War Dog

Epilogue

A/N: Please read the authors note at the end so as to avoid spoilers here <3

1.5 months later

The doctor came striding into the room, looking far more tan than when he'd left one and half months ago. I stand, not having expected him back. He hadn't sent ahead any word while in Australia and frankly I'd begun to believe that Dr. Cooper had shot him and Lilly and disposed of the bodies.

"Ghost. You're here. Good." He glanced quickly at Wolf still prone in the bed. It's been six and a half months since she'd been shot in the head. Her wounds had fully healed, and yet no sign of improvement beyond a slight twitch of her hand sometimes. Soap sulked on those occasions. She only ever twitched for me. It sent hope flaring through me every time.

"Follow me, I want you to meet somebody. She's going to be helping me."

I shrug the mask on, grateful the doctor knew me well enough by now to know I didn't like showing my face around and hadn't bought her into the room. I follow him out, wondering who he'd bought back. I figured it must have been another one of the scientists. Someone who worked with the hybrids a long time. He directed me into his little office he'd commandeered for himself and I came up short, my eyes immediately focusing on the woman. She was short. The first thing I noticed was that she was the same height as Ceri. I stepped back in shock. She stepped forwards, holding out a furred paw. Her expression was severe, her pale brown eyes pinning me to the spot. 

"I am Archiel. I am your new combat medic."

My eyes focus on the russet red ears tipped in black above her curly obsidian black shoulder length hair. Her tail, fluffier than even Wolfs stood upright along her back. Except for the severe expression she showed outwardly, I'd have said her nose tipped in black like a foxes would have been cute, almost adorable.

I take her small hand in my own firmly and shake it. "I am Ghost." 

She nods once, briefly. "You are War Dog Griffin's handler. Charlie and Ben have both briefed me on her particular situation."

I go to ask her a question, but she stops me before I can even open my mouth.

"Dr. Charlie thinks I might be able to help Ceri in that my nose can pick up minute changes in chemistry. I am a medic and I have been training in picking up specific medical scent changes. Most War Dogs are fantastic at scenting emotional changes. If they were trained medical personnel, I suspect they'd be just as good at picking up medical scent changes as I am."

She steps past me. "Now if you'll excuse me, I should go meet the patient I am to be taking care of."

She steps past me without waiting for any form of acknowledgement and I stare down at her confused.

"You look a little stunned, Ghost." Ben seems to be quietly laughing at me.

"I swear to God, I am not used to Australians. They just have no fear of me at all."

"Archiel as she prefers to be called will not tolerate any bullshit. I suspect her and Ceri are going to get along like a house on fire."

"Oh gods..." I mutter. Then a thought hits me. "How is she going to be our new combat medic?" I squint at Ben suspiciously.

"I suspect you've already figured it out. Dr. Cooper wanted a medical hybrid on staff, but found her being a combat medic wasn't exactly the kind of person he wanted at the labs. He offered me the opportunity to see if she'd bond with me. Being bonded with a doctor or scientist would be much more useful than to a soldier. Having to obey a soldiers commands while being a medic isn't ideal."

I nod, his words making sense. "And she doesn't need you to be out on missions with her. You're unlikely to die which means the risk of the bond snapping randomly is null and void... Clever."

Ben grins, pleased with the solution. "Yes. Considering the amount of trouble Ceri and Shane seem to find themselves in, I found it prudent to give you guys a combat medic who specialised in hybrids."

"We are fast becoming thick with hybrids. How many more are we going to obtain?" I muse out loud.

"The more the merrier. But watch that one, Ghost. She's fast and she's clever. Whip smart."

"I will," I nod and head back out again, desperate to find an empty space to mull over the days events. I pass Soap on the way to my room. 

"Have you met our new combat medic?" I ask pausing in the hallway.

He shakes his head. "No...?"

"Go speak to Dr. Mckenzie. He'll introduce the two of you."

He nods and continues on his way, no doubt heading to see Ceri anyway. I finally make it back to my room, closing the door with a huff, head falling with a thump against the thick wood. It had been a long six and a half months and counting. The arrival of Archiel however seemed to give my hope a kickstart and for the first time in months I truly believed things could be looking up.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been with me for the journey so far <3 Your comments and likes and messages have really helped to keep me going to get to this point. Please note!!! this is not the end. However I felt like I needed a finish. A point where I could close one chapter and call it done, so to speak. I will be writing 'book 2.' Or perhaps more like series 2? Be on the look out for Dogs of War. In the mean time, if you want to keep reading more about Ceri, I have a series going similar to the multiverse. The multiverse of Ceri if you will. I currently have Sunshine Massacre also published that follows a Ceri/Konig nsfw story line (still in progress). It's only a short one off style of story. I am also releasing another Ceri/Ghost story line under the name  Lured. Once I have completed  Lured, or come close to finishing I will begin releasing Dogs of War. Lured is not going to be a long story, so you shouldn't be waiting too long for Dogs of War. Feel free to message if you want more information, I would love to hear from you all whatever it may be.