Sheila moved away a bit nervously, as the instruction to give a heads up to the rest of the Van Direstag family on what had happened had been more Elijah's idea, given how clearly distraught that Richard had seemed at finding his wife unconscious after being attacked by a mundane Mountain Lion. And when given the events that lead to Richard becoming a werelion in the first place, it was likely that the rest of his family didn't know Richard's transformation or the attack that Rose had become the victim of, and thus they could be on edge. It thus made sense to let them know what had happened.
And those sorts of things did happen from time to time. They weren't super common, in that while the area around Moon Lake did have Black Bears and Mountain Lions in the general area, and every few years a wolf pack from Canada might migrate in, but much of this was due to the high concentration of deer that Moon Lake raised as "hunting stock" for the predatory weres. That high concentration was attractive to mundane predators who might otherwise prefer to avoid Moon Lake because of the issues between all weres and non-domesticated animals. And once in Moon Lake, those mundane predators would be agitated by the "unnatural" were scent and would be more willing to fight than they would be otherwise. It wasn't super common, but it could happen, and in the present case, DID happen tonight.
The more common reason as to why weres that hadn't had their first transformation yet or normal humans were urged to not go into the more wild areas in and around Moon Lake was more to give weres their sense of privacy to commune with nature or engage in other things. Which had been what had set up Richard's transformation. She'd been out in the hopes of attracting Elijah... or any single male were to her... a female were would do if no male came. She'd never expected to have a pair new residents quite literally stumble on to her, and she certainly never intended to turn Richard Van Direstag into a werelion. He made a very handsome one, but that wasn't the point.
She knew she should have told Frank that much of what had happened with the Van Direstag parents had some of her own personal responsibility on it... If she hadn't been so eager to "get it on" with someone, then Richard and Rose Van Direstag wouldn't have stumbled onto her and thus Richard's transformation. If she'd been less willing to let Richard get caught up in his new werelion instincts and urge Rose to join in, Rose might not have stormed out, or at least not without Richard being able to go with her, and thus preventing the attack in the first place. In that... a sense of guilt and shame hit Sheila hard, and while she did relay the base report that Elijah wished... it wasn't complete, and it would mean that the Van Direstags would be quite surprised to find their father was now a were.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Meanwhile, Richard Van Direstag nervously coming into the Emergency Room entrance with the help of the officers that had come with the ambulance as a response to the report of a wild animal attack. He felt calm assurance from the officers that they hadn't found anything criminal in his actions, as that the death of the Mountain Lion came as a result of its attack on Rose, though that didn't ease his nerves any. Particularly as he saw Rose being rolled from the ambulance and into the main medical area of the emergency room. He wanted to run in after her, though he was caught on the arm by the officer that had driven him.
"I know this will be emotionally tough," the officer spoke, "but the hospital will need information to do their job and process things. And for the moment, the hospital will have their own work to do with regard for your wife's treatment. Hovering over them won't help them or your wife."
"But it's all my fault," Richard said weakly, "I've got to apologize... tell her I'm sorry..."
The officer nodded, and could hear the obvious guilt in Richard's voice. In some ways, Richard was right, for going out into the woods at night in Moon Lake was often an invitation for something to happen, as most weres were more active at night thus leading to circumstances like Richard's transformation into a werelion. Animal attacks were rare, but given how mundane non-domesticated animals responded to weres, it was possible. Smaller weres might be able to pick up on the presence of larger predators and leave to avoid a fight and larger weres were often more than capable of dealing with the predator. However, the officer knew that things couldn't be changed.
"And I'm sure she'll accept it," the officer assured him and lead him up the to the door that emergency room's admissions area, "But right now... it's best to let the doctors do their jobs and have faith that things will be fine..."
Richard nodded as the officer opened the door and let Richard walk in. As Richard passed through the doorway, the officer released the door and returned to his car. Richard, meanwhile, came into a small reception area. There was a sort of open window that allowed to receptionists to sit on the other side to handle patients' families or any sort of paperwork claims that would relate to the admittance to the hospital in the case of an emergency. To his right, Richard noted three wood frame chairs with red fabric cushions for the seat and the back and there was a small magazine stack that was there hanging on the wall. It had some magazines, but there also seemed to be a clipboard in it as well.
