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Aleksi had been working at the animal hospital for a few weeks now. It was a simple job - answering phones, scheduling appointments, and greeting furry patients (and their parents) as they walked through the door. It had absolutely nothing to do with the music degree that he’d just spent the last four years attaining. But, as all recent graduates knew, a job outside of one’s field, was better than no job at all.
Dr. Cruz was with the last patient of the day (a Spanish Water Dog in need of vaccinations, if he remembered correctly). The waiting room was empty, and he was looking forward to heading home. But, just as Aleksi was about to nod off in his desk chair, a man ran through the front door, screaming.
“Help me!” he cried, his green eyes frantic, as he held up the cat in his arms. “Rommi needs help!”
Aleksi’s jaw dropped, and he tried to stay calm as he spoke.
“What’s wrong with Rommi?” he asked gently.
“I…I only looked away for a moment,” the man said, sounding like he was near tears. “Rommi got up onto my craft table, and he stepped on a sewing needle! Look at it. It’s still in his paw, right now.”
Aleksi leaned over the counter, to look more closely at the injured animal. The man was right. There was a shiny silver object, sticking out of the cat’s paw pad.
“You didn’t take it out, before you drove over here?” Aleksi asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I wasn’t sure if that would make it worse,” the man explained, sounding out of breath. “And I didn’t drive. I live in the apartment complex across the street, so I ran over here, as soon as I saw that he was hurt.”
Aleksi was touched by how much the stranger seemed to care about his pet. He looked so distraught, even though the cat’s injury was fairly minor, compared to others he’d seen. He was handsome, too, with long, dark hair and a strong-looking pair of arms.
“Why don’t you and Rommi take a seat?” Aleksi suggested. “I’ll let Dr. Cruz know you’re here.”
“O-Okay,” the man said, still shaking.
“Take a deep breath,” Aleksi advised. “I promise, he’s going to be okay.”
%%%%
After speaking with the veterinarian for a moment, Aleksi stepped into the waiting room, carrying a glass of water.
“Drink this,” he suggested. “You’ll feel better.”
“I…I would have to set Rommi down, to drink it,” the man hesitated.
“I can hold him for a moment,” Aleksi smiled gently. He scooped the cat into his arms, being careful not to brush against his injured paw.
Rommi meowed in distress, clearly in pain from the needle.
“Sssh, little guy,” Aleksi soothed him, pressing his face into his fur. “It’s okay. The doctor will be with you soon.”
The man took a few sips of his water, before glancing up at Aleksi again.
“I’m Niko,” he introduced himself. “I’m sorry. I should have said that earlier.”
“I’m Aleksi,” the receptionist replied. “It’s nice to meet you. I just wish it was under different circumstances.”
“What is the vet going to do about his injury?” Niko asked, still visibly anxious.
“He’ll take the needle out,” Aleksi explained, his voice soft and gentle. “Then, he’ll probably need to disinfect the wound, and put a bandage on it.”
“How will I keep Rommi from biting on the bandage, until the wound heals?” Niko fretted, chewing his nails.
“We can put a cone on his head,” Aleksi shrugged. “Or, there’s a really gross tasting oil, that we can put on the bandage, to make him not want to put it in his mouth.”
“What does it taste like?” Niko wondered.
“Smelly socks,” Aleksi joked.
Niko smiled, for the first time since he’d walked into the clinic. Aleksi’s words seemed to be finally calming him down.
“He seems to like being held by you,” Niko noticed.
Aleksi glanced down at the cat in his arms. He had stopped yowling.
“Yeah. I guess he does.”
“He doesn’t usually like the guys I bring home,” Niko confessed. “He tries to scratch their faces off.”
“He’s just protecting you,” Aleksi chuckled. For some reason, he was delighted to have gotten Rommi’s seal of approval.
He handed the cat back to Niko, and threw his now-empty paper cup in the trash, before sitting back down beside him.
“You said Rommi was on your craft table when he got hurt,” Aleksi recalled. “What kind of crafts do you do?”
“Oh,” Niko blinked, clearly not expecting this question. “I was making stage outfits for my band.”
“You’re a musician?” Aleksi guessed, impressed.
“Yeah, I’m a singer,” Niko nodded. “My band just formed a couple years ago, though. We don’t have a record deal, or anything cool like that.”
“That’s okay,” Aleksi shrugged. “A lot of artists prefer to stay independent. What kind of music does your band make?”
“I know a lot of people say nu metal is cringy,” Niko blushed, “But, our music is inspired by Linkin Park, and other 00’s bands like them.”
“I love Linkin Park!” Aleksi beamed. “I probably would have never gone to school to study music production, if not for Hybrid Theory .”
“You studied music?” Niko raised an eyebrow. “Then, what are you doing here, man?”
“Not everyone can be a cool band member like you,” Aleksi laughed. “I’m better at producing music for others, than making my own. I’d love to get a job doing that someday.”
“Well, don’t take this the wrong way,” Niko said quietly, the corners of his lips turning up into a smile, “But, I’m kind of glad you don’t have your dream job yet. If you hadn’t been here tonight, to comfort me, I would probably be having a panic attack on the floor right now.”
Aleksi’s eyes widened at this, but before he could collect his thoughts, the door behind them opened, and two men and a dog stepped out.
“Thank you for taking care of Nuppu’s shots,” the younger man said cheerfully.
“No problem, Mr. Lesonen,” Dr. Cruz smiled, pulling his long, dark hair up into a bun. “But, it looks like I have another patient here, who needs my help.”
Niko stood up quickly, and gently carried Rommi into the back room.
%%%%%
Aleksi fiddled with the items on his desk, as he waited for Rommi’s injury to be treated. The waiting room suddenly seemed far too quiet, without Niko in it.
After about twenty minutes, he returned. Rommi now had a clean white bandage on his paw, and a cone of shame around his neck.
“How’s he doing?” Aleksi asked, as Niko came up to the counter to pay.
“I think he’s going to be okay,” Niko smiled. “The doctor did a great job. He was very gentle with him.”
“Good to hear,” Aleksi smiled.
“…Hey,” Niko said nervously, turning red as he took something out of his pocket. It was a business card.
NC Enroe , it read. Rapper & Lyrical Mastermind of Blind Channel.
“My, uh, my phone number’s on there,” Niko said shyly. “If you want to meet my band sometime…we could probably use some help, producing our next single.”
“For real?” Aleksi gasped.
“Yeah, for real!” Niko grinned. “But, um, you don’t have to only call me for business reasons.”
“So,” Aleksi smirked, “I could also call you, if I wanted to take you out for dinner?”
“Yeah,” Niko winked. “Rommi and I would like that.”