.
Thankfully, as she and Haru wound their way through the maze of shelves, the books seemed to be organized remarkably well. Each genre was alphabetized starting from the front left corner and ending in the back right from what Lucy could see. And each genre was organized by the author's last name and then the book's publishing date rather than title (a personal preference that Lucy had always quietly judged book stores on). Popular books were placed on separate shelves or tables located around their genre, the 'Teen Fiction' section being especially popular from what Lucy could see of it in the back. Lucy was sure she had stumbled upon a slice of heaven, the place now a certain favorite spot, and she'd only been inside for five minutes!
Haru held tightly to her hand as they neared the 'Nature' section but tugged out of her grasp when they entered a gap between the tall shelves. "Reiki!" he gasped, moving forward a few feet before seeming to catch himself and looked back at Lucy. "Um, mom. Can I go see Reiki?"
Lucy chuckled and waved him off.
Haru grinned and raced down the aisle to his friend. Reiki was sitting in a small alcove lined with plush, leather sofas that were an ugly color of green that kinda reminded Haru of throw up. Reiki hadn't seen him yet, too busy flipping through his book while he stifled a yawn behind his hand, looking even more board than usual. Haru's grin turned mischievous as a wonderful idea came to him.
Crouching low behind a table piled high with books about something probably boring, Haru slinked his way over to the side of the sofa. He peeked over the top of the arm rest and Reiki still hadn't seen him. His best friend was still looking through his book when Haru jumped onto the sofa and tackled Reiki into the cushions.
"Gotcha!" he cried.
Haru laughed while Reiki yelped in shock before laughing along with him. "Haru?! What are you doing here?" he asked while pushing a hand onto Haru's cheek to shove him off.
Haru grinned, mouth squished to the side from Reiki's hand. "I scared you didn't I? You didn't even see me!" he laughed.
Reiki rolled his eyes as he pushed Haru away and sat up. "Well, I just thought I wouldn't be attacked in the bookstore. If I'd known you were coming I would've been ready."
"Suuuureee," Haru teased and struck his best ninja pose as he knelt on the sofa. "I'm like a ninja now."
Someone cleared their throat to Haru's left and he looked up as a girl in a ridiculously poufy orange and pink tutu and a black shirt that said 'Princesses are Smart too' in glittered letters glared at him from her spot stuffed in a yellow beanbag. Her hair was a dark purplish-blue, almost black, and fell in frizzy waves to her shoulders, held back from her face only by her pink head band. Beside her, a huge black dog sat watching Haru with his one eye closely. A thick, pink scar cut over the dog's left eye, only showing off the fact that he only had one eye even more. It was kinda cool and creepy at the same time. The dog, beanbag and large tutu only made the girl seem even smaller but her honey brown eyes glittered dangerously as she looked Haru up and down.
"You know, it's very rude to tackle someone when they're reading," she sniffed.
"Huh?" Haru said.
Beside him Reiki sighed and picked up his book again. "Emma, this is Haru. Haru, Emma."
Haru blinked at the familiar name. "Oh. You're Reiki's girl friend, huh?" he said, looking at Emma.
The girl's eyes suddenly sparkled as a bright smile slowly stretched over her face. "Reiki said I was his girlfriend?" she gasped.
Before Haru could say anything, Reiki gave a weird choked yelp and nearly threw his book in the air as his arms frantically waved around. "NO! No, no, no, no! I told Haru you were my friend. Just friend, who was a girl too."
Emma's smile faded and she crossed her arms and pouted. "Oh," was all she said before shoving her nose in a book that was nearly as big as her.
Haru scratched his head and looked over at Reiki. His best friend's face was as red as his mom's hair as he stared down at the floor with his lips pressed tightly together. Haru shifted on the sofa, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable, and looked at Reiki then Emma. "Umm. Did I say something wrong?" he asked.
"No!" Reiki and Emma said together. They glanced at each other before quickly hiding behind their books again.
Haru didn't say anything for a moment, figuring he'd said something Reiki and Emma weren't happy about. Well, maybe Emma was happy. Honestly, Haru wasn't sure about her. "Uhhh…I like your dog. He's really big and cool. Like a Kludde."
Emma blinked at him. "You know what a Kludde is?" she asked.
Haru grinned and nodded. "Yep! I read all about them in my Mythical Creatures Book. Your dog isn't as scary though." He remembered reading about black dogs in his book and how they were supposed to be scary and mean and lived in old woods and would chase people. Haru shivered as he thought about them. He'd had to sleep with his parents for a few nights after that. His mom had been upset at his dad for letting Haru read the dark creatures' part of his book. But Haru was a big kid and he wasn't scared or anything. He'd just been a little worried about his parents is all.
Emma looked a little impressed and leaned back into her beanbag as she reached out to pat the dog's side. "I've always thought Lily looked like a werewolf. He's very nice but if someone is mean or daddy isn't happy he'll bark and growl like there's a full moon." She giggled and kicked her feet out. "He even howls in his sleep sometimes."
Haru laughed and even Reiki chuckled a little. "My dog shivers all the time, even though she's not cold. It's pretty funny."
