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 Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:00 pm
"Minnie! Minnie! For God sakes you cannot have this Poptart!"
Barnaby pushed aside the slobbery dog head for the fiftieth time, trying to balance his attention between finding a parking spot, eating his breakfast, and defending said breakfast from his best friend. Clearly it had been a mistake to let her have a piece of it before they got into the car. He didn't blame her for her Poptart addiction (who didn't like Poptarts?) but she didn't need to ruin her teeth. His vet already warned him against feeding her too much people food. The redhead was secretly convinced that he'd never been faced with puppy dog eyes. No one could resist those.
Parking spot acquired – and breakfast saved from inhalation by dog – the Meadowview teen grabbed Minnie's leash and headed for the front door. In the hustle and bustle it was easy to get lost. Thankfully, Barnaby was recognizable (and he knew his way around) and thus was handed his name tag and shooed off to go bother someone else. The dog lover wasn't at the desk today, which meant Minnie didn't get her obligatory dog biscuit. Barnaby compensated by letting her carry her squeaky toy up the stairs.
"Alright, since I chose last time I suppose it's your turn today," the teen said quietly to his dog, giving the leash some slash so she could snuffle about. Three doors in, the mastiff decided that this was The Room and proceeded to saunter in, her only introduction the small 'squeak' from the toy in her mouth. Barnaby followed, watching the patient-of-choice's expression in case she decided that dogs weren't her thing. "Good morning! How's life today?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:29 pm
Up until that moment, Gabbie had been sitting in the chair near the window to her room and staring out listlessly. She was still hooked to an IV drip and her ribs hurt like hell. Her aunt had come and gone, staying only long enough to ensure that Gabbie wasn't going to keel over and die before flitting back overseas to deal with her work. The expression on her face was grimly introspective.
And then she heard the squeak followed by a cheerful voice. Looking up, she turned slightly, keeping her casted leg propped up against the bed. She found herself blinking at the dog bfore a slow smile curved her lips and she stuck a hand out for the dog to inspect.
"Life is shitty, but thanks for asking," she replied drily. Given that this was the first cheerful person she'd encountered in the last couple of days, she wasn't keen on scaring him away by being too grouchy. Besdies, he had a dog. Dogs were awesome and cuddly and offered fur therapy.
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Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:40 pm
Thank God, a dog lover.
Minnie's tail wagged happily as she trotted over to Gabbie, dropping her toy in the girl's lap so she could sniff her hand. Like most of the hospital she smelled far too clean and sterile, and the mastiff gave her hand an almost apologetic lick. Clearly smelling so strong was a bad thing.
"Don't blame you for saying that," Barnaby replied with a grin, making note of the girl's injuries. IV drip. Nasty. He'd heard those itched like hell and were just about as comfortable as having someone jab you with a pin and then leave it in. "You cool with big dogs, yeah? She won't hurt you or anything. Worst thing she'll do is drool on you."
Almost as though emphasizing the point, Minnie Mouse gave Gabbie's fingers a few more licks. Hey, dog slobber had to have some medicinal properties, right?
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Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 5:09 pm
"We're cool," Gabbie replied with a smile, reaching down to give the spot right behind the dog's ears a good scritching. "So, what're your names? I'm Gabbie."
It was obvious the longer they were in there, the more cheerful she was getting. Not quite cheerful enough to completely forget her injuries or how she'd gotten them... but cheerful enough where her smiles were genuine and some life and color were coming back to her face.
Laughing softly as the doggie kisses, Gabbie couldn't help but address the mastiff directly.
"Oooo! Thank you for the kisses, pup. Ain't you a sweetheart, yes you are!"
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Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:24 pm
"Great! Sorry, I gotta ask. We've had some uh… unfortunate incidents with cat lovers. Don't want to cause any extra injuries, you know?" The redhead pulled over a nearby chair, settling down in it while his dog investigated their newest 'friend.' "Gabbie then. I'm Barnaby, and this is Minnie Mouse. She answers to pretty much anything though as long as you have food. Or love. She'll take either without too many qualms."
Minnie, meanwhile, retrieved her squeaky toy from Gabbie's lap and offered it to the girl, tail still wagging. Did she want to play fetch? The mastiff was good at that, especially in the hospital setting. She hadn't knocked over a tray in months!
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:22 am
Raising an eyebrow, Gabbie gave a snort of laughter. Imagine trying to get a cat to cooperate and come into a place like this for those overly picky folk!
"Really? Well, their loss. Only animals I dislike are snakes. And even then it's usually when they reach a certain size."
Taking the toy up, she cast a curious glance at Barnaby.
"Is it really okay to toss this for her in here?" she asked, nervously eyeing her casted leg and the IV drip machine. She'd rather just enjoy having a dog in there to pet and snuggle.
"How did you two get into this?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:06 pm
The redhead gave a little shiver at the mention of snakes. "I can see that. I can't say I know anybody who brings snakes into a hospital, thank God. Probably scare the living daylights out of some people, especially if they got loose." He could just imagine the security calls going down to the front desk. 'Wild snake on the loose! But don't worry, I just fed him!'
Barnaby gave a small shrug at the toy. "If you want. If you just drop it, she'll get the message eventually and leave you alone. She's pretty good at playing fetch in the hospital." Minnie was eyeing the toy as she backed up, tail wagging furiously.
"This like the visitations and stuff? My mom works at the hospital as a nurse. They'd just started this pet visitation 'club' I guess you could say, and my mom thought it would be a good idea to bring this monster to see the kids. She wasn't this good when she started, but she's come along way. Matured and all that." He grinned as he ruffled the fur on her back. "How did you get in here? Nasty fall?"
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