InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dr. Miko ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

~~0.o~~

The next morning, Kagome and Shippou wandered the dark hospital, straightening pictures, reorganizing the bandages, and straightening the surgical instruments. She started in the front lobby, her heels clicking on the new tile floor. The front desk was semi circle facing the doors with a hallway on either side. She walked around it adjusting the collars and food for sale below the counter, stacked the magazines neatly on the racks and swept a hand across the benches, checking for any dust. She followed one of the hallways back, popping her head into each of the four exam rooms on the "Dog" side before turning and repeating the same thing down the "Cat" side. It was six o'clock when Sango came sneaking in, unaware that her partner had beaten her. Kagome flashed the light switch next to her and Sango spun around, clutching her chest. "Damn it Kagome! You almost made me pee my pants!" Kagome leaned against the doorframe in her white jacket and black slacks, a fluffy orange head tucked under her arm.

"Came early?" Sango hung her head low and sighed.

"Couldn't sleep either." Both girls laughed softly and linked arms for one last walk around their clinic before it opened to the public. By 8:30, all the staff members were there and everyone was talking excitedly, getting all the paperwork ready. Kagome called for the group to gather at the door and they counted down to open. At exactly nine, they unlocked the two large doors and everyone cheered.

The day went by slowly, they had a few appointments come in, mostly just people stopping in to greet the new doctors and see the new hospital. Kagome examined several pets, talking to them and their owners about general health and answering the few questions they had. Sango took some x-rays and did a few blood panels, all of which came up normal. They had dogs in for vaccines and cats in for deworming. The phone rang constantly and the reception girls were having a hard time keeping up. "Miko Veterinary Hospital, could you hold please?" "Yes, we're open 9 am till 5 pm." "Yes, we give vaccines." "No, I'm sorry we do not have grooming." "An appointment, sure, could you hold please?"

Lunchtime came and went and soon it was back to work. By five o clock that evening, the two doctors had sent every one home and opted to stay and close up alone. They sat on one of the benches along the waiting room wall, just staring off into space. Shippou was curled up on the floor between them, snoring slightly. "Day one." They both sighed. Sango got up and headed for the door. "I'm gonna go check out that dojo across the way, work out some of these nerves. Wanna join me?"

"Nah, you know I suck at kickboxing and fighting, you beat me every time. Plus I always end up looking like an idiot in those yoga classes… my legs just don't bend like that. Besides, I should get Shippou home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok, but hey- no cheating and coming in early. I'll see you at 7:00." They waved and Sango headed out through the parking lot to her car to grab her bag, then disappearing into the gym. Kagome walked to her car, a sleeping Shippou in her arms, when a low growl startled her. She whirled around to see a streak of white bolting towards her. It came to a stop a few feet in front of her, a pure white dog, huge, like a husky or a wolf with gleaming yellow eyes. She stared at it, listening for it to say something, anything, to her. It sniffed at the air between them one more time before taking off, leaving no trace of ever being there except Kagome's racing heart.

She lay in bed that night confused about the incident with the large dog in the parking lot. She had been scared of the aggressive actions, but not of the dog. Something about it was calling to her, something familiar but that she could not place. Those eyes, it's like they saw right into her soul… she put the thought out of her head and went to sleep.

~~0.o~~

The next morning she arrived on time with Shippou in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. There were a few technicians already bustling about, checking in patients who had been dropped off early for surgeries and prepping them. Sango met her in the office with a huge smile on her face. Kagome put the pup on the floor and he immediately curled up on the small dog bed and went back to sleep. "What're you so happy about, it's only quarter to eight."

"I met someone…" Sango said with a dreamy look in her soft hazel eyes. She couldn't wipe the grin off her face.

"At the gym last night?"

"Yea… he's a yoga instructor. He helped me with my breathing and my stretching, then he grabbed my ass." She chuckled at the memory.

"What'd you do?"

"I slapped him." Both women laughed, it was a typical Sango reaction. She was notorious for beating up men who took advantage. "He's actually pretty sweet, once you put aside the lecherous tendencies. I'm meeting him tonight for another lesson if you wanna come."

"We'll see. Let's get to work, we have 2 spays and a lump removal with a biopsy to perform before our first appointments."

They went into the main surgery room to find Kagura, their lead technician all ready set up for the surgeries. She smiled cheerily at her bosses, her burgundy scrubs bringing out her brilliant crimson eyes and fair skin. "Good morning Dr. Higorashi, Dr. Hiraikotsu. We're all ready for you."

"Good morning, Kagura. Is Rin here yet? We'll need two techs before we start," Sango asked as she looked down the hall.

