Chloe picks up her cellular phone and begins to dial.
<Phone> You hear the phone ringing at the other end.
<Phone> The phone is picked up at the far end.
(Directed into the phone) Chloe says "Bobby…"
<Phone> Robert is silent at first as he looks at the number on his phone. "What's wrong?"
(Directed into the phone) Chloe says "Other than me getting nearly killed by a wolf, nothing. Want a puppy?"
<Phone> Robert is silent for a long time, debating what to say. "I should have called last night. I knew that I should have." This is why he should not be on pain medication. "Damnit, Chloe. Are you alright?"
(Directed into the phone) Chloe says "I didn't get bitten." She pauses. "Bruised tailbone. Had to get some shots. Someone left a dog on mom's doorstep. I can't take it back to the apartment, and you have a yard."
<Phone> Robert says "Stop changing the subject on me. It was a large black wolf, right? Particularly intent on going for the legs?" He finally sighs. "I don't know if I'm in the right shape to take care of a puppy. Why would someone just leave one there?"
(Directed into the phone) Chloe says "It was." Not that anyone can see it, but she pales on her end of the line. "I'm on my way over. Puppy in tow."
Chloe clicks her cellular to disconnect the call and hangs up.
Cornett Residence
This house has been sectioned off into two living spaces, separated by floor as opposed to wall throughout the middle. The first floor has been reserved for a renter while the second floor has been claimed by the owner of the duplex. The living space is large and spacious, perfect for a summer's day when the windows are open. Much the bachelor pad, it is sparsely decorated. All the basics that are required are there but rarely used and so the area is immaculate. A large living area and kitchen lead to a hallway which contains the doors for the bathroom, master bedroom and guest bedroom. The only difference between the two bedrooms is that the master room contains a computer desk and laptop.
Chloe has had a rough day. Getting home and finding the dog on her mother's step, and then having no way to take care of it until morning has really put her in a mood. Finding out that Bobby was attacked as well? That just pisses her off. He wants to be the protector, he can't be going and getting himself killed. So it doesn't take her long at all to appear at the duplex. She doesn't bother with knocking, using her emergency key to unlock the door. She's got the puppy on a rope 'leash', and lets it into the house.
"Bobby? I'm here. Where the hell are you? What happened?"
Luckily enough for him he's had time to slip into a pair of breakaway pants as opposed to the shorts he had been wearing. Over that he wears a tee, careful to cover up since his sister is bound to show up at any minute. Slowly Bobby walks from his bedroom out to meet Chloe, using the cane far more than he had been. It's really supporting him at the moment so he's not going to curse having it. He's cleaned up most of the mess, too, but there are a few droplets of blood here and there that he's missed. It is difficult for him to function at times, after all. "Calm down. I'm right here." Despite all of this he flashes Chloe a smile. "It's great to see you." For the moment the dog isn't even noticed.
"Blood, Bobby? /Blood/?" Oh yes. Keen sister eyes means that she's spotted the blood. It doesn't help that the puppy is mindlessly licking at it. "Stop that, puppy." She gives the rope leash a little jostle. "What the hell did you do to your leg? Jesus, Bobby. Did you get /bit/? Have you been to the hospital for shots? Stitches? Anything?" Protector he may be, but she's the worrier at the moment. "Shit. Where's Mellie?"
He just stares at her. Literally just stares at her before a hand presses against his temple. Someone is still on pain medication. "Don't do that. It hasn't done anything." Finally he bends down, at the waist since his knee and leg are rather injured. The cane is placed on the ground and he claps his hands together lightly, summoning the puppy. "Things happen. I cut my foot on a plate that I dropped." True story. Robert doesn't even look at Chloe at the moment and is doing his very best not to send her the images she wants. It's rather easy considering the fog of the medication. "I hurt my knee. You know the injury. It'll be fine. I'm going to therapy."
