As Adam limped into the room the woman led them to, he felt the cut burn more as the pain increased sharply. He couldn’t help the small whimpers that escaped when he tried using that paw.

“You poor thing.” The woman leaned down to touch him. Instinctively, he shied away from her and towards Tsuki. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” She said calmly. “My name is Angela.” Glancing at Tsuki when she said that. “I just need to get your vitals and general information before I look at the wound. Let’s get on the,” Adam went onto the scale and stood on it, growling a bit as pain shot up his arm. The faster this process was done, the faster he could leave.

“Oh, well, that’s,” Then Angela looked at the scale numbers. “Concerning.” Adam tensed as she wrote something down. “But maybe he’s just made lean?” She continued checking Adam’s vitals as he stood. “Can you tell me what happened?” Sparing a glance at Tsuki.
 
"I was leaving the hospital after visiting a patient when this... man came up to me and tried to... well, before he could do anything, this dog came out of nowhere and made him back off, and then he hit the dog. I don't know, I think he had something in his hand, but I couldn't see," Tsuki tried to explain. "The man ran, and I got the dog here as fast as I could manage."

She looked at the dog worriedly. Why were the scale numbers worrying? What was wrong with him? Why did his leg seem to be paining him worse as time passed?
 
“Well, look at you, hero,” Angela put her hand out. Adam sniffed it, and sneezed. Under the scent of animals, was a citrusy smell. While nice, it was a little much for him now. But when she touched him, he only tensed a bit. She petted him as she directed him to look at her. Adam hated this part.

“Sorry about this, Hero. But I need you to hold still.” He did as Angela said, trying to track the light as much as he could. Thankfully, it was just a light on the tip of a pen. Anything brighter and his headache might have come back.

“The man didn’t hit our hero’s head?” Angela asked, facing Tsuki, while guiding Adam to the table. Adam jumped up. Using his injured shoulder just a bit. But he didn’t whimper this time, just gritted his teeth really hard.
 
Tsuki winced as she watched the dog jump. That looked like it really hurt him, but he didn't cry out this time. Tough doggy. She watched him for a minute before remembering to answer the question.

"No, just the shoulder once as far as I could see, but it happened really fast," Tsuki told the vet. "How does he look? Can you tell me yet?"
 
“Well,” Adam watched as Angela talked and collected more tools. “So far, he has a slight concussion and,” She dropped the stuff onto a metal table. When Adam felt cold plastic on his pelvis, he tensed and growled. “You’re okay,” Angela said as he felt plastic fingers graze his pelvis. “He is definitely underweight. I was hoping that his weight was low because he seems to be a more lean leonberger. But the fact that I can feel his pelvis bone through his thick fur means that he’s definitely underweight.” Adam huffed. He wasn’t underweight as a human. “Sadly, it’s very common in strays.” And he technically wasn’t a stray...
 
"Poor thing," Tsuki murmured anxiously. "I can take him home and try to feed him, but I don't think my appartment is the best place for a big dog. Still I'll do my best until I can find a foster home or something. Is there anything in particular I should feed him? Or do to take care of him?"
 
“Definitely give him some meaty food. He might not eat a lot at first. But do it till you get a home for him.” Angela explained as she set up the cleaning stuff. Then she examined the cut.

“This look like a scratch from a big cat.” She muttered. “The spot is kind of inflamed. I’m going to clean it now, but if it is not better by Monday, go to the doctor immediately.” She explained as she fingered the wound. Adam whimpered and couldn’t keep his back legs from twitching.

“Especially since he was already injured and underweight, he is a bit sensitive. Keep an eye on his sleeping and walk patterns too. The concussion might affect those.” She added.
 
"I don't know how he got a concussion, poor thing. I wonder if someone threw something at him." Tsuki reached up, having to strait a little with the tall dog on a tall table, but she succeeded in laying her hand on his back. "Thank you for your help. I do appreciate it, and I will look after him."

First to get him home and in the apartment without anyone spotting her. Not that anyone was likely to. Most people in her apartment complex tended to keep to themselves, and despite having a thousand and one rules, the landlord did not enforce them well. That would require effort. Still, Tsuki was not a rule-breaker by nature, and she didn't like going behind his back. But this was an emergancy. She just had to figure out what to do with him after tonight.
 
“With a stray it’s possible.” Angela muttered as she put chemicals on a gauze pad. “This is going to hurt.” She looked up to Tsuki. “Can you hold him down a bit? I don’t think he’ll hurt you, he did just save you. But I need him to stay still as I clean the wound.”
 
Tsuki nodded and stepped forward. She was a little surprised to be asked that. Most vets - not that she'd exactly seen a lot - seemed to have assistants for just this, but perhaps this one was trying to keep things under the radar for now. She wrapped her arms carefully around the dog and held him as still as she could manage.