"I'm here, I'm here," not two seconds later did the young girl come running down the corridor towards them. Kagome laughed as she came to a screeching halt in front of Sango, who tapped her foot and rolled her eyes. Kagome had pleaded with Sango to hire Rin, having loved her in the interview. Her energy was addictive and though she was a little rough around the edges, Kagome really wanted her to be part of their team. She looked at her now, her hair wound loosely on top of her head, large sparkling green eyes and, dare she mention the Scooby Doo scrubs she was wearing. It was fitting.

"Com' on Rin, we've got two spays to do. We'll leave the boring stuff to those two." Kagome laughed and threw her arm over the younger girl's shoulders, leading her to one of the smaller surgery rooms. Both vet's procedures went without any problems. Kagome and Rin had the radio on and danced around singing while performing the two spays. They laughed and shared stories and gossip for a bit before cleaning up and going to check on Sango and Kagura. When they entered the main room, it was dead silent. The dog lay quietly in one of the large cages built into the wall for recovering patients, an I.V. hooked up releasing fluids at a slow drip. Kagura was sterilizing the table and loading the instruments into the autoclave while Sango sat examining a slide under one of the microscopes. She was mumbling to her self and taking notes in the patient's chart. "Hmmm, we'll need a full chem panel serum analysis, a T4 and we'll need to send a sample to the lab for the full cytology report but I have a feeling it's just a lymphatic tumor. Can't be too careful."

"How was the removal?" Kagome asked, breaking the silence.

"Standard procedure, looks benign but I'm sending a sample to Antech for full analysis. How were the spays?"

"Great, Good tunes, good coffee, good company. Even caught a few lines from a good dream…" Kagome winked at Sango and she and Rin busted up laughing, though neither of the other two girls got the joke. Just then the intercom came on and announced that Kagome's first appointment was ready. "Thanks, Yumi, I'll be right up." She waved and left the room, quickly followed by Rin.

The first appointment was a young girl with a pet rabbit, who was feeling a little under the weather. Kagome asked the little girl about what had been going on and then very kindly said she would like to look at the bunny in the back. Rin wrapped the small pet in a towel and brought it to where Kagome stood in one of the back exam rooms. "Ok, don't look at me like I'm crazy when I do this, alright Rin?" Her assistant nodded her head. The raven-haired woman lifted the rabbit into her arms and began to speak to it. "Good morning Aija, my name is Kagome. Your little girl is worried about you and so brought you to see me. Can you tell me what's going on?" There was silence while the young doctor held the patient in her arms, nodding ever so often, while Rin just staring blankly at the two. To Kagome, however, the room sounded different.

"Well, it started a few days ago when my little girl went away to visit her friend and I was left to be tended to by her brother. He pulled my ears, hard, and tried to feed me some rotten carrots. When I tried to escape him, he pulled my ears harder and I have been hearing ringing ever since." Kagome nodded, deep in thought. Her assistant put her hand on her shoulder to try and bring her out of whatever trance she was in. Kagome only smiled.

"It a ruptured auditory membrane, nothing too bad. Rin, get me some Baytril drops and 2cc of Depomethomasol, that should take care of the swelling. Make the label `3-5 drops SID', ok?" Rin nodded as she left the room, still a little confused at what had just happened. "You're gonna be just fine Aija." She lifted the rabbit into her arms again and headed back to the waiting room. She bent low to the child, handing back her pet. "Ok, Aija has an ear ache, I'm going to give you some drops and I want you to put it very gently in her ear every day for one week ok?" The little girl nodded, hugging her bunny closer. "Oh yea," Kagome added, "don't let your brother baby-sit your bunny anymore ok?" She winked as she slid the door closed behind her.

~~0.o~~

"Dr. Higorashi, your next exam is ready in room 4," the intercom announced. Straightening her white coat, she headed down the hall to her next client. She rolled the door open to find a very old woman and her very large rottwieler. The dog immediately growled at Kagome as she entered the room.

"Good morning, I am Dr. Higorashi. What brings you two young women in today?" The old woman blushed and giggled slightly, her dog continuing to growl.

"This young beauty here is Minchin. Lately she's been hobbling around our house and seems pained when she has to go up or down the stairs. She will sometimes yelp when she tries to stand after a nap or when she tries to jump up onto the couch. Do I need to put her to sleep?" Kagome could see the fear in the old woman's eyes just mentioning such a thing. She laid her hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Please, don't worry, she will be fine. What I would like to do is to take her in the back with me for a few minutes, just to have a closer look, and I will get you everything you need to keep her healthy for a long time." She looked relieved as she handed the doctor the leash, but Minchin was less than thrilled. Her growling increased and she even began to bare her teeth. Kagome looked back to the old woman and asked politely if she'd mind excusing them.

"I don't know what you're thinking, human, but don't get any closer to me. I've been to places like this before, filled with sick animals, big metal machines and needles for shots and taking blood. There's no way I'm staying here. Stay away from me!" Kagome sat down in one of the plush chairs and crossed her legs.

