“Snitch,” replies Sarah with a glare.
“Narcissist.”
“Gym Bro.”
The banter between the siblings is playful, easing the tension in the air.
Sarah makes her way over to take the raccoon from Hakeem’s arms. “You guys did the hard part, now let us handle the rest.” Hakeem is hesitant at first, but sees the same kindness he sees in Eddie’s eyes, in Sarah’s as well. He hands her his jacket with the raccoon bundled up in it. “Oh you poor thing, nature can be cruel. Let’s go see Dr. Faunis. You guys can go home and I’ll call you when things change.” She cooes at the furry bundle in her arms.
Before Hakeem can interject, Jackson speaks up, “Is it ok if we stay in the waiting room? It feels weird to leave after getting so far.” Eddie and Hakeem both look at Jackson with fondness, a look that doesn’t go unnoticed by Sarah. She smiles to herself as she walks back to the examination room. “If it gets busy I expect you to give your seats up to our actual patient’sparents. But, do as you will.” They thank Sarah and take their seats in the waiting area, praying for the small raccoon.
An hour passes, the back area silent. It’s a quiet day for the clinic it seems, only a few people having stopped by, only to pick up prescriptions for their pets. The boys have time before they absolutely have to head home and get ready for work, they couldn’t lose a whole day over a wild animal they just so happened upon. Although all of their stomachs sink at the idea of leaving the poor creature. They understand the natural order of things, but something about seeing the little raccoon fight so hard to stay alive strikes a chord in all of them.
Before another half hour passes, the only sound filling the room being Sarah typing on the keyboard between trips to the back, the doctor emerges from the examination room. Dr. Esmeralda Faunis is a little shorter than Hakeem, with a curvy build and an oval face. She is a dryad, born of the Goddess of earth Gaia. It’s evident from the way her skin turns to bark then hair at the side of her face, as well as the multiple blooms of flowers filling her wavy, chocolate brown hair. Her hair is in a long pony tail that falls past her shoulder blades, her eyes the soft pink of falling cherry blossoms.
“Bien, who brought in the little raccoon?” Dr. Faunis asks the room.
Eddie is first to respond, “That would be us, Dr. Faunis. It’s been a while, hope you’ve been well.” Eddie had met the doctor a couple of times during Sarah’s internship and once or twice when she began working here full time.
“Ay, Eddie! Cómo estás, mijo?” Dr. Faunis is an affectionate woman, and stronger than she looks. She quickly makes her way to Eddie and sweeps him up in a hug, his feet barely staying on the ground.
“I’ve been good, Doctor. It’s good to see you too.” He can’t help his chuckle as he’s hoisted by the smaller woman. A reaction Hakeem and Jackson share.
“Aye, Eddie, you know you can call me Esmy. Doctor is for patients and my associates. That goes for your handsome friends as well.” She points to Hakeem and Jackson who stand tentatively to the side as she puts Eddiedown.
“We’re his roommates. Jackson Nocturne, it’s a pleasure Doc-” She gives Jackson a glare paired with a raised eyebrow, “Esmy.” She smiles, satisfied.
“Hakeem Al-Najim, thank you for seeing us on short notice.” They both offer a hand, both of which she gladly shakes.
“Claro, okay, roommates it is.” The boys exchange a confused look as Sarah struggles to suppress a laugh, snorting in the process. “And it’s no trouble, I have a bleeding heart when it comes to rescue stories. Sarah told me how you and Eddie helped heal the raccoon enough for transport.” At this point her stance turns serious. “Want to tell me how untrained boys saved a raccoon from the brink of death?” The boys look amongst themselves, unsure of what to say.
Tentatively, Hakeem steps forward, “It was me, I granted a wish. Eddie and Jackson saw how upset I was and wished they could help me.” Eddie and Jackson place a hand on either of his shoulders. Admitting to Esmeralda he was half-djinn so soon after what happened seems crazy, but he can tell she’s a good person. From the way Eddie so easily let her hoist him up in a bear hug, to the way her eyes shine with honesty.
“I see, well then,” She turns on her heel, gesturing to the boys to follow suit. “Vámanos, did you want to see how well the little girl is doing or what?”
“Girl?”
“Sí, not even six months from what I can tell. She’s lucky you found her when you did.”
Dr. Faunis leads the group to the back where the raccoon sleeps soundly in Hakeem’s puffy jacket, covered in fresh bandages. “I disinfected the remaining wounds and used some magic to help them heal. Food and rest will finish the job. Sorry about your jacket, Hakeem. she didn’t want to let go of it.”
The boys huddle close as they steal a glance at the sleeping pile of fur snoring gently. “Awe, you’re okay little one.” Hakeem breathes a sigh of relief, as do the two beside him. The raccoon should make a full recovery in a matter of days.
“After she heals up we’ll hand her over to a shelter for the next few months as she finishes growing. Then they’ll release her back into the park,” says Dr. Faunis while she writes on a clipboard.
The realization feels like a weight has been dropped on the boy’s shoulders. Of course the raccoon had to be released back into the wild, that’s where it belonged. Did they think the little raccoon would come back home with them? Did they think they could buy cat towers for her to climb and play on? No, because that would be ridiculous. It’s a trash bandit that roamed the streets of the city, not a fluffy little baby to be pampered and adored by three grown men in a penthouse apartment.
Right?
A mutual understanding spread through the boys. It’s a crazy idea, and would add to the responsibility and chaos of their lives. But the alternative? Sending the little raccoon back to the park? Where it hardly survived the first time around? They can’t bear the idea, not after the morning they had.
Eddie and Hakeem turn to Jackson. It was his apartment after all, they were just renting rooms.
Jackson is far from thrilled at the idea of having a raccoon in the apartment, but something in his heart tells him to look at the sleeping critter and say otherwise. After a deep, steadying inhale, followed by a long sigh, Jackson cracks his neck. “Esmy, after a full checkup; paid in full of course, could the raccoon be released into our care?”
Dr. Faunis looks up from her clipboard, eyebrows raised to her hairline. She clicks her pen closed, “Really? I suppose she is young enough she could possibly be domesticated. I’ve heard of raccoons being pets, are you sure though? It won’t be easy, even if she does seem to like Hakeem already.” As if on cue, the little raccoon snuggles deeper into Hakeem’s jacket. “But, yes, I can do a full check up. But funny enough, she was oddly clean when you brought her in. Raccoons are cleaner than your typical wild animal, but it was as if any speck of dirt and filth was cleared off her. I couldn’t even find a flea.”
Their minds jump to the spell in the park, could it have done more thanheal up the initial wounds? “I will keep her overnight to check on her progress but I can have Sarah give you the paperwork to register her as a pet. Only if you three are sure, though. I’m not entertaining this if she’ll end up abandoned in the park in a month.” Her tone is firm as she stares the men down.
