AHS Imagines

17: Dogs (Mary Eunice)

A/N: Just came upon me that the dialogue prompt I used is kinda similar to something Addy says in s1 

Reader is outside, walking some of their neighborhood's dogs outside of Briarcliff and meets Mary Eunice along the way

"Hello Mrs. Rivera, hope you're having a good morning. I'm here to walk the dog." I smiled, informing her of our agreement.

She nodded kindly and brought me their family's golden retriever on a leash through the doorway. I took the leash and started on my way, heading to the next house to pick up another dog. By the time I'd finished making a round through the neighborhood, there were four leashes in my hand and four dogs moving at their own pace while pulling me along amidst them. 

The sky was blue with a sparse dusting of fluffy, white clouds. A few shiny cars drove down the street, most of them convertibles to more thoroughly enjoy the warm weather. No one else was taking a walk at that time but several kids were running around the park playground and babbling amongst themselves. I hummed a tune quietly to myself, taking a new turn along the road. 

There were thick patches of forest along the street and a long sidewalk going off into the distance. It would be a nice, long walk for the dogs so I decided to keep going and find out what lied at the end of the road. Past the clearing, there was this tall, white building with delicate sculptures of religious figures. I read the plaque outside, seeing that this was "Briarcliff Manor" and meant to serve as an asylum for the mentally ill. Its outside was much more composed and silent than I would've imagined. There was, strangely, absolutely no one in sight around it.

One of the dogs, a speedy German Shepherd mix, decided to take off running down the sidewalk and led me closer towards the Briarcliff building. I could barely run fast enough to keep up with whatever that dog was trying to reach, and the other dogs either started running too or pulled backwards on their leashes. The shepherd finally stopped just in front of the stairs at Briarcliff and sniffed at the ground. My lungs were still heaving from the running, so I stopped completely for a few minutes to catch my breath. 

There was a light tap on my shoulder that startled me, and I turned around to see who'd approached me. 

"Dog!" The lady exclaimed happily, pointing down at one of the four dogs I was holding onto.

She had a small ponytail at the top of her head, fastened by a pink ribbon, and an exaggerated grin on her face. She was dressed very plainly in a shapeless blue dress and a pink, knit cardigan. From her appearance and demeanor, I made the assumption that she was one of the patients here. 

"Yeah, it's a dog." I nodded.

Another young woman came running down the stairs towards us. She was a nun dressed entirely in the typical black uniform, a cross hanging from her neck, and some blonde hair peeking out from under her habit. There was a frightened look on her doe-eyed face as she grabbed onto the patient's arm.

"Pepper! You can't be out here." She scolded, sending her back inside the building.

"Oh, hello." I greeted casually, wondering what was going on here and why Pepper wasn't allowed to be outside.

"Hi." The nun warmed up, seeing that I had the companionship of four excited dogs with me.

"Well, I guess I'll be goi-"

"Oh wait," She paused, "Can I pet your dogs?" 

"Do I know you at all? And they aren't mine, they're my neighbors'." 

"I'm Sister Mary Eunice and I really shouldn't be out here too long, but I really love animals. I just can't see them here at Briarcliff because there are so many demanding needs for each patient." The nun introduced herself.

"Oh...okay then. They're all friendly dogs." I assured her.

Mary Eunice crouched down slightly, gently petting each one as some of them tried jumping onto her shoulders. There was a bright smile on her face and she giggled uncontrollably when they tried to lick her. I could tell that what Mary Eunice said earlier about loving animals was true, she seemed to understand the dogs' body language and really enjoy being around them even for a few minutes. 

"Thank you, truly, for letting me pet them. The work here is so testing sometimes and...oh, Sister Jude will have my neck if she sees me out here yammering when I should be inside taking Pepper up to her office." Mary Eunice glanced around nervously. 

"Well I don't know this Sister Jude, but she sounds really strict. I won't keep you out here any longer then." I smiled politely.

"Oh, please come back! With or without the adorable dogs. It would be wonderful to see you again, a fresh face that isn't telling me what to do or requiring me to perform basic functions for." She confessed.

"Sure, if you'd like. I can come back every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday." 

"That would be wonderful! Sorry if I've burdened you at all." 

"Not at all, I'd have to walk these guys anyways." I shrugged.

"Well, see you on Saturday then." She smiled.

I gathered all of the leash handles back into one hand, making sure everything was in order before walking away. Just before I could take a step back towards the neighborhoods, Mary Eunice placed a gentle hand on my forearm as if to stop me briefly. She used the connection to pull herself closer to me and quickly peck my cheek before running back inside of Briarcliff. Her cheeks turned bright red as she made her way back inside. It was so brief that I almost thought I dreamt up the whole scene. 

I exhaled deeply, gathered up my thoughts, and smiled in thought of coming back to see the blonde nun later again in the week. This time, the dogs walked back at relatively the same pace and didn't try pulling me all over the place. Part of me explained their relaxed behavior through the influence of meeting the quiet Mary Eunice.