29 Clinic

Yuan Shun grabbed his jacket on the way out of the house and led Shi Yen to his car.

During the short trip, Shi Yen didn't speak a word. She only caressed Shizi's fur, coaxing her dog, assuring her.

When they arrived, Shi Yen hopped out with Shizi, following him towards someone's home.

Yuan Shun rang the doorbell.

An older gentleman in his nightwear answered the door, puzzled. "Mr. Yuan?"

"I need you to see a pet. She's sick, and we don't know why."

"Mr. Yuan, the clinic is closed, and it's terribly late. Please come back tomorrow," said the veterinarian.

"Please," pleaded Yuan Shun. "I will pay you and your wife a one week round vacation trip with all expenses paid."

The man looked at him considerably. After a moment's thought, he said, "make it two weeks, and if you could take some interest out of my loans, I will do it."

"Deal," said Yuan Shun.

Hearing their exchange, Shi Yen figured out that the doctor was one of Yuan Shun's clients.

The doctor allowed them into his home, which was attached to the clinic. He then gestured Shi Yen to place Shizi down so he could observe her.

He did a full examination and asked Shi Yen a series of questions: about her breed, her medical history, her health, etc. He then asked, "How has she been behaving?"

"She hasn't been eating, and all she wants to do is sleep," replied Shi Yen.

"Hm," said the doctor. He then lifted one of Shizi's floppy ears, and Shi Yen's eyes widened.

"She has a cut, a slight puncture wound. It could have come from anything: her nails, another pet. It's infected, and it spread. Her lymph nodes are swollen, and she has an abscess at the back of her neck. She also has an ear infection," said the doctor.

Shi Yen was so taken aback that she had to ground herself from falling over.

"Don't blame yourself," he continued. "It wasn't visible, and it's a good thing you came right away. I can treat her immediately."

The doctor then washed his hands, grabbing all his materials and spreading them out. He then said, "I need my wife's help for this. I will be right back."

Shi Yen approached Shizi, rubbing her head. She whispered something to her that Yuan Shun couldn't hear, and he didn't want to, not when they were both so vulnerable.

When the doctor returned with a woman who looked as if she had just woken, he said to Shi Yen, "I need you to step out with Mr. Yuan. You wouldn't want to see any of it."

Shi Yen looked at the doctor blankly.

"Do you trust me?" the doctor said. "I will do anything to help her."

Shi Yen gave him a slow nod. "Do what you need to do."

Yuan Shun placed a hand on her back, leading her outside the room. They walked down the corridor, finding a seating area.

Shi Yen silently sat next to him, staring into the distance.

Yuan Shun watched her bow her head, fidgeting with her hands.

From the other room, they heard a bark of pain.

Shi Yen stood up to pace around the room, and then she heard another bark of pain followed with a cry.

Shi Yen couldn't handle it. She sat a corner of a room, raising her knees, holding her ears, shutting her eyes.

Shizi groaned in slight pain, so Yuan Shun rose from his seat, approaching Shi Yen. He heard her mumble things incoherently, and he realized she was doing it to distract herself.

Yuan Shun then bundled her against him. "Yen," he said.

Shi Yen didn't respond.

"Yen…" he said again. "…Yenni."

Shi Yen opened her eyes slowly, facing him.

"Shizi is going to be okay." He looked at her directly, "you're going to be okay too."

"Promise?" she questioned softly.

"I promise," he replied.

Yuan Shun settled next to her, sitting up against the wall. Noticing her bare legs, he took off his jacket, placing it on her lap.

An hour passed. Shi Yen's head leaned over his shoulder, dozing off, but determined to stay awake.

The doctor then came in quickly, saying, "she's fine, but we're still running some tests."

Shi Yen sighed—an exhausted sigh of relief.

The wife of the doctor then entered the room shortly after with a tray of tea. She was surprised not to find them, but then she turned her head slightly, noticing them at a corner.

The woman smiled warmly, noticing that Shi Yen leaned against Yuan Shun. The woman stepped forward, crouching down with the tray. "I wasn't sure if you and your wife were thirsty, but I brought some anyway," she told Yuan Shun quietly.

Yuan Shun didn't bother to correct the woman.

"Thank you," he said.

"Thank you," Shi Yen echoed softly. She straightened, grabbing a cookie and a cup full of tea.

The woman left them alone to drink the piping hot drink.

After Shi Yen finished, she put on Yuan Shun's jacket to keep herself warm until the veterinarian stepped in with Shizi.

Shi Yen's lips parted open as Shizi ran up to her, wagging her tail and licking her hand, seemingly returning to her usual self right away. Shi Yen smiled until she saw Shizi's neck.

Shizi had an opened wound in her neck, and before she could question it, the doctor said, "we had to drain it, and it will keep draining so I can't patch it up. But you must clean it consistently." He then gave her a bag with antibiotics and medicine for the inflammation and her ear infection. "Return if she's not feeling well, but as long as you take care of her, she'll be okay," said the veterinarian.

"Thank you," replied Shi Yen.

Shi Yen picked up Shizi and headed towards Yuan Shun's car, and he drove them home.

Since Shi Yen couldn't carry everything on her own, she invited Yuan Shun inside. He followed her to the bathroom, holding the bag of medicine.

"I have to clean the blood off her fur," said Shi Yen. "Can you help me?"

Yuan Shun nodded. He put the bag of medicine on the counter, and he rolled up his sleeves. Shi Yen then placed Shizi in the bathtub, grabbing a bowl of warm water and a gentle cloth.

"Hold her down gently," Shi Yen instructed him.

Yuan Shun grabbed Shizi's sides gently, holding her in place. Shi Yen ran a wet cloth and soap for animals on Shizi's body, lathering in her fur. The smell of her blood was horrid, but Shi Yen never flinched.

Afterward, Shi Yen rinsed Shizi's body and wrapped her in a towel. Yuan Shun then followed them out of the bathroom and into her connected bedroom, bringing the medicine bag with him.

Yuan Shun didn't bother to absorb what her room had looked like. He didn't care at the moment.

Shi Yen put her dog down on the bed and gave her the medicine Yuan Shun held. Then, wrapped in her towel, Shizi fell asleep.

"I'm going to go back," Yuan Shun said.

Shi Yen turned abruptly. "Yuan Shun," she called out to him.

He opened the door, but he didn't leave. He turned around to face her fully.

She grinned at him warmly. "Thank you," she said. "Shizi means a lot to me. She's not just a pet to me. She's family, a Shi."

Yuan Shun figured that out. Just seeing Shi Yen hold her with tears streaming down her face, he knew immediately how much Shizi meant to her.

"I understand. I'm glad I was able to help in some way," he replied.

Shi Yen took a step forward and another. She then reached out, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered again against his shoulder.

It took Yuan Shun a moment to lift his arms, hugging her back. She was warm, and though they've kissed several times, more than he can count, this single embrace stirred something deep inside him, something he couldn't explain.