Dog Got Your Tongue

by Brian Clark

  Spring Flower and Still Waters wrapped their arms around her and led her out of the medical section. Spring Flower gave Vyra a very concerned look since Flitter seemed to have shrunk and aged. Ray didn’t know but Flitter was a very old Liraque though it hadn’t shown.

  Chapter 10

  Once he had been sent to sleep on the ship and partially disabled the comm. Ray was taken to the transport room and returned to the surface. Since they wanted him to be found fairly quickly they placed him on a bench in a park near to a hospital. Once he was there a call was placed to 911 to report an unconscious person.

  Gentle had been tasked with keeping an eye on him till the emergency crew arrived. Since they didn’t want her to be seen she had a stealth shield on and stood in the darkness under a tree. She was feeling pretty sad at the moment since she was going to miss him. It was also because Flitter had been heart broken when he had been sent back. She had asked to see her but both Daisy and Aqua indicated now was not a good time.

  When an ambulance and a police car pulled up she contacted the ship and requested to be returned. Several minutes later she was brought back on board and with a slight nod to the medical staff she left the transport room and headed to the lounge. In there she found several of Ray’s close friends and settled down with them.

  ~~~

  When the police car pulled up they climbed out and checked on the person on the bench. While they were doing that an ambulance pulled up and the EMT’s hopped out and took over. One of the police officers had found the persons wallet and called it in. “Dispatch I have a Rayfuso Johnson at this location. He is unconscious at this time and the EMT’s are checking him. Check for wants and warrants.”

  While he was waiting he was starting to document the scene. From what he could tell it didn’t appear to be a mugging since there wasn’t any blood or injuries. Just a few moments later the dispatcher called back. “Be advised no wants or warrants but he is listed as a missing person. Accompany to the hospital and keep us advised.”

  The officer acknowledged the instructions and waited for the person to be packaged for transport. Once done he followed the ambulance to the hospital.

  ~~~

  Simon had been at home in bed when his phone rang. With a grunt he rolled over and answered it and hoped the call was an easy one. Since he handled the large animal side of the clinic he was used to calls at odd times of the night. “Dr. Simon, what is the emergency?” It only took a few moments before he sat up in shock. “I will be there as soon as I can.”

  He considered calling Ray’s family but decided not to till he had more information on what was going on. That and to be honest he didn’t want to be the one to give them bad information if there was something wrong with Ray.

  After jerking his clothes on and grabbing his keys he hurried out to his car and climbed in. As he was pulling out he called Gloria to let her know that Ray had been found. Simon let her know he was going to the hospital and would keep her updated on what was going on. He really hoped the young man was healthy and whole. Simon really wanted to know what had happened to Ray.

  ~~~

  When Ray woke it was slow but didn’t take too long. He opened his eyes he had to groan since he was in the hospital again. “Damn it I hate this.” The last thing he remembered was passing out and he had to wonder what the doctor would have to say this time. His musings were interrupted when the senior vet at the practice came over.

  “Hello Ray and how are you feeling?” He settled on one of the stools next to the bed and smiled at the young man. “We were really worried about you. What is the last thing you remember?” All they knew was that Ray had vanished about two months ago after working on that filly’s knee.

  Ray yawned and frowned slightly since he felt pretty good physically. His heart beat was steady and he wasn’t having any problems breathing either. “Um, weirdly enough I feel pretty good. The last thing I remember was passing out at the Windham’s ranch. How is the filly doing?” He stretched and yawned. When he did he heard a faint ting when the bracelets brushed together.

  Even though he felt fine physically for some reason he was feeling sad as well. That didn’t make any sense to him since he couldn’t think of any reason why he felt that way. It was a tiny niggling sensation but since it didn’t make sense he ignored it.

  Simon looked at him and sighed. “Ray she is healed and that was over two months ago. You vanished from the farm right after we had finished stitching her knee up. She was covered several weeks ago and is probably pregnant now.” The doctors had wanted him to soft touch it but that wasn’t the Ray he knew.

  Ray stared at him. “What the hell? Where was I then? Seriously I remember passing out and that is it. Two months? You have to be joking.” He sat up and it was obvious he had gained a good deal of weight and was in much better shape.

  Simon gave him a helpless look. “We really don’t know. You vanished, I reported it, and they found you in the park this morning with nothing but those things on your wrists and the necklace.” He frowned at them since they seemed to be form fitted and he couldn’t see how they snapped on.

  “That and when they did the ultrasound they weren’t able to find any problem with your heart so they did a CT. Again they couldn’t find anything wrong. I mean that literally. Your heart does not show any indication of disease or deformity.” Ray had made sure to let Simon know about his medical condition when he was hired.

  Ray could only stare at Simon when he said that. “Huh? How the hell did that happen? I was told it was inoperable.” He finally looked down at his body and was shocked. His skin was lightly tanned and he had gained at least thirty pounds and not as fat either. On top of that was some tattoo on his left chest that he had never seen before.

  “Who the hell are you and what did you do to me…” He glowered at Simon when he said that.

  Simon snickered. “Well there were sightings of little green men that day…” He grinned at Ray when he said that. “So do they probe? If so was it worth it being probed to be healed?” They both shared a love of bad sci-fi movies and it showed.

  Ray snorted. “No they don’t probe but I was their sex slave and they needed me healthy to perform.” He said that with a straight face and then shared a laugh with Simon.

