FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

“Yes, I understand. Thank you."

Surprise, surprise, a black leopard hybrid thought as he ended the call he was on and looked down at a pad of paper. On the top sheet was a list of counselor offices and their phone numbers. All but two of the offices had lines drawn through them. The leopard took a pen and ran it through the second to last office until the pen slid off the paper. He heaved a sigh and threw the pad of paper across the room, where it landed, with a soft thud, at the foot of a set of stairs. He pulled his legs up onto the leather couch he was sitting on and stretched out.

Sorry sir, but we don't take hybrid patients. The leopard shook his head and reached over to a pack of cigarettes that sat on an end table. He took a cigarette out of the pack and lit it with a lighter that had been sitting next to the pack and took a long draw. Our doctors don't have experience with hybrids. Well, maybe if you took a hybrid patient, you would gain that experience. The leopard's ear flicked as the room heater turned on with a click. Another sound, a squeaking, caught his attention, and he looked over at the stairs.

“Nyeusi, are you down there?" a female voice asked.

“Yes, I am down here, babe. What do you need?"

“I made a pot of coffee. Do you want a cup? Yes, I can bring it down there," the female said, adding a hint of mock annoyance at the mention of bringing it down.

“I wouldn't want you to strain yourself," Nyeusi said, chuckling. “Sure, I will take a cup and can you bring down a couple of aspirins as well?"

“Back acting up again?"

“No, I moved my arm funny and must have pulled a muscle in my shoulder. Oh, and when you come down, watch where you step, all right?"

“Watch where I step?" the female asked before she saw the pad of paper laying at the bottom of the steps. She stepped around the pad and set two mugs of coffee, and two aspirin tablets on the coffee table. She then went back and picked up the pad of paper and scanned the top page. “What is this honey? These all sound like psychologists. I didn't know you were looking for a psychologist." She looked up to Nyeusi, a concerned look on her face. “This isn't about the marriage, is it?"

Of course Jamie would jump straight to the marriage. In fact, Nyeusi knew Jamie would do that. Despite that knowledge, however, Nyeusi had begun his search without mentioning it to her, a choice he was now regretting. He sighed as he looked at the golden retriever in front of him. “No babe, it is nothing to do with the marriage," he said before he swallowed the aspirin with a mouthful of coffee. “The marriage is fine and you know I would tell you if something was wrong. That is why I didn't tell you about it. I knew you would think it was the marriage, and I didn't want to concern you." Nyeusi repositioned himself on the sofa so that there was room for Jamie.

“Well, you are doing this all in secret," Jamie said as she settled on the sofa. She set the pad of paper on the armrest closest to her before she looked over to Nyeusi. “What would you expect me to think?"

Nyeusi reached over and brought Jamie up against his side. He slid his paw underneath the night shirt that Jamie was wearing and stroked her back. “What you thought," Nyeusi admitted. “Look, it wasn't always going to be a secret, babe. I didn't want to mention it until I had found a doctor. I have had no luck, though, as you can tell. If I had known it would take two months to find out that no counselor will see a hybrid, I would have told you earlier."

“I…I don't even know what to say about that," Jamie said as she rubbed her brows using her thumb and middle finger. “You knew what I would think, yet you do this in secret for two months? You never bother to mention it for what reason? No good one that I can see. All you had to do was tell me what was bothering you that's all. Yet you can't even bother to do that. Nyeusi…what am I…" Jamie trailed off, and just shook her head.

“I don't need a lecture," Nyeusi said before he before he exhaled through his nose. “I know what I did was stupid. In fact I probably knew it was stupid before I started this but I figured I would find a doctor before I went through seventeen of them. As for telling you what is going on, how do I do that when I don't even know?" Nyeusi slid his paw out from under Jamie's nightshirt and got up from the couch. “I'm just going to go upstairs."

“Hold on," Jamie said just as Nyeusi had reached the foot of the steps. “I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I'm just not used to you hiding things from me, but I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, like I did. So what is going on? Are you unhappy about something? Something going wrong with the apartment? What is it?"

“I don't know. It's an odd feeling, and that is it. I cannot put a finger on what's going on. No, it's nothing to do with you, or the guys, or the apartment, or anything else. Something just feels off. I was hoping talking to someone would help, but that does no t seem like it will happen." Nyeusi walked back over to the couch and lit a fresh cigarette before he paced the basement. “Probably for the better, though. How can someone help you if you don't even know what's going on?"

“Are you giving up?" Jamie asked as she picked up the pad of paper and read through the names written on it. “Because you don't give up, at least not that I have seen." Her eyes settle on the last name, the only one that isn't crossed out. “What about this Doctor David Coronado? Have you tried calling him?"

