The Explorer and the Doctor - John and Lily Dolittle

Chapter One - Special Arrival

The Queen had been extremely generous in gifting him, not only a house, but a practice and sanctuary for the animals as well. John was truly honoured. 

The plaque on the front gate of the property made it feel all the more official:

DOLITTLE MANOR

Home of Dr. John Dolittle

I treat all animals

Walk, hop, and fly-ins accepted. 

It wasn't a dream. 

And, best of all, he was doing what he loved, his passion, what he was good at: an animal doctor. Helping creatures of all sorts.

"Doc! Doc! Someone's arriving!" Dab-Dab waddled into the surgery where the doctor was cleaning his instruments.  

"Well then, let's open the gates and let them in!"

"Not at the gates - they're flying!"

Curious now, John followed her outside to the grounds where, upon looking up, he saw a hot air balloon sailing steadily towards the sanctuary. 

"Hello down there!" a woman's voice called from the balloon's basket, and he could just make out her figure waving to them.  He waved back. 

The woman jumped out of the basket before the balloon had barely even touched the ground.  She had long, dark auburn hair that swirled in waves down past her shoulders, and wore a vest over a blouse, and billowing trousers tucked into tall boots. 

"Hello, Miss," John greeted.

She had a friendly smile.  "Hello! Are you Dr. Dolittle?" She spoke with a Spanish accent. 

"Yes,  I am."

"Oh, wonderful! My name is Lilya of Monteverde. But please, call me Lily."

"John." He grinned back. 

"Oooo, he's smitten," chuckled Dab-Dab.

"Uh, Dr. John Dolitte," John introduced himself, giving a nervous chuckle. "How can I help you?"

"My parrot, she's injured. I heard of your services and your great reputation. Word has spread far and wide of you!"

"Oh, well..." Again, he chuckled nervously. 

"Is it true that you can speak with the animals?" she asked excitedly.

"Um, yes, that is true."

"Amazing!"

"Thank you." He blushed.

"Oh, he's definitely smitten," chuckled Dab-Dab.

He gestured to the parrot in Lily's arms. "And who is this lovely creature?"

"Polynesia, Poly for short." Both leaned over the injured bird, bumping foreheads when both leaned in too far. 

"Sorry!" They drew back, chuckling. 

"Ooo, they're both smitten!" said Tutu.

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"Please, do come inside." 

Lily followed John into his manor - the Dolittle sanctuary was amazing! He already had an impressive group of animals living with him. 

He brought the injured parrot into his surgery, Where Tutu and Betsy helped him prepare. 

"Hello Poly," John said.  "Cheer up.  Don't you worry - we'll get that broken wing all fixed up! You'll be back up and flying again in no time!"

Lily watched with fascination from the side as he set down to work, bandaging Poly's wing. She watched him work expertly, with such care and gentleness, speaking softly to Poly as he worked. 

"There, all done." John poured some bird feed into a small bowl for Poly to snack on.  "You were a very good patient, Poly."

"Thank you, so much," Lily told him.  "I really appreciate it."

"Of course. She should make a full recovery."

"Wonderful!"

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" John asked.

"Actually, there is.  My father is a lover of big cats, you see, and one of his tigers has been acting strangely lately. No one can seem to figure out what's the matter with him." 

"I would be happy to assist your father's cat."

"Thank you! It would mean making a journey, I'm afraid. I don't want to take you away from your work."

"Thank you, Lily, but it is no trouble at all. Wherever an animal needs help, I shall go!"

She smiled. "To Monteverde it is then!"

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They would be making their journey by ship, seeing as Lily, John, and all the animals couldn't all fit inside the hot air balloon.

Lily fancied this as, growing up on an island of pirates, sailing was practically in her blood, and her father had shown her the ways of sailing a ship at a young age. John was a little more uncertain however, but wasn't about to show it in front of the adventurer.  

John was very prone to seasickness, and feared embarrassing himself in front of Lily. His people skills already were not very good, and he didn't want to stumble any further.  

Don't look at the water, don't look over the side of the ship... He told himself, closing his eyes and taking steady, deep breaths. 

A gentle touch on his arm caused his eyes to pop open. Lily stood there at his side.  "Is everything alright, Doctor?"

"Oh, yes, um," he stuttered, blushing furiously.  "I-It is just that I don't do very well on open water. I can sometimes get a little seasick," he admitted. 

He hoped Lily wouldn't now think he would vomit everywhere. But she looked at him with nothing but kindness. 

"I'm sorry, I had no idea - here, try some of this." She reached into her small bag and withdrew a plant.  "Here, try some ginger root."

"Oh, thank you." John took a generous bite.

"Oh!" Lily looked as though she were trying not to laugh. "That was a big bite..."

"Uh..." John forced down the giant bite, trying not to choke at the strong taste. "I'll note that for next time - whoa!"

He was thrown off balance when the boat rocked suddenly. He stumbled, but luckily Lily caught him and helped him regain his balance.

"Don't worry," she told him, always cheerful.  "You'll get your sea legs soon enough, Doctor!"

His friends were right - he was definitely smitten. 

(I wanted to add some of the cute clips of them from the movie, but it wouldn't work :( anyone else having trouble adding media to their stories?

And apologies if I spelled Lily's home island's name wrong - I couldn't find the spelling on the internet! Should have paid more attention to the subtitles while watching the movie! 

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))