"You have a dog?" Reiki asked.
Haru nodded. "Yeah! Her name's Plue. Me and mom found her at the park and brought her home so she's ours now," he said proudly. "Mom thought Plue was a boy at first but then Natsu said she was a girl. And she's gonna have puppies soon."
Reiki's eyes widened and Emma gasped before launching out of her seat and rushing over to Haru. "You're going to have puppies?! That's so cool! Daddy had Lily before he and mommy had me so I've never had a puppy. Uncle Natsu has a kitten though…"
Haru blinked. "Natsu is your uncle?" he asked.
Emma nodded. "Yep. He and daddy are cousins and he comes over to play all the time and brings Happy and tells me stuff about animals and he always has funny jokes."
Haru looked down at his lap, hands starting to twist in his shirt. He wasn't sure why but he felt a little upset Natsu was having fun with Emma too. He didn't know why he would care, Emma seemed nice and all, just talked a lot. And if Natsu was her uncle then they probably had fun all the time, like Haru and his uncle did. But a part of Haru wanted Natsu to only tell him and his mom jokes and fun stories about animals like he did at breakfast. Natsu was funny and always had something cool to do. He shook his head and stopped thinking about that. He liked Emma and didn't want to be mean after all.
Emma clasped her hands over her heart and puffed out her bottom lip as she looked up at Haru. "Can I play with them when they're born, Haru? Please. Pleeeeeeaseeeeee."
Reiki muttered something about Emma being too loud but Haru didn't mind. He paused to think it over, tapping his chin and looking at the ceiling the way Natsu would sometimes do when he was being funny. "Weeeell, I don't know," he said slowly, snickering quietly when Emma let out an annoyed squawk. "I mean, we should probably be friends first." Haru held out his hand (without any spit on it cause that was a best friends only hand shake) and Emma didn't waist a second to grab it and bounce it up and down excitedly.
She giggled and Haru grinned, feeling a little warm now that he had another friend. Natsu would still want to play with him now that Haru was friends with Emma, right? Of course he would! Natsu was nice like that, and Haru had a feeling Emma was nice too. "Now you both can come over and see the puppies whenever you want," he promised.
Reiki smiled and Emma practically beamed. Reiki tapped Haru's shoulder. "So is that why you're here? To get a book about puppies?" he asked.
Haru twisted his shirt and ducked his head a little. "Well…kind of. I lost my book about animals so me and mom are here looking for a new book. But it's not to read about puppies."
"What's it about?" Emma asked. "My mommy owns this store so I know where every book is," she said proudly, putting her hands on her hips.
Haru glanced over his shoulder at his mom but she was busy looking at some love book with two people kissing on the front. Gross. He grabbed Reiki's shoulder and Emma's arm to pull them both closer. "Can you guys keep a secret?"
Emma gave a sly smile and Reiki smirked as they both nodded.
Across the room, Lucy browsed through the 'Romance' section. It was large enough that she could still keep an eye on Haru at the end of the aisle despite being near the back. Erza wasn't lying when she'd said the store had a large variety of adult novels to select from. Romance had always been one of Lucy's favorite genres, second only to a good fantasy/adventure, but even so she'd never really been one for the more racy novels.
It has been a long time since I enjoyed a book like this, she mused as she skimmed the back of a book featuring a roguishly handsome pirate and a rather large chested maiden in a nearly revealing dress. It was a little scandalous for Lucy's tastes and she was very grateful the store was empty and Haru was off on his own so no one could see her look it over. She glanced up at Haru still chatting happily with Reiki and another girl around his age. Lucy paused to carefully look over the girl. Something about her frizzy hair and tiny body seemed familiar…
"Lu-Lu?"
Lucy nearly dropped the book she was holding as she spun around and had to blink down at the petite woman standing behind her. Lucy wasn't tall by any means, and she cursed her brother for having gotten their father's height while she'd been stuck with their mother's, but this woman was downright small. And Lucy could, unfortunately, only remember one person who had always stayed a few inches shorter than her. The frizzy blue hair and thick red glasses helped too. In fact, Levy McGarden had hardly changed a bit from when Lucy had last seen her so many years ago. The woman was still favoring her orange sundresses, Lucy could see.
"Levy?" she gasped as her old friend quickly tugged her forward into a hug that was far more gentle than Erza's had been.
"Lu-Lu! I can't believe it! I thought you were still living in Crocus. Are on a trip to visit Sting? Why didn't you tell me you were here?" Levy whined.
"Uhhh…" Now Lucy remembered why this store had sounded familiar. Erza had mentioned it was owned by their old friend Levy. Lucy was a bit ashamed to think she'd been in Magnolia for almost a month and had yet to call all her old friends. Had she not happened into Erza that first week Lucy doubted she'd have called her either. While it was true she had stopped talking with Levy and Erza a while ago, Lucy had never felt like their friendships had stopped, just been paused, and she had been too scared to hit play when she'd returned for multiple reasons. Honestly, after she'd first talked with Erza, Lucy had fully intended on calling Levy, even asking Erza for the woman's number, but then things started to move so fast, with Natsu and Plue and the house that she'd honestly forgot. Which only made Lucy feel even worse.
