by Brian Clark
While the doctor was doing her job Aqua mentally ran through the available Liraque onboard and smiled when she remembered Flitter. She was new to the crew and Aqua had been given instructions to keep a close eye on her. Aqua knew that the Captain and her assistant had instructions as well but didn’t know what they were. *Flitter can you please come to medical? I might have a client for you.*
~~~
Flitter was in one of the lounges curled up with a young female on her lap. The girl was on her first cruise and also one of her first heats and was rather scared. Since Flitter wasn’t attached to any one person she was spending a good amount of time with the crew offering comfort, chatting, and cuddling. She loved curling up with people and talking quietly about whatever they wanted.
Most of the time it was conversations about letters and videos from home; a sibling had gotten some award, and other happy memories. It helped reinforce a positive attitude and kept the morale aboard the ship up. Sometimes the news wasn’t good. It could be the loss of a loved one, or the breakup of a relationship. Flitter loved helping people deal with both the happy and sad.
*Hello Aqua and I can do that. Do you need me right now or can it wait for about a half hour? I am talking with Dusty who missed seeing her brother delivered as well as she is in her first heat. She is really missing home right now and needs a bit of comfort.* The girl was curled up in her arms with her muzzle pressed to Flitter’s neck. When she received an assent that it could wait she returned her attention to her.
“I can imagine how you feel missing something like that and especially a little brother. We should be back home in a few months and you will get to hold him. As far as this being your first heat away from home I might be able to talk to Aqua about this.” Flitter was stroking her hair and back. “I am going to have to go soon since they have a patient in Medical they want me to check.” They talked a while longer before Flitter gave her a good hug and kiss. “If you need call me and I can give you a good massage and curl up with you for a good night’s rest.”
It didn’t take Flitter all that long to reach medical even though it was a large ship. When she walked in she moved over to the other Liraque and gave her a hug and kiss. One thing she felt a tiny bit jealous of was how good the purple looked on Aqua and wished she looked that good.
*Silly, it looks lovely on you as well and brings out some highlights in your hair. At least you don’t have to worry about the gray showing when you are old and decrepit.* Aqua was also a bit jealous of Flitter’s hair since it was long and Aqua couldn’t grow her hair long to save herself.
Flitter snorted at her before moving over to the human. When she looked down at him she was almost shocked at how thin and pale he looked. *Why did we pick him? He doesn’t look all that healthy. Can he handle what we need from him?* Her mental tone over the comm. wasn’t derogatory just concerned. He looked like he had been sick for a long time.
*He had a heart condition that hadn’t been picked up by the initial scan when he was brought aboard. The doctor thinks she has resolved Ray’s issue and otherwise he is physically healthy. Touch him and tell me what you think?* Aqua was doing her best to make it sound like she was doing a consultation and not trying to pick a client for Flitter.
Flitter nodded at her comment and reached down and settled her hand on his chest and closed her eyes. Even though he was unconscious she could feel his deep emotions and her eyes softened even more than the usually were. This was going to be her next client and she knew it. “I will take care of you Rayfuso if you let me.” She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
When she said that the emblem on her uniform changed, it was to show that she had an interim client. Till he said yes or no she wouldn’t be able to take on anyone else as a client except for what she had been doing. *He is mine and I will accept the job and take care of him if he allows it Liraque Aqua.* As she was thinking at Aqua she settled down in a chair and shifted her hand to one of his and let her senses start expanding.
~~~
Spike settled at the desk in her office and took several deep breaths. The engineer was not one of her favorite people to deal with. She was a good officer but just abrupt and abrasive. With one more deep slow breath she sent a comm. request to the engineer. She knew that she would be waiting for a short time before the other officer would be ‘available’. At one point she had been annoyed enough she had asked Aqua to talk to her and see what might be going on. When she came back and indicated it was simply her personality.
Eventually the Engineer responded. *I have seen the report of his being retrieved and I am reviewing it right now. Once I have reviewed it I will send you a report on what I have found. You should have it this evening at the latest.* Once she had spoken she disconnected.
Spike knew she was growling and it was a far less than pleased growl and ended up turning into a snarl. “That stupid… I will not call her that, I will not swear at her, I will not... Oh fuck it, that stupid bitch. This is getting noted on the report to the Captain.” She tried not to keep snarling at the female but that was beyond rude and ignorant.
Aqua knew that Spike and the Engineer didn’t get on well at all. Then again there were very few who got along with her aboard ship. When she sensed her Mistress starting to snarl she slipped into Spike’s office and started working her shoulders. Nothing needed saying at the moment and she simply drained off some of the anger and irritation.