  ~~~

  Charlie showed up to the Johnson’s as soon as he had heard the news. His deputy had called him when it had come over the wire that Ray had been found. That had been some of the best news he had ever gotten and been able to give. He had considered simply calling but that was just not the way he gave news, good or bad. Instead he took a few minutes to pull on his uniform and made sure it tidy before leaving his house.

  He quickly drove to their ranch even though it was early morning. When he arrived he took a moment to take a deep breath before knocking on the door. Charlie knew they were going to be expecting the worst so he plastered a pleased smile on his face. As he had expected when Jared opened the door he tensed and his already sad eyes darkened even more. “Mind if I come in Jared? I have some good information for you.”

  Jared didn’t let his expression change as he let the Sheriff into the house. “Please tell me that you have found Ray and he is alive. I don’t know if Juanita could handle something different.” His wife was still asleep since she had taken a sleeping pill and he hadn’t bothered trying to wake her.

  Charlie gave him a wide smile. “They found him and he is alive and appears to be healthy. I don’t have any other information since he was just located but you might want to purchase some tickets and fly out. I will keep you updated on what I hear but chances are good if you fly out you will get the information before I do.”

  Jared had to close his eyes and shuddered for a moment as emotions flowed through him. He felt Charlie place a hand on his shoulder in comfort and it helped. “Thank you for coming out Charlie, thank you so much for that.” He floundered for a moment. “I, I, Oh god I have to tell everyone. If you would excuse me I need to tell my family.”r />
  Charlie didn’t blame Jared for being so fried. They had been friends for years and Jared had always had a hard time showing his deep emotions. “Go take care of what you need and I will see my way out. If you need anything call.” He tipped his hat at his friend before he quietly left the house.

  ~~~

  After Simon had talked to him it was the police’s turn which was rather frustrating. They seemed to think he had done this just to make a scene. The longer the questioning had gone on the more he sensed that the officers didn’t believe his story. He had finally gotten so irritated with the officer that he had told them to leave and he would talk to them later. That incident had made him very irritated with them. He had been gone and he didn’t remember anything other than going unconscious at the ranch.

  With a grumble he rolled over in the bed and after punching the pillow several times he relaxed and fell asleep. As he was sleeping very vague dreams cropped up and didn’t make for the most comfortable sleep. Ray was still asleep when his family showed up and were escorted to his room.

  The nurse paused outside. “Even though he appears to be completely healthy try not to stress him too much. I know that you have been very worried but keep the tears and crying down for the time being. Give him some time to come to terms with what happened.” She opened the door to his room and let them into the room.

  His mother hurried over to the bedside but stopped. She was completely shocked at how he looked. Ray’s hair was longer and his face had filled out and was lightly tanned. Since he only had a sheet and gown on she could tell that he had added weight as well. Juanita reached down and grasped his hand and started crying.

  Jared had been expecting it and wrapped his arms around Juanita and held her while she cried. Misty and Xavier had moved over to the other side and were looking very relieved at seeing their brother. “It is going to be okay Hun. They said he was doing okay and would be released in the next day or two.”

  In his sleep Ray felt the emotions of his family impacting him and he slowly woke up. When he did he felt his mother’s hand wrapped around his and he squeezed it. He finally opened his eyes and smiled at his parents. “Hey mom, I am fine, actually better than fine.” Ray yawned and elevated the head of the bed. “Give me a minute to use the bathroom and then I will give everyone hugs.” Thankfully he had some shorts on so he didn’t feel too strange with the open backed gown.

  When he came back his mother pulled him into a good hug and he returned it and stroked her back. He did it without thinking though if he had he wouldn’t know why he was so comfortable with contact like that now. “I don’t remember anything mom but I really am fine. According to the doctors my heart is perfectly healthy and so am I. They can’t explain it and I can’t either.”

  When she had wrapped her arms around him she did start crying since she had been so worried about her oldest child. She had always been scared of going to wake him up and finding him dead. When he had vanished her world had crashed and suddenly having him back was almost too much. As she was starting to get really upset a gentle surge of comfort flowed into her. She did cry but nowhere as much as she had expected.

  Ray settled down on the bed and when his siblings came over he gave them a good hug as well. Misty noticed the bracelets and frowned slightly. “So what is with the cuff’s Ray? I don’t think I have ever seen you with anything like that before.”

  He glanced at his wrists and shrugged. “No idea sis. I had them when I woke up and from what I was told they tried to remove them and didn’t get anywhere with them.” Ray held his wrists out and let them check them out. “For all I know they are the reason my heart is healed. Simon and I have decided it was the little green men who did it.”

  All of them groaned at that. Misty went as far as covering her face and mock sobbing over the horrible sense of humor her brother had. “Why couldn’t they have fixed the humor as well as your heart? They probably ran screaming when you woke up. Knowing you I bet you asked if they probed and requested they were gentle.” That got another groan from everyone.

