A Single Screw Loose
A doctor pony looked at the nurse. The doctor's coat was a light caramel brown, his mane a darker brown and his cutie mark was a heart monitor. "Can she feel?" I inquired looking to the mare tied to a chair. "Doctor?"
The doctor said nothing as he placed a hoof on the wall and sighed. "Celestia, I hope not," he muttered under his breath, holding a needle. "Nurse," he looked to me while was watching the mare as she squirmed like an animal. "Give . . . give her the shot . . . I can't do it," he handed the needle to me, I instantly gulped.
I slowly reached for the needle and sighed. "O-Okay . . ." I held the needle, my hoof shook as the remembrance of her howl of pain last time they had to do that, it was lucky that I was able to squirm my way out of the room to at least not watch the painful shout. Before I walked close, I felt a hoof run against my coat.
"I can . . . do this," Nurse Coldheart said, her voice shaky, that was the first time she had ever actually seen the mentally ill mare outside of that one time she escaped she will never forget that day. Neither Coldheart or I will forget that day. "If-If you want, Redheart."
I gulped, was I really that pitiful to the ill mare that I couldn't do my job? I was. I gave the mare a nod and handed her the needle and watched her as she grabbed the needle and smiled faintly and walked shakily to the mare. I always wish that I could help the ill mare, help her from the illness eating away at her brain.
I don't know what illness she has, be it physical or mind crippling mental. But, at the same time, I know the answer, she has a rare physiological disease called Clinical Lycanthropy. As defined by many ponies it gives the illusion the one with the mental disease will think they have turned to a wolf, or in her case, a dog.
I wish she'd know that she wasn't a dog and we could just go to a normal life, my eyes shot open as I realized where I was once again, in the hospital with Nurse Coldheart, still a distance away from the ill mare as she stumbled. In a sudden surge of boldness, the doctor encased the needle in golden magic and plunged the needle into the sickly mare who howled in pain and tried to get out, only to feel more pain as the needle was dug deeper into her coat.
Howling in pain, the sick mare barked into the air and whimpered as she suddenly felt tired. She fell into a sudden sleep and sighed. I watched her as she slept still tied to the chair. The doctor cleared his throat as he carefully took out the syringe still deep in the sick mare. "She gets louder and louder every time . . ." the doctor sighed, feeling concern for his patient. "I can't keep doing this."
My eyes went wide as I heard that. "But, she doesn't have any family," I chimed in seeing him wipe the syringe clean of little drops of blood and pieces of the mare's light blue coat. "She'll never survive alone."
He gave no response for a while as he cleaned the syringe, finally, he looked back and nodded. "I know . . ." he said, looking to the mare, who stopped snoring and was simply sleeping. "But, the pony who's paying for her room is running out of money, and said that if she's not cured in another month, money will not be sent anymore . . ."
He could tell I knew what he meant, the mare's boss was finally sick of paying the fee and is more willing to let the mare die in the streets than let her get the help she desperately needed. "I-I'll take her in!" I blurted out, not thinking of anything else but keeping this mare safe.
The stallion stopped in his tracks and threw his head to meet mine, looked at me confusingly and tilted his head. "You'll take in the mare?"
I hesitantly nodded. "If I can save her from dying on the streets yes," the stallion shared a warm smile as he felt it cute I wanted to keep the mare, as if she were actually a dog. "And I'll continue paying for her treatment." I added quickly.
With this noted, the doctor finished cleaning the syringe, and tossed it in the trash. I didn't know why he cleaned the syringes before he threw away them. But, I knew not to ask questions when it came to this mare. She walked over and untied the mare. "I'll bring her to my home," I said, only to have the stallion look at me.
"Are you fully sure you want this, to keep her in your home?" he asked, and I responded with a nod. Giving a smile he nodded and let me leave with the mare.
*****
It was a long day, I knew I'd pass out fairly quickly so, before I fell asleep I set her on the bed near my own. I snuggled into bed and sighed as I couldn't help but remember the loud howls of pain piecing my ears from the shouts from the mare. I muttered something under my breath, almost as if I was talking with her. "I'm sorry . . ."
Just before I fell asleep I felt something crawl on the foot of my bed. Even through groggy eyes I could tell it was the mare . . . Screwloose.