She took a deep breath as Levy released her from her hug, still holding her hands though as the small woman bounced on her feet excitedly. "Well, I've actually decided to move back here…with my son."
Levy raised an eyebrow and Lucy tried not to fidget under her gaze. Despite her sweet looks, Levy had never been one to put up with anyone's crap. And she was absolutely brilliant too, so it was only natural for Lucy to be a little bit nervous. She probably noticed Lucy's hesitation and the fact she'd left out any mention of her husband. Belatedly, Lucy wondered if she would ever not become a little worried about mentioning her husband, or rather not mentioning him. She supposed in time but everything was still so…fresh, despite the year that had passed.
Her worries seemed to be for nothing as Levy simply smiled and gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "Really? Lucy, that's wonderful! How old is your son? My daughter, Emma, just turned eight last month."
Lucy released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, feeling herself relax. "Haru is seven, but he'll be eight in July."
Levy nodded and glanced over Lucy's shoulder and smiled. "Is that Haru over there with Emma and Reiki? Oh Lu-Lu he's so cute!" She crossed her arms and nodded approvingly. "I always knew you would have cute kids."
Lucy chuckled and glanced over her shoulder at her son. He was sitting on a couch next to Reiki, both laughing as Emma excitedly bounced around in front of the couch before Haru hopped off to happily join her. Lucy couldn't believe how much Emma looked like her mother. The girl was the spitting image of Levy, the only difference was Levy's hair was a light blue while Emma's was far darker. A trait likely inherited from her father, no doubt.
Lucy smiled as Haru and Emma both started excitedly chattering with their heads dipped close together, ignoring Reiki as he tried to calmly ask them to keep their voices down despite the smile on his face. Clearly Reiki would be the voice of reason in their little group. And from the looks of it, Lucy figured he'd have one heck of a time keeping Haru and Emma under control. The two seemed to only hype each other up more and more, only settling when Reiki placed a hand on their shoulders and said something with a smile that looked just a tad threatening.
Maybe Reiki really did take after Erza in his temperament, Lucy thought with a shudder. "Yes, that one's mine," she said.
Levy squealed behind her and Lucy heard her ears ring at the high sound. "Oh Lu, he's adorable. And he's already friends with Reiki and Emma!"
Lucy winced and rubbed at her arm. "Well, actually, Haru and Reiki have been friends for a few weeks now…" she mumbled.
Levy was quiet for a moment and Lucy chanced a glance at her old friend. Levy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, an amused look in her eye. "Oh, is that right? Lucy, how long have you and Haru been in town?"
Lucy would be lying if she said she didn't consider grabbing Haru and rushing out the door for a moment. Levy obviously knew the answer was probably longer than the normal amount for Lucy not to have called her up again. Lucy gave a nervous smile, "Uhhh…about a month-"
"Lucy!" Levy cried and smacked her small fist against Lucy's arm.
"Ow! I'm sorry Lev! I just got distracted with moving and the house and with the dog and…" she trailed off, shoulders sagging as Lucy heaved a tired sigh. "It's just been a lot to deal with." The whole past year had been a lot.
Levy placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, "Oh, Lu, I get it. But if you're dealing with a lot you know you can always talk to me, right? I know we haven't talked in a while but we are still friends." Levy smirked up at her when Lucy finally met her gaze. "I'm sure Erza told you the same thing."
Lucy couldn't help the slight wince as she thought of the long talk she'd had with Erza just a few days ago. The woman had been unbelievably understanding and Lucy had gone on to have several more long talks with her when their sons were busy playing. Levy, of course, realized she must have said something to upset Lucy and she quickly took the small woman's hands to reassure her. "Levy. There's a lot I need to talk to you about. I've already told Erza but…I want to tell you too."
Levy nodded once, her expression serious and almost too knowing for Lucy's tastes. "Okay Lu-Lu. We can talk at my desk in the back room. Haru can stay here and play with Emma and Reiki if you'd like."
Lucy hadn't really meant she wanted to talk right then but she supposed the sooner the better. At least Lucy was getting better at telling people about her life in the past year. Erza's support had been a tremendous help in boosting Lucy's confidence in being able to talk about her husband without bursting into tears out right. And sweet Yukino was slowly introducing Lucy to many of her old friends bit by bit. Cana, in particular, had taken one look at Lucy and pulled her into a bone crushing hug, whispering softly, "I'm so sorry, Lucy," before sitting her down for the next hour to read her and Haru's fortunes. Only furthering Lucy's belief that the woman truly was a psychic.
Lucy nodded and took Levy's hand and tugged her over to her son. "Okay, but first I want you to meet my son, Lev," she said with a bright smile. "I have a feeling he, Emma and Reiki are going to be spending a lot of time together."
Levy hummed in agreement as they walked over to the kids. Emma and Haru were sprawled across the floor peering into a large book that looked very much like an animal dictionary. Reiki sat a little off to the side patting a very large black dog's side as he absently skimmed through a book about knights.
