Free Howl by Annalise Grey Page A

crazy busy
when Tristan and I slid open the double glass doors. Parents
comforting concerned kids with sick dogs and cats, pet parakeets
and lizards, took up nearly every seat. As my eyes scanned the
waiting room, I realized how out of place we must have looked
without an animal in our arms or a child to console. After a
surprisingly short waiting time, Tristan and I were called back to
one of the exam rooms.
    I stripped off the poncho I’d worn to
conveniently conceal my wound. It was hurting terribly and I hadn’t
been sleeping very well because of it. The gash went into the
muscle and now anything more than breathing was very painful.
Thomas tilted the blindingly bright lamp light directly onto my
wound. He poked and prodded checking for swelling, of which there
was a good degree, and infection. “You’ve got a mess in here
Sophie.” He chided.
    A nurse knocked on the door and pushed it
aside enough to poke her head in. She glanced back and forth
between Thomas and myself, covered by nothing but a bra and clearly
having stitches checked by my brother. I was pretty sure there is
some rule against a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine treating humans.
A momentary concern for Thomas’s reputation passed over me.
    “Dr. Matthews, Jaime Robertson is here. He
needs a quick word with you.” My heart soared and landed somewhere
in the vicinity of my voice box.
    Jaime’s here!
    “Tell Jaime I’ll be out in a minute. I’m just
talking to my sister.” The nurse nodded and closed the door. I had
a sneaking suspicion the last sentence was for the nurse more than
for Jaime. About the moment the thought passed over me so did a
serious wave of pain as Thomas sliced into my stitches. I wrung my
hands together and inhaled sharply through my teeth.
    “Sit still Sophie. I'll numb you as best as I
can but you may still feel this. You're a mess. This wound needs to
be cleaned out before I can stitch you back up.”
    He wasn't exaggerating. The pain was so bad a
rumbling growl erupted from my chest and before I could try and
stop myself, my canines burst forth and my back convulsed as the
pain brought on the shift.
    I heard the slap before it ever registered on
my cheek. “Sophie!” Tristan’s hand raised again, ready to strike. I
breathed in and out slowly for a moment as my teeth retracted and
the spasms ended.
    “Thank you.” I heaved. To control the urge to
shift, I nearly crushed Tristan's hand while squeezing. When that
didn't work, I forced myself to focus on the magazine rack across
the room, studying the mundane cover. Then I counted the lines in
the floor tiles, desperate to focus on anything that would keep the
pain and my wolf in check. For several excruciating minutes Thomas
poked, cleaned, and finally stitched up my gash.
    “Okay, I’m writing you a prescription for a
second antibiotic. It’s a different type than the one you’re
already taking so together they should be able to clear up the
infection raging under the surface. Let me know if you start
running a fever, if the pain gets worse or it swells more. And even
though it’s not oozing yet, it might start.” He shook head as he
tore the top off a little white pad of paper and handed me the
sheet. “I hope you learned a valuable lesson about going after
mountain lions.” His eyebrows arched stiffly as if he was just as
certain that I wouldn’t learn my lesson even after this.
    Tristan’s leg was glanced over quickly and he
was declared in good condition. The puncture wounds were minor and
were healing quite well. Thomas’ displeasure was abated somewhat by
Tristan’s minor wound. At least one of us fared well enough to take
no more time away from Thomas’ work.
    “I have real patients to attend to. You know,
dogs with broken bones and cats with colds.” He ushered us out of
the room, Tristan first.
    Jaime leaned against the check-out counter,
waiting for Thomas to exit the room across the very narrow hallway.
As Jaime and I crossed paths, our eyes