Golden Eyes
Golden Eyes By Roofles
"What is the meaning of this?" The older human female said covering her mouth with a napkin. She glared at the dozen others in the waiting room at the top of the Memorial Hospital. "I paid good money to get my son on a floor away from these...people! I'm not about to have a bunch of...of...sick urchins around him!"
"This is a hospital." Scott said, chuckling at his mother. The young man was in nothing but a hospital gown, an IV in his arm. A heart monitor beeped next to him. "Sick people are bound to be here." He smiled softly facing forward.
"Not on this floor!" She scowled seeing one of the other children coughing loudly. The top hospital floor was usually reserved for those who had contributed a large sum to the hospital. This wing was even named after them.
"Ms. Bondson." The yellow lab across the bed said. He was sitting down in the corner chair haven't said or done anything except help the boy get the water next to the table. The lab had a bored expression on his face, a leg crossed over the other as he read one of the magazines from the lobby he had taken with them. He licked his thumb and turned the page.
"No, no, no!" She said clenching her fist tightly glaring daggers at the others through the glass wall of their room. "I'm going to talk to...to whoever is in charge about this!" She stomped her feet before heading out to go harrass some of the poor, busy nurses at the station.
As the door shut the yellow lab got up, heading over to close the blinds. "I'm sorry about her." The boy said looking forward as always. His eyes had a milky sheen over them. Scott could hear the blinds clatter as they fell over the glass walls. "She's just concern. She always has been."
"Single mom's are usually like that." Henry said looking around to make sure they had privacy. The dog walked back over and took the seat he had originally offered to the boy's mother, directly next to her son. She hadn't taken it.
With a grunt the large dog sat down, placing the magazine on the side table and placing both his paws on the boys hand. Henry wasn't about to point out that this was normally only the case when they had sick children. They either get overly protective or distant. He had seen it more than once in his line of work.
"I'm just a bother though." Scott said looking out the window. "She put so much time and effort into a loss cause. Unable to live her own life."
Scott smiled as those soft, warm paw pads rubbed his fingers after he spoke. They slid between them holding his hand warmly in its strong grip. "That's true." Henry said flatly. He never sugar coated things. Even being a Caredog as he was. "But she wouldn't be happy either. Unable to have you there with her."
"Blind, sick kid like me makes her happy, huh?" Scott laughed a bit as he looked down at where Henry's hands would have been. He smiled at them.
"Hey," Henry said softly lifting up his chin and looking into his face. The dog smiled even though he knew he couldn't see it. "That's why we're here, ok bud? Soon the doctors will be able to prep you and you'll go into surgery and before you know it." He poked a dull claw finger against his head. "That nasty nerve will be cut and gone and you'll be able to see just fine. That's what they said."
Scott closed his eyes. "So when I open my eyes again I'll be able to see your face then?" The dog folded his ears back his whiskers drooping a bit as his eyes went a bit wide caught off guard as he was. If only for a second. He looked away, pulling back from the boy as he placed his paws into his own lap and flushed under his fur. It was only visible in his ears however.
Henry was scruffy looking to most, fluffy to others. He had lush locks of golden fur that made him look shaggy and unkempt. Scott's mother had thrown a fit once she had saw who the company had sent them. Going on and on about it until Scott had pointed out that, to him, looks meant nothing and it was always what was inside that counted. Henry was crass, ill-mannered and rough around the edges but he knew when to keep his peace and his own opinion to himself allowing him to keep the job. If it weren't for the boy now looking off at the window, as if didn't know the curtains had been drawn, he wouldn't be here in this room anyways.
"I suppose." Henry grumbled moving a bit closer to the boy. The chair made a wincing screech against the floor as he moved it making the dog wince. "If you want to see a scruffy mongrel like me that is." He chuckled. His floppy ears folded back however as the boy looked at him once more. He was more of a young man than a boy though to the dogs soft hazel eyes.
"Yes. When I can see. I would like to see you first." Scott laughed a bit reaching out until a paw grabbed his hand. Scott held his arm as he normally always did, serving as a walking stick for him. "I need to know what you look like after all." He said those words softly looking down. The dog scooted closer a bit.