"I see you found your new book," Lucy said as she and Levy walked up.
Haru's head jerked over to her and he gave Lucy a bright smile as he happily nodded. "Yeah! Emma helped me find it. She knows where all the books are cause her mom owns the store."
Lucy nodded in appreciation as she crouched down next to her son. "I see. Well Haru, since you've already met Emma here, I'd like to introduce her mom, and my friend, Levy…" she glanced over her shoulder at the woman, silently asking for her last name.
"Redfox," she said.
"Levy Redfox."
Haru smiled and politely held out a hand to Levy, "Nice to meet you Mrs. Redfox," he said.
Levy practically squealed at how cute Haru was. "Oh you are just too cute! And please, call me Levy."
Haru nodded before turning back to Lucy to show her the book he'd found. "Mom look! It's the same animal book dad gave me. We'll get it right?"
Lucy chuckled. "That's why we came here," she said, poking Haru's side and he chuckled. "Haru, sweetie. I'm going to go talk with Levy for a moment if you're okay playing here with Reiki and Emma. Sound good?"
"Yeah! Can we play checkers too?" he asked, pointing to the table against the wall with an overly large set of checkers on it.
Lucy nodded and straightened before following Levy through the tall shelves towards the back wall where a long counter stood with a few high chairs behind the register. She could hear Haru and Emma talking loudly along with the clank of checker pieces smacking the table. "Are you sure the kids will be okay?" Lucy asked when she realized she could no longer see Haru.
Levy waved off her concern. "You're forgetting Lu, this is Magnolia, not Crocus. If anyone even comes in here they won't bother the kids." She glanced over her shoulder and smirked. "Besides, Lily will guard those kids with his life."
"Lily?"
"My husband, Gajeel's, dog. He's very sweet with children, most people actually, but he won't let anyone he doesn't know bother the kids. I never have to worry about Emma. Lily sticks to her side like glue."
Lucy nodded as she slid into the seat behind the counter next to Levy. The large black dog certainly had looked like an animal no one would want to mess with, yet he seemed perfectly fine to let Reiki lean against his side as the boy read his book. A gentle giant, she thought.
She ended up sitting with Levy for a while, telling her about the past year and even about her life before the accident. It was easier than the last time she'd talked with Erza and Lucy found herself smiling more often than she'd expected. There were still times with she teared up a bit, mostly when she talked about the issues she'd had the past year with her husband's death and caring for Haru alone. She kept it relatively short and Levy never pushed her for more concerning the accident, just like Erza had. Levy made tea in the store's back room and despite the somber way their conversation started out soon the two women were laughing and chatting about all the trouble they used to get into.
Lucy paused to take a deep breath of her tea, closing her eyes and just taking in the smell of chamomile and books. A breath of fresh air, she thought.
"You know Lu, I watch Reiki pretty often since Erza and Jellal are off at work. You're more than welcome to visit with Haru anytime. Or if you want some time to yourself to just…relax I can watch him for you." Levy giggled and adjusted her large glasses. "We could always dump them on Gajeel and have us a girl's day too."
Lucy laughed. "That does sound tempting," she mused.
"Mom!" Haru called as he suddenly raced around the corner with Emma hot on his heels, Reiki calmly following a ways behind with Lily. "Mom! Emma said she had a pool and was going swimming tomorrow with Reiki! She wanted to know if I could go too! Can I? Please," he asked, small hands clasped under his chin.
"Pleeeeeeaseeeeee," Emma whined next to him, eyes big and hopeful as she too clasped her hands and looked up at the two women overtop the counter.
Levy chuckled. "What did I tell you, Lu?"
Lucy looked over at her. "You wouldn't mind? I have to work tomorrow so it would just be you and the kids I'm afraid," she said.
Levy only smiled and waved off her concern. "Oh, I'm not worried. Reiki is a perfect little gentleman and will help me keep these two in line."
Reiki smirked while Haru made a show of listing off how he was a gentleman too, despite the fact he tended to talk a bit too loudly and waved his arms about. In the back of Lucy's mind she thought he seemed an awful lot like Natsu.
The next two weeks passed in a blur for Lucy as she seemed to barely have any time to rest. After learning that Sting had been randomly giving her time off to try to keep her from meeting some of the townsfolk (namely the single men) from Yukino, Lucy had refused to take any more time off for the rest of the month. She'd also given her brother quite the lecture about boundaries and how his constant hovering was a sure-fire way to piss her off.
Sting had relented, saying he was only trying to look out for her, as any loving little brother would do (his words, not hers), and promised to back off a little, and had danced off to his kitchen before Lucy could thoroughly yell at him. Honestly, Lucy couldn't believe he'd given up six revenge pranks for that. Although, after meeting Hibiki, Ren and Eve, three men who flirted like they'd come right out of an overdramatic rom-com, she was starting to see what Sting had meant. Some of the men in Magnolia were a bit much to handle.
