"Hello. You may not remember me from the dinner party, but I'm Doctor Frances Twist. You know my son Ben, and my next door neighbor Eric," she said, standing in the doorway as Ben took a few cautious steps forward, but Eric walked all the way over to Spencer's bedside. One would have to be totally blind not to see the big smile that passed between them. Martha Anderson couldn't help thinking about how fast her youngest son was growing up as she stared at Spencer and Eric.
"It's nice of you guys to visit," began Spencer, wondering how she could have a moment alone with Eric. "Are you the one who'll be operating on me in the morning?"
"No. I'm a therapist," replied Frances.
"No offense doc, but I think it's a tad early to start thinking about PT," said Spencer.
"No. Not a Physical Therapist. I work with patients up here," said Frances, pointing at her head. "After some of the things you've been through, I just wanted to offer my services in case you ever needed to talk to someone."
Despite the drugs, Spencer's sharp mind had already thought of a couple of witty rejoinders, but instead she said, "You know. That might not be a bad idea. But now's not a good time. Could we make it tomorrow afternoon or Tuesday?"
"Sure. I'm always available. Your folks, Ben, or Eric know how to get in touch with me," replied Frances.
"You gonna need anything from school?" Ben asked.
"Naw. I should be good. Only gonna miss two days because we'll be off the rest of this week for Thanksgiving, but thanks for asking," said Spencer, while looking back at Eric again, who had remained standing where he was, not daring to get any closer toward her bed for fear of further injuring Spencer somehow.
"We had to escort Eric inside because the hospital rules don't allow anyone under 15 unchaperoned, but we'll give you a few minutes now," said Martha, seeing the look that passed between Eric and Spencer, before turning to the others with the suggestion that they should leave for a bit.
As she was the last back out the door, Frances paused and said, "My wife Samantha, the Town Chancellor, will be here in a little while to go over the cover story the Mayor's office has worked out to keep the Feds from discovering that weres exist. We'll just wait out in the hall until Eric's ready to leave."
After the door closed and Spencer saw they were truly alone, she turned to Eric and said, "Hey Slugger. I heard you had quite an adventure too."
"Err... yeah," he said, actually blushing.
"The left side's the safest. Just don't touch anything that looks hospital-ish," advised Spencer, as Eric drew closer. "Now then, what were you thinking?" she wanted to know.
"In hindsight, I wasn't. The truth is, I heard you were in danger and couldn't think of anything other than wanting to help you," admitted Eric, before recounting his side of events for her.
When he finished, Spencer stared at him, a lot going through her mind. "That was very foolish of you, and you're damn lucky you didn't run into Jeremy yourself. But that was also very brave of you too, and I'm honored," she added, reaching out with her left hand to grab his right the best she could.
"Spencer... I've got to be honest with you about something," began Eric, trying to find the right words. "I know we haven't known each other that long, but the truth is... if I haven't already completely done so, I'm falling in love with you Spencer Lawson."
Then Eric gulped, nervously, as Spencer continued to stare at him.
When he saw tears start to leak out of her eyes and run down her black fur, Eric wasn't sure what to think.
Then Spencer broke the silence by saying, "Do you want to know a secret Eric Anderson?"
Somehow, Eric found the strength to shake his head affirmatively.
"The truth is... I'm falling for you too," confessed Spencer.
It was a bit awkward at first, but soon human lips and hybrid were muzzle got the hang of exchanging kisses.
The new couple were still gently kissing a few minutes later when Samantha Twist walked into the hospital room with Evan Lawson to explain the cover story to his daughter Spencer.
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FOR THOSE WHO CAME IN LATE...
It is a proven Moon Lake fact, regardless of which Earth the story is set on, that a were cannot initiate a normal's first change just by kissing. Biting, scratching, or a more serious exchange of body fluids through sexual activity is required for a normal to join were society.—tmw.