FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Shark Lovers

Chapter 5: A Sharks Purpose...Or Is It?

Written by Chris Sharkson

It started raining on my way home from the station, as the windshield wipers were slapping out of tempo, keeping perfect rhythm with the song on the radio that I had playing. I pulled into my driveway, hitting the garage door opener, driving into my garage and switching off the engine and casually getting out of my car.

I looked at the gloomy weather from the inside of my garage, “Piss off rain," I said as I looked at the nearby clouds, I hated the rain; give me the hot clear night and a beer any day.

I hit the button to close the garage door, situated beside my door that enters into my house from the garage.

I was excited to see my new guest again, the anthro fem shark I had gained responsibility in looking after, I opened the door to the entrance hall of the house, and it was unusually quiet.

Flicking most of the lights on in the house, as I walked on through.

“Melanie, I'm home." I called out, as my voice echoed throughout the house. No Answer. Odd. I walked into the kitchen dumping my car keys into a dish I had positioned on the counter.

And placing my wallet with them. I walked into the lounge room to have a look around, the TV was off, and she was nowhere to be seen.

I noticed my mobile phone was positioned on the sofa, where she had been sitting. I reached down and picked it up, clicking the lock button and I swiped my finger and unlocked it.

I could see the apps that were running where she was last using, the Phone app was running with all the dialled calls, missed called, received calls and the keypad as well as the contacts list.

I walked into the kitchen, nothing was disturbed or out of place in the kitchen so she most likely wasn't in there or have been in there.

Then my mind clicked, (I bet she is in the room I allocated her) I thought. I walked out of the kitchen and into the main hall of my house then started going up stairs to the bedrooms.

After braising the stairs, I walked to Melanie's door, brought my hand up and knocked on it lightly with the knuckle of my index finger.

“Melanie, are you in there?" I asked. No answer.

I slowly took hold of the door knob then slowly turned it clockwise, slowly pushing the door open with a light creak of its hinges. I peaked around the doors edge and looked into her room. In the glow of the moonlight shinning through her window I could see that she was soundly asleep in her bed, it was quite hot in the room and her covers were pushed off of her, but I reeled back and leant my back on the wall in a split second as I saw she was naked, I gave a sigh and a deep breath.

I pushed the door open more allowing me to walk in, I casually and quietly walked to her bed.

Trying to keep my gaze off of her revealing body, I crept up slowly, took hold of the sheets and pulled them lightly back over her.

I nodded appreciatively and smiled, as I turned to make my way back to the door, until I heard the familiar sound of a shotgun being loaded, that's a sound that you never want to hear. I froze suddenly, a mere inches from the door, I reached towards the light switch, with a flick the light came on illuminated the room, I turned around slowly for the light to reveal Melanie, lent up in her bed fully alert leaning against the head-board, the covers half covering her naked body and my second shotgun that I owned mustered in her hands, aiming directly at me.

I swallowed nervously, “Melanie," I calmly begun, “What...What are you doing? Where did you find my second shotgun?" I said in a slow and steady matter.

I seriously should have bought a safe to store my weapons that I currently owned, I felt like slapping myself upside the face for not doing so.

“What are you?" she finally said after a long pause. I gave her a look of confusion and raised an eyebrow. “I'm me, I'm Chris, and it's always been me, what are you talking about, Melanie, you're not making yourself clear, will you please lower the shotgun, you're making me nervous." I said.

She slowly shook her head. “Tell me what you are and I will lower your gun thingy." She said seriously.

“I'm the normal old Chris; I'm a human, born here in LA and have been on the police force for ten years, there that's who I am." I said. “Not what I have been told." She said sternly.

I raised an eyebrow. “Who told you what?" I asked. “Have you checked your phone?" she asked.

I shook my head pulling my phone out of my pocket. “Look at the calls that have been made to the phone." She said.

I complied, unlocked my phone and went to the Phone app and looked at the recent calls list, the caller ID caught my eye.

“Los Angeles Medical Center." I said slowly. “Why would they be calling me?"

“I answered that call," stated Melanie, “They said something about a blood test you gave them, and not knowing what that is as I'm not from this civilization."