Work aside, Lucy's free time was largely devoted to making sure Plue was fully situated in their little home. And that started with cleaning out the backyard and old potting room. Natsu's friend, as it turned out, had been an absolute miracle worker when it came to fixing up the backyard. Gildarts Clive was well known in Magnolia as one of the best landscapers around and Lucy could certainly see why. The wonderfully detailed and precise design plans Gildarts had drawn up in only a few hours had looked amazing, to say the least. The grid pattern and layout was perfect for the size of the yard, even taking into account the overhanging trees from the neighbor's yards. It left plenty of open space for Haru to play in as well as enough flower patches for Lucy to be perfectly content surrounded by the colorful foliage that would match the yellow cottage wonderfully.
It was perfect, but perhaps a bit much for her budget. At least that's what she'd thought until Gildarts had assured her not to worry about it. "Don't worry. Natsu said you're a friend of his so you get the family discount," he'd said, wide smile so sincere Lucy hadn't even bothered to argue.
Apparently, Gildarts was Natsu's father's good friend and he'd not only made sure to give Lucy a very generous deal but also managed to turn the weed infested garden into a beautiful oasis in only three short days. And all without bringing any large equipment around the house too.
Backyard taken care of, Lucy had cleaned the old potting room like there was no tomorrow. She'd scrubbed every inch of the room with a natural and completely pet-safe cleaner Natsu had given her twice before allowing Plue to walk in. It was probably a bit much, after all Plue had been a stray up until a few days ago. Some old potting soil shouldn't have been an issue. But Lucy couldn't help it. She and Haru had quickly become attached to their sweet little dog, showering her with more than enough love and kisses to last a lifetime.
It helped that Natsu had made it a point to answer all her questions, and even the ones she didn't think to ask, over their little breakfast meetings. Plue's small mammary gland infection had cleared up by her next appointment, just as Natsu had said, and after her last checkup a few days ago she was well enough that Natsu wasn't worried a bit about her giving birth on her own.
All and all, by the time the puppies were set to arrive Lucy felt more tired than nervous. Which was why Lucy found herself dozing on the couch as she read late Tuesday night. Haru was already tucked in bed, having tired himself out at his fencing practice earlier that day. Surprisingly, he was doing rather well in the class. No injuries to date. Of course he'd only had three lessons so far but Lucy was happy regardless.
Placing the two of hearts from a deck of cards she'd long ago lost the rest of in the book, Lucy got up and flicked off the lights and small radio she'd had quietly playing in the background before making her way out of the living room when she paused at the end of the steps. A soft whining noise carried down the hall from the potting room in the back. Plue had taken to sleeping there for the past few days, holing up there just as Natsu had said she would. Still, this noise was new and Lucy couldn't tell if it was Plue or-
"The puppies!" she gasped.
The door to the potting room was open halfway, the soft glow of a nightlight the only thing illuminating the dark room. Lucy slowly opened the door the rest of the way and looked around in the dim light, not wanting to disturb Plue by turning the overhead light. The first thing Lucy saw when her eyes had adjusted was six wiggling, whining white furballs on the towels piled in the corner. Shuffling a bit further into the room, Lucy called out for Plue…a moment later she had to smack a hand over her mouth to hide her scream.
Natsu hummed a soft tune as he made his way from the den to the kitchen. He'd been looking through the latest reports for a new trial drug on treating cancer in dogs when he'd felt the need for a snack break. He pulled out the slices of turkey, ham, salami and cheese he always kept in his fridge, figuring he'd make one of his infamous triple meat sandwiches when his cell began ringing from the den.
Raising an eyebrow he looked over at where Happy sat perched on the island countertop eating small chunks of fish Natsu had caught in his pond earlier. "Who ya think that is?" he asked, patting the kitten's head as he walked by. It was too late for it to be Gray or even Lisanna asking if he wanted to grab a beer. Maybe someone was calling about an animal issue, though it wasn't his night to be on-call. Happy didn't even look up from the dish as Natsu sat the meat and cheese on the counter. Natsu huffed a laugh, "No, don't worry. I'll get it."
He'd barely lifted his cell to his ear before the frantic voice on the other end cut off any greeting he'd been about to say.
"Natsu? Are you there?"
It only took only an instant for Natsu to recognize the voice on the other end. And she didn't sound remotely okay. "Luce? What's wrong?" he asked, tone turning completely serious at the frantic waver in Lucy's voice.
"Natsu!" she gasped. "You have to come. Plue is…s-something's wrong."
Natsu was already moving. Grabbing his keys from the hook by the door, he raced outside and nearly fell off the front porch in his mad dash across the yard to his truck. He barely paused to check that his medical bag was still in the back seat before peeling out of his drive, gravel spraying behind him. Lucy was still talking, trying to tell him what was happening but her voice was steadily getting higher and faster, to the point where Natsu could hardly make heads or tails of what she said.
"Lucy! Lucy, breathe. In and out. Okay?" he called and she stuttered to a stop, taking a few shuddering breaths before letting out a soft 'okay'. "Hey, it's going to be fine," he told her. "I'm on my way but I need your address. You said you lived down Strawberry?"
"Y-yeah. 503. It's the yellow cottage."
"Okay. I'll be there in fifteen minutes," he said. He could cut a twenty-five minute drive down by ten minutes no sweat. "Now, what's goin' on with Plue?"