~~~
Jared and Juanita were sitting on the couch relaxing after the last of the farm chores had been finished. Misty and Xavier were at the kitchen table working on their homework and muttering at each other. As long as they didn’t get loud neither of their parents worried about it. When a vehicle pulled up Jared stood up and walked towards the door and opened it right as someone knocked. When he opened it he found the Sheriff outside. “Hey Charlie what brings you out here? Come in and have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”
Charlie took his hat off and walked in. “In a moment Jared.” He nodded at Juanita and then the kids. “I am sorry to have to tell you this but Rayfuso has been listed as a missing person. He was with his boss at a farm this morning and when his boss was ready to leave he couldn’t find Ray. After a short search by the farm hands he called for help. Beyond that we don’t know anything else at the moment.” He had known this family for years and Ray was a good kid and this was going to be hard on the family.
Juanita had been starting to stand up when she gasped and almost collapsed on the couch. Jared hurried over and wrapped his arms around her and held her as she tried to recover. Yes they had expected a visit like this one of these days telling them he had passed away. They definitely weren’t expecting to be told that he was missing. While Jared was holding his wife his children came over and sat down as well.
Jared looked at the Sheriff. “So to the best of your knowledge he might be alive and simply missing right? You haven’t”, he had to look away as he gulped, “found a body.” God that hurt to say and he knew that it was harder for his wife to hear it. Ray was enough older than his siblings that hopefully it wouldn’t impact on them quite as much.
Charlie hated to be negative but after so many years he preferred that so if the worst happened they were expecting it. “Jared I won’t lie to you and you know that. No we haven’t found either him or his body as of yet. Knowing his medical problem it is quite possible that he had an attack and wandered away. We just don’t know and I won’t give you false hope. All I can say is pray for him and I will keep you current with everything we find.”
With another nod he silently left the house. He would have a deputy swing past in the morning to check on them. Since many of them were related however close or distant he made a call to a mutual relative and asked her to swing past in the morning as well.
Chapter 2
Ray slowly woke up. At first he felt a sensation of warmth followed by lying on something comfortable. The air had some odd scents but he had gotten used to odd scents i
n his line of work. Eventually he was awake enough to open his eyes and really had to blink. This definitely wasn’t his room and he had to frown. As he was thinking memories of what had happened came rushing back and he tensed.
“Oh god I need my meds.” He looked around frantically and tried to move but his limbs felt heavy and weak. As he was frantically looking around and trying to move several people walked in. They were dressed in odd looking gowns and masks which covered their heads and faces. All he could see was their eyes and hands. “My meds I need them.” Ray was desperate to get the meds.
The doctor quickly moved over to Ray and rested her hand on his chest. “Relax Rayfuso you are fine. You had an episode and were brought here for treatment.” Yes she had seen him nude when she had treated him but he still felt so slender and almost fragile under her hand. “Take slow deep breaths Rayfuso and relax. You are stable and shouldn’t be having any problems breathing or with your heart.” She moved her hand and lightly grasped one of his and moved it to his chest. “Feel your heart beat. It is steady and normal.”
When she came over he looked up at her and was struck by her eyes. They were a warm brown with hints of gold and showed a caring that many doctors didn’t have. Her hand was warm and gentle as she pressed him back into the bed. Ray also noticed she seemed to be very strong since she didn’t appear to have any problem keeping him from trying to sit up.
As she was talking to him he did as she instructed and focused on what his body was telling him. He was a bit shocked when he felt rather normal. His heart was beating normally, his breathing wasn’t strained and he actually felt good. “What?” Feeling this way was definitely a bit odd since normally after he ended up at the hospital due to an episode he felt wiped out. It could be he had simply been asleep long enough for any treatment they had started to work.
The Doctor settled down on a chair that the other person had moved over for her while the doctor was talking to him. Once the lady had moved the chair over she had walked around to the other side of the bed and stood near the head. “When you arrived you were in the process of having a complete heart failure. We used a new treatment to try and resolve your heart condition. It appears to be working but we need to keep an eye on you for another day or so.”
Ray had to frown since he hadn’t heard of any new treatments. He rather ignored the part about the heart failure since that was something he had been living with all his life. “I have been to the best cardio-thoracic surgeons and due to the location of the defect they couldn’t do anything. What is this new treatment?” Yes he had kept up on most of the research but that didn’t mean he hadn’t missed something.
She smiled though he couldn’t see it behind the mask the doctor was wearing. “That is a very good question Rayfuso and leads me to another issue. I need you to take a deep breath and relax while I give you some additional information.” She looked up at the other woman and nodded slightly to let her know to be prepared for his reaction. “It is a treatment you won’t have ever heard of before. That is because it doesn’t exist on your world.” As she was talking she reached up and pulled the cap and mask off.
When she did certain differences became blindingly obvious. First was the fact that she had dog ears and a short muzzle with whiskers. Her upper lip was slightly bifurcated as well and her teeth were different. The rest of her features were relatively normal and her skin looked normal as well. “We are not from your world Rayfuso. There is a reason we brought you aboard but the Captain will explain that to you.”
His eyes bugged out and he started to shake slightly as he stared at her. He hadn’t noticed the other woman taking her mask and gown off. When she settled down on the edge of the bed and rested a hand on his arm he did notice. When he looked at her he had to blink since her colors were so striking. Her hair was a whitish gray and her ears were a darker gray. Her eyebrows were a darker gray as well. She resembled a husky in coloration and her eyes were two colors. One was an ice blue and the other dark amber.
