Clockwork [final]

Sixteen

Adette was on edge and impatient the next day. From the moment she got up, she was overflowing with nervous energy, flittering about from task to task and chattering away about nothing. He supposed it was an improvement over her silence yesterday, though not by much.

He didn’t even try to keep up with her when she hastily parked the car and raced off into the clinic. He just watched her with a little smile and followed in his own time, making sure to lock the car; in her hurry, she had totally forgotten. He found her crouched by Lassie’s cage and wearing a grin from ear to ear. The dog seemed remarkably better; in fact, she hardly seemed like the same animal from yesterday. Her head was up and her tail was wagging frantically as she attempted to lick Adette’s fingers through the bars.

“Look, Derek, she’s so happy!” she whispered, looking up at Derek with glittering eyes. He smiled at her, relieved to see her happy again. He threw a glance at the dog itself and subconsciously inspected the stitches where her right hind leg used to be. Oddly, it seemed Lassie either didn’t know or didn’t care the leg had been removed.

“The operation went well, Miss Winters,” the vet said. Despite his sombre manner, even he couldn’t help a little smile at how overjoyed she was. “Lassie’s ready to go home.”

“Thank you, thank you so much, sir,” Adette gushed, scooping Lassie into her arms and erupting in giggles when the dog wriggled excitedly and covered her face in licks. Derek tried to reach across and pat her, but at the sharp look Lassie gave him, he decided he better not.

Derek paid for Adette since her hands were obviously full and they went out to the car. He elected he should also probably drive; once again, he found he didn’t have the heart to separate Adette from her beloved little dog.

“Isn’t it funny how he always addressed you?” Derek commented with a little smirk on the drive home.

“Huh?”

“The vet. He always spoke to you, not me.”

“Oh, well,” Adette said, looking down at Lassie and scratching her between the ears as she thought, “I guess people naturally talk to me and not you. It’s just one of those things.”

“Right, because I’m terrifying,” Derek replied dryly, his eyes giving away his amusement.

Adette laughed. “No, you’re just a little more introverted.” He shrugged. He couldn’t argue with that.

When they got home Adette gingerly set Lassie on the floor. Her smile couldn’t have been wider as she watched Lassie clumsily bound away.

Benson seemed to hear them arrive because he lumbered out as quickly as his stiff old bones could go. If dogs could smile, Derek was sure that Benson would.

“How are you going to go about getting her used to the robot leg?” Derek asked.

“Well, it has straps that I will need to fit to her body. The leg responds to the muscular movement in her hips and therefore moves the way her leg would have if it was still, er… attached,” she explained.

Derek nodded, unable to help but think that the whole idea was very clever. Lassie seemed to have finished joyfully bouncing around the house and came back, sitting at Adette’s feet with her tongue lolling out.

“You know, you two got awfully attached awfully quick considering we got her like, what, a week ago?” Derek remarked.

Adette looked ready to be defensive but then realized he was right. “That’s true, I guess. They say some pets just click.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever even come close to “clicking” with a dog,” Derek grumbled.

Adette looked up and Derek just knew she was about to eagerly suggest they get another dog. He chose to stop her right then and there. “No,” he said flatly.

Adette pouted so childishly it was comical. “Aw, come on, you don’t even know what I was going to say!”

“I can guess.”

She made a “hmph” sound at him, but he could tell she was joking.

Adette had some difficulty trying to catch Lassie so she could get her fitted for her new robotic leg, which was surprising considering her supposed disability.  Benson seemed quite entertained lying on his stomach and watching Adette chase Lassie back and forth across the room. It didn’t take long before Derek gave up trying to help and joined him. Lassie thought she was just playing a game. Adette couldn’t find it in her to be even slightly annoyed, laughing and stumbling around after her.

Finally, Adette managed to get her hands on the mischievous pup and held on tight so as to prevent Lassie’s attempts to escape after that. She carried Lassie down into the laboratory, Derek following close behind just in case she made another escape attempt. Immediately, the puppy turned quiet and cooperative, as if she knew what was coming.

She allowed herself to be set on the table and watched as Adette walked to where she had left the robotic leg, picked it up and carried it across.

“Hold still now, girl,” Adette coaxed gently. She pressed the mechanical leg against the gap where her leg once was and tugged the straps around her. Lassie looked a little taken aback at the feeling of cold metal, but reluctantly stayed put.

Derek quietly watched Adette frowning in concentration while she carefully adjusted the straps. She was acting as if she were a brain surgeon performing a highly dangerous operation.

“There!” Adette announced triumphantly, beaming. “Go on Lassie, go for a walk!”

“Um, Adette, she’s still on the table,” Derek pointed out.

“Oh. I knew that,” Adette muttered, looking flustered as she scooped Lassie off the table and put her on the ground. Lassie threw Adette a wary glance but cautiously began to move forward. Sure enough, as Lassie’s body moved the robotic leg did too. Derek nearly laughed at the look of utmost astonishment on the dog’s face as it glanced back, then barked excitedly and started running in circles, the robotic leg effortlessly keeping in time with her.

“Oh, wonderful, it works!” Adette giggled. “And Lassie looks pleased.”

“Yes, she does,” Derek answered, unable to help but smile. Benson seemed curious as to what all the fuss was about and even bravely battled his way down the stairs just to investigate. He looked as startled as Lassie had at the sight of the mechanical leg.

Adette started to giggle at Benson’s reaction and then suddenly turned serious. “Say, Melinda is coming to pick him up tomorrow, isn’t she?”

Derek’s eyes turned skyward for a second while he thought. “So she is. That went fast.”

“It’ll be a shame to see him go,” Adette said a little disappointedly. Derek shrugged, refusing to admit any emotional attachment to the old dog at all.

“We can always visit,” he said.

“That’s true,” Adette replied, lighting up considerably at the thought.

Benson seemed aware of what they were talking about, because he wandered over to Derek and pushed his head up under his hand in an unexpected sign of affection. The look of surprise and then fondness that briefly passed across Derek’s face before he quickly hid it filled Adette with an overpowering urge to hug him.

“Well would you look at that, Derek? He likes you,” she said softly. 

“Bloody stupid dog,” Derek muttered gruffly, “Doesn’t know what’s good for him.”

Adette smiled knowingly; his eyes said something different.