"She's panting and vomiting. A-and…something's hanging out of her. I don't know what it is. She had six puppies like you said. Oh god Natsu! What if it's a puppy?!"
"Calm down. It's probably not a puppy," he said. In fact, Natsu was already pretty sure it was something else entirely. He glanced at the clock and stepped on the gas a little harder. Eleven minutes left. Natsu thanked the stars it was late enough for the roads to be clear as he entered the town from the back roads. Mavis knew he was technically speeding, as it was. At least Strawberry Street wasn't on the other side of town from Natsu's house in the country.
Lucy gave a few shaky breaths and Natsu wished he was already there. He couldn't imagine how she must have felt on her own like this. "Not a puppy. Okay. Natsu what do I do? H-how far are you?"
"Almost there, Lucy," he promised. "You said she had six pups, right? How're they lookin'?" he asked as he carefully moved around a tight turn.
There was the sound of some shuffling before Lucy gave a breathless, "They're good. All breathing fine and they look healthy enough."
"Okay, that's good. I need you make sure they're somewhere safe and warm but don't take them from the room Plue's in. Can you do that for me, Lucy?"
"Yeah, yeah…of course. I'll just…I'll put them on the bed."
Another glance at the clock. Seven minutes. "I'll also need some light when I get there, okay?"
"Yeah. There's a light in the room. I have it off now though…"
"That's fine," he said and pulled down the last street before Lucy's. "How's Haru?" he asked, worry spiking at the thought of the small boy seeing his beloved pet like this.
"He's still asleep upstairs. He's a heavy sleeper and I've tried to be quiet…I don't want him to see this."
Natsu fully got that. Kid may have been tough but this wasn't something for his eyes. And Natsu would be damned if he didn't save this dog. He pulled onto Strawberry Street and carefully looked out for 503. "I just got on Strawberry, Luce. I'll be there in a sec."
A pause. "I'm at the end of the drive." And sure enough, as Natsu pulled up to the only yellow cottage on the street there was Lucy. Eyes large and panicked, hair a mess as it tumbled from her bun in tangled waves like she'd tried to run her fingers through her hair but forgot it was up. There was even a bit of blood on her hands and shirt. Likely residue form when she'd handled the pups. At least, Natsu hoped that was all it was from.
"She's in the back room," she explained as soon as Natsu slid from his truck with the med bag in tow. "The puppies are in the corner and I think Plue knows they're there but she's too distressed to do anything except pant."
Natsu followed her into the house to the back room. She flicked on the light and Natsu took in the scene, recognizing the prolapsed uterus instantly and hoping it wasn't too late. "Let me wash my hands first," he said, turning back to the kitchen behind him. He scrubbed his hands quickly before returning to Lucy's side.
"Y-you're not going to take her to the hospital?" she asked.
"Probably. But I want to try something first." Plue had tried to settle in the corner near the pups, whimpering softly as she slumped on her side near the back wall. Despite the pain she must have been in, Natsu could still hear the occasional comforting whine she'd let out whenever one of the pups made a particularly loud yelp. He felt his chest squeeze at the devotion Plue had to her pups. She really was a good dog. Holding his hands up like a surgeon, Natsu nodded towards his bag by the door. "Could you bring my bag in too?"
Lucy nodded and hurried to the door. As she did, Natsu slowly approached Plue, sighing with relief that she was still conscious. That was good, meant the pain wasn't too bad and the bleeding was probably to a minimum. He turned his attention to the mass protruding from her vulva as he carefully settled himself behind her, taking care to softly coo to Plue so she knew where he was. He was fairly certain from the looks of things that Plue had given birth within the last half hour, which was good, he thought. Less chance of necrosis on the uterus…
"What now?" Lucy asked, suddenly at his side.
"I need you to hold her and keep her calm while I deal with this." Lucy nodded and shifted her attention to the dog, gently rubbing Plue's shoulder and whispering soft soothing words to her that Natsu couldn't completely make out. Plue's tongue lapped out the more Lucy talked to her and her ears twitched like she was trying to listen.
A damn good dog, Natsu thought. He gently checked over the uterus and Plue twitched slightly.
"What's wrong with her?" Lucy asked, her voice now carefully controlled and no longer panicked sounding but Natsu could still see the tension in her shoulders.
"She had a uterine prolapse. Part of the uterus has turned inside out while she gave birth and that's what this thing is. Good news is I know what to do. Bad news is it's not exactly common, so this'll be the first time I've done it on a dog. Treated a horse for it once, though. It's pretty rare." At Lucy's slightly panicked and disbelieving look Natsu turned back to the uterus to see if there were any tears or areas where the cells were starting to die. That'd be a big problem. "Were there any issues when she was giving birth?" he asked.
Lucy shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't even know she'd had them. I just heard something and came back here and…Is she going to be okay?"
Natsu didn't answer, too focused on the uterus and too unsure about it to really give her a definite answer. "Lucy. I need you to reach into the bag and get the saline and jelly, okay?"
"What are you going to do?" she asked, already moving to open the med bag between them.
