Awake 1

Immediately, he started to regret this involuntary expression of emotion.

He finally figured out what the body by his leg was.

At first it shook, tensed and at the ready, before launching itself towards his body. Pain ripped through him in places where the excited canine stepped on him.

"NO! BAD DOG! NO!" An effeminate voice, likely the one responsible for the whistling, shouted at Mercedes to stop.

But it was far too late.

Already Mercedes had her nose in his face, furiously sniffing and licking him. Another body reached across him, adding its weight to the prickly sensations moving like waves across his skin.

He couldn't hold back any longer.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! GRAAAAAAAGH-UUUAAAAAAA!!!"

Possibly the loudest scream he had every released, accompanied by involuntary spasms. All only worked to further his pain.

It did manage to stop Mercedes, but a body still lay across his chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SORRRYYY!!"

She scrambled to get off of him, evoking a groan of pain when she pressed her weight on his sternum. Don knew Mercedes was prone to strike again.

"Sit!" He managed to choke out the command at the expense of some discomfort, a positive if it meant that Mercedes would stop pouncing on him. He was glad he took the time to train her.

"You, aaagh, painkillers, rrrngh, please."

It was a plea borne of necessity.

"Painkillers? Where?" She sounded panicked, his sudden waking evidently having thrown her off balance.

"ARC, ask ARC."

Don was stuck in a feedback loop of pain. The sensation would cause him to tense up to alleviate the pain in one area of his body, only to ignite the same searing sensation in the place he tensed up.

Only intense will power and deep, lengthy breaths were keeping the situation from getting out of control.

"ARC? The computer?"

"GO!"

"Okay!" Something scraped against the floor, likely a chair. He could hear her muttering "painkiller" to herself repeatedly as she exited whatever rom they were currently in.

Mercedes was not distracted by this person's disappearance. Her focus was entirely on Donovan. For the moment, she was obediently seated, but the steady thumping noise told Don she was very, very, excited. Her whines indicated her patience was running thin.

Desperate to avoid the experience from before, he struggled a few clearly annunciated words.

"Here. Down."

The same series of commands he used to get her to lay on the bed with him.

With enthusiasm, she laid down right up next to the left side of his body with her back to him. Her neck resting on his armpit, she was pushing her snout towards his own, attempting to lick him. The pressure she exerted, as with the beating of her tail against his leg, stung a bit, but it was far worse than her putting her body weight on his chest.

To help satiate her desire for contact, he (begrudgingly) moved his left arm to slowly rub her chest.

Her days as a petite puppy were gone, while she may not be fully grown she was getting there. Her coat was fuller now, and he could feel her muscles beginning to develop. It was truly shocking how fast dogs grew.

He tried to open his eyes a little further, only to be met with further pain.

A lengthy period of time ensued as he waited for the painkillers to arrive, their presence denoted by the increasing volume of hurried footsteps.

"Here! Here they are!" The woman walked next to him, prompting a light growl from Mercedes. "Oh shut it. Now then, the band. He said something about a clasp, and a button I needed to press..."

Don could feel her fumble about with his band. It hurt a bit, but her hands were softer on his skin than Mercedes ignorant roughness.

It was still annoying that she could not figure out how to open it up.

"On one of the corners."

*click*

"Yellow cylinder, orientation irrelevant."

"Thank you."

A series of pops ensued.

"Done!"

In response, Don drew his left hand to his elbow as fast as he dared, slamming the cover back down and pressing the button that would release the relevant chemical.

"Pheew, gimme a minute."

He returned his arms to his sides, waiting for the chemical to spread throughout his body. The effects were close to immediate.

True to his word, the drug took full effect within a minute, almost fully dispersed throughout his body.

"Better." There was still a light sting, but he could move.

Kind of.

He was more than comfortable to take his time sitting up, much to Mercedes' displeasure. He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision.

Still blurry.

It was like he was looking through wax paper.

He could vaguely make out Mercedes' black and brown on a . . . blue? Purple? Indigo background. The ceiling and walls where a bright white, and he could vaguely make out what looked like orange splotches here and there.

The one color that stood out to him the most was the golden hue that situated himself to his right.

Realizing that there was something seriously wrong at the moment, Donovan elected to shut his eyes again. He wasn't blind, for now, but he didn't know what would happen if he continued to strain himself.

It was at this point he seemed to remember that there was someone holding onto his hand.

Moving his left hand to Mercedes' head and squeezing the hand in his right, he formally greeted his caretaker.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure?"