Paws

Of Course

Sam-

Waking up to a belly rub was quite nice. I felt Richard's fingers move along my stomach, sifting through my soft fur. When my eyes finally inched their way open I saw Richard grinning down at me from my right side.

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Change in the middle of the night for some morning belly rubs?"

I usually don't accidentally shift when I sleep unless I have a stressful dream. I thought back to him awkwardly as I rolled over and sat up. When I tried to shift and felt an abrupt block in my mind, holding back my human side, I fidgeted.

Richard, I can't shift back.

His relaxed face quickly turned to one of worry as he sat himself up and reached over, gently taking my face in his hands and tilting it up so that he could look at me closer.

"Are you sure? Maybe it has something to do with that surgery? Maybe you needed to stay in your canine form longer for it to heal properly?"

I paused, having not thought of that possibility. It made sense, but still, I was really nervous.

"How about this. I'll call the vet and just make sure that it's nothing? Just your dog needing some more time to heal."

After a moment of thought, I nodded and wagged my stumpy tail.

That sounds good. He should know after dealing with normal shapeshifters.

Richard smiled and pet my head before grabbing his phone from the nightstand and dialing the veterinarian. Thankfully the practice opened early, so the receptionist picked up, then quickly transferred him to the vet when the man had a minute to talk. I tried to listen in on the conversation but the doctor was talking a bit too quietly. When Richard finally hung up, his face was a bit paler.

What? What did he say? I asked, worried.

Richard swallowed and licked his lips before turning to look at me. His eyes hinted at what was wrong before he even spoke, but I didn't want to hear it.

"He said that because he had never operated on a cross-shifter, he just removed what he was familiar with in a female canine's anatomy to prevent pregnancy. He said... To get a pregnancy test if you had had sex recently, because there were parts he was unfamiliar with and couldn't remove safely."

I couldn't reply. I had just gotten fixed. Made a life, and body, altering decision, and yet I could still possibly be pregnant? With just a gentle pat to my head, Richard stood up and got himself dressed in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt.

"I'm going to go get a test. Waiting won't help the situation, though I can't see how that could be the reason for your inability to shift. Will you let Jess know that I'll be back soon if she wakes up?"

Yes, of course. I replied, trying to keep my nervousness from my thoughts. Thankfully he seemed to not realize it and smiled, then headed outside after tugging on his shoes and a coat by the door.

For the next twenty minutes I tried to tidy up the bed using my teeth to tug the blankets and adjust the pillows, then paced the hallway until I heard the front door open quietly, then shut. Richard stepped around the corner a moment later, gesturing for me to follow him to the backyard. It was chilly, but as he opened the test and set it in the snow, I realized that it made sense. I didn't want to accidentally pee all over the bathroom trying to hit where I needed to. This way I could just pee, then adjust myself if I needed to aim better.

It was evidently true that practice made perfect, however, since I easily hit the spot I needed to on my first try. With that done, I took a few steps away and finished relieving myself before following Richard back inside. He hurried to wash off the plastic part of the test, then scrub his hands before setting it down on a papertowel in the sink.