"Easy, there, Cupcake," she said fondly, using the absurd name she'd coined. "This is going to hurt, but you need to hold still, and no biting."
 
Adam huffed. Somehow, he was really going to have to get rid of the name, Cupcake. Right now, he focused on not hurting Tsuki as Angela wiped his injury. The first touch made him jerk, but he kept it to whimpering and twitching afterward. He definitely looked like a sensitive and soft Cupcake.

"I'm so sorry about this, Hero," Angela muttered to him. It gave him something to focus on. "I know this is a little unorthodox." He saw her glance at Tsuki from the corner of his eye. "But I'm still in training and, I'm usually the one holding the animals down." Adam lifted his head a bit and glanced at her. He did not want to hear that.

"But, I do know." Angela's calm voice assured him a bit. "That this wound looks familiar to a cat scratch." She explained as she put a clean wipe on it. Adam let out another twitch. "A really big cat." She whispered loudly. "And so far," Her voice loud once again. "It does not seem like it has any trapped bacteria in it, and I'm cleaning out what I need to. But the wound and the area around it," Adam let out a loud whimper as she touched someplace near the wound. "Is very irritated and sensitive, the bacteria already getting to that layer. He might not want to use the leg for a day or two." She stopped cleaning the wound and focused on Tsuki. "And you should keep an eye on it to see if gets worse. Also, get him checked again as soon as you can. Just in case. You got that?"
 
Tsuki winced a little as she tried to stroke the dog with one hand, the other firmly wrapped around him and holding him still. Oh. She'd gotten the assistant. Well, that was better than nothing. She couldn't clean out the cuts as well as the assistant was, and the dog didn't seem to be in any more distress then he might have been otherwise. At least not as far as she could tell. Either way, it needed to be done.

"Thank you for everything you are doing," Tsuki told her sincerely. "I'll take him to another vet tomorrow. I volunteer at a shelter most Saturdays, and there's a vet on hand. He should be able to look at the wound." She hoped he'd be able to do something and might be willing to accept extra volunteer hours in exchange for his services, even though he did specialize in strays.
 
“Good. They might be able to give you medicine, where as I legally cannot.” She said as she examined the wound. Adam tried not to tense, but he couldn’t relax either. Then she stood up. “But I don’t think he’ll need it, unless he has an allergic reaction to the wound. The scratch will take a while to heal, just as his concussion. Other than that, he’s fine for an underweight dog.” Angela gave her analysis with a small smile. “I just need you to fill out some paperwork while I type up a summary.” She grabbed some papers from the door and handed them to Tsuki. “I’ll be right back!” Then she left Adam and Tsuki in the room alone.
 
Tsuki looked seriously at the giant dog that had suddenly landed in her care. Why couldn't it have been a cat? A cat would have been a lot easier to hide and feed, but then again, George probably wouldn't have been scared off by a cat.

George...

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she suddenly started shaking. She'd been too busy frantically trying to get the dog help to think about what had happened. George had cornered her. He'd tried to grab her. She'd known he was icky, a bit of a perv, and an arrogant jerk, but this? This was far beyond anything she'd ever dreamed he was capable of! Then again, do you really suspect anyone to be capable of something like that? She didn't even want to think of what that capability was.

Gently, she leaned her forehead against the dog's good shoulder. Well, more like his leg, but it was the very bottom of his shoulder. "Thank you for saving me," she whispered to the dog. "I don't know what I would have done without you, and I don't know what I am supposed to do now. Report him? I have no proof, and he has a whole lot of charisma. I guess just... be more prepared next time." She took another shaky breath. "I hope there never is a next time."
 
Despite the upsetting tangy scent wafting from Tsuki's shaking form, he leaned in closer to her, wrapping his upper body around her. The need to protect and comfort her felt so instinctual, that he did not need to hear her story to lean into her. But hearing her story did concern his human mind. If she didn't press charges, that man would go after her again. The way he didn't back off, even when faced with a potential threat, that was a the way of a hunter. A determined hunter, intended to catch his prey. And Adam didn't like the idea of Tsuki being prey. He would do something, as soon as he could turn human.
 
Tsuki appreciated the doggy type hug. It made her feel warm and safe inside. She pulled away slowly and cleaned herself up so she was smiling and looked unbothered by the time the vet assistant returned. Once they'd settled the bill with Angela, she called for a car and waited outside with the dog on his new leash. It was one of those leases that was kind of like a lasso, and while he didn't seem to be pulling against it, she looked forward to getting him a real collar. Although a real collar would mean something more permamint, and she didn't want to get her hopes up. She'd take him to the shelter with her tomorrow and see what happened from there.

