{"id":2384,"date":"2022-06-04T16:00:41","date_gmt":"2022-06-04T23:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2384"},"modified":"2022-06-04T16:00:41","modified_gmt":"2022-06-04T23:00:41","slug":"rough-beginnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/04\/rough-beginnings\/","title":{"rendered":"Rough Beginnings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Write about two people who form a bond with each other through music.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy hummed a quiet song, remaining as still as she could. The little head peeked out from its hiding place behind the tree, the large ears pinned back in fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy was careful not to react, continuing to hum the song that was stuck in her head. Whatever it was, it was frightened, and possibly wounded, if the blood on the ground belonged to it. The only way she could help would be to get the creature\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she hummed, she heard the creature\u2019s high-pitched whine in response. She made sure not to look directly at it, lest she scare it. The creature emerged from behind the tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was no more than a foot tall. A rabbit-like body below, with a humanoid trunk, arms, and head with huge, twitching, rabbit ears. She\u2019d heard of centaurs and cervitaurs, but this was new. The human-like parts were soft and pudgy, and the face looked infantile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In careful glances, Roxy saw that one rear leg was bloody and the creature avoided putting any weight on it. She put a slow hand out toward the creature. It tried to hop toward her and stumbled, letting out a cry. It lay down on the grass, letting out a weak wail just as any baby would being scared, hurt, and separated from its mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing it helpless like that, Roxy couldn\u2019t help but pick it up, careful to avoid the injured leg. She cradled it to her chest and held a finger to its face. The creature latched on, sucking on her finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re still tiny, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it began fussing again, she went back to humming and it calmed right down. As she walked, the rocking lulled the creature to sleep. She wondered whether to seek out a doctor or a veterinarian. The vet would likely know how to treat the leg but was under no oath to keep the details of their patient private. Taurids were rare in this part of the country, and she\u2019d never heard of a rabbit taurid. This little creature was not<\/em> going to end up in a lab or \u201cadopted\u201d by some rich scumbag who just wanted to own something rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy looked at the little face. Even in sleep the pain was obvious, and she felt her heart breaking. Despite all the differences, it was more like a human infant than an animal. Making up her mind, she continued past the vet\u2019s office to the little emergency clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she walked in the doors, the nurse behind the desk jumped up and called out, \u201cDoctor Fern!\u201d Roxy realized that the way she carried the child, the injured leg hung in clear view, blood falling in a slow drip. She wasn\u2019t sure when she\u2019d stopped thinking of it as a creature but as a child, but she had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the doctor showed, Roxy felt a huge weight lift from her chest. The doctor was a centaur. She hadn\u2019t been aware that any lived anywhere near her small town, but this was perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease, I found the child in the woods. Besides the injury, I think she\u2026he\u2026might be hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctor led her through the double doors into a hallway lined with exam rooms. He opened the door of the first and motioned her in, calling out to the nurse, \u201cSaline IV, twenty-four gauge, miraphine, and a thirty-mill bottle of infant formula. Do we have an ortho tray if I need it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do, doc.\u201d The nurse pulled together everything they needed with a quiet efficiency. The doctor, meanwhile, had pulled on gloves while Roxy was busy rocking the child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lifted the child from her arms with gentle hands. Roxy found herself struggling not to snatch the child back, especially when it began to cry again. The cry was weak but steady, the tiny face turning red with exertion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctor tried his best to calm the child, to no avail. Roxy knelt next to the exam table and held its little hand and hummed. The child calmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nurse placed a lead apron over Roxy\u2019s shoulders, moving an X-ray camera on an overhead armature down to point at the child\u2019s leg. \u201cLet\u2019s see if she can be still enough to get a picture,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nurse and doctor both left the room, and the camera made a short hum and clicked. They came back in the doctor nodded at the image on the computer monitor in the room. \u201cTwo foreign bodies, no breaks, no fractures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He turned and got the IV started. \u201cYou\u2019re dehydrated and starving, aren\u2019t you?\u201d His voice was soft, pitched up an octave from his normal speaking voice. Continuing in the quiet, sing-song voice he said, \u201cNurse, push twelve mics miraphine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwelve micrograms miraphine, pushing.\u201d The nurse kept her tone quiet like the doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the drug entered the little body, the face that Roxy had already memorized relaxed. The little lips sucked at nothing, and Roxy felt the nurse pushing a small baby bottle into her hand. When she offered the warm bottle, the child sucked at it eagerly, a small trickle of formula leaking from one corner of its mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Occupied with feeding the child, Roxy didn\u2019t notice the nurse cleaning the wound, shaving the leg, and rolling a cart over next to the doctor. It was only when the child\u2019s eyes flew open wide and it cried out around the nipple that she looked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctor dropped something hard into a metal pan with a \u201cthunk\u201d, and reached back in the hole with the long, thin tweezers. \u201cThere\u2019s a bone fragment, but it\u2019s not hers.