I put a hand to my forehead, “Of course, it was my routine check up for us police officers to check we're in good health, I only did that a few weeks ago, you answered that call? What did they tell you, Melanie?" I asked a bit concerned.

Hope its good news not bad news, I would hate to find out that they tell me I have a hidden cancer deep within me somewhere that I never knew about and gave me a week to live.

She avoided my attention while still aiming the shotgun at me, “Oh nothing, just the fact they found shark DNA in your blood, no big deal." She said in a careless manner.

I raised an eyebrow and stared at her in disbelief, “Shark DNA, in my blood? Ha that's very funny, I think that's some sort of practical joke Melanie, that sounds false to me, it can't be right..." I said.

“Is it a joke? Is it? Well I don't think so!" she said aloud, “Those are medical protectors of life who called your phone, they would not lie! That's what the lady told me, they found shark DNA in your A plus blood!" she said raising her voice.

“Answer me Chris! What are you hiding from me?!" she said loudly.

“Melanie, I seriously didn't know I had shark DNA in my blood if I did I would have told you, it's truly a misconception to me, this is all new to me, I certainly am not hiding anything from you, I've told you everything about me, well just about everything, I've been honest with you and I've told you the truth." I replied.

“I will go there to find out what really is going on, to see what they have to show me to see if it really is shark DNA and not some mishap." I said giving her a stern look.

She stared right through me, as she aimed the shotgun at me, ready to pull the trigger if I make a move.

“Please, Melanie, lower the shotgun and relinquish it to me, I'm saying this as just the normal side of me not the on-duty police officer side of me." I said softly.

She nodded softly, “Okay, Chris you can have your gun thingy back," she said as she lowered it and rested it on the bed, but it still mustered in her hands.

As I walked towards the bed, to take the shotgun off of her, the alarm on her bed-side table starting beeping frantically.

“Oh, I forgot I set that," she said leaning over towards the alarm clock to put it to snooze, I was shocked she had learned so quickly to operate and use everyday items that we humans own and use on a daily basis.

As she leaned over to shut off the alarm, her right hand still gripped the shotguns handle and her finger was still positioned on the trigger, as she stretched to reach the alarm clock, a very loud sound was heard as the shotgun discharged, deafening me but I'm sure deafening her even more as she was in the vicinity of it and her hearing is one hundred times better than mine, as that happened I had dived onto the ground for cover, Melanie was huddled all the way at the end of the bed under the sheets shaking, I got up slowly and brushed myself off, the remnants of the smoke still lingering in the room as if it were a lit cigarette was causing it.

Melanie was trembling with fear, “I...I didn't mean that, Chris, I am...s.ss.so sorry." She said her voice shaky.

I gave her a look of sorrow and heartfelt, “It's okay Melanie, it was an accident, I should of told you that the triggers on those shotguns are highly touchy, I'm the one who should be sorry, I should of taught you how to use one safely, it's my responsibility to keep you safe." I said as I felt sorry for her, she is new to all this, it wasn't her fault it was mine.

Then that's when I realize I felt a numb pain in my right shoulder just above my collar bone, that's when I noticed the shirt I was wearing blood started to seep through it, there were a high variety of scattered holes where the blood is coming from, to only realize that the pellets from the shotgun had struck me, but the majority of them had struck the nearby wall behind me, it had happened so fast that I did not feel a thing.

I put my hand to my injury, it getting doused in my own blood, that's when I mutter a “Oh, shit" and I collapse onto the floor.

“CHRIS!" Melanie screamed in panic, she threw off the sheets on the bed and ran to me, her nude form getting revealed, but she couldn't care less about that she was visibly naked.

She knelt down beside me, carefully sitting me up and having my back lean against the wall. I winced in pain as the blood flow increased out of my gunshot wound. “Chris, Chris, please stay with me, “she said through sobs, tears flowing from her eyes. My eyes were getting heavy and droopy, I hadn't realized on how much blood I have lost.

“Please! Don't die! I need you Chris, more than ever, I...I..I I've come to realize that I need you more than I thought, you took me in and looked after me," she sobbed, “Even though you're a human and I'm a shark, there is so much more I want to learn about you," she took my hand in hers and clasped it tightly.

