“The Attack” – Part 3

by Jo and Stacey

Kate was running as fast as she could, SJ clutched tightly to her chest. The dog was getting closer, its razor-sharp teeth snapping fiercely all around her. Frantically, she headed through the woods, managing to keep one step ahead of the dog. Up ahead, she could hear Sid's voice calling her, beckoning her to come back to him. "Where are you?" she cried, holding her baby closer, his cries now mingled with her own. "Oh Sid, I can't see you!"

Finally the fog all around her began to lessen and she could make out a small house up ahead. She ran faster, the dog still biting at her ankle, its hot breath breathing down the back of them. If she could just reach the house, she'd be safe! She and her baby would both be safe! The faster she ran the farther it seemed to get, however, as did the sound of her husband's voice. The dog was nearly upon her. It was a losing battle she feared. Suddenly, the door to the house swung open and two long arms reached out and pulled her and SJ to safety. The baby was still crying and she held him out in front of her, cuddling him.

"It's alright, my little one, shhh... there now, we're safe now," she cooed, trying to comfort him. But when she pulled back the blanket, her baby had transformed into the dog - its teeth bared at her as it let out a low growl. Kate screamed and dropped it to the floor. Then, suddenly, she opened her eyes and the room all disappeared in front of her, and she saw the face of her husband standing worriedly beside her, calling her name.

"SJ," she said weakly, her hand moving down to rest on her belly. Her baby was still inside her, alive and well. "Wh...where am I? What happened to the dog?" she asked Sid.

"Katherine, Katherine," he soothed. "You're fine. You're both fine. We're here in the hospital in Coffs. It's all right now. You're safe now. SJ is
safe now."  He was speaking almost as much to himself as to her, he found.

Kate looked around, the hospital, she was in the hospital and Sid was there. "Oh Sid, I was so scared," she told him, her voice still weak, "How did you manage to get me away from that dog?"

"You don't remember?"  He was quite pleased about that, but knew he shouldn't push it too far.  "There were a couple of men, um, hunters
probably as they had rifles. One of them killed the dog."

Sid's cell phone rang and he stepped out in the hall. "Yes?"

"It's me, Sid. I have the results from the vet."

"And they are?"

"Rabies."

"He is sure?"

"Completely.  Cort waited and got the results in person. There's no doubt, so let Katherine's doctors know as soon as you can."

"I don't need you to tell me what I should do."

"Right," she said and hung up.

Sid saw Katherine's doctor just down the hall and walked quickly in his direction.  "The dog was confirmed rabid."

"Sorry to hear that, but it's good we know. I'll arrange for the injections to begin right away."

"Is it safe? Her being pregnant and all. Will they harm her or the baby?"

"It will be safe, Mr. Harbor. I would not order them otherwise, I assure you."

Sid went back to Katherine's room and took her hand. "Darling, you've got to be brave like I know you can be, all right?"

Kate furrowed her brow, "Sid, what's going on? I thought you said the baby and I are going to be fine." She'd never seen him this worried before. In fact, she couldn't think of a time she'd ever seen her husband worry about anything.

"You are going to be fine, darling, both you and SJ.  The...," he looked up for a moment at the light over her bed, "the dog, though, it was rabid.
We just got the test results and the doctor has ordered shots for you." 

"Rabid? Oh no!" she exclaimed. "Oh, but what about Kitty? Did you find him? The dog had him treed, he was so frightened. I was trying to get him down when...when the dog...," she closed her eyes, trying to mentally block out the image of that frightful creature that had tried to kill her.

"A kitten? Is that the other animal? The doctor said you had wounds from two animals.  Could it be rabid, too? Well, I guess that doesn't matter
as the shots will take care of it one way or the other."

"Rabies shots... I've heard they are just awful," Kate said, recalling what she'd read about having to get a series of painful shots in the abdomen. "When can I go home? I don't like hospitals. I want to be home in my own bed... with you." Her back was starting to hurt again, as was the bite on her hand.

Sid had heard that, too, about rabies shots, though it wasn't, of course, anything he himself would ever have to deal with.  Recently he'd even seen some movie about the CIA in which the agent on the ground in Jordan got bitten in the legs by rabid dogs and he had to have a series of shots in his abdomen.  One of the guys in the film, not the bitten one, had looked vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't remember the actor's name.  Anyway, Katherine was pregnant. Surely they wouldn't give her shots in her stomach?  "I don't like hospitals, either, darling, but you and SJ do
need to be taken care of.  This is serious."

Kate reached out and took his hand, "I know, I guess I'm just scared is all. You'll stay with me, won't you? I mean, they'll let you stay the night, you think?"

"I'll make sure they do even if I have to buy the damned hospital."

Just then, the door to her room swung open and a nurse came bustling in. "Here we go, Mrs. Harbour," she told Kate as she pulled out a needle, "I've got the injection ready to go. Just need to for you to lie still for a moment."

"It won't hurt my baby, will it?" Kate asked, worriedly. She didn't like needles and the thought of it getting injected in her stomach - near her unborn child - well, that was downright horrifying to her.

The nurse smiled at her, patted her hand, "No, luv, it won't even feel a thing, though you might feel a bit sore in your arm afterwards."

"My arm? Not...not my stomach then?"

"Oh heavens, no!" the nurse replied, cleaning the area on Kate's arm where she would be giving the injection. "Your arm will suffice. Now hold still. This might prick a bit."

Kate held Sid's hand tightly, closed her eyes, as the needle was injected into her.

"There we go, all done. You'll need a series of five more of these. We'll get a schedule for you set up."

"That's it?" Sid asked. "When can she go home?"

"Most likely tomorrow," the nurse answered, "Because of the nature of her injuries and the fact that she's pregnant, her doctor thinks it best to keep her at least over night for observation." She turned to Kate, "If there's anything more I can do for you, just call. I'll be back in a while to check on how you're doing."

"Thank-you," Kate told her, then the nurse smiled and left the room. "You will stay with me, then? Overnight?" she asked Sid.

"I'm not leaving my family," he said, bending to kiss her forehead. "Not ever."   And his family wasn't leaving him, either, no matter what had to happen to Colin.