"It's how you're supposed to train them." It's not like she was choking the puppy, just trying to jostle it away from the blood. "Your blood, or the wolf's?" The puppy goes toward the clap, licking at Bobby's hands happily. "Well I figured you hurt yourself, your brain is all addled with that medication again. Where's Hope?" She only knows part of the story. "Oh, yeah. And Ivan said he never wants to see you again. What the /hell/ has been going on lately?"
As soon as the puppy comes over he bends down to pick it up. Small puppy, after all, and very sweet. With her secure in one arm he grabs his cane and stands tall. "I don't know if I want you taking care of this. Poor thing might get choked." He's attempting to joke around with her but he just doesn't have his usual humor. "Long story, and I don't know. Hope is hopefully at home, safe and sound. Ivan has good reason to dislike me, I guess, though he's the reason I injured myself. Do a good deed and it likely turns out to look like you're doing it for all the wrong reasons." Slowly he begins to walk, the pain striking even though he's medicated. Robert finds home eventually in one of his recliners and places the puppy on his lap. "I don't really know what happened. I'm a little medicated."
"There is /BLOOD/. Jesus Christ, Bobby. I'm calling Mellie." Chloe is already stalking toward the phone, and she glances at the puppy. "Well you can have it. It's not the same one that was injured though. So I don't know why beagles are suddenly flocking to me." She is /not/ a pet person. "I'll even buy everything for it if you feed it and let it poop in your backyard." At least she's aware of his current work situation. "Well she should be here taking care of you. Unless I'm missing something and you're with Ivan's sister now. Whatever. Need me to take a few days off of work and take care of you? Do I need to get you to the hospital? Let me see that leg…"
Throughout all of her talking, all Bobby does is pet the puppy. It seems as if he's taken to the creature even though he said he didn't want it. He just has a weak spot for females, apparently. "Well, I did cut myself. On a dish I dropped." He really doesn't realize he's said it twice. "No. No, she does not need to be here taking care of me. She has come by, though. And I'm not dating anyone. Since when did that matter?" Technically, as far as he can tell, he's still labeled as single. "It's a leg, Chloe. It has hair and should probably have a brace on it, but I was laying down not that long ago. You know what's wrong with my knee so why look at it?" He knows what's there, that's why he's protesting. "I'm fine. Stop worrying so much. Mellie is at work, which means she's safe. Just sit down and tell me what happened to /you/."
"Because there is /blood/! For chrissakes, open the pants, Robert, or I'm going to call nine-one-one and report an attack." Chloe is serious, and she's fixing him with her zomg /stern/ look. Hands on her hips, frowning at him slightly. "I know what's wrong with your knee but I'm going to make sure you're not going to die like daddy did, okay? So just let me do that." She got a full explanation as to why their father died and she can't lose anyone else. "I'm /fine/. The wolf came barreling out of nowhere at the vet and tried to take me down. I punched it in the nose with the silver necklace mama gave me. Few scrapes, and I've got a bite from the stray I was trying to help. Nothing serious."
It has to be the medication that is making all of this so hard to follow. He just stares at her, slowly piecing it all together. "So a stray puppy like this one bit you, and then you find one? And that doesn't seem odd?" The medicated one asking the questions. Ha. Robert continues to pet the puppy as he talks, using her as a way to calm himself. "I'm not going to die, Chloe. It will take more than one wacked out, medicated dream about some large wolf thing to take me down. And do you /really/ want me taking off my pants? Because I really don't think we're that kind of close." Distractions, distractions. All to move away from his leg. "So what should I name her?"
"Blood. Robert Allen Cornett, there is /BLOOD/. So show me that you're fine or I'm calling the hospital. The cops. Something. There is blood on the floor." Chloe doesn't wait for it. He's distracted, so she moves for the breakaways and tries to check them for blood as well. "Of course it seems odd, but I'm not going to let a freaking puppy starve to death because a damned shifter is trying to ruin my life." She gives her brother a strange look. "Name it dog."