"Ok, I will not come any closer to you if you tell me about the pain you are having." The dog also sat down, looking a little confused and a little more confident now that the doctor's threat was diminished.

"Well, it started a while back when my woman had someone try to break into our house, I took care of it, like I always do, but before he jumped back over the fence, he kicked me. Since then, my left knee has been overly sore and I can put very little weight on it without it hurting. But it'll go away, no need to stay here any longer…

"It sounds more serious than you're letting on. Would you mind if I felt it? I promise, no needles involved." Minchin was quiet for a moment before lowering her head and nodding.

"Ok, if you will lay down on your right side and tell me if and when it hurts." She began to pull and push on the dog's leg, bending and testing the range of movement when it cried out and snapped at Kagome. Carefully, she let go and nodded a few times, walking over to the table to write a few notes in the chart.

"Well?!?" The dog nervously asked. Kagome finished writing and turned to face the rottweiler.

"Well, I have a suspicion that I don't think you will like very much, so to be on the safe side… for both of us, I'd like to take some x-rays of you so I can get a good look at what is going on inside your leg." A soft growling protested her request. "I'll be with you the whole time and still no needles involved." After a little more convincing, Kagome and Rin got the x- rays and to Kagome's dismay, it was as she thought. Minchin had torn her cruciate ligament and they would need to go in and replace the torn portion. That meant surgery, IV fluids, and several shots, which she knew the rottweiler would object to. She first spoke to the old woman owner to tell her about the procedure and get her approval before even mentioning it to the dog. Once she agreed, she had the woman go to the front to make an appointment for the surgery later in the week while she told Minchin the news.

"Ok, now you're making me nervous, doctor. Com'on, tell me what's wrong."

"Well, you have torn one of the ligaments in your knee and without us going in and fixing it, you will never get any better and will eventually loose use of that leg all together." The news was hard on the proud canine, but they eventually reached a compromise. "We'll use a pill sedative, gas anesthia and after surgery, tablet antibiotics, and liquid pain medication. That means the only shots you will get will be while you are asleep and can't feel them. I have to warn you though; the recovery will be slow and painful. You have to remember to stay down and rest as much as possible, even if you hear thing in the night. In order to be back to your normal self, it will take a few months. Do you think you can do that?"

"If it means I will be able to keep my human safe again, I will do whatever it takes."

"Good. I will see you again soon. Take care until then, try to stay off that leg." She held open the door for the dog and her master to leave before heading back to tell Sango about their first big surgery.

~~0.o~~

The day finished off pretty uneventful and by 5:30, Sango was already off at the dojo and the only ones left in the building were Kagome and Shippou. She picked him up out of the bed in her office and kissed his nose. "What did you do all day, lazy butt?"

"Well," he yawned, "I talked to some of the patients this morning; they say some crazy stuff when they're coming out of anesthia, then I went over to the boarding area and played with this puppy that was there, then I followed that girl Rin around, then…"

"Ok, ok, so you had a busy day like me. What do you say we hit the grocery store on the way home and I make us both a big dinner, what do you say?" He wagged his fluffy tail and licked her face.

Kagome hit the lights on the way out and set Shippou on the ground outside to lock the door. She just turned the key when he started barking madly behind her. She spun quickly to see the same dog from the previous night standing between her and her car. Slowly, it began to approach her, sniffing the air between them as he moved closer.

"You stay away from here you… you… Stray!! I'm warning you…" Shippou's demands did little to detour the enormous beast. Kagome watched, fear and curiosity in her eyes as he approached them. She knelt and picked up Shippou once the dog was in front of them. Still, it said nothing, not to her or Shippou, which she wondered at. Any other time she'd ever been approached by a stray animal, they were full of things to say, either cocky or pleading, even a well placed curse word or two, but this one said nothing- as if he knew she would hear. She felt a familiar tingling in her stomach, something that reminded her of long ago, then the stoic beast before her did something that gave it all away; he sneezed.

"Y..you, is it really you?" she stuttered. It was him, the dog from her childhood, the one with whom she first discovered her powers. He had been injured and bleeding in an alley not far from here. There was a twinkle in his huge amber eyes, one that let her know he remembered her as well. "Still allergic to sakura blossoms?"

"Ah, the little brat from the alley, it's been a long time. You've changed, I see," he looked her up and down, the way a man would have sized her up and she had to resist reaching out and slapping him. "Still annoying animals?"

"Hey, don't say things like that to my mom!" Shippou barked angrily from her arms.

"Oh look, you have a brat of your own now, that's sweet." Kagome had to clamp her hand over the puppy's mouth to stop the onslaught of curses she knew would come pouring out. She visually checked over the canine in her path, a force of habbit in her business, and noted the mats and dirt in his fur, residue in his ears and the leanness of his body condition. He finally noticed how intently she was looking over him and let loose a low growl. "What are you staring at?"