"Can I help you, sir?" came a voice from the window area pulling Richard's glance away from the seats.
"Yes... my name is Richard Van Direstag... my wife, Rose, she was attacked by a Mountain Lion and was just brought here in your ambulance," Richard explained, "your police were hospitable enough to give me a ride... and I would like to be able to comfort my wife... and... obviously handle any paperwork that may be required."
The receptionist was about to answer when another voice came in from inside the reception area, though Richard couldn't se who spoke, "that's in line with what the EMTs have reported. All the standard paperwork will be needed in addition to all relevant medical information."
"Right," the receptionist that had spoke nodded and set about getting some things from a nearby filing cabinet.
While the receptionist was working on that, a door to the right of the window opened and an older looking woman came out from behind it. Richard turned to hear and noted that while she was "older," it appeared that she had aged quite gracefully and looked extremely fit for a woman of her height and build. Richard found himself giving a hesitant and almost instinctive sniff and found he could identify the scent as that of a wererat, even while in her human form.
"Doctor Clementine Chlorophylls, I'm the ER's night shift physician," the woman introduced herself calmly and professionally while straightening the medical shirt she was wearing and allowing the id badge hanging from her neck to be clearly visible, "and it would seem like your wife's been on quite the adventure..."
"Will she be alright?" Richard asked.
"She should be," Doctor Chlorophylls answered, "things certainly look a bit worse than they probably are. Right no, my nurses are cleaning out the wounds. We've had to remove her shoes to check for the full extent of her injuries as one sock looked to be pretty bloody to begin with. Thankfully, the Mountain Lion only got one ankle... but the ankle it did get did draw the most blood. For the moment she should be fine, but that will also be assuming that she gets some blood to replace what she's lost..."
"But the attack hasn't killed her," Richard spoke with some degree of panic as the receptionist passed a series of papers to Doctor Chlorophylls.
"Not outright, but while can't know for sure how much blood she's lost enough blood that she'd be extremely weak without a transfusion," Doctor Chlorophylls told him as she then passed the documents on to Richard, "thus, I'll need you to fill out the top form first. It will confirm the medical information... allergies and blood type being the most important. We have a stock of all normal human blood types, and thus if need be we could use Type O... but it would still be a good idea to have some idea on your wife's basic medical profile."
"I'll fill out what I can," Richard managed and took the papers. Doctor Chlorophylls then handed him a pen and went back through the door she came out from.
Richard then sat down and went through the various forms, which were quite standard. He filled out the medical information first and then handed that to the receptionist who had spoken to him before sitting down again and finishing out the rest of the forms. The chairs weren't too bad, but his primary focus was on his wounded wife. As he filled out the forms that related to her identity, their insurance, and their address, mostly for the hospital's records and the case that Rose was kept overnight, even after any period of "emergency" had passed, Richard's mind dwelled on Rose... How they met, fell in love, and how all the world made sense.
The birth of Frank, Rachel, and then Rob didn't really change that, and Richard and Rose managed to find ways for "parent fun time" when they could, though after Rob was born, Rose was more religious on taking birth control pills. It allowed for a happy and healthy marriage, and Richard never wanted to give that up. But then came Moon Lake, it's Mandatory Were Law and the fear of losing that happy and healthy marriage came into play, and then after an accident lead to his transformation, the first thing he did as a were was not to comfort and apologize to his wife, but to do the very thing he feared. That in turn lead to Rose storming out and getting attacked, leading to where he was now. That added to the fear that he would lose Rose in some way. Richard could only hope Rose survived and would accept his apology. He just finished the last of the paperwork when Doctor Chlorophylls came out again.
"Is she...?" Richard began, handing the paperwork and the clipboard to the receptionist.