The car finally arrived, and Tsuki coaxed the dog up into the back seat before giving the address to her apartment. She sat silently stroking the dog as the car took them down to a less desirable part of town. It was not the worst, not by a long shot, but it wasn't great, either.

The big, old, brick building stood waiting for them when they arrived. Tsuki took the stairs up to the fourth floor, going slowly for the dog's sake. She would have taken the elevator for his sake, but it only worked half the time, and when it did, you never knew who you'd get stuck with in the tiny car. The druggy from 2C or the cat lady from 3G who wore perfume that smelled like flowers trampled in a candy shop. No, the stairs were much better!

They finally reached the fourth floor, and Tsuki led the way down the musty, stained hallway to apartment 4F. She unlocked the door, opened it, and let the dog go in first. There was only one big room with a small iron-wrought bed that looked like something out of Downton Abby at one end and a small kitchen with rickety cupboards and pee-yellow linoleum on the other end. The bathroom was behind a curtain, no real door, but it had a bathtub that worked and all the usual fixtures. The whole place from warn carpets to popcorn ceiling looked like it hadn't been touched since the 60's, at least, but it was spotlessly cleaned, and someone had clearly done their best to fix what they could. Bright floral curtains hung at the windows, and all the kitchenware nearly matched.

"Here it is," she told the dog. "Your home for tonight! It's not much, but it is warm and keeps out the rain. Plus, no one is above us. Wait a moment and I'll make you a bed. She went to the giant steamer trunk that sat on the floor of her closet - or at least the space designated as a closet by the rods and sleves screwed into the wall - and started hunting through it for blankets.
 
Adam was too tired to judge Tsuki’s place. Or the scents in it. And knew that both of them needed sleep. Plus, she really didn’t need to worry about his comfort. He slept in worse places.

Going to the foot of her bed, he sat down and let out a quiet bark. Just loud enough to get her attention and nod to her bed. He didn’t want to pull her there with his teeth, but he would.
 
Tsuki glanced at him briefly but did not register the head nod. Why would she? Dogs did not nod. They certainly didn't boss you into getting into bed. "Shh!" she warned. "If you keep that up, I might get complaints." She pulled out one of the old blankets she'd used for padding stuff when she moved and laid it on the floor next to the dog. "Here you are. I hope that's enough for you."

Sighing, she rubbed her forehead and wandered over to her "closet." Oh, she was so tired! Numbly, she grabbed her pj top and bottoms and tossed them on the bed before stumbling into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came out wearing nothing but her underthings. She didn't think twice about it. There was no one here but the dog, and what should the dog think? She tossed her day's clothing into the laundry hamper, the underthings soon following as she changed into her pjs. It was a kid's set, so she sported a bunny rabbit from some popular children's show on the shirt and striped pink and blue pants, but they were so comfy! Wearily, she crawled into bed.

Then she crawled back out and went to the kitchen. She had to climb onto the counter to reach the bowl she wanted, then she hopped down and filled it with water and set it on the linoleum floor. A small plate of odds and ends from the fridge came next as she tried to find anything dog friendly. This probably wasn't the healthiest choice for a dog, but it was only one night, right?

Finally she wearily stumbled to her bed, climbed in, and flopped onto her pillow. In moments, she was sound asleep.
 
Adam was so thankful no one else was there to witness his pounding heart and the way he shamefully covered his face with his paws. Even though he was 25, his experience with women was very, very, slim. A relationship was too risky and he never had the time for one. So, he never saw a woman past her scent and clothes.

Now, he just witnessed Tsuki strip. He saw her very smooth porcelain stomach and,

Adam’s tail began to wag, stopping his thoughts. He got hotter. He always forgot that people see him as some normal dog. They treat him as some normal dog. He needed to get better fast. Because if he saw anymore of Tsuki, working with her would be torture.


Forgoing the blanket, he was too hot, Adam curled up at the edge of the bed. Just in case someone came in. He owed it to her. Adam closed his eyes and went into a fitful sleep.
 
The next morning, Tsuki woke with a groan and stretched. She lay on her back staring at the four yellow stains on her ceiling. They never changed, but if you looked at them from this exact angle, they each looked like faces in different expressions. She'd even named them, not that she'd ever tell anyone that.

"Good morning George, Harold, Maude, and Marcie," she murmured out loud. "Saturday at last! And with my new job, I don't have to work." She smiled in satisfaction then sat up. "I do have to take care of Cupcake, though. Good morning, Cupcake. How are you doing?"

She slid out of bed into the chilly, drafty morning air of her apartment and slid her feet into the furry slippers by her bed. She padded around to the end of the bed and knelt to look the dog over.
 
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