The autumn day was surprisingly warm and sunny even as November neared December. Deciding to take it easy until he was feeling one-hundred percent again after his near-death experience, Connor had stayed home from work to nurse the lingering headache that was still plaguing him after awakening from his coma-like stasis. Hiding in his dark bedroom with Sumo at the foot of his bed and the fish in his aquarium as his only company for the afternoon, the deviant attempted to keep his body as still as possible as he found even the slightest movement to be painful to his still healing cranium. Every light and sound were enough to cause his sensors and processors to go on full alert with a painful rush of Thirium to his head resulting in a migraine.
Laying on his side with his arm tucked under his pillow to prop his head slightly upright, Connor was beginning to fall into a comfortable rest mode to sleep through the tremendous pain. It was then Sumo pressed his cold, wet nose against Connor's arm and whimpered needing some attention. The dog had been curled up next to Connor's legs all day and hadn't moved an inch until then in a very needy manner.
"No, Sumo..."
Connor's L.E.D. flashed from yellow to red briefly as the very idea of having to get up hurt his head.
"Can you please wait until Hank comes home?"
Sumo whimpered again and jumped down from the bed and headed through the opened bedroom door before plodding down the hallway out of sight.
With a heavy sigh Connor push himself upright on the bed very slowly with one hand and pressed his other hand over his eyes to shield them from the harsh light as he opened his eyelids steadily only to immediately close them again as the pain intensified. Relying on his memory of the layout of the house to guide himself, Connor blindly ventured out of his bedroom, down the hallway and into the kitchen where Sumo was sitting by the backdoor eager to go outside.
"Okay, boy. I'll let you outside for a few minutes."
Turning the knob on the backdoor Connor pushed it open and listened to the sound of Sumo's paws and nails trotting over the linoleum floor and into the backyard before Connor let himself fall down to the kitchen floor very slowly to sit and continue to rest. Hugging his legs up to his chest Connor pressed his forehead down atop his knees as he tried to endure the relentless headache while waiting for Sumo to come back inside.
From the depths of an unknown length of time a gentle hand resting on Connor's shoulder pulled his attention away from the agony of his head and to the face of Hank leaning down over him with a worried expression.
"...Hank?"
"You okay, son?" Hank had evidently left work early to come home and check in on Connor while he slowly recovered in the comfort of his own bed. "You look like you still feel like shit."
"I'm just waiting for Sumo to come back inside."
"I didn't see Sumo in the backyard." A little confused by the admission Hank lifted his hand from Connor's shoulder and called for the massive dog through the still opened backdoor. "Sumo, come!" There was no sign of the dog anywhere on the property and it didn't look like he was near enough to hear Hank's voice calling his name. "Damn it. He must've wandered out of the backyard again."
Getting worried Connor tried to get to get back to his feet but he was weak and swayed a little before he managed to regain his balance. As Hank grabbed onto his arm to help him hold steady Connor finally opened his pained eyes, his yellow L.E.D. flashing red again in response, and looked to Hank for some form of answer.
"...H-He's done this before?"
"He used to do it all the time as a puppy, then only on a rare occasion before you showed up." As he spoke Hank checked the bandages still wrapped around Connor's head to make sure the wound beneath hadn't reopened. "I guess he got bored and decided to go find something to do since you were feeling like shit."
"It's my fault?"
"Hell no." The senior detective responded sharply and honestly. "Like I said, Sumo used to sneak out of the backyard all the time. I didn't think he still had it in him to jump that fence anymore since he's so old and so big. I'll go take a look for him and you go lay down. I can tell you still feel horrible."
"No, I'll go look for him."
"You're still recovering." Hank needlessly reminded the shaking deviant as he used the 'dad voice'. "It's okay."
"Can I at least go with you?" His voice was more reminiscent of a scared child than a pained detective at that moment. "...I should've been watching him."