The breakaways show no sign of blood as he wasn't wearing them during the attack. He pulls up his pant leg to reveal absolutely nothing. The wrong leg but she doesn't need to know that. "Chloe, I am /fine/, okay. Don't worry about me. We should worry about you. Do I need to start following you around?" He's slow going but Robert would make it happen. He gives his sister a look before shaking his head. "I'm not naming her Dog. If she's going to stay here, she needs a nice name." He'll just have to ask someone later, someone who isn't freaking out. "Do you want to stay here? I mean, until the wolf thing blows over? During the day or whatever?"
"Liar." Chloe frowns at him then nudges his injured leg. A nice finger-poke jab all along it. Harshly. "How do you expect to follow me and keep me safe, crutch boy? Had it been a bit later, I likely would have had vampiric help. As it is, they waited until vamps were /just/ waking up to do it." Exhaling a sigh she frowns. "Well name her Daisy for all I care. Or Sunshine." Beat. "I'm staying at mom's." For no reason other than she's avoiding her own apartment. "I'll survive."
It is literally all he can do not to send the puppy flying as she starts jabbing at his leg and lands several pokes on his recent injury. "Cut that out, would ya?" It hurts even through the medication. In fact, it even gives his mind a moment of clarity before he allows it to fog back over. "I'm not on crutches. It's a cane and it will go away eventually." Maybe. Bobby looks to the puppy who is all but sleeping at this point and sighs. "I'll think about it. I want it to be very good." He openly frowns at Chloe and shakes his head. "Hey, your life, your call. I can't force you and I know you'll never actually let me help you anyway. Offer still stands, though."
"You are /such/ a liar, Bobby!" Chloe jabs at his leg again, then starts to lift the pant leg. "If freaking /bit/ you! You think it's a medication induced fever dream or something. Bobby, was there a freaking /wolf/ in your /freaking/ house? Seriously?" She'll knock him out if she has to, but she's going to take him for shots and stuff.
His leg is mostly bandaged, save where he was really too stoned and in too much pain to get the rest of it. The bite is somewhat nasty but it certainly could be worse. He's at least attempted to clean it. "I'll go. Later." Of this he seems stern, insistent. "And yeah, maybe? I don't know. It seemed too much to be true. The damn thing was acting like it was hurt, though. I hit it with my cane and it really didn't like that." Bobby remains firmly planted in recliner, puppy in lap. "Chloe? Use the spare room and get some sleep. When you wake up I'll let you take me to see a doctor." Not.
"It's not even fully clean." Chloe glares at him. "Robert, you're going to end up /dead/ if you don't start taking better care of yourself." Her words are only worry, but she knows there's some truth in them. "Look, I can call a doctor I know and get them to come here. I think you might need stitches." She's up, and heading to get a wash cloth and warm water. "I'm going to finish cleaning this, then you and Dog can get some sleep. If you get feverish in the night, you're going to the hospital. Do /not/ argue with me. You really don't want to see my angry side."
He doesn't really seem to care if he sees her angry side or not. "I was sleeping when you called the first time." It isn't an argument but just a random fact that came to mind. "Chloe, seriously. I've broken my hand repeatedly, broken my face and I might not ever really walk the same way again. I really think that a few minor scrapes are the least of my worries and I sure as hell don't want to see another hospital any time soon." Bobby is not angry; he's insistent. "I'll be okay. I'll be fine, alright? I'm too stubborn to have anything happen to me, and honestly? I'll just catch something on fire if it comes after me again."
"Well I don't give a shit. You're going to the hospital in the morning. What the hell are you talking about catch something on fire. You planning on carrying around a flame thrower now?" Chloe is beyond frustrated at this point. She's glowering at him. She's so angry with him that she reaches for the puppy so that she can hold it and not jab her finger at the bitten leg again. "You're an idiot, Bobby. Mellie and I /need/ you right now, and you're busy breaking yourself and getting bitten. How are you going to protect Mellie when you can barely move?"