"I'm going to clean the uterus and try to manipulate it back inside. If I can get the swelling down and some proper blood flow goin' it should just contract on its own. Hopefully we won't have to resort to surgery." Natsu rinsed the uterus three times with the saline before taking the lubricant jelly from Lucy, hoping this would work.
Lucy couldn't stand to watch so she focused on talking to Plue and keeping her calm, hovering close to her ear as she whispered over and over about how good of a dog she was. Natsu stayed quiet, too focused on the rhythmic movements of his hand to do much else. She wasn't sure how long they stayed in the potting room for, but finally she saw Natsu sit back from the corner of her eye. He heaved a heavy sigh and rolled his shoulders to relieve the stiff tension she only just now realized he'd held in them since he'd arrived. It was then she noticed his hands weren't working anymore.
"Is it over?" she asked. "Is she okay?"
Natsu sighed and reached a hand out to run his fingers through his hair before catching himself and lowering them back to his lap. "Yes and no. Everything's back in place, and it seemed to contract fine, but she needs to go to the hospital for a few days to get her strength back. She'll need some antibiotics and fluids and I'll have to do an x-ray to make sure everything's fine but so long as things go well she'll be good as new."
"And it won't…fall back out?" she asked, nervously looking Plue over.
Natsu shook his head. "It shouldn't . It seemed to go back in normally." He looked up at her and grinned wide and happy despite the obvious tired tension that lined his face. "Guess your luck is still holdin', eh Lucy?"
And Lucy couldn't help but give a tired chuckle, all the fear and panic she'd felt leaking from her like water from an old tap. Resting a hand on Plue's side, she slumped forward and pressed her forehead into Natsu's shoulder. She felt him stiffen slightly but was too tired to pull back. "I don't know how to thank you, Natsu," she mumbled into the soft fabric of his shirt.
He chuckled and rested his chin on top of her head before rubbing it back and forth, no doubt his way of patting her back without using his hands. It only made Lucy smile more. "You just did, Luce."
Natsu and Lucy both quickly washed their hands before readying the back of Natsu's pickup for Plue to lie in. He'd take her and the pups back to the hospital alone since Lucy couldn't very well leave Haru, and she wanted to avoid having him see this as much as possible. Lucy was just glad there wasn't a lot of blood to deal with, and the vomit would be fairly easy to clean as most of it was on the many towels Lucy had placed around the room. She'd already tossed most of the soiled towels in the washer so Plue and the puppies weren't surrounded by it while she and Natsu readied his truck. Thank Mavis it was a warm, clear night and the hospital wasn't that far away.
They had just finished loading the bed up with blankets and pillows and walked back inside when Lucy caught Natsu's arm to pull him to a stop in the hall. "I know I already said this, but thank you. Really. I don't know what I'd have done if you weren't here Natsu."
He smiled. "Ya know, if ya ever need anything, Plue or otherwise, you can always call me. I'll be there, Luce. Promise."
Lucy pressed her lips together to hide the smile threatening to show and crossed her arms. She was still a bit shaken from everything, but who could blame her. Still, she had felt a sense of ease as soon as she'd seen Natsu's red truck. He'd been so steady and calm through the phone call and procedure that it had made Lucy calm too. She liked to think she was good with dealing with stressful situations but she'd always had a tough time dealing with medical emergencies, even before her husband's accident. Just the thought of seeing a loved one hurt often left Lucy feeling a little anxious. When he was still alive, her husband had often been the only one to keep her calm in situations like the one tonight, if only because he was calm himself. She'd forgotten how comforting it could be just to have someone by her side through an emergency or just a though time in general. Someone who could be calm when she no longer could, who wouldn't need to say or do anything but be there and that was enough. It was…nice to have someone like that again. If only as a good friend.
"You know, in most medical fields you're not supposed to promise anything," she said, a small smile pulling at her lips. "You're supposed to say something like "we'll do our best"."
Natsu's smile softened and he shifted his weight so he was leaning slightly closer. "Would you rather I didn't promise?" he asked.
Lucy shook her head. "No. But I hope you understand I plan on calling you for every little fix I need done on the house now," she teased.
Natsu smirked. "Is that right? Well, can't say I'm all that bothered."
For some reason, Lucy felt her neck heat up all the way to her ears. She ducked her head, hoping to hide whatever color had spread to her cheeks when she heard a soft yawn from behind her.
"Mom?"
Lucy jumped and quickly spun around to look at Haru standing at the bottom of the stairs, space pajamas in slight disarray and hair stuck up in what looked like four cow-licks. Any sense of calm Lucy had felt was quickly dashed out the window at the sight of her son. She was suddenly very aware of the spots of blood and maybe vomit on her shirt. Lucy opened her mouth to say something but only a small squeak came out.
Haru blinked his tired eyes a few times before focusing on the man standing behind her. "Why is Natsu here?" he asked.
Before Lucy could even think of an appropriate response, Natsu walked past her and knelt down in front of Haru. "Hey there, little man. I just came over to help out with somethin'."
"What was it?" Haru asked around a large yawn.
