Random Fits of Fancy

AWD Ch 13 part 1

The pack clinic was undoubtedly Dr. Eric Baxter's domain. The old, grizzled bear shifter knew every single nook and cranny of the single story building with the fortified basement. Nothing was ever out of place. He had the extra forceps in the fourth cabinet to the left of the morgue door on the second shelf in the back corner for a reason; they were his extra sturdy pair kept for emergencies. There was bleach in every single room, including the corridor into the clinic, the corridor heading down into the basement, and the corridor in the basement, because one could never have enough bleach. There were even specific phone charger cords in designated areas throughout the building, six to be exact, and all of them were meticulously wrapped, labeled and meant for various devices, along with alcohol wipes right beside them for any sort of uses needed.

The doctor was meticulous when it came to his work; he took great pride in his profession and the life he had built here. This log building held memories, both good and bad, and it was his magnum opus, so to speak. It was where his children had been born. It was where friends had passed on, leaving their mortal bodies in his hands as their spirits left this world behind. It was where countless injuries had been stitched up, and tears both good and bad had been shed, and some laughter too. He appreciated that the children were never afraid to come visit him when they had any sort of bumps or scrapes, no matter the size. He liked to think it was because of his warm bedside manner...but he figured it had more to do with his large candy and snack cabinet with an extra large drawer of stickers and little toys for the children he treated.

He had made this place a good place, welcoming for all, and he had everything exactly where it needed to be for whenever he or someone else needed to use it.

Now that wasn't to say that things didn't get put out of place, or lost...cellphones left behind after a doctor's appointment, or a purse or a toy...and there was a lost and found bin for such items, waiting for their owners to come back and retrieve them. But those items always carried a scent, and it was of pack, always. Of course, it was the pack clinic, not the public hospital in town that he worked at three days a week. So when a single penny was suddenly on the pristine tan tiled floor in the middle of the hallway between the surgical suite and the morgue, he noticed it immediately. He stared at it for a moment, believing it must have somehow fallen from his jeans pocket...only he didn't have any pennies leftover from his morning coffee run, did he? He had paid in cash today, right?

It was just a penny. He should just pick it up, but something in him said wait. A sixth sense from an old life...one of infinitely less joy and fulfillment, and one inherently more dangerous and decidedly illegal.

So he remained where he was, and decided to check the change in his pocket, remembering what Nancy had given him at the cafe that morning. He had given her a twenty, and they had talked about the latest drama on the cheer team for Gorlan High. The coffee and croissant had been $10.47. She had handed him 3 pennies, 2 quarters and a ten dollar bill. He had left the pennies in her tip jar along with three dollar bills, and wished her luck on her math test on his way out. She always worked the morning shifts when he worked at the hospital in town, so he had gotten to know her fairly well. She was part of his morning routine, along with his espresso and croissant.

He indeed had the ten dollar bill and two quarters in his pocket, the rest of his cash having been spent throughout the day. That penny was not his...but nor was it going to remain on the floor. He had just mopped it a day ago. The wrinkled ten dollar bill and two shiny quarters went back in his blue jeans pocket, and the out of place penny was then picked up. It was old, and smelled of oil and dirt. Not a single scent of pack, or any human that he knew. It did not even have the distinct scent of pollen which had been plaguing the area as of late. He didn't have Cooper's nose, but...he would wager that this penny was not from Montana. It was still warm, actually, like it had not been sitting on his cold tile floor for long.