Scott was the type of person who wouldn't ask for help, even when he needed it so much more than others at times. He hadn't always been blind and having your sight stripped had taken a toll on him. He struggled to do what he could for himself, never wanting to bother the dog who had been hired too. Henry even had a spare room in their house he stayed at, one reason he had taken the job. The dog however would move every night into the boys room soon discovering that if Scott needed something he would never ask for help. Just attempting to do it himself. Stubborn, yet always thinking of others it seemed.
Scott was Seventeen now, always forever a child in his mothers eyes however. Henry was in his Twenties, of a different species and knew his place when it came in the matter. Yet in this dark room away from any eyes the dog sat directly next to the boy who didn't say a thing as a muzzle pressed against the side of his face.
"It'll be alright." Henry muttered not even believing his own words.
"You know that out of every hundred surgeries there are complications. What if they leave a sponge in my brain?" Scott chuckled having looked into the surgery before hand. Henry frowned.
"Don't go spouting such stuff. Jinx us or something." The golden lab frowned resting back in the chair, he pulled his hands back but in turn put his paws up on the bed. He pushed against the boys leg every now and then, rubbing it with a dirty bare paw.
"Thank you for coming." Scott said resting back and closing his eyes once more.
"Not like I wanted too." Henry grumbled looking the other way.
"You didn't have too. Mum even told me she had asked you not to come." Scott said picking his argument apart. "I'm glad you did though." The dog flushed again, grumbling more.
"Stupidness." He muttered to himself. "No point in some random stranger comin' along. Got your mom and stuff..."
"She's not here now." Scott pointed out. "But you are. You have always been like an older brother to me."
The dog once more found himself flushing. "That's even dumber. Can't be brothers. Not even same species."
"I wouldn't ask for anyone else to be here now though." Scott answered back. A silence fell between them.
The yellow lab's ear lifted up as he heard several people coming their way. He got up quickly, bent over and licked the boys cheek. "Wish you luck, buddy. Be here when your done. Ok?" He said holding his hands as his tail wagged just once.
"I look forward to seeing you, Henry." Scott smiled as the dog moved back and the door opened up.
Taking his original corner the dog just watched the several doctors come in and begin to talk over the boy as if he were just a piece of machinery. So distant as they talked amongst each other looking down their nose at him. It made the fur on Henry's back stand up.
"We'll make the incision here." The head surgeon said pulling a marker out and stabbing it against the side of Scott's head as he outlined it.
"Hey!" Henry growled folding his arms against his chest and leaning back. "Watch it. He's still awake." He snarled the words as the doctor only now seemed to notice the dog in the room.
"Oh." He looked at Scott. "He didn't say anything."
"Don't talk as if he isn't in the room." Henry snapped back glaring at them now. Scott's mother was still in the hall, he could hear her voice even inside the room. All these guys saw were dollar signs it seemed. The yellow lab had seen enough guys and gals like this. Really got under his fur.
"It's alright." Scott said still keeping his eyes closed. "It'll be over before we know it. Right?" He asked as if it were just the two of them in the room again.
"Right." Henry said folding his ears back though he glared coldly at the doctor watching his every move as if he was about to attack him any second.
"Well then..." The doctor said moving back. "Let's move him to the stretcher and take him down."
Henry stood up as they moved making them stop.
"Family only." One of the side doctors said, he seemed to be the newest member of the group. Even so he looked the dog over with disgust. If it wasn't against the law Henry would figure they wouldn't even let his kind in.
"Well I don't give a flying Cat's Ass what you-," Henry began getting heated up the more he spoke.
"He's my brother." Scott stated flatly. "Henry Bondson. Please treat him as you would me." That seemed to bring them around. Henry could practically see the dollar signs in their eyes and here the old cartoon cash register sound afterwards.
"Right, well then. Right this way." One of them said overly polite as he opened the door and a stretcher was brought in.
As two burly looking nurses came in to transfer Scott the dog cut them off. "I got it." He warned with a low growl, lifting the corner of his jowls up a bit. He knew all about how most people in these fancy ass hospitals never washed their hands or anything. Lost one of his last charges to staff infection.
