Dogs of War

Chapter 28

The scratching at my door had me pausing in the paperwork I'd been completing before turning in for the night. I stand up and open the door to find Wolf sitting in front of it paw up ready to scratch again looking up at me forlorn.

"Hey pup, whatchya doin' down the- oh!" I kneel down bigs hands wrapping around her face, fingers digging into her fur, gloves catching slightly as she whines up at me. "You shifted again, huh?" Her answer is to paw at the ground in agitation. "We should probably go wake up Mckenzie, make sure this isn't a sign of things to come." I open the door wider and she walks into my room like it belongs to her, climbing up onto the bed and curling in on herself, eyes sticking out from underneath her tail staring at me.

"We'll get this sorted, but we should let Johnny know, eh? I'm sure he'll be worried to find you reverted without a heads up." I pull my phone out of my pocket and shoot a quick text off to Johnny before calling McKenzie. I think I needed to put the medic on speed dial at this point. 

"Ghost, it's eleven pm. What could she have possibly gotten herself into this late at night you're calling me?"

"She's reverted back to her wolf side." The pause on the other end of the line lets me know I'd caught him by surprise, the following beeping tone lets me know Johnny's texted back, only to be quickly followed by his familiar thump on the other side of my door. Clearly we were having a party tonight.

"Shit, I'll be there as soon as possible. In the meantime go get Archiel. She'll get everything up and ready." As Mckenzie speaks I open the door and Johnny shoves past me in his hurry to get to Wolf. "I'll just go fuck myself then," I mutter.

"What?" 

"Sorry, Mckenzie. Not you. We'll be waiting." I click the end call button and click my fingers at Wolf.

"Come on pup, you and Soap can canoodle in the med bay."

"We are not canoodlin'" Johnny says with disgust."

"You're coddling the woman like she's an invalid." Wolf stands up stretching with a wolfish groan and steps down from my bed making her way by my side, Johnny following close beside her, fingers in her fur. No doubt seeking any comfort he could. 

"No, I'm concerned that after several weeks of being human, she's reverted back to her wolf state."

"She's always struggled maintaining her human-ness. This is likely not as alarming as you're hyping it up to be."

"She's also  had pretty major head trauma. Don't you think maybe you're under-alarmed?"

Wolfs low warning growl had both of us looking at her. Johnny looked alarmed, and I was sure she could smell my curiosity as I stared down at her. She growled again looking at both of us as if telling us to behave ourselves, but the menacing expression in her eyes had me crouching down to her level.

"Pup," I scruff the back of neck forcing her to look at me, only to see her pupils blown wide, looking as if she's seeing through me rather than at me. Then I see her focus waver and remember where I've seen that look before. "You need to remain in control, pup. I don't have anything here to chain you down with if you lose it." My voice is firm, non-negotiable. I think for a minute that I've gone the wrong route as I continue to see her lose and regain her focus as she fights to remain in control as much as she can. 

"Don't tell me she's abowt ta lose it?" Johnnys accent thickening in realisation as he speaks. He steps close to us, crouching down too, hands patting along her back trying to ground her. I don't know if it's helping or hurting the situation, but it stops her from growling so I let him continue doing it. Then as if nothing had happened she smiles up at me, tongue lolling out like the friendly dog she likes to pretend she is. My shoulders relax as I run my fingers down her nose. "You're such a damn drama queen. Jesus fookin christ." Her only response is for her tail to start wagging as if she was pleased with her ability to concern me.

We manage to make it to the medbay without further incident to find Archiel already up and waiting for us. 

"Come here, Ceri," she said, her voice smooth despite the late hour. It occurred to me that despite coming from the Australian Defence Force, she did not sound like any of the Australians I had met. Her voice was too smooth, too cultured in comparison. I'd have to put more effort into finding more about the hybrid fox. Wolf for her part left my side eagerly, snout snuffling into the fox hybrids hands as if she was hiding bacon up her sleeve and the betrayal at how easily Wolf followed the medic stung deeper than I'd like to admit. Wolf turned back, trotting to nose my leg with a low whine.

"You know she would never betray you for anyone, right?" Archiels voice is amused enough that it draws my attention from my dog to her. 

"I know that." Even to me, my voice sounds defensive and raw. Fucking hybrids.

"Don't get mad at me, I'm just telling you there's no need for the feeling of betrayal. She simply see's me as a good friend. She has made it abundantly clear to me my misgivings about you are nonsense."

I frown at that. "Misgivings?"

"You're an egotistical asshole with control issues."

"Aye, lass, you've just described this whole task force."

"Maybe so, Irish bar," she smirks. "But he's the worst for it. How Ceri ever decided on Casper as her partner will forever confuse me."

"Who would you have chosen for her then, Fox Face?"

She snarls at the nick name I've given her. "Not you, fuck face," she responds sourly. 

"Oooh, fuck face, good one," I roll my eyes at the insult, only to find myself slapped in the face by a paw. "Wolf! What the fuck?" She head butts me in the chest, clearly insisting I play nice with the medic she'd befriended. I feel like a child, and yet a part of me still wants to protest that she'd started it, I'd finish it. Instead I just shut up and stood back up shooing my dog back to the medic. Archiel took Ceri to the back and began running tests waiting for McKenzie to show up. 

He showed up about fifteen minutes later, carrying Lilly in his arms. He passed the sleeping child off to me with a muttered comment about not having a sitter before slipping into the back. Johnny and I both stayed later than we should have, not wanting to leave our girl. In the end, I ended up handing Lilly off to him, and shooing him back to bed to let them both rest in peace while the Doctor worked on Wolf.