Hornet's Nest | Allergy Season

It was quiet in Hamish’s small practice, save for the scratching of his pen on paper, making notes here and there as he worked on entering the data on his computer. He had reached his stopping point, pulling away from the screen, his large hand rubbing his eyes. One of his patients had asked why he still had paper files instead of having everything on his computer. Going on about how it was the future.

Which they may have had a point. The file he had done was quite large and took up a good bit of space on the shelf with others. The thought of hiring a secretary to help him organize and going “digital” as the younger crowd would say. Hamish already had an issue with Moos coming in with a dire diagnosis that Moogle told them when they plugged in their problems into the search engine. Pah…

His tail swayed side to side as he walked to the front part of his office where patients would wait and where the files would be stored that he only had a key to. He had a few come in with head colds, allergies, or coming across a familiar that sprouted a little rash on them.

Shocking, especially with the Flowering Fair, he thought there would be some mild injuries to breeze on here. Even those rust buckets that some got on for a small thrill. Not that he was complaining, he knew he was doing a good job when no one came with more complications than when they came to him. Checking the clock, he saw he could close the office for an hour to get some lunch and stretch his legs when the bell above the entrance to the front office rang.

“Too good to be true….” He muttered to himself when he saw two Moos entering, one of them he was familiar with as he constantly quarreled with was carrying one of the librarians in his arms. The one that made him think albino with how her eyes often regarded him when he asked if there were any new medical journals on the shelves.

But her eyes were closed, body limp with chest barely moving. Hamish wondered what caused the Moo to collapse, so he opened the door to the examination room for Carnyx to bring her inside to lay on the bed. “What happened to the little lass?” He asked, catching a whiff of lavender and other herbal oils. It took him back when the caretakers used to rub on him when he got stung by bugs.

“Dolly got her hoof stuck in a yellow jacket nest helping me. By the time I pulled her out, they had got her legs.” Carnyx explained while Hamish pushed back the skirts enough to give her modesty to see red patches of skin under the white fur. He was going to have to comb through and find any stingers they left. But first, he left to get an IV bag and start it on her antihistamine to calm the hives and give her a chance to breathe.

“And ya thought just rubbing lavender would make this,” gesturing to the severe allergic reaction happening. “Go away? The lass is having a hard time breathing!” Hamish admonished the flora Moo, “I ought to weed whack those horns from ya head!” He listened to her chest with his stethoscope, her lungs wheezing to get some air. His tail twitched with aggravation, his patient breathing easing some, but he would have to make a call.

“Don't use druid magic or whatever ya use, I have to make a call to Fialova and see if she can get me these quick.” He left to call on his office phone, really needing to get a cell phone for emergencies like this. Dialing the number by heart, he waited as the phone rang once, twice, and then a soft spoken voice echoed on the line.

“Dr. Hamish? Is everything alright?” Fialova answered, relief flooded him as she hadn't gone to the fair. “Eh, not really bonnie dear. Listen, I have a patient here with a severe allergic reaction going from yellow jackets. Already gave her an antihistamine which gave some relief, but I need some epinephrine and corticosteroids for her to take for later. Think you can use your skills and get it ready for me? I can have some-”

“I'll bring it over as soon as I get it done!”

“Wait, bonnie, I need ya to-”

The line clicked silent as he sighed. Eager to help as always, but hopefully no one else needed their meds right away. He walked back into the office and dug out two tweezers and two sets of gloves, tossing the one of them at Carnyx, “You're gonna help me dig out any stingers ya see to make sure they don't keep bothering her. And wear the damn gloves.”

Dolly was still passed out on the bed while Carnyx and Hamish carefully brushed through the fur of her legs. Gently and carefully pulling out stingers and putting them in the little bowl between them. Hamish checked in between her hooves and found some in the tender area, glad she couldn't really feel it.

“When will she wake up?” Carnyx was quiet, brushing the fur on her head. As big as the druid Moo was, he was gentle, Hamish would give him that. “For a while, her body is fighting off the reaction from the bugs. Fialova is coming by with medicine I don't keep here normally.” He checked her pulse, lungs, and heart, they were a bit better than it was before, but not to his liking. “I checked over her medical records I have here and she isn’t allergic to insect stings. Multiple stings can cause matters like this to be severe.”

The druid Moo was quiet, gently rubbing her skirt covered hip. Before he could say anything, the bell warned him that there was someone up front as he excused himself. His heavy hoof steps echoed in the hall as he saw Fialova standing there with a white bag paper bag. “There ya are bonnie.” Giving her a soft smile, he took the heavy sack from her, “What did ya bring?”

“I brought the pills of corticosteroids you wanted and will be prescribed to her once she awakens. You’ll have to adjust what you think is right. A bottle of epinephrine, and some calamine lotion to use.” Fialova spoke quietly as Hamish dug through the bag. He patted her shoulder, gently squeezing her shoulder, “good on ya bonnie. I appreciate everything ya do. Now why don’t ya go relax some? I’m going to take care of my patient and hopefully get her stable enough to send her home rather than the hospital.”

They talked briefly about a few other patients with their meds before departing. He dug the epinephrine, shaking the bottle to make sure everything was mixed well. Knocking and entering the exam room, he could hear muttering from Dolly, not coherent enough. “Alright lass, Fialova has brought what ya need. Going to give ya some epinephrine through the IV so not to shock your system too much.”

Digging a clean syringe out of pocket, he drew a little from the bottle to make sure took it well. He cleaned a port from the IV line, unscrewing the needle from the syringe and pushing it into the tube. Giving it 5 minutes, he watched Dolly’s eyes open at last, with her pupil dilated as the drug worked. “There ya are lass. Looks like ya can breathe easier than you were a couple of minutes ago.”

He took his stethoscope from around his neck to listen to her chest to see she was breathing more deeply and faster, her heart racing as her blood carried swiftly to the area of her body where it needed the drug. Her legs that were swollen from the stings were going down, while Carnyx was rubbing the calamine lotion on the spots, familiar with the product. Giving her a small bottle of water that he had sitting on the counter, he wanted to make sure she could swallow.

Hamish adjusted the bed to where she was upright, shaking from the adrenaline rush going through her. Managing to take a few small sips, there was a sense of relief from both of the males in the room. He wanted to be sure she was able to breathe and that she wasn’t going to have another episode, epinephrine ready in a second syringe.

It was over an hour, she was exhausted, but ready to go home. Carnyx promised Hamish he would walk her home and spend the night with her, to make sure she was okay. His arm wrapped around Dolly’s waist with the medicine bag of the pills and lotion in hand, they walked out of the clinic. Thanking Hamish as they did so.

Cleaning the exam room, Hamish decided to lock the office for the rest of the day with his home number on the sign at the entrance. Yawning, he stretched as he went upstairs to where he lived. Rory, his little Highland Minimoo, bellowed cutely at him as Hamish hung up his coat. “Heard all the commotion? They’re alright, just need to be more careful in the future is all.”

Heating up some leftovers, he ate that for dinner, showered, and headed to bed, relieved that he was able to help his patient and Fialova coming in with delivering that medicine for her. Carefully minding his horns, he lay his head on the pillow, leaning over the side of the bed to lift Rory up with him before they both drifted off to sleep.