Her eyes were so very gentle and warm. She seemed to be totally focused on him and her hand was warm as well. For some reason the color of her suit stuck in his mind since it was a light purple and she had an odd symbol on her left chest. Where her hand rested there was warmth flowing from it. For a moment he had completely forgotten about the doctor.
The doctor cleared her throat and he twitched slightly. When he looked at her she had a slight smile on her face. “I see you have noticed your assistant for while you are with us. She will take care of your needs. Please accept her help and don’t hesitate to ask her for anything you need.”
She smiled at him since he was going to be confused by that. “I am going to leave you to get to know her. I will be back to check on you later and try to get some sleep.” She gave his hand a squeeze before standing up and turning away. Now her tail could be seen.
Ray had to blink and finally shelved everything for the moment since it was just too much to deal with. As the doctor walked towards what he assumed was the door he frowned. “Excuse me but I don’t know your name doctor. Well I assume you are a doctor but I still didn’t get your name.”
She turned and grinned at him. When she did her larger canines could be seen and it was obvious her teeth were different. “I am sorry, I should have introduced myself. I am Doctor Spike.” Her grin widened when she said that since it was a joke. Even though humans could pronounce their names it was problematic. Since they resembled distantly the dog’s humans kept as pets they decided to use that style of name.
As he stared at her she twitched an ear and her tail in amusement at his expression. “Make sure he gets a shower as well as food.” When the door closed Spike snickered and Aqua, who had been outside, shook her head at Spike. “Humans are so amusing at times. Ah well time to get back to work. I have schedules to work out.”
Flitter had to shake her head at the doctor when she gave Ray her Use Name. Both the doctor and her assistant were two parts of a whole. Dancing Wind, Spike, had a very obvious sense of humor and she enjoyed it. Still Waters, Aqua her assistant, came across as a very calm person but had a very subtle sense of humor. There were times you didn’t realize that she had poked fun at you till some time later.
She looked down at the man and smiled. “Hello Ray, you don’t mind my calling you Ray do you? I am sure you need the bathroom as well as a shower. I am sure you will feel better once those two items are taken care of. I will have some food delivered as well.”
Ray looked back up at her and gave her a shy smile. “I keep wondering what kind of good drugs I am being fed.” He had to shake his head as he struggled to sit up. When she leaned over and wrapped her arm around him to help him sit up he blushed since she was good looking if a bit odd. She was most definitely female assuming that those were breasts under the suit. “I can take care of it. You don’t need to help.”
She smiled at him and lightly touched his face. “It is my job Ray and I enjoy helping people.” She tilted her head at him. “Why are you blushing? Did I do something wrong? I have studied humans but never actually worked for one. Please tell me if I do anything that bothers you.” Flitter kept her arm around his shoulders as she supported him.
Her touch and question made him blush even more since he really didn’t want to admit why. He was still trying to avoid thinking about why he was there. Some questions would have to wait. “You are fine but I do need to use the bathroom.” Ray slowly slid his legs over the side and sat there for a moment before moving. The first time he tried to stand he ended up sitting back down. “Why do I feel so weak?”
She helped him finish sitting up and swing his legs over the side and settled next to him. “You were given a medication to relax you so we could show you what we are. It will wear off fairly quickly and if you do take a nap when you wake it will be gone from your system.” She contemplated telling him more about what she was but decided he had been given enough shocks for the moment.
Ray looked down and sighed. “I don�
�t suppose I can get some clothing? I feel a bit odd sitting around in the buff when all of you aren’t.” Due to his medical problem he couldn’t exercise a great deal. He avoided eating unhealthy food as well but he had always been slender. As hard as he tried to stay fit he was scrawny and rather pale.
Flitter smiled at him. “The Captain will provide you with a ship suit when she comes to talk to you.” He was probably going to get tired of hearing that by the time the Captain did come.
He frowned for a moment. “Why have I seen only females? If I am going to have someone help me with a shower I would prefer a male.” He was starting to wonder just how red his face was by now.
“Why only females the Captain will answer that as well.” Flitter quirked an eyebrow at him when she said that. “Is there some reason why you want a male?” She was up to date on everything they had concerning the humans that had been aboard previously. That didn’t mean that they knew everything and it could be something cultural.
He rolled his eyes at her. “Fine I will save most of the really important questions for when the Captain comes to talk to me.” When she asked why males he shrugged. “It feels a bit odd thinking about getting a bath from a female. It isn’t something that has normally happened to me.” Ray hadn’t had much female contact beyond hugs and kisses. That wasn’t saying he was a virgin but he had to be very careful because of his heart.
“Ray I am your assistant and that is something I am expected to help you with as needed. Some of the things I will do right now is to make sure you have good food, make your bed, schedule appointments, comfort you, and curl up next to you as you sleep.”