Natsu smiled and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, steadying him as Haru swayed on his feet. "You wanna see somethin' amazing, kiddo?" he asked.
Haru perked up a bit but still sleepily rubbed at his eyes, obviously still halfway asleep. "Okay…"
Natsu moved to stand up but Haru lazily lifted his arms in a very obvious gesture for the man to carry him. Lucy was about to move forward and take her son but Natsu once again moved before her and picked Haru up to cradle him against his chest. Haru's head dropped down on his shoulder and he blinked slowly at Lucy. "Mom?"
She smiled and followed on Natsu's heels, reaching a hand up to try to tame Haru's unruly bedhead. "Everything's alright, Haru. In fact, something wonderful has happened."
Natsu didn't turn the light to the potting room back on when they walked in and Lucy didn't bother doing so either knowing the room was still a little dirty. Hopefully, Haru was too tired to really smell it. Natsu slowly dropped to the ground a little ways back from where Plue and the puppies laid. He shifted Haru in his arms until the boy was sitting in his lap and looking at the scene before him. Lucy settled to Natsu's left, her hand automatically reaching out to shift through her son's hair as his head tipped back against Natsu's chest like he was ready to fall asleep again.
Natsu chuckled and poked at Haru's cheek. "Common, kiddo. Ya gotta open your eyes to see this."
Lucy watched the two of them with a soft smile and nervous flutter in her chest that she didn't want to bother trying to name right then. Haru shifted before slowly peeking open his eyes and blinking at the six wiggling pups before him. "Puppies?!" he gasped softly and Natsu chuckled.
"Yep. Six of 'em, just like I said."
"Woah…" Haru leaned forward a little so he wasn't slumped against Natsu's chest. He turned to look over at Lucy and he grinned a bright smile that Natsu quickly matched as he looked at her too. The little flutter suddenly spread out to the rest of Lucy's body, making her feel oddly warm. "Mom!" Haru whisper shouted. "We have puppies! Plue has puppies!"
Lucy smiled and cupped her son's cheek, thumb gently stroking his soft skin. "Yes, sweetie. She just had them while you were asleep."
"Cool." Haru turned to look back at Natsu, "And that's why you're here?"
"You bet, kiddo. Someone had to make sure these little guys were okay."
Haru nodded and turned back around to look at the puppies again. "You did a good job, Plue," he whispered and Lucy's heart nearly broke from the tired thump of Plue's tail as she wagged it a few times. "Can I pet them?" Haru asked.
"'Fraid not, Haru," Natsu sighed. "Plue's pretty tired and so are the pups. They've had a pretty eventful time while you were asleep," he teased, poking Haru's side so he giggled softly. "I'm going to take them back to the animal hospital for the night to make sure they're okay. But you and your mom can see them tomorrow."
Haru immediately turned to Lucy, eyes large and pleading as he clasped his hands under his chin. "Can we mom? Please. Plue might get lonely without us."
Lucy stifled a snort behind her hand. "Oh, with these little guys, I don't think she will be board for a while. But we'll go see her after work tomorrow, okay?"
He nodded. "Okay. Good."
They didn't sit there for very long, as Natsu was in a hurry to get Plue to the hospital. When it was time to load her into the bed, Natsu carried her from the house and placed her among the sheets in the truck's bed. Lucy carefully bundled the pups in a laundry basket with a soft blanket. She passed the wiggling pups to Natsu on the porch when Haru hurried down the stairs, stumbling slightly over the edge of his favorite green pillow.
"Natsu!" he called. The man paused in the yard and waited for Haru to reach his side. He held out his pillow, "For Plue and the puppies. So they don't get scared."
Natsu grinned, "Yeah? Well, I doubt they'll be scared with a cool pillow like that."
Haru giggled as he trailed after him to the truck. Natsu placed the basket on the passenger seat before lifting Haru to place his pillow in the bed next to Plue's head. The dog let out a soft huff before burying her nose in the pillow. "What about the puppies?" Haru asked as Natsu handed him over to Lucy. He was still looking very tired but his head wasn't drooping as much anymore. Still, he laid his head on Lucy's shoulder when she rubbed his back soothingly.
"They'll sit in the front with me when we go to the hospital. They need to be with their mama," Natsu smirked and playfully ruffled Haru's hair at the boy's slight pout. "It'll be fine, kiddo. I'll watch them all night. Promise."
Lucy rolled her eyes but smiled all the same as Natsu climbed into the truck. "I'll call you tomorrow before we stop in," she said.
Natsu nodded, starting the engine before leaning out his window to grin down at her and Haru. "Don't worry. She's going to be fine."
Haru said nothing as he held out his hand, pinky raised. Natsu didn't even hesitate a second before wrapping his own around Haru's. Lucy was struck once again with a warm feeling that spread out from her chest at the sight. She and Haru waited in the driveway as Natsu quickly drove off, neither saying anything for a moment until the tail lights had disappeared around the bend. Heaving a very tired sigh, Lucy turned and carried Haru back inside.
"Mom?"
"Yes, sweetie."
"Can I sleep with you?"
Lucy smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Of course."