"You can't watch the dog every possible second he's outside. Besides, he's a DOG; not a baby! Don't beat yourself up because he snuck out." Pulling the car keys from his pocket Hank held them out for Connor to see and relented in letting Connor join him the search. "All right, come on. It'll be faster to drive than to walk. I'M driving, just to be clear on this."
"Of course." Pressing his palm over his healed right temple and bandages where the L.E.D. was now cycling in yellow Connor agreed to let Hank control the vehicle in his stead. "Let's go find Sumo."
Circling around their neighborhood block for the fourth time in the car Hank was ready to go back home and check to see if Sumo had already returned to the backyard, but Connor was determined to keep up the search for the missing dog before heading back to the house. Pressing his hand to the side of his still aching head, Connor stared out the side window and watched the activity in the neighborhood intently. There was very little going on in the area as of the moment, which wasn't uncommon for the neighborhood considering the time of the year, but it still felt a little eerie driving about a populated neighborhood without seeing another person walking about or spending time in their yards.
Just as the duo began their fifth lap along the isolated the streets, their search ended abruptly as another car driving down the adjacent street braked suddenly. A loud and pained whimper sounded off through the block just as the car came to its screeching stop after colliding with something big.
"Hank, stop!" Connor urged as he watched the driver of the second car exit his vehicle and investigate his front bumper. Wincing at the sudden loudness of his own voice Connor let out a weak breath and motioned to the street where the car had stopped. "S-Something happened..."
"Shit." Hank swore as he immediately recognized what was happening. Pulling the car around to turn onto the street and up behind the other driver, Hank shifted into park and gave the deviant the 'dad voice' again as he spoke. "Connor, you should stay in the car."
"Why should I remain in the vehicle? That driver could require assistance."
"Because I think that other driver accidentally 'found' Sumo for us..."
"Found him?" Connor's yellow tinted L.E.D. blinked red rapidly as he realized what Hank was implying. "Sumo was-"
"Easy kid, I'll check on it."
Speaking from a grounded experience Hank gave the worried deviant a pat to his shoulder before he stepped out of the car and walked up to the other driver to ask what had happened. Connor was able to read the lips of the two men as they spoke to one another in the distance and the worried deviant suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Pushing open his own door Connor joined the two men at the front of the other car only to fall to his knees on the pavement by the other car's front bumper.
"Connor," Hank immediately addressed the stubborn deviant and put his hand on the deviant's shoulder. "I told you to-"
"Sumo?"
Connor put his palm down on the injured dog's head and received a pained whimper in response. Running a biometric scan Connor noted that Sumo's front left leg had been broken and cut open by the impact from the car's bumper, but he wasn't bleeding internally or suffering from any other damage aside from the broken leg.
"I'm so sorry..." Slipping his arms under the dog's giant fluffy body Connor was able to lift Sumo up easily from the road and proceeded to carry him back to Hank's car only a few feet away. "It'll be okay, boy. We'll take care of you!"
"Whoa, Connor, you shouldn't..." Knowing that Connor wasn't going to stop or put the heavy dog down, Hank let it go. "Nevermind."
Hank then turned to the driver and gave him a reassuring look before trailing after Connor.
"It's okay, I know it was an accident. We'll take care of him." As Hank jogged after the deviant, he watched Connor clumsily pull open the passenger door, pull the passenger seat forward, and place Sumo down over the backseat as gently as possible. "Jeez, that dog weighs more than you do!"
"Sumo is thirty-two pounds, six ounces heavier than I am." Connor confirmed as he pushed his seat forward and sat down in the front of the car. "Why does it matter?"
"It's just impressive to see you lift him up so easily, especially after you woke up from a coma just yesterday." Hank explained as he joined Connor inside the car from the opposite side. Shifting the car out of park Hank pulled off the street to find the nearest veterinary clinic to treat Sumo's leg. Reaching his hand back Hank scratched Sumo's ear quickly before putting both hands on the wheel again. "Don't worry, boy. We'll get you some help."
