Despite her small size and timid nature, Marie was quite the stubborn corgi. Thinking she could carry the weight of the world on her tiny little shoulders, she refused to ask for help whenever she needed it the most. However, her own diligence could only get her so far when the unceasing sharp pain showed no signs of letting down anytime soon. When the first signs of a migraine and nausea showed up, the corgi had to begrudgingly swallow her own pride, and with tiny hesitant steps she made her way up to Jack’s office.
Upon pushing the old wooden door open, she found the old wolf sitting back on his broad chair, his feet up on the desk while he was having a heated conversation over the phone. He growled as he massaged his temples in circles with one massive hand, not even noticing the corgi entering his office. For a moment she hesitated. She didn’t want to be a bother to the wolf, who was very clearly busy having a shouting match with whoever was at the other end of the phone. Without saying a word she closed the door behind her, and slowly made her way to the couch right by the window.
Now having noticed the corgi, Jack’s rage quickly dissipated as he quietly followed her with his gaze, not even paying attention to the “negotiations” he was having over the phone. As Marie plopped on to the couch and curled up on herself, he shot a quick glance over at his calendar, and then back at the corgi.
“Listen, Randal buddy?” He said getting up from his chair, as it creaked under the shifting weight. “Let’s worry about the small little details later, aight?”
“What do you mean later!?” A nasal voice shouted from the phone. “That order had to be delivered by- “
“LISTEN, CHUMP!! IF YE KNOW WHATS GOOD FER YA, YA BETTER KEEP THAT UGLY TRAP OF YERS SHUT, UNDERSTOOD?!” He snapped back, then swiftly ended the call by closing his old flip phone and carelessly tossing it on his desk.
The old wolf walked over the corgi resting on the sofa, with a grunt