  ~~~

  Ray had only been in the hospital for two days since they couldn’t find any explanation on how his heart had healed. Doctors noticed he had gained a fair amount of muscle as well and it was healthy gain, not fat. As far as his memory they could only give a helpless shrug and indicate hopefully it would come back eventually.

  He had his heart fixed and gained a good amount of muscle though he was never going to be large. There were bracelets that couldn’t be removed and nobody had any idea how they had gotten there. Added to that was some strange tattoo on his chest and the necklace that he didn’t allow anyone to touch. By the time he made it home he had enough and needed a few days alone.

  “Mom please, I know that you have been dealing with my going vanishing, I need some time myself. I have to wrap my mind around whatever happened to me even though I don’t remember anything. Something is missing as well and I can’t focus on dealing with your emotions as well as mine. I will come out in a few weeks once everyone has settled down.” He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a good hug since he knew she was still horribly upset. Ray simply couldn’t handle her emotions as well as his and the rest of their family.

  ~~~

  It had been two or so months since he had woken that morning and he had finally started working again. There were still no indications of what had happened to him and no indication his memory was going to return. The blank spot bothered him but what bothered him even more was a nagging feeling that he was missing something or someone. That was deep down in his heart and sometimes at night he dreamed of being curled up next to a lovely woman.

  One thing he had started exploring was sex now that he had been given a full bill of health and it had been very enjoyable. Again there was a nagging sense of something missing but he just couldn’t bring it forward. When Gloria had invited him over and to her bed he was a bit surprised since as far as he knew she was only into girls. When he had asked her about it the next morning he started laughing at her response.

  “Well let’s just say that rumors of your skills in bed have gotten around. When I had one of my girl friends tell me about it I just had to see what it was all about. Since she is bi but leans towards women it really made me curious. She said something about you banging her into delirium and her eyes still not quite working the next morning.”

  Ray snickered at her. “Well I was going to tell you that we have cookies to draw you to the dark side but I guess I just needed to give my bone a home of its own.” He had been nailed by a pillow for that comment even though she was laughing as she hit him.

  He had been thinking about this as he was walking into his house after work. When he grabbed the mail he noticed a large manila envelope addressed to him. It was from a Liraque and Associates which he didn’t recognize at all. When he opened it there were a number of legal papers and a personal note asking for an appointment with him to go over some investments that had been made in his name.

  Ray had to blink since he couldn’t remember any investments he had made that might require this sort of thing. Out of curiosity he called the number on the business card and when it was answered there was a female on the other end. They scheduled a meeting for the next evening after he was off work. He hung up still feeling confused but shrugged it off and started fixing something to eat.

  The next afternoon before the time for the appointment came Ray had taken the chance to clean and tidy the house he rented. He had some coffee and tea as well since he didn’t have any idea how long this might take. Once he was satisfied he settled down on the couch though he didn’t stay there for very long. For some reason he was full of nervous energy at the moment. When the doorbell rang he damn near jumped over the couch to get to the door.

  When he opened the door on the other side was a beautiful woman in a lovely purple summer dress. It showed that she was pregnant though not very far along. Ray gave her a smile as he noted that she also had a
blue and an amber eye. “Please come in. My name is Ray and I am pleased to meet you though I really am not sure why you are here.” He stepped to the side as she walked in and closed the door behind her. “I don’t remember making any investments that might need legal counsel either.”

  She smiled as she walked in. “Thank you Ray and I go by Flitter.” She wrinkled her nose at him when she said it. “I know it is sort of a silly name but someone I knew liked it so I decided to go with it. Now as far as the investments why don’t we have a seat and talk.” God she was nervous at the moment. She knew all about Ray since she had been his Liraque and lover but with the memory lock he knew nothing about her.

  “Please have a seat at the table and if it isn’t presumptuous congratulations on the pregnancy.” He showed her to the table and poured a cup of tea for her since she was pregnant. Once they were both seated she placed a binder on the table. As she was leaning forward a lovely necklace slipped out of the neckline of the dress.

  His eyes focused on it and he felt a sudden stabbing pain. It only lasted a moment before all his locked memories came back and he froze in shock. He glanced down at the necklace and then at her face. She looked human but Ray knew that wasn’t true. When he finally spoke his voice was hoarse and strangled. “Flitter? Is that really you?” Ray didn’t even think before he was around the table and pulling her into his arms. “Oh god it is you my lovely Liraque.” When he pulled her close her ears and tail appeared from thin air.

  “Yes my lovely Ray it is I. You had the gall to knock me up before you were sent back. The Captain wasn’t very happy and sent me to inform you of that.” She was giggling when she said it though she had been in shock as well when she discovered she was pregnant. When Daisy had told her that she had done it for the two of them she was even more shocked.