"From a veterinarian, correct?" Connor asked with a sincere curiosity as he turned his head to look over his shoulder to watch Sumo in the backseat. The massive dog looked miserable already and he was tentatively trying to lick at his wounded leg while letting out small whimpers. "...Sumo, don't lick. You'll make it worse."
"Yeah, we're taking him to the vet." Hank confirmed in a level tone without slowing his speed. "That's where sick and injured animals go."
"Will it hurt when he is treated?"
"Sumo's already hurting, kid. I don't need to be a vet or have android vision to see that his leg is broken and needs to be cleaned up and set."
Reaching his own hand back Connor slipped his palm under Sumo's head and rubbed his thumb along the dog's muzzle softly. "I'm so sorry, Sumo."
"Connor..." Hank spoke to the deviant in a somewhat scolding tone of voice. "You didn't do anything wrong. Sumo snuck out of the yard and ran into the road when a car was driving. You didn't do this to him."
Despite Hank's reassurance Connor still felt terrible for Sumo's injury. Keeping his hand under Sumo's head throughout the entire drive Connor was seemingly unaware of his own headache despite his red tinted L.E.D. stating otherwise. Once the car arrived at the veterinary clinic Connor managed to pick up the heavy dog again and carry Sumo inside the building in his strong arms. Explaining the situation in a calm, honest manner, Connor then followed the receptionist into a large exam room for Sumo to be examined and treated.
"You'll be okay, Sumo." Connor promised as he ran his hand down Sumo's side and watched as the massive dog whimpered a little from pain. It looked like Connor was about to break down and cry over the whole ordeal. "I'll be sure to keep a closer eye on you from now on."
"Come on, kid."
Hank had to practically drag Connor back out of the exam room and into the waiting area, but once Connor was sitting down his headache returned with a painful vengeance that kept him still.
"You're right. He'll be okay." The gruff, but kindhearted detective tried to reassure the anxious deviant at his side. "I swear."
Connor pressed his face down against his palms as he leaned forward in his seat to block out the intense sunlight shining through the nearby window. "How can you be so calm?"
"I told you once before that I had to take Sumo to the vet when he was still a puppy. He ate a battery and needed emergency surgery." The reply sounded so casual as if every puppy did the same thing at least once while growing up. "I've been through this before and I know these guys are some of the best vets in the city."
"But when you saw Sumo laying in the street you didn't even react."
"Connor," Hank put his hand on the upset deviant's upper back lightly as a comforting gesture. "Sumo is eight years old and that's the average lifespan for a Saint Bernard. I've been emotionally ready for him to pass away in his sleep from a heart condition or some type of undiagnosed cancer for a while now. It seems cold and cruel, but sometimes emotional indifference is the easiest way to deal with the impending loss of a family pet since it hurts so much when we lose a member of the family."
Connor lifted his head up and gave Hank an uneasy glance. "...Do you think this will kill Sumo?"
"Nah. That dog is almost as stubborn as you. He'll be fine."
Rubbing his hand anxiously over the back of his neck Connor let out a deep sigh and felt a soft, warm pressure against the side of his leg. Looking through partially opened eyes to prevent the light from making his headache worse, Connor glanced down and saw a large fluffy black cat rubbing against his leg and purring loudly as it decided it was time to make a new friend.
"...Hello."
Curious about the new friend Connor reached his hand down and began to softly pet the cat by scratching its ear and was rewarded with more purring.
"Seriously?" Hank noticed the cat as well and shook his head a little. "What is it with you and animals?"
"I like them." Connor confirmed as the cat jumped up into his lap and snuggled down affectionately. The cat continued to purr and lightly flex its front paws back and forth as it kept Connor company in the waiting area and helped the deviant feel better. "And I think they like me."