"W…What's your name?" He cocked his head slightly; they already had a past but it was true, they had never learned the other's name.

"Inuyasha," he replied softly, stepping closer to her and then sitting on his haunches.

"You… look like you could use a hand… let me help you." Just as she was about to reach out to touch the top of his head, a high-pitched shriek broke the tension in the air, making all three figures shutter in fright. A large owl, eyes like steel and feathers spread wide like fingers reaching out into the night, lighted on the street lamp above their head.

"Watch yourself Kagome, this one's trouble." The screeching voice rang out in the near darkness, causing the hair on the back of the young woman's neck to rise. She began to cautiously withdraw her hand.

"Back off!" came his angry retort. With a menacing growl he lifted his golden eyes to the sooth sayer above, lightening crackling in their fiery depths, willing the creature to move with in range of attack. Then just as suddenly as it had appeared, the sound of beating wings was the only remnants of its warning. His glowing orbs turned back to the woman before him, the anger dissipating slightly at the sight and smell of her fear. `Kagome, the name and face I've been searching for for 15 years,' he thought to himself.

With a deep breath, Kagome gathered her courage once again, pushing her hand out further towards him, meeting with little resistance. "Still too proud to ask for help I see," She allowed her hand to rest atop his head, lightly scratching his sensitive ears. He leaned into the feeling, loosing himself momentarily, and then drew back again regaining his lapsed composure. "It's freezing out here and by the looks of it you could use a meal and a good night's rest. Do you want to come with us, I'm sure we can make room"

"What are you, dense? I told you before I didn't need your help- I don't need anyone's help." His voice was low and almost regretful, setting Kagome's resolve to help in stone.

"I'm not dense, I'm a doctor and I know what happens to dogs who spend too many nights in the cold." The two locked eyes, his golden orbs holding her sapphire ones, each brimming with determination. There was a long silence. "Besides, when's the last time you had a good meal and a warm place to sleep? I'm not even gonna ask about when your last bath was…" Another long pause ensued.

"Fine, one night, then I'm gone." He glared at her, "but don't think I'm eating dog food…" Kagome giggled as she closed the door once he had jumped in and went pack around to sit behind the wheel.

"Hey, how come he gets shot gun?" Shippou wailed.

"Cause you're just a runt. And besides, I'm bigger and older so I get dibs." The little pup pouted and saw the older dog smirk. There was no way he was going to win. Once Kagome came to a stoplight, the young Pomeranian stepped carefully on the armrest and into his mothers lap. With a startled `eep', Kagome raised a hand to scratch Shippou's ears as she began to drive again. His mischievous glance caught Inuyasha's and he taunted in a low voice, below Kagome's range of hearing;

"Too bad you're too big and too old to sit here…"

~~0.o~~

Sango walked down the hall of the dojo with her walkman on, singing softly to her self. As she passed the separate studios, she watched through the windows, jazz dancers shimmying and learning moves, a ballet class full of graceful and elegant movements, and finally the room she was looking for, the kick boxing studio. She entered and took a spot near the back in front of a punching bag. As the class began to fill up, she stretched her arms and legs, listening to the steady beats coming through her head phones when she felt the slightest brush across her backside followed by a full handed grab. She swung around with a gasp and pummeled owner of the assaulting hand. On the ground before her was a pretty roughed up and bruised Yoga instructor. Instantly, she was on her knees calling softly to him and patting his cheek lightly to try and stop the swirling circles in his eyes.

"Oh my Gods, Miroku. Are you alright? You really shouldn't sneak up on someone wearing headphones… and in kickboxing class…" She helped him to his feet and out to the lounge area so he could sit, still clutching his nose closed to decrease the blood flow.

"Schango, I'm scho schorry `bout grabbing your asch…" he mumbled lifting his chin and plugging off his nostrils completely, slightly out of breath. He looked at her with large puppy dog eyes to further his apology. She kneeled before the over stuffed chair he was seated in and brushed his hands away.

"Looks like the bleeding has stopped," she said in a soft voice, lightly running her thumb across his cheek. "I'm so sorry." She leaned in and kissed the end of his nose softly, her lips lingering on the offended appendage until two strong arms enveloped her and pulled her down and closer before two lips crushed against her own. After what seemed like forever, Sango pulled away and stared into the shining eyes of her Yoga instructor. Her cheeks flushed even brighter when she realized she was now seated in his lap. He fidgeted nervously and closed his eyes tightly, shrinking away from her. "What're you doing?"

"Just preparing for my next beating, just watch the nose this time, eh." Sango raised her eyebrows and burst out laughing. She got to her feet and pulled him up with her, linking their arms.

"Com'on, let me take you and your broken nose out for some ice cream. My treat." He grinned down at her, flashing his blood-covered teeth. "Um… Why don't you go and clean up first, I don't want everyone know I have to beat men up to get a date."

~~0.o~~