“No, and I don't even know why I wrote him down to be honest. He only does in home visits." Nyeusi picked up the pen he had and reached for the pad of paper, which Jamie pulled away from him. “What are you doing?"

“You will call this doctor. You wrote him down, which meant you were thinking about calling him, so call him." Jamie said, sternly. “I'm not letting you give up. If something is bothering you, you will figure it out."

“Are you going to deal with the gatekeeper?" Nyeusi asked, as he took a drag off his cigarette. “Because, if not, then I have no intention on dealing with him. Not worth the twenty questions game."

“Gatekeep…oh, Dyl," Jamie said as she shrugged her shoulders. “Don't deal with him. Don't ask him, just tell him. If he doesn't like that someone will come over to the house, he doesn't have to be here."

“Just tell him?" Nyeusi asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Wow, someone is feeling feisty today."

Jamie threw the pad of paper at Nyeusi, and it landed at his feet. “Call the Doctor. Dylan is just going to have to deal with the fact he cannot always be the one who decides if someone comes in to the house, or not."

Nyeusi rubbed a paw over his forehead as he looked at the pad at his feet. He reached down and set the pad on the coffee table and dialed the number listed next to the Doctor's name. After three rings, Nyeusi waited for a voicemail message, but instead a pleasant, Spanish accented voice answered.

“Doctor David Coronado speaking. How can I help you?"

“Doctor, this is Nyeusi Rigby, and I was just wondering if you were accepting new clients."

“I am accepting new clients, Mister Rigby. Would you like to schedule an initial consultation?"

Nyeusi glanced over at Jamie, who was watching him. He put the phone on speaker, so she could hear the reply to his next question. “Before you pull out your calendar, Doctor, I am a hybrid. Now, I have noticed that that is an issue for a lot of doctors. Is that the case with you as well?" I'm sorry, but I cannot accept hybrid patients, Nyeusi thought, as the line went silent.

“Hybrid? Well, Mister Rigby, I have never seen a hybrid in my time as a practicing doctor. That said, if you want to schedule time to just sit down and have a chat, we could see if we might work together."

Nyeusi was silent for a moment, surprised by the answer. He glanced over at Jamie before he replied. “If you will forgive the question, Doctor, why would you be willing to sit down with a hybrid when more than a dozen other doctors would not even consider it?"

“Well, Mister Rigby, I cannot answer for all the doctors you called, but I can answer for myself. I am the only member of my practice, and as I am just starting out, I do not have a full calendar. I do not have to keep appointments to certain lengths and I do not have to worry about performance reviews. Now, all that said, it is possible this won't work out, or it's possible we may fumble around in the dark. If you will take those risks, however, then I see no reason we can't try it."

“It's worth a shot. All right, Doctor, what have you got for availability?"

“Well, as I do in home visits only, I only work within a certain area. Whereabouts are you?"

“Sheepshead Bay, out in Brooklyn."

“I know, roughly, where that is. Well, would you be available in…let's say an hour?"

“An hour?" Nyeusi asked, quite surprised. Judging from Jamie's perked up ears, she was just as surprised as Nyeusi. “Is this because I am a hybrid? I have never had a doctor's appointment scheduled that was less than a few days out."

David laughed at that. “No, it is not because you are hybrid, Mister Rigby. I am just starting up, so my schedule is not that filled. Most of my patients have had same day initial consultations. Right now I have no appointments on Fridays, and as I am in Brooklyn looking at apartments, I could be over there in an hour. We can schedule an appointment for next week, though, if you wanted."

Nyeusi looked over at Jamie after he muted the phone. “Think we can be ready in an hour?" Jamie nodded her head, and Nyeusi unmuted his phone. “I believe an hour will work fine. I think I can be presentable enough by then."

“Fantastic, Mister. Rigby. Now, let me go over my pricing real quick. I cannot take insurance, so it is cash only. It is one-hundred and fifty for the first hour, and seventy-five per hour thereafter. If you cancel before forty-eight hours prior to the appointment there is no charge. However, after that forty-eight hour period I charge a seventy-five dollar cancellation fee. Any tests go through a third-party facility and they set the rates for those tests. Questions?"

“None I can think of."

“Well then, Mister Rigby, all I will need from you is for you to send over your contact information. We can do any other paperwork when I arrive. I look forward to meeting you, Mister Rigby."

“Oh, I did just think of a question. My wife is here. Is it all right if she sits in?"

“You are welcome to have whoever you would like sit in on the sessions."

“Thank you very much Doctor. I look forward to meeting you."

Nyeusi disconnected the call, and after sending his VCard over to the doctor, he glanced up at Jamie. “Think we can be ready in an hour?"

“If you keep your hands off me in the shower, we can be."

“Bah, you are no fun," Nyeusi said as he set his phone down on the coffee table and grabbed his mug of coffee. “Come on, let's go get ready."