"Well, don't get attached to your new furry friend here." Looking at the tag on the cat's collar, Hank read the name and saw that she had an address that matched the clinic. "Luna's the clinic's therapy animal, you can't keep her."
"I don't intend to keep her." The deviant detective confirmed as he continued to pet Luna's thick fur much to the car's delight. "I do wish to befriend her though."
"Whatever. Just don't get attached to her."
After an hour of Connor petting the cat and finally calming down after worrying about Sumo throughout the entire hour, Sumo was led out of the exam room and back into the main waiting area with a dark red cast on his left front leg and a large plastic cone around his neck. The dog was a little wobbly on his three intact legs and had a distant gaze courtesy of the pain medication and mild sedative that he had been given.
"Sumo!" Connor gently picked up Luna from his lap and sat her on the floor as he and Hank walked up to the treated dog. "Good boy."
The vet reached out his hand toward Hank to properly greet him while Connor knelt down on the floor and gently pet Sumo's head through the protective plastic of the cone. It was almost like a child being reunited with the family pet rather than a heroic detective feel bad about his furry friend getting injured.
Even Luna seemed happy to see Sumo and gently rubbed against his good front leg as she continued to purr loudly.
Sumo didn't notice anything.
"He'll be fine." The vet confirmed as he handed Hank a bottle full of pain pills prescribed specifically for Sumo. "Just bring him back in ten days to have the stitches removed from his leg and a new cast set over his leg to keep infection at bay, and to make sure the bone's mending correctly. After that he'll have another eleven weeks before we can take the second cast off entirely."
"Eleven weeks? Damn."
"Dogs heal at a different rate than humans, especially for a large breed like Sumo here. As for the pills, two a day." Smirking a little, the vet had an air of confidence that helped everyone in the waiting room feel more confident in regard to the care and treatment of their pets. "One pill in the morning with his food and one more again at night with more good."
"Great..." Hank took the pills and pocketed them somewhat annoyed at the idea. "I love trying to get pills down a dog's throat."
From where he was kneeling Connor ran another biometric scan over Sumo and noted that his leg had been perfectly set and he had a neat row of fourteen stitches running along the leg under a protective bandage beneath the cast. The break had been painful but fortunately not too severe considering Sumo had been hit by a moving vehicle.
"Good boy..." Connor reaffirmed as he pet the dog's head. Sumo managed to lick the side of Connor's face despite the cone around his neck before he let out a sleepy yawn and resumed staring off into space. "Still tired?"
"The sedative will wear off in an hour." The vet confirmed as he watched the tired dog fighting to stay awake on his three remaining paws. It was almost amusing watching Luna rub up against the side of Connor's leg then rub up against Sumo's uninjured front leg again as she casually strolled through the waiting area to head down the corridor where the other animals were resting in the back. "And remember give him one of those pain pills twice a day for the next seven days until the pain subsides. After that he'll be fine without any additional medication."
Connor looked up at the vet from where he had knelt down in front of Sumo. "We can take him home?"
"Yes, he's good to go."
Hank handed the car keys to Connor so he could unlock the vehicle's doors. "You take care of Sumo and I'll pay the bill."
Happily Connor wrapped his arms very carefully around Sumo under his chest and abdomen and lifted the lethargic dog up into his arms to carry outside of the clinic and to the car. The mass of fluff overflowing from atop Connor's arms was comical as the deviant carried Sumo outside to lay him back down in the backseats of the car with the greatest of ease.
"Wow." The vet's brow arched at the sight of Connor's fortitude and gave Hank an odd look. Seeing anyone hauling around a full grown Saint Bernard was strange enough, but to see someone with thick banages around their head doing the same feat was truly spectacular. "He's... strong."
"And stubborn." Hank confirmed as he walked over to the receptionist's desk and pulled his wallet from his pocket. "You can't fault the kid for being worried. He cares more about that dog than he does about himself. Don't worry though, I'm helping him to see the value in himself."