She sobbed, as I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone and weakly offered it out to her. She looked up with teary saddened eyes; she slowly took it from my hand. “Remember....what...I said about....an ...emergency." I said with not enough strength to talk as I gave her a weak smile.

She perked up and her eyes went wide. She took my phone from my weakened grasp, and she unlocked it, knowing what to do, she went to the contact for the police station, she dialled it, she would directly contact where I worked as a cop.

She put the phone to her invisible ear. Someone answered; “Los Angeles Police Department, Constable David Wells speaking, how I can help you?" came the male voice.

“David, please...you gotta come quick it's an emergency." Melanie said in a panicked voice.

“Ma'am I need you to calm down, what's the situation?" he asked.

Melanie closed her eyes and what she is about to say is the last thing she would ever do and there is no turning back. “David, my name is Melanie; I'm the Caribbean reef shark that everyone is looking for." She said slowly with control.

The line at the other end went silent, “Okay, Melanie, why are you contacting the police station directly, you can come in to turn yourself in." He said calmly.

That's when the sobs and tears returned to Melanie, “It's your colleague David, Chris, he's been shot in his home and he is bleeding heavily, I don't know what to do, I'm a shark, I am not a human, please send help, please I don't want him to die." She sobbed.

“Jesus Fucking Christ, Okay, Melanie, hold on! Don't panic and stay calm, if I were you grab an old shirt and press it against his wound to slow the bleeding! We're sending units there right now! Hold on, Melanie we'll be there in five!" he said calmly but also firmly the line went dead.

Standing up as she complied with David's advice, walked over near the bed and rummaged through a set of drawers nearby, grabbing a shirt, she then dashed back to my side and knelt down beside me, pressing the shirt on my wounds firmly to stop the bleeding.

I winced in pain, as she applied pressure to my gunshot wound, “I'm sorry Chris, but it has to be done, your colleague David even said so on the phone." She softly said.

I gave a weak laugh, “That's David alright for yah," I said weakly.

She smiled revealing her serrated sharp teeth. She looked deeply into my eyes; I weakly brought a hand up and caressed her smooth cheek, as she lightly put a hand over the top of mine.

“Even though I've known you for only three days, it feels like I've known you for the rest of my life and I think we're getting closer," I said to her with a weak voice.

“I feel the same too Chris, it feels so strange yet so weird but also so surreal, it feels like I've known you for a long time." She replied. She lifted the shirt up off my wound to inspect it; it was still bleeding, pretty heavily too but lightly subsiding.

“You're lucky human blood doesn't faze me, or I would be having you as a meal, after all I am a shark and the smell of blood does activate my hunger drive," she said with a serious tone.

My weak look turned to a look of concern, until I see the humour expression on her face.

“You funny shark, you're playing with me aren't you?" I asked her.

“Maybe," she replied with a childish look on her face. “Don't make me laugh, it hurts," I said as I winced in pain.

“I want to get to know you more, Chris," she said soft and slowly out of the blue, I look at her dazed due to the loss of blood, “Huh," I said, “I said I want to get to know you more, Chris, after you're all healed up," she said.

“Really? You really mean that, Melanie?" I ask.

“Yes Chris, I honestly do." She replied giving my hand a squeeze. She heard a voice down stares call out, “Melanie, where are you? It's Constable David Wells, we have paramedics, where is he?" called out Dave from down stairs.

I then feel weird all of a sudden, my left arm goes numb then I black out into total darkness, as I slump against the wall.

“Up here!" she said aloud.

The sounds of numerous footsteps were heard going up the stairs. David was the first to enter the room, dressed in his full police uniform and gear followed by three other police officers and two paramedics, first thing he see's is a naked female shark anthro kneeling beside Chris who was lent up against the wall, with a blood soaked shirt in her grey hand applying pressure to his wound, he surveys the room and sees a Mossberg 590 12 gauge pump action shotgun laying on the bed, (Fuck, Chris why an earth do you have a powerful shotgun like that, no wonder your injuries are so severe) he mutters in his thoughts.

He took a glance at Melanie, and he averted his eyes, “Damn, Melanie, you're naked," he said as the two other officers and two paramedics averted their eyes as well, as they didn't want to be rude by eyeing her naked form as it was unusual for them and different.

