Sedona

Snake Bite

(Y/N)'s POV

After dropping off the kids, I hopped into my car and started it up. The skies were gloomy, and the ground had a puddle or two now and again.

My heart plummeted in a slow drop. I love what I do, but the nerves of a new job were getting to me. My eyes darted around as I should, but my gaze lingered on the sidewalks as I passed them.

I pulled into the little veterinary clinic and stopped the car. With a deep breath, I pulled myself out of my seat with my bag and shut the door. I entered the building, my shoes giving soft squeaks as I went.

The reception area was like a warm and cozy cabin compared to the grayish, cold, and slushy outdoors.

A woman sat behind a large table in front of me, sorting through papers and typing here and there. She had purple glasses with a string attached so she could wear her glasses like a necklace. After that, it seemed to be the only shred of personality she had beside her coffee mug.

The mug is plain white with something that said she needs her coffee before talking to others. 'coffeeless bitch.'

"Hey, excuse me." I tried to grab their attention. With a huff, she slowly lifted her head like librarians do in movies. Her glasses rested on the bridge of her nose.

"We're not taking walk-ins; we're booked full. I can call you when we get a cancellation." She plucks a pink Post-it and a black pen, ready to scribble my number down.

"I'm not here for a pet of my own. I'm actually supposed to talk to Dr. Simons about my new position here. I was here two weeks ago." I fiddled with my hands as I waited for her response.

"Mmm-hmm," she rolled her eyes, moving papers to look for something in particular. "He's with a client currently." A small series of distant barks supported her case. "He's a feisty thing. Doesn't like his nails cut."

She pulled a nail file from a drawer with other colorful miscellaneous knick-knacks. "Sit over there." She grumbled, pointing to a seat against the wall. She began filing her nails.

I scurried off to my seat and held my bag in my lap. One man and two other women sat in the small waiting area with me. One had a small dog in their lap; another had a cage with a chubby tabby cat, and the last had a slightly bigger cage with a snake inside.

The door swung open, with a woman, a large dog, and a man entering the room. "Thank you! Have a good day!" The woman said in passing as she led her dog out.

"Simons, that person is here for you." the receptionist pointed her file at me. "They're the new hire." She swivels around in her seat and pulls herself to a cabinet.

I took a moment to finally look at him as I waited. He had a fake tan that gave him an orange complexion and hair that seemed almost unreal, parted to the side.

She handed him a file. "Alright, right this way. I'll give you a little tour, and you can get started." He led me through the door.

My first patient was the snake. It was brightly colored and clearly venomous. Its demeanor in the waiting room completely changed. It hissed and backed into a fake stump in its pin. Dr. Simons stood behind me with a clipboard and pen, scribbling notes.

"Go ahead, take the snake out of its enclosure." He stared at me as I hesitated. His instant scribbling when I didn't immediately begin encouraged me to start.

I slowly reached into the cage to get them out for their check-up, but the snake did not like that idea. It retracted its head from the stump and bit my hand at lightning speed.

I pulled my hand away as quickly as possible, hissing in pain.

"Shit!" He tossed the clipboard on the counter he was leaning against and pushed me out of the room. "You need to go to the hospital for that bite!"

I closed my eyes after being pushed into the car, trying to take deep breaths and relax. My heart beats rapidly as I try to think of other things.

When my eyes opened, everything blurred together in streaks of color. My hearing was muffled and ringed. Tiredness pulled me to close my heavy eyes, away from the pain.

A bright light shined into my eyes, with a headache spreading around my head. I opened my eyes to face a light fixture above me in a bright white room. I turned to the left to avoid the light and saw a door.

The door opened to reveal a man with blonde hair. He looked like a model and aired the same amount of confidence.

"You're new to Forks, right? The hospital does not have a file for you yet." He strolled into the room, dimming the light above me.

"Yeah, my first full day here, and it already went swell." I searched for a clock as I became more awake. "Hey, how long do I have to be here? I have to pick up my kids! I'm thirty minutes late on picking them up!" I quickly pushed myself up.

My heart racing again today. I'm seriously on the roll of panicking here. Is it the new job? New surroundings? Worry for my kids?

"Unfortunately, you will need to stay here for 24 hours. Good news is that you have already been here for four." He adjusted his clipboard. "Do you have any family, friends, or a lover to pick them up?"

"No, none of that; we left that behind. It wasn't safe, so we left. It's just Annie, Thomas, and me." I ran my fingers over my head before going back around and cupping my face.

"What am I going to do?" I groaned in frustration. Not only am I on the roll of panicking, but I'm also making poor decisions. I needed that job and to keep Thomas and Annie safe, more importantly.

"Well, this may be odd to suggest, but my wife is working at the daycare. I could ask her to drop them off here so you can see them." I peeked over my hands to see his sympathetic expression, with his eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't think I have much other choice." I sighed and dropped my hands from my face. "But I'm after you and your wife if anything bad happens to them!" I pointed my finger at him and tried to look threatening, but it was hard to do with tears in my eyes.

He gently smiled at me. "That's fair. I promise that they will be in good hands."
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1149 Words