\u201d The sound of this one was a soft \u201ctink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo we need another x-ray, doctor?\u201d the nurse asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, it was just the two, and no breaks or fractures. The bullet went through someone else before it hit our little girl here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy\u2019s vision swam behind building tears. \u201cIt\u2014it\u2019s probably her mother. We need to find her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctor finished sewing up the little leg and bandaging it. Meanwhile, the baby girl had emptied the bottle and fell into a sound sleep. Roxy wiped the little cheek with her thumb. \u201cWe\u2019ll find your mommy and get you home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large hand rested on her shoulder. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. This little girl has been alone for at least a full day. We\u2026may not find her mother\u2026at least not alive. We\u2019ll need to move her to the hospital overnight for more fluids and monitoring. The ambulance will be here soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan I\u2026go with her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll let the ambulance know you\u2019re riding along when they get here,\u201d the nurse said. \u201cRight now, though, there\u2019s police here to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took all her willpower to leave the child sleeping in the room under the care of the nurse while she went out to the hallway to speak with the police. She told them where she\u2019d found the child, how she\u2019d heard its keening wail and followed it. She finished up with, \u201cWe need to find her mother. She\u2019s probably out there hurt, somewhere. Maybe unconscious\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the first look she\u2019d actually taken at the officers. The younger, a light brown man with dark brown hair and brown eyes, shifted his weight from foot to foot and his eyes looked everywhere but at Roxy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The older, a woman with pale skin and ruddy cheeks, orange hair pulled up in a harsh bun under her hat, stared at her with hard, blue eyes. \u201cHer mother was brought to the hospital yesterday afternoon,\u201d she said. \u201cHunting accident, supposedly, but we\u2019re still investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, thank the gods.\u201d Roxy was giddy with relief for a moment\u2026until she saw the officer\u2019s face. \u201cIs she\u2026is\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe died enroute. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy collapsed to her knees, sobbing for the poor child. \u201cWhat\u2019s going to happen to her? Where will she go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The officer sent her subordinate away and sat cross-legged on the floor with Roxy. \u201cUntil we can locate her family, she\u2019ll have to go into foster care. If we can\u2019t locate them, then she\u2019ll become a ward of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not.\u201d The officer\u2019s hard eyes softened. \u201cIf you want to take care of her, let the social worker at the hospital know. I can start the background check for it now, if you like. I\u2019d just need to see your ID for a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy nodded, her thoughts racing to nowhere. She pulled her wallet out of her pocket and noticed the blood stain on her jacket. It was all she could do to hand the ID over without falling apart again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The officer scanned her ID with her phone and entered something on the screen before handing the ID back. \u201cThe ambulance is pulling up now. You\u2019re riding with the girl?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYe\u2014yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She helped Roxy to her feet and led her out to the ambulance with an arm around her shoulders. One medic helped her in as the baby was wheeled to the ambulance by the other on a gurney to which she was strapped in by a padded harness and wearing the tiniest diaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ride to the hospital seemed interminable, but the girl slept through it all, the gentle rocking keeping her out. Roxy kept her finger in the grasp of her tiny hand the whole way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once in the hospital there was a moment of confusion, as the ER doctor looked at the bandage and the chart. \u201cWhy are they doing surgery there?\u201d she asked, flipping to the last page of the chart. \u201cOh, lucky little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She turned to Roxy. \u201cAre you the guardian?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm\u2026I don\u2019t know? I found her, and don\u2019t want to leave her alone, especially since her mother\u2026.\u201d She couldn\u2019t continue as her throat constricted and tears blocked her vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll put that down as \u2018Yes\u2019, the doctor said. And Doctor Fern will be listed as the admitting doctor. He\u2019s our head of pediatric surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctor looked human, rich, warm-brown skin, black braids, and deep-brown eyes, but her ears had a slight point to them. Roxy knew there were all types in the city, but she generally didn\u2019t go there unless it was urgent, and she mostly avoided everyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than stare, she watched as the child was lifted from the ambulance gurney to the small hospital bed. Once the gurney was out of the way, Roxy was right back by her side, her finger held in the tiny grasp, humming to soothe her as she began to fuss again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m Doctor Miraux, and I\u2019ll be on duty tonight. Looks like we\u2019re monitoring. Making sure she\u2019s eating, and urinating, and not spiking any fevers. Will you be spending the night in the room with her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy nodded. If she had her way, she\u2019d never leave her side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the night, the child woke her three times. The first two times, she wanted a bottle, and Roxy changed her tiny diaper, careful not to move her leg too much. She hummed as she did so and continued until the child had gone back to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third time the child woke her with a high-pitched screech. Roxy bolted upright and grabbed her little hand. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, little one, you\u2019re not alone.\u201d She hummed as the child cried, then hiccupped, then went back to sleep sucking her lip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy woke in the morning to the smell of coffee. Her eyes burned and her mouth felt like sandpaper. She looked up to see a stout woman, thick, horn-rimmed glasses on a pink, grandmotherly face beneath a white halo of hair. The woman held out a tray of hospital breakfast, complete with coffee and orange juice to Roxy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d Until she began eating, Roxy had no idea how hungry she was. She gulped down the orange juice at once and took her time with the coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m Miriam Walker, social worker for Hillside General. And you must be Roxy Parker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cY\u2014yes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have your background check from officer Bevins that you spoke to yesterday. I just need to know if you\u2019ve changed your mind. Sometimes, things look different in the light of a new day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Roxy steeled her gaze. \u201cI\u2019m not leaving this little girl alone. She deserves better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miriam smiled. \u201cHer name is Isobel Jean Maes. Her mother, Renata Neesken Maes, passed away two days ago, and has no living family we can find. We still don\u2019t know who the father is but we\u2019re looking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy looked at the little girl, starting to stir and fuss. She hummed the same song again, and lightly sang out, \u201cMy love Isobel\u2026living by herself\u2026.\u201d Isobel cooed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cShe\u2019s no doubt traumatized right now,\u201d Miriam said, \u201cbut children this age are resilient. After observing you here all night, I\u2019ve already approved you as temporary guardian. It will take some time to get Isobel in the system and maybe find a better fit for permanent place\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do I apply to make it permanent?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have to fill out an adoption request, and it will need to be processed by Social Services. I\u2019ve already prepared a packet for you with the forms and information, along with Isobel\u2019s medical records. My card is stapled to the front. Feel free to call me with any questions.\u201d Miriam put the packet on the table and held out a clipboard. \u201cIf you could sign on the bottom, you\u2019re set to go. Press hard, you\u2019re making four copies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy signed, and Miriam removed the pink copy from the bottom and placed it in the packet. Miriam gave her and the child a warm smile. \u201cAnything you need, call me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctor Fern entered as Miriam left. \u201cLet\u2019s see how our little girl is doing today.\u201d His voice was again the soft, high, singsong he\u2019d used in the urgent care. After changing the bandage, aided by a pacifier and Roxy\u2019s humming, he signed off on the paperwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He spoke to Roxy in his normal voice, a rich baritone. \u201cI\u2019ve prescribed antibiotics for little Isobel. One milliliter, morning and night, until it\u2019s gone. As a new mother, you\u2019ll need diapers, size P-3 to start, standard formula, thirty milliliters per feeding, and as much as she wants after. She\u2019ll be ready to start on solid food in about two more months. Leputaurs, although they aren\u2019t really rabbits, are primarily herbivorous, so no meat or fish. The occasional egg-enriched bread or cake is fine, though, and dairy is recommended as long as she handles it well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hospital will send you home with the antibiotics, some diapers, some formula, a car seat, and a small, infant-safe plush toy. I\u2019d recommend picking up more diapers and formula on the way home. She\u2019ll grow much faster than a human baby, so be ready for that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how to thank you, Doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust take care of her, that\u2019s thanks enough. And if you need a pediatrician, I\u2019m on duty at the urgent care center in Lakeview every Friday. It\u2019s long drive to the city, and I\u2019d love to keep seeing her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roxy sat next to Isobel\u2019s car seat in the back of the cab. Roxy sang her to sleep and looked at her little, pink face with an overflowing of affection. \u201cYou had a rough beginning, little girl, but I\u2019ll make sure the rest goes better for you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

prompt: Write about two people who form a bond with each other through music. available at Reedsy Roxy hummed a quiet song, remaining as still as she could. The little head peeked out from its …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208],"tags":[210,209,220],"class_list":["post-2384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trunk-stories","tag-fiction","tag-short-story","tag-urban-fantasy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pxT7i-Cs","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2385,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384\/revisions\/2385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}