Scooping Scott up with both arms he took a step back allowing for the stretcher to be placed and laid the man down. He even moved to hook up the IV bag to it and raised the side rails. The dog would've loved nothing more than to be the one pushing it but it didn't seem to be the case, so he just walked on the side trying not to seem worried.
He swallowed heavily in the elevator unable to keep his hands at rest. He kept fidgeting all the way down the hallway and even found himself holding onto the rail of the stretcher.
"So...So I'll just be out here, ok? I'll be watching from the balcony." Henry said as they stopped outside the surgery wards doors. He held the boys hand who just chuckled.
"You worry too much." Scott looked down. "My mum?" He asked already knowing she wasn't with them.
"Handling some last minute paper work. She'll be up there as well." Henry quickly cut the others off glaring at them to make sure they didn't say a thing. They all knew otherwise. "So I'll be up there. An-and then we'll go out for ice cream!" His tail wagged. "How'd that sound?"
"Wonderful." Scott smiled.
"We're ready." The doctor said trying to hurry things along.
"Right. Right." Henry nodded not letting go though. "I'll just...be in the balcony, ok?"
"Ok." Scott laughed some more. "I'll see you after."
"Ok."
"Ok then."
"Right."
"You can let go, Henry." Scott said tugging at his hand. The dog let go sheepishly, embarassed over it.
"Ok." Henry waved lightly as the stretcher was pushed through the door and they swung back and forth. "Ok. I'll just...be in the balcony then." He said softly to himself his tail drooping as his whiskers and ears fell.
Seconds, minutes, hours might've passed and Henry wouldn't have known his cold black bumpy nose pressed against the window of the balcony. He stared down his eyes drying out from not blinking. Watching every incision and move the doctors made, his claws dragging along the glass in a loud screech as they began to use the drill.
The dog began to pace never taking his eyes for a second off the room below. He walked all the way down the aisle before walking back. One of the students watching told him to take a seat and was snarled out told where he could put his "fucking opinion." The dog was already pacing again the next second. His face visibly changing with every cut and move they made. Biting his lip, his eyes twitching, ears lifting, falling, splaying out to the sides as his whiskers did the same, matching his tail.
The dog's heart could barely take it and he found himself out in the hallway lapping at the water fountain.
"Stupid hospitals." He whined beginning to pace the hallway before going back to lap at the water fountain some more. He was actually sweating by this point. Only his paw but still. Henry ignored the nurses pointing at him as he lapped at the water. "Hate 'em." He muttered pacing again. He moved towards the stairs back up to the balcony before quickly spinning around and lapping at the fountain once more.
Swallowing loudly he quickly bolted up the stairs as the surgery light flicked off. The shaggy looking yellow lab pressed his muzzle once more against the mirror as he stared down watching as the doctors stripped off their gloves congradulating each other. The dog's tail didn't stop wagging for a second as he ran down the stairs waiting in front of the doors.
"Your brother will be fine." The doctor said coming out as if he had just been to war and back. "You should get some rest." She said offer him a seat on the side. "He'll be out for the rest of the night."
"That's ok." Henry said looking over and past her trying to see inside. "I'll wait until he wakes up."
"Ok. We're moving him back to his room. Your free to accompany them." She couldn't even finish as the dog moved passed to walk with the stretcher. His tail never stopped moving as he sniffed the sleeping boy over inspecting every inch of him.
She smiled before heading off to do the paper work and to deal with the mother. She knew that would be harder than the surgery was.
Henry wasn't allowed to move the sleeping body. The anesthesiologist made his final notes before going off himself. The nurses checked over everything before bidding him a good night and headed out.
Henry watched as they went and the second the door shut he was next to the boys side, tail unable to stop wagging as he held his hand. "Hey, buddy? You ok?" He whispered softly. No response but he was breathing and the heart monitor was beeping steadily. "I'll be here, ok? Ok, buddy?" He scooted the chair closer resting his head down on the bed. "Then we'll go for ice cream." He whispered as he yawned loudly, nosing at the arm. He licked at it. "That'll be fun." Henry whispered as sleep began to take him.
And the words he would hear when he woke up was that "He looked like a yellow shag rug."