Finally back home and ready to relax after a strenuous day at work and then the vet clinic, Hank walked into the livingroom with a cold beer in his hand - one that Connor didn't protest against since Hank had cut down considerably and hadn't had any alcohol at all in almost eight months - and sat down heavily in his recliner to try and relax. Connor himself was sitting on the couch with Sumo resting his full weight over the deviant's lap with his leg in the red cast resting limply over the edge of the couch toward the floor. The fact that Connor hadn't moved since coming home spoke volumes of how horrible the deviant felt physically and even emotionally at the moment despite having no reason to feel guilty for anything.
Sipping at his beer Hank looked at the sight on the couch and shook his head a little. It was as if Connor was trying to somehow will Sumo's leg into healing faster just by spoiling the dog rotten.
"You don't have to let Sumo use you as a pillow, son."
"I know." Connor admitted as he ran his hand down Sumo's side slowly. The large dog was in a deep sleep and didn't even notice that Connor was petting him "But I don't mind."
"Okay, it's your legs that're going to end up paralyzed, not mine." Leaning back in his chair Hank sighed to himself and wondered if the beer was even helping at all, or if it was just an old habit that he had fully broken but still clung on to out of routine. "How's your head?"
"It still hurts, but the pain has lessened since our return home."
"Think you'll be ready to go back to work in two days?"
"Yes. At my current rate of recovery my self-healing program will have repaired the remaining damage entirely within the next nine hours, and my headache will have subsided entirely." Connor's hand absentmindedly pet Sumo's side in a slow rhythm as the massive dog dozed in a sedative induced slumber. "As long as I don't physically exert myself then my systems will fully recalibrate by tomorrow, and I will be cleared for active duty the following morning."
"That's good." Slowly Hank sipped at his beer again and turned on the television with a casual demeanor. "I hate desk duty. It gets boring fast."
Speaking up in a whisper Connor turned to look at his adoptive father with a hopeful glance. "Hank?"
"Yeah?"
"We can we get a kitten?" Connor asked sincerely as he ran his hand through the dog's thick fur with a gentle motion. It seemed that Connor's affection towards animals wasn't just limited to dogs and fish. "It could be a good companion for Sumo during our absence."
"No way. I'm not dealing with a litter box on top of cleaning up after Sumo, and I don't want to risk a cat getting outside and getting hit by a car, too." Leaning back in his chair Hank couldn't stop himself from remembering an old friend he had to say goodbye to so many years ago. "Not to mention the last cat that I had was almost twenty when he died. That was tough to deal with, and I don't want to do it again. Sometimes owning a pet can be as painful as it is rewarding."
"I understand." Slowly Connor stopped moving his hand and gave Sumo an odd look around the plastic cone around his neck. The massive dog was deep asleep and had no clue that Connor was looking down at him. "I don't think Sumo minds us as his only companions anyway."
"Without a doubt. You always spoil him rotten and I keep buying him the good dog chow no matter how expensive it gets."
"Should we strengthen fence to keep Sumo from escaping or start putting him on a line instead?"
"Nah." Enjoying his beer knowing that it'd be his last, Hank looked at the dog's face enshrouded in the plastic cone and smirked at the goofy, pathetic sight. "I think he'll stay close to home from now on. He's learned his lesson in a truly painful way."
"I hope you're right. I never want to hear Sumo make such a pained sound for the remainder of either of our lives."
"That's something that we can all undoubtedly agree on."
Feeling much better Connor resumed petting Sumo as he and Hank watched the college football game now playing out on the television screen. For the first time all day long, Connor's yellow L.E.D. cycled into a calm blue as he entered a place of utter contentment and finally relaxed on the couch with his giant fluffy dog sleeping peacefully over his lap.
"You're a good boy, Sumo."
Whispering to the lovable dog, Connor made sure Sumo knew he'd never be ignored or forgotten about ever again.
"We're glad you're safe back home where you belong."
-next chapter-