“Oh, I'm so sorry," she said through sniffles as she had been sobbing, she left the bloodied shirt on Chris's wound, while she quickly found her clothes piled on the floor, she slid on her cut-off jeans, buttoned them up as well as with a zip, then sliding on her tank top, covering her firm breasts.

“Dressed," she said, “Much better," David said, then glanced at me.

“Oh shit, Chris, fuck man I hope you're alright, how's he doin' Melanie?" he asked her, looking at her.

“He is doing well, I applied pressure to his wound" she turned to look at me but I was passed out slumped against the wall, “Chris," she said worriedly, “Chris!" she said giving me a shake, “Chris wake up!" she said pounding on my chest.

“I don't think he is, Melanie, Ben, Dylan!" he called out.

David walked to Melanie and gently took her arm, “C'mon Melanie, let the paramedics attend Chris, they're medical professionals they know what they're doing." She slowly nodded her head as David gently lead her out near the doorway.

The paramedics rushed to my aid carrying a lot of medical gear and supplies, “Shit, he looks pale, how long was he bleeding for," asked the paramedic looking up at Melanie who bore the name tag that read: Dylan “I don't know, ten minutes or something like that," Melanie said as she began to sob.

“Shit, he doesn't look to good," said Ben as he opened the medical duffle bags.

Dylan checked my pulse, then shocked eyes was his clear expression. “Fuck, he's going into cardiac arrest." He said worriedly.

“What does that mean?" asked Melanie. “It means his heart has stopped," he replied with sorrow in his voice but also slowly, not wanting to give Melanie that kind of news as he could see some sort of attachment between him and the shark anthro.

“CHRIS!" she screamed and tried to rush to my aid, but David had her in his arms within a second stopping her, “Relax, Melanie let them do their job, they will save his life." He assured her. Melanie started sobbing as she fell into David's arms as he held her comfortably.

“Ben! Give me twenty CC's of adrenaline!" he asked the other paramedic, he complied giving Dylan a syringe, injecting me with it. They wait one minute, no signs of improvement of my condition.

“Fuck, it's not working, Ben, defib, now!" he said. Ben grabbed a big device and placed it beside me.

“What's that, David?" asked Melanie between sobs. “It's called a defibrillator, it's a machine that gives Chris a high voltage electric shock to jump start his heart to get it pumping again." He replied.

They ripped off my shirt, and placed the electrode pads on my chest, them trained to know where they exactly go.

“Charging!" said Ben aloud. “Three hundred volts!"

“Charged!" said Ben,

“Clear!" Dylan said and pressed the button, my body jumped. Dylan felt my pulse, nothing. “Damn!" he muttered, “Ben, four fifty volts!" he said as he looked at him with concern.

“Four fifty volts and charging!" the machine hummed then beeped, “Charged!"

“Clear!" Dylan pressed the button, my body jumped again. Melanie couldn't look, she adverted her gaze as she huddled in David's arms for comfort.

Dylan felt my pulse, “We have a pulse!" he said aloud.

David and Melanie looked at me in shock. “Does that mean his heart is beating again?" she asked him.

“Yes, Melanie, yes it does, but all is not over yet, he has lost a lot of blood, he will need a blood transfusion." He replied.

“Chris, you're alive! Please do it for me, please stay alive" were the last words that I heard echoing throughout my mind.

***

(One week later)

The automatic sliding doors of the hospitals main entrance opened for Melanie as she gracefully walked in to the front entrance of the Los Angeles Base Hospital, the rain drenching everyone who had places to go and the rumble of thunder of an early morning thunderstorm. Her sandals softly tapping the linoleum floor as she walked towards the front desk, all eyes were on her staring at her with mixes of shock, awe and confusion. Her long tail swishing behind her as she arrived at the desk, the front receptionist and her fellow colleagues swallowing big lumps in their throats as they eyed her walking up to them.

“Can I help you?" asked the receptionist.

“Yes, I'm here to see Senior Constable Chris Lehmann, which is if he is well enough to talk."

“Are you an acquaintance?" asked the lady.

“You could say that." Replied Melanie.

