When eleven o'clock rolled around the next morning Harry was already sitting outside the vet clinic, sparrow in the passenger seat.
Louis had been unable to come. He was very vague about why but harry had thought nothing of it. He turned to sparrow and tipped his head towards the door, the got out, the dog following close behind as harry circled the car to get the cat kennel he bought out of the back. Walking into the clinic, he saw the last thing he expected, a little brown creature limping around the lobby as fast as its little legs could take it, a small dog in hot pursuit. Harry ran forwards to save the small animal, but before he could, the dog caught up and rolled the fox, Zorra, before laying on its back and letting the little fox scramble all over him, biting and nipping at him. Harry laughed and walked over, reaching down to pet the dog, picking up the tag to read his name.
Doctor max.
Harry chuckled and scratched the dog's ears before standing and walking over to the reception. the same lady from yesterday greeted him, eyeing sparrow who was beginning to play with the dog and the fox, harry having let her before she handed over a bag and a book.
"That's her medical records, now what's her name"
Harry quickly spelled it out for the lady who rolled her eyes before speaking
"I don't understand honey, you're going to have to speak up." She said, looking at harry with a bored expression. Harry furrowed his eyebrows and grabbed a pen from by her computer. She exclaimed her outrage but before she could snatch it back harry wrote on the front of the book in big letters
"Zorra"
The woman rolled her eyes and snatched the pen back before typing something on her computer. A moment later she looks up and hands harry a piece of paper
"Fold that and put it in the book, It's her medical records. The vet told me to let you know she would be happy to see.... Zorra again whenever needed." she says in a monotone voice then points at the bag
"These are medications she needs, it says how and when on the bottles, there's some recovery food and some vitamin supplements as well have a good day." She said and then turned back to the computer. Harry stood there dumbfounded for a moment before turning and pursuing the little fox across the room, scooping her up from under some woman's chair.
"That receptionist seems to not like you very much." she says and Harry stands,shrugging as sparrow walks up beside him. "I understand sign language love, my son is deaf"
Harry quickly signs out 'oh, well no she's not nice, i came in here yesterday with this little guy' (he hold up the fox 'and she just decided that because of the fact i don't speak.'
"well that's not very fair, all you wanted to do was help a sick..fox is it?" harry nods and the woman continue's "and you get shit for it."
'Yeah, it's a bit crazy isn't it?' harry signs back and the woman nods
"people need to understand everyone has their limits, and they're own reasons that they have limiting in the first place, and that it isn't anyone's business but that person's, and i suppose whoever they want to tell"
harry nods and lays the small fox into the kennel, where she instantly falls asleep, her stark white bandage speared with a little dirt from the floor.
'well i must be going, but it's nice to know there's kind people still in the world'
the woman just smiles and nods. harry turns to walk away but she grabs his arm to turn him back. harry jumps, making sparrow growl, but he quickly quiets her, the startled woman quickly letting go of his arm.
"I'm sorry, i shouldn't have grabbed you." she says, eyes skirting to the dog
'no, its okay, she's just trained to be protective, you started me is all, is there something else you had to say?' harry asks and the woman nods
"well, i was wondering if you'd like to get some coffee some time, like you know a date?" she says cautiously and Harry can't help but let out a little laugh, stopping himself when he sees the look on the woman's face.
'I'm sorry...."
"Eveline" she supplies
'Sorry Eveline, but i don't, well i don't date women'
Evelines face instantly reddens and she begins to apologize
'its okay, i would love to go out for coffee some time, though, you seem like a nice person to get to know'
Evaline nods and smiles "that sounds lovely" she says and Harry nods, handing her his phone to type in her number, then texts it, so she has his.
'okay, well i have to go now, keep in touch, though!' harry says before turning and walking away.
he leaves the vet clinic and gets into his car, deciding to get take-out on the way home and surprise Louis. he drives through a Chinese place on the way there and grabs two meals before heading to Louis, hoping he would be home.
when he gets there, Louis car is in the parking lot and he smiles, parking next to it before heading inside and climbing the stairs. once he gets to Louis floor he walks down the corridor until he's standing right in front of it.
this is when he notices something odd. there's a small shaft of light coming from Louis apartment, though a crack at the edge of the door.
The door was left open.
Harry then notices the other thing wrong, there was a white t-shirt he'd seen Louis wear before in the hallway a few feet down, and a foot or so from that was a broken beer bottle. the thing that frightened harry the most thought, was the fact Edward was sitting on the top of a bonsai tree on a window sill at the end of the hall, looking confused. after retrieving the bird, harry cautiously pushes the door to the apartment open and knocks on the wall to the right of the door to announce his presence.
harry was on alert now, so the first thing he spotted was the small amount of dried blood on the counter in the kitchen. there was no knife next to it, so he knew Louis mustn't have cut himself with a knife. he noticed the tv was still on, and so was a light on a table near the door. the floor was scattered with beer bottles and a grease soaked pizza box sat on the coffee table, a single piece of pizza left in it. harry looked down to sparrow and did the command for speak, and she howled. harry looked down anxiously down the hall, hoping Louis would come out, but when he heard a faint
'hello?" come from a strange voice, he quickly scampered out of the apartment, taking the stairs two at a time until he reached the bottom. only then did he realize he still had Edward perched on his shoulder. he mentally cursed and took the small bird into his hands, not wanting it to fly away and scurried out of the building, hurrying to his car and throwing himself inside, sparrow springing in after him. he wastes no time in peeling out of the parking lot and heading home, the Chinese food left abandoned on the table in Louis apartment.
Once he got home, he realized he had just committed grand theft Edward and looked at the bird, who was sitting on his dashboard, sleeping, settled down on his feet.
He hastened inside and decided the safest place for Edward would be his screened in porch out back. it was summer so it wasn't cold, but he'd have to take him in if night rolled around and Louis hadn't gotten him yet. he goes out onto the screened in patio and makes sure the door is latched before letting the small bird go. he flaps around for a moment before settling on the bird house harry had inside.
Harry texts Louis then, letting him know he stopped by with food, that someone was in his house and that his bird had been an escapee, who was now safe at Harry's. it wasn't long before Louis texted back
sorry about that! thank you for getting him. that was my mate at my house grabbing something for me as they passed through. sorry about the mess there. do you mind keeping Eddie for a day or two?
Harry quickly texts back that he wouldn't mind before going inside and walking thorough to the garage to find the big cage his sister used to have a lovebird in. he quickly located it and began to clean it just finishing when the the sound of Zorra whimpering caught his attention, and he decided now would be a good time to let her explore.
So, after putting the cage into the living room and putting some paper towels into the bottom, he let the fox out of the cage. She tore around the couch in laps, leaping on sparrow and rolling across the rug barking as the wind whipped through her fur.
Harry smiled. He loved this little fur ball already.