Whumptober+ Short Stories - Volume 2

Prompt 7 - Isolation

Pacing back and forth across the floor of his small study was beginning to grow on his nerves. Borealis sighed as he dropped himself back in his chair and ran a shaky hand through his hair, glancing out the left-hand window of the room as he did so. Through the glass, he could see Nico and Zosia playing in the yard with the older of the two family terriers. He would have smiled had the absence of the other dog not been so painfully obvious. Maddox loved kids, especially the Chandler siblings. Borealis had felt sure that the big greyhound was a perfect match for his family. And he was right. Maddox had certainly been wonderful.

With another sigh, the father reached over and grabbed the thermometer off his desk. A fever would come as no surprise to him; it would only serve as confirmation.

When he checked his temperature, it read at 99.9 F.

Borealis tossed the thermometer back on the desktop and ran a hand over his face slowly. His headache, temperature, and various other nuances, not to mention Maddox. He had been right.

Rabies.

Why me? He asked himself as he glanced at the mark on his forearm. For a greyhound, Maddox had been the proud owner of a perfectly healthy set of teeth, as was partially evidenced by the mark itself. The inflammation of the surrounding skin made him grimace. He remembered the fight... the fight and the aftermath. The whole situation was the reason for his seclusion.

"Honey?" Came Enya's voice from the other side of the study door. Borealis looked up quickly. "Don't come in!" He responded, a bit too hastily. There was a pause, and then his wife's voice again. "What's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath to try and calm the sudden panic, Borealis closed his eyes for a moment. "I... I was right." He said slowly.

There was a gasp from outside the door, followed by a softer, tearful-sounding response from Enya. "Is there... anything I can do?"

Her husband didn't answer for a moment. Instead, he turned and opened one of the drawers in his desk, retrieving the gun from inside and then sliding it closed again. Briefly he looked down at his trembling hands, then answered.

"I'm sorry, Enya. Just... take care of the kids. Ok?"

~

Standing out in the hallway, Enya's eyes widened when she heard this.

"Borealis?"

Bang!