“Ah, yes, Senior Constable Chris Lehmann is..." she brought up a clip-board and scanned it with her eyes “...in room 17-A."

“Thank you, you have been most helpful. “Replied Melanie strolling off towards the direction that Chris is located in.

“She is a shark," she heard the receptionist whisper to her colleague, “Not just a shark, a walking, talking shark, I have never see anything like her before."

Melanie gave a smirk as she walked onwards, doctors, nurses, a few patients and visitors not taking their eyes off her as they stroll past, their expressionless faces giving the answer.

After a brief walk, walking past speechless hospital employees seeing an anthro shark walking through a busy hospital is not something they would see every day, she finally arrived at the section Chris was under care in.

As she turned the last corner, she saw two police officers standing guard on each side of a door that read: 17-A. Bingo, she found where Chris is being cared for. The officers that she knew and met during the week Chris has been in intensive care, Officers Mac and Steven who were on guard duty.

They noticed Melanie stroll up to them. “Good morning, Melanie," greeted Steven.

“Hey Steven, on guard duty I see?" she asked him.

“It appears so, I and Mac decided to take up the shift, as one of our closest friends and colleague is in there recovering." He replied.

She nodded softly, “How's he doing?" she asked softly.

“His condition has greatly improved; he is awake and talking and appears to be very responsive, which is a great aspect of the current situation." He replied.

“Is it okay if I go in to see him, with both of your permission of course?" she asked.

Steven made a 'go in' motion with his hand, “Of course you can, Melanie, you did safe his life as well as he did take you in to look after you, just go in quietly, I think he is asleep." He replied.

She nodded. “And Melanie," said Steven grabbing her attention, “Hmm," she said looking up at him.

“If you need anything, we're here and we'll keep you and Chris safe we'll make sure no one else comes in other than us or staff." He said.

“You have our word Melanie," commented Mac.

She smiled at both of them, “Thank you, both of you," she said.

They both gave Melanie a respectful nod and returned to guard duty as they stood at attention with their right hands resting on their holstered firearms.

Melanie slowly and quietly pushed down the door handle, quietly swinging the door inward revealing Chris laying in his hospital bed, IV's attached to him, a blood transfusion drip as well as a water drip were beside him with tubes running to his arms, heart rate monitor attached to him giving a beep every few minutes and a oxygen tank feeding oxygen in through tubes that were positioned in his nostrils.

She quietly closed the door and gracefully walked over to Chris's bed. The fluorescent lights illuminating the room as one was positioned just at the end of his bed where all the medical equipment was plugged in.

He was asleep at the moment, looking rather uncomfortable, with a slight frown on his pale lips. She wondered if he was dreaming in the coma he has been in for the past week.

The first time I saw you, I was trespassing in a person's house and you caught me, wondering what I was doing in there and who and what I was. Now here I am, watching you not trespassing but in a hospital, thankful that you're still alive after an accident caused by my careless actions. She sat in the chair next to the bed, watching the human's slow breathing and the shifting of heat through his body. It's not just a matter of being on my own in this alien civilisation if I were to lose you, anymore. It's different now. I don't... I don't want to be without you.

You have taught me the many ways of the human way of life, I want to learn more, I have learned that you humans are very emotional and have many different emotions than us sharks, I want to feel those emotions like you humans do.

He unconsciously shifted in his sleep, wincing in pain. I want to be closer to you, Chris Lehmann I want to know why you're alone, and I want to help make it stop.

On an impulse that she didn't fully understand, she slid herself out of the chair, then pulled open the covers and carefully crept into the bed. She nestled in next to him, letting her tail dangle over the edge of the hospital bed and gently putting one arm over his chest.

She'd never been this close to him before, in such intimate contact. His skin was so soft, so very warm, and she actually envied him for it; she wondered what it would be like to be able to feel the world around her with as much sensation as Humans did as well as feel the emotions that humans go through, to experience love and romance. Ah, but he's said as much about my sense of smell and ability to detect electromagnetic pulses, she reminded herself. We all wonder what it is to be what we aren't, don't us, Chris. Still... I can't help but feel just a little limited, trapped beneath this skin, being a shark, being completely different an alien alike than everyone else.