"For the moment, she's fine," Doctor Chlorophylls answered, "we've cleaned all the wounds, got all the dirt, leaf material, and bits of fabric out of the wounds and properly cleaned them to prevent infection. Given that this did relate to an animal attack and that there wounds to the head, we administered the Rabies Vaccine, just as a safety precaution. And while the cuts weren't super deep... we did have to use stiches on her forearms and on the ankle that was clawed."
"One of the guys there said that he didn't think the Mountain Lion was rabid," Richard said slowly.
"Yes... that it didn't show the telltale signs of that virus, but those symptoms don't show up immediately," Doctor Chlorophylls answered, "in this, if the Mountain Lion was only just recently bitten... or ate an animal that was rabid and the telltale symptoms hadn't manifested... it could still transmit the disease. And since lab that will do the test with the Mountain Lion to confirm whether or not it was rabid won't open until tomorrow morning, we decided to error on the side of caution. For your wife does have some small scratches on her head. And given that Rabies is a neurological disease, countering it before the main symptoms hit is critical. And if it is confirmed that the Mountain Lion wasn't rabid... then you shouldn't have any worries."
"I suppose," Richard sighed.
"Anyway, your wife has regained consciousness," Doctor Chlorophylls spoke, which made Richard smile, "she's complained of a bit of pain in her ribs... and said that the Mountain Lion did jump on her in the attack... which we'll want X-Rays for... make sure nothing was broken. She's also said that she feels week... which would relate to the blood loss sustained in the attack. With the paper work filled out and with the most immediate treatments taken care of... I will take you to her."
That made Richard smile, and he happily followed after Doctor Chlorophylls. As they went, the doctor explained that they would want to keep Rose over night, as a minor precaution given the stated weakness that Rose had made, but Richard had no complaints on that. The only thing that mattered was that Rose was conscious and that he was being allowed to see her. In this the sterile white hallways with gray doors to the individual rooms were of no importance to him. He followed the doctor into the first room, where he found Rose laying on a medical bed looking back at him. A large bandage was applied over her forehead and tied her hair down to hold it on, and bandages were wrapped around her forearms and one ankle. There was also an IV that was hanging from a stand and was attached to the inside of Rose's elbow.
"Rose..." Richard managed, having to fight every instinct to pull her to him, as he didn't want to do damage to the stitches that had been administered, "I'm sorry... for everything."
"Better be," Rose coughed back weakly.
"It'll be a little bit before our X-Ray machine is ready," Doctor Chlorophylls spoke, "I'll give you a moment..."
Richard waited until he heard the door latch before he spoke again. He hesitantly stepped toward Rose, who didn't really respond for the moment. She didn't look angry with him, but then she could be too hurt to be angry at the moment.
"I'm sorry, Rose," Richard said slowly, "I let too many of my fears and nightmares eat at me... that's what lead to my whole escape plan. And then after being turned into a werelion... I let werelion instincts get the better of me and I did the very thing that I feared would happen... with the idea that you would be onboard with it. I can't explain why in any way that would make sense... it would seem like werelions seem to be wired to be part of some sort of swingers' club. And... I... should have known better or had some self control... and the first thing I did was hurt you emotionally..."
Rose watched from the bed, noting tears forming in Richard's eyes as he approached, though it soon turned to pacing between the bed she was in and the wall. Eventually he made it up next to her and looked to her with a look of sorrow and guilt all over his face. One would think that Richard was looking on someone who had died by the look of it.
"And to see you... lying on the ground, with the Mountain Lion over you..." Richard spoke, "it was like my heart was ripped out... for I feared you dead and the last exchange we'd had was with me hurting you and not being able to apologize. I love you, Rose... and I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."
"I know," Rose said weakly, "but it does make me feel good to hear that you love me..."
"I do," Richard insisted, "I killed that Mountain Lion for attacking you... for you are the most important thing in my life."
"Even more important than our kids?" Rose raised an eyebrow, her tone of voice more teasing than anything else.
"In some ways... yes," Richard answered as he gently took one of Rose's hands in his own, "I would hope that when they grow up they move out and have success on their own... separate from us. YOU are the one I'd wish to stay by my side until we BOTH die of old age..."
