Grizzly Science - Ch. 3

Ack. Sorry for the late update. Hope everyone enjoys the next chapter :)

-Del'an/Gryphbear

Chapter 3

Cold crisp air greeted his sensitive nose, as he sniffed upward all around him, feeling as if he should be looking for something. Something felt missing.

A strange scent wafted over to his nose from the south, and he started leaping and running in that direction, irresistibly drawn to it. It seemed as if he'd find something precious to him soon.


He slowed to a stop when he lost track of the scent. He curiously sniffed the air around him, then he noticed the lake in front of him, only several feet ahead. He was suddenly thirsty.


He walked over to it, and knelt down, to scoop up some water in his palm, but before he managed to do so, he saw something.


He saw a beast staring up at him from the lake, and despite being startled, the eyes held him there, then a clawed hand suddenly reached out to his throat.


Grant awoke with a strangled scream choked in his throat. His heart was hammering, and he could feel his body sweating in the cool hospital room.


It took him moments of breathing slowly and lightly, before his heart was calmer, and he could relax. 

This time, the dream had changed.


He could distinctly remember a new part -- the golden-slit like eyes glittering in his mind.


He shuddered, not quite sure if his dreams really meant nothing anymore. He was starting to wonder if he was going mad now -- perhaps being alone was making him unsettled in the mind.


Grant looked around, checking to make sure no one had seen him wake up. It seemed as if no one had noticed, which relieved him - he was a very private man, and he didn't want anyone to see him vulnerable.


He rubbed his face in his hands again and ran his fingers through his tangled beard. His body felt grubby, and he was desperately needing a shower, but since he was supposed to be discharged today, he figured that he'd wait till he got home. He glanced at the window to his left, and was surprised the sun was shining brightly through curtains. He pushed the covers off, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.


Right now, he needed to take a leak. He slid off the bed, holding the robe barely closed behind him, pushing the IV pole along toward the bathroom.


He was pleased that he wasn't too winded from that short trek across the room, and closed the bathroom door behind him, making sure to lock it.


Several moments later after relieving himself, he walked slowly back into his room, still holding the robe closed behind him, and the IV pole, as he made his way back to his bed.


After getting back under the covers, Grant scowled at no one or anything in particular.


He whispered harshly under his breath, "When the hell are they discharging me? They said today!" 

He gazed at the clock he hadn't noticed the night before on the opposite wall. 6am.


He swore under his breath. "Well, fuck. I'm wide awake. I sure as hell ain't going back to sleep now."


The specter of those eyes still gave him chills. He pulled the covers up further his chest, and laid back, staring at the ceiling again. Only remembering that last tidbit from his dream kept him alert until a nurse came in at eight on the dot. She was slim and had a pleasant smile on her face. She was too perky for Grant, but he suppressed the urge to scowl, by gazing at her politely.


"Hello, I see you are awake, Mr. Peterson. I came in to let you know that the doctor will be here in an half hour, if you want to clean up or get dressed before you leave. Here, let me remove the IV." She busied herself with taking Grant's IV out as quickly as possible, then applying a bandage with gauze tape over it.


She pointed to a closet opposite Grant's bed to the right. "That has your clothes, and whatever you had on you. I'd suggest you use the bathroom to change."


Grant nodded slightly. "Thanks."


If she was stung by Grant's rather stoic personality, she didn't show it. She smiled, "Have a good day." She turned, and left the room, closing the door behind her.


He closed his eyes in relief. Now he could leave soon. He threw the covers back off him, and nearly vaulted onto the floor, making his way to the cabinet she had pointed out.


He opened the cabinet and grunted in soft happiness. His clothes hung there, and his cigar box was sitting under them. He took the box in his hands, gingerly opening it, hoping that whoever brought it with, had put everything inside.


He gazed inside, and growled in the back of his throat in rumbling pleasure and delight. Every one of them seemed to be there.


He sighed, wanting one, but firmly shook his head. "No, There'll be time for a last smoke later before the appointment, I think. I should get dressed." He closed the cigar container and set it back in the closet, then took all his clothes out of the cabinet.


Closing the cabinet with one hand, and his arm full of his clothes in a rumpled pile, he strolled to the bathroom, without bothering to keep the back of his robe shut. He figured that no one was supposed to come in for a half hour, and he was alone in the room.


Dropping his clothes on the floor, he turned to lock the bathroom door, and flung the robe off. He gazed in the mirror, and looked down at himself, and rubbed his chest vigorously, feeling the fur tingle, and his nipples harden slightly.


Taking a slow breath, he bent over scooping up his underwear, then slipping it on. The rest of the clothes were pulled on more or less quickly, as he adjusted his groin several times, feeling antsy. He felt himself stir a little, to half-hardness, before he pulled on his collared shirt. He stopped at the second most top button, then left the top two buttons undone. He scratched his fingers through his hair, then slipped his shoes on.


He combed through his beard with his fingers, before leaving the bathroom, carrying the robe. He tossed it on the bed after reaching it.


He returned to the closet, pulled all of his personal possessions out from there, putting them where they belonged in his pockets. He withdrew the box of cigars out, then closed the cabinet. Putting the box on the bed, he stood at the end of it, and waited for the doctor.


Grant was never big on waiting, and a quick glance at the clock made him pleasantly surprised -- the doctor should be here very soon.


The clock ticked down to eight-thirty a.m., but the door didn't open.


A minute passed.


Two minutes passed. Grant's mood was slightly darker now.


Three minutes passed, then the door opened to admit the doctor from the other night.


He smiled apologetically, holding a sheaf of papers in both hands. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had to run some copies off."


Grant shrugged. "So, I'm free to go, eh, Doc?"


The doctor smiled. "Not quite yet. I do need you to sign a few papers before you leave. I also want to give you the card of your nanotreatment appointment time and place."


Grant's eyes grew cloudy, but he nodded. "Fine. What are they?"


The doctor put the papers on the rolling table, and handed Grant a pen. "Basically your paperwork verifying you were here, and billing will be done to your insurance, along with verification that you are eligible for the nanotreatment."


Grant gazed at the doctor, then bent over, signing all the X-marked spots, then gazed upward. "Well, that's it, I guess. Thanks."


The doctor smiled briefly, then handed over a plain embossed card with neat scrawled writing on it to Grant.


"That's when you're scheduled. Please don't miss it."


Grant took the card, then barely looked at it, and up at the doctor. "Okay." Putting the card inside his shirt pocket, he picked up his cigar box, and walked out of the office, without a backward glance.


[TBC]

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