He nearly looks like he's going to cry when the puppy is taken away from him. "Hey! Careful with her. She's just little." Now irritated, Bobby sighs. He reaches for his cane and slowly stands. "A lot has happened, I know it, alright? It isn't like I asked for that damn thing to bite me any more than you wanted it to go after you." He rubs at the back of his neck with his broken hand, the good one being used to help keep him up. "I think I might know what or why someone wants to keep coming after us. Our family, we're just special. You know that." He shakes his head. "Yeah, sure. Okay. Hospital in the morning. Now will you just get some sleep?"
"I'm just hugging her, Bobby." Chloe coos at the dog once, and then looks up at him as he stands. She gets to her feet as well and then she sighs. "Yeah, fine. I'll get some sleep, but I'm keeping her with me tonight. If she needs to go out, I can get up easier than you can." The rope leash is untied from the puppy's neck and she drops it on the floor. "It's my fault. The attack on mom and dad was because of me, and my involvement with Will. I don't know why we're still being attacked. Maybe someone's pissed I charged them overdue fees."
He still looks hurt. "But I'm lonely." He really does have some codependency issues and perhaps the dog in the house will keep him from looking to stay with women until he can figure out how he really feels. "And you won't be here to do it every night. I'm not useless." Bobby gives her that face again, showing just how displeased he is. "You want to take the blame? Fine. I don't think you should but you never listen to me. Which is why I'm going to say this because you still won't listen." He takes a deep breath. "I think we're all special, or potentially so. You're just the only one who was able to tell. Like I think I can be one of those witch people. There's probably something in our blood."
"Witch! That's how you're doing the flame-on thing? Okay, Johnny Storm. Things are starting to make sense now." As in why he's interested in Ivan's sister and all that. Chloe nods slowly once. "Apparently telepathy is a genetic trait… so probably somewhere in our family there's a witch too. I've never once said I'm so special or anything like that. I hate my curse. I don't want to know what everyone is thinking. It hurts." In more ways than one. "I'll stay for a few days, just to make sure Fruit Loop here is settled and you're okay with getting her outside. Mama's plants don't need to be watered until Monday. Plus, it's Easter weekend. We should have a family dinner. If you can convince Mellie, I'll whip something up. I'm not as good at cooking as my neighbor, but I think I can cook a ham and a few side dishes."
He continues to wear that unhappy expression but the entire situation is odd. "Scarlett is helping me with it. Ivan's going to want me dead no matter how harmless our meetings are. I don't really care. I think it could help me protect you two if I developed this, especially just in case I am crippled for life." It is an dark thought but at least Bobby is always thinking about all of the women in his life. "I don't think I'd like it, but I always knew you weren't crazy. I think you're special and I always have." So take that. He looks from his guest room to the dog. "You don't have to. You're more than welcome to, you really are. I'm sure that Mellie would like to have you around, too. Since she's always up here eating my food anyway."
"Then it's settled. Hospital in the morning, just to check the wound and make sure it won't get infected." And get him a couple of shots. "Then we'll go shopping. I'll even buy chocolate bunnies. Hell, I'll buy little eggs to— wait, I can't do that. Fruit Loop here will eat them." Oh yes. Chloe has officially named her not-dog now. "We'll buy plastic eggs to hide if it comes to it. But we'll do something. Bunny drinks. I think I still have the recipe."
If he's going to have any attractive female in his guest room, it may as well be Chloe. This way he will have company, the companionship of a dog and no real issues will arise. "You know I can still buy my own groceries, right?" He may be on a limited income but he still finds ways to make money on top of what he's getting from being out on leave. Since he technically was injured helping a drunk out of a bar his insurance is paying and his manager is even setting up worker's compensation. It is cheating somewhat but he won't argue with living. "I don't drink, or I shouldn't." Last time he did he went running after sex. Bobby reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone. A few keys are pressed before he just nods. "We'll do something."