"That'd mean I'd HAVE to become a were," Rose managed.
"And it would be your choice," Richard felt Rose squeeze his hand softly, "if you'll keep me... I'll be happy. If you wish to be a lioness... I'd be overjoyed. But if I've done you unbearable harm... I'll apologize and leave. And take it as a lesson I'll never forget... or live down."
"I love you, too, Richard," Rose answered, "it's why the offer for a threesome with Sheila... hurt as much as it did. But when the Mountain Lion attacked me... not seeing you again and knowing that my last words to you were in anger... I didn't want that."
"Rose..." Richard said to her, his eyes tearing up again, he was about to lean for a kiss when a soft "ahem" came in.
He looked up to see that Doctor Chlorophylls had returned and had a pair of nurses with her. The nurses soon moved to unlock the wheels on the bed and move part of the stand that the blood that Rose was getting onto the back of the bed. He managed a weak smile.
"Sorry to barge in," Doctor Chlorophylls spoke, "but the X-Ray room is now prepped and ready... and the other offices, in case we don't get anything definitive are on standby. We'll take your wife there and get a look... hopefully nothing is broken, as that will ease her recovery. From there she'll be transferred into an over night ward. The staff can then keep an eye on her, just in case there is either a negative reaction to the Rabies Vaccine that we gave her or something shows up that we haven't seen, yet. If she's strong, fit, and alert... we can discharge her in the morning."
Richard nodded, but still held Rose's hand as he stood up. Doctor Chlorophylls spoke to him directly next with a stern look. It was the sort of look he gave Frank and Rob when it came time for "the talk" with his two sons, and conjured the same sort of worries he'd had when he first overheard Rachel talking with someone about "boys." In this, he expected something of a parental response from her.
"Now..." Doctor Chlorophylls began, "if your wife wishes to become a were... that is perfectly fine. However, given the nature of the first transformation... with the body taking on a new form, and one that can be very different from the normal human form in various ways, medically, I would advise that you wait until your wife has recovered from her injuries. Particularly if there are any broken bones. In some ways the first transformation, even for born weres, can be stressful on the body. In your wife's present case, her system is already under strain. I wouldn't strain it further."
"Okay..." Richard and Rose said together.
They then followed along. The nurses rolled the bed that Rose was in while Richard followed along. He only parted from her when Rose was taken into a series of rooms that were attached to the area and seemed to be behind the reception area. With the last one done, the nurses began to roll the bed out from the emergency room area and toward a different section of the hospital. This actually including going to an elevator.
"So... is anything broken?" Richard asked.
"Based on what our equipment showed... nothing would appear broken," Doctor Chlorophylls spoke, "though given the slight pain on the inhalation of air that your wife had told me of... I would suspect that that she has a bruised rib... possibly more, and likely from when the Mountain Lion jumped on her. I can leave a note of referral for any future treatment... though there won't be too much that can be done in terms of treatment. Ice can help keep the swelling down and certain breathing exercises may help manage the pain and the condition... but there isn't much that can be done but let the bone heal on its own. Though if it is only a bruise, many of the symptoms should begin to go down after a week or so... Though it could still take a normal human up to a month to heal from the injury."
"A month?!" Rose gasped.
"Yes," Doctor Chlorophylls answered, "for remember, we can't restrain a rib and allow it to heal in a "resting" position. We'd restrict your ability to breathe in order to do so. Yet breathing would have the potential to irritate the injury. Now, perhaps it's not super serious, but a lot of that would require more frequent testing and scans to monitor that progress."
Richard gave Rose a pat on the shoulder, "at least we're together... and you're alive. I'll do anything I can to help you... And in this... we'll have plenty of time to come to a decision."
Rose smiled at that. She didn't like the idea of being out of it for a month, as it would ultimately hurt them when Richard moved to get his store up and running in Moon Lake. As there would be a lot of work to do, and they often did the work as a team. Richard wasn't happy about that either, but so long as Rose recovered, he would be fine with that. For he wasn't going to leave her side until they could head home... and if that meant staying in a chair overnight, he'd do it.