The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 61

His head pounding, Tiberius blinked his eyes open to find himself in a bright white room. It took him a second or two to realize he was in one of the rooms at the animal clinic. Biting back a cry of pain, he tried to lift his head. However, the agony was too much for him to bare. Hearing footsteps behind him, he glanced up to find Dr. Laura Green gazing down at him. Smiling quietly, she called out quietly, "Can someone grab Mr. Jones? Tiberius is awake." About two minutes later, the hawk recognized his owner's face as Alfred murmured, "How you feeling sweet boy?" A small squeak was all Tiberius could muster while he got a gentle pat on the head.

"A little over six hundred stitches! He almost broke the record," Laura remarked, holding a small white clipboard. Tapping the end of a black pen against it, the vet looked over at Alfred and added, "And he lost a lot of blood but he should be fine. Don't be surprised if he takes a nap every now and then."

"I won't be surprised. He's the one who is constantly trying to sleep," Alfred replied, gesturing a hand towards Tiberius. The hawk was trying to sit up but it was causing him too much pain. His throat was also very sore. Biting his lip, Alfred asked, "How is she doing right now?" Flipping a page over on her clipboard, Laura responded, "Well, she didn't suffer as much as her brother did. She only needed about one hundred and twenty two stitches. She actually has been up for awhile now. If anything, I think she's just depressed. Probably regretting what happened."

"I don't even know why this happened. Yesterday she got home late and now this? These two are a mystery to me."

"Like that time you told me that Tiberius was reading a dictionary or when he beat you at a game of chess?"

"I'm telling you, he did. I don't how but he did."

"At least he doesn't know about the Rubik's cube or the encyclopedias yet," Tiberius mumbled under his breath.

"Do you think it's safe for..." Alfred's voice trailed off, unable to finish his question. He glanced down at Tiberius, who was trying desperately to get on his feet. Knowing what the old man was asking about, Laura murmured, "I'll go get her. Just make sure he doesn't fall off the table and hurt himself more." With that, she left the room while Alfred gently ran a kind hand along the red tailed hawk's back. A moment later, Laura was back. She had brought Rosa along with her. The vet, hesitant at first, placed her down on the table beside her big brother. Trembling slightly, Rosa laid down beside Tiberius and nuzzled him. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me..." she whimpered, tears forming in her bloodshot eyes.

Huffing, Tiberius looked up at Rosa. Seeing his little sister about to cry all over again, he muttered, "All's forgiven. Just don't ever mention this to anyone ever or I'm going for your eye next time." Nodding her head quietly while a tiny smile appeared on her saddened face, Rosa curled up beside her big brother, burying her face into his feathers.