She lightly traced her fingertips across his cheek before settling in beside him, letting out a soft sigh of contentment at the already-warmed blankets. She kept a bit of distance between them, just to give him his personal space and to avoid his injury, and watched him for a while as she heard soft peals of thunder and the faint tapping of rain on the rooftop; the soft rhythmic sounds lulled her into a deep, peaceful sleep.

She awoke once during the afternoon, to find that both she and Chris had moved in their sleep. He was snuggled against her now, his head nestled against the top of her chest, and his arm draped over her waist. She had rested her chin against the top of his head and laid her tail over his legs. Some distant part of her mind told her that their embrace was far too familiar for mere friends, but the rest of her didn't care in the least... it felt wonderful. She let her eyes close once again, and dropped back into slumber.

That's until the door to the room slowly swings open, as a man walks in dressed in a white coat and holding a clip-board to his chest, it was a doctor, making Melanie snap awake.

He was surprised to see Melanie's presence and to see the embrace she had on Chris, but his shocked expressionless face is because of what Melanie is.

He looked like he had seen a ghost; he coughed and cleared his throat. “Ma'am, visiting hours are over." He said trying to avert his eyes from her gaze.

Melanie slowly nodded. She slowly sat up and placed Chris back in his normal sleeping position, she slowly slid out of the hospital bed and made her way to the door, where the doctor was waiting with the door held open.

She was sad she had to leave, she wanted to stay by Chris's side and stay with him all night to look after him, but she knew there was professional medical staff on hand to look after him.

As she got to the door, she saw Mac and Steven still standing there on guard in their black police uniforms. She looked at them, “Steven," she said.

He turned to her, “Hey Melanie how was your time with Chris?" he asked her.

She merely gave him a smirk then it turned to sadness. “Steven, can I please stay the night?" she asked him with plead in her voice.

“I don't want to leave him and I want to be by his side."

He looked at her with a different look and carefully thought about it, Steven turned and looked at the doctor for his reply.

“I'm sorry; ma'am visiting hours are over, you can visit him tomorrow when visitor hours are in play." He said.

Steven thought about it, gave the doctor a frown and then nodded to him. He gave a sigh, “Very well, you can stay, but under certain conditions, don't get in the way of us medical staff to attend to him for important procedures." He said.

She nodded and gave a smile. “I understand, thank you." She said and gave a courteous bow.

The doctor looked both at Melanie and Steven, gave a nod and turned on his heels as he was about to leave, “Doctor," Melanie called out.

He turned around, “Yes, Melanie?" he said. “What is Chris's current condition?" she asked him.

“He is in a stable condition, he is healing and recovering as we speak, the operation was successful as planned to remove the bullet fragments, the pellets of the shotgun shell thankfully did not penetrate or hit any vital organs, the pellets however, were a mere inches from his heart, any further and he wouldn't be here today, to be honest Melanie, he's lucky to be alive, I've administered him with some morphine to numb the pain of the recovery process, I will be back in the morning to check on him." He replied with a calm demeanour.

Melanie slowly nodded, “I understand," she said.

“Take care, Melanie, try your best not to disturb him, he does need his rest." He said, spinning on his heels and heading to his next task.

Melanie looked at Steven, “Go on, Melanie spend time with him, we're here if you need anything, also you can press the red button on the wall there to get assistance from the medical staff." He said and gave a smile.

“Thank you, Steven for putting a good word in for me or to put it bluntly a silent good word in for me to stay the night beyond visiting hours to stay with Chris." She said.

He put his hands out in a 'don't thank me' manner. “Just doing my job, Melanie." He replied.

She gave him a smile, as he held the door open for Melanie as she walked back to the hospital bed, Steven slowly closing the door behind her hearing it latch.

She sat on the nearby chair, bent down and unfastened the Velcro straps to her sandals, she gracefully and slowly slid them off of her feet, standing up she slowly slid in next to Chris resuming the same position that she and Chris were in until the doctor came in, her eye lids getting heavy and then sleep overcame her, as she was exhausted over this whole situation, it has caused her nothing but stress, she blames it on herself that this whole thing happened, she want him to recover, to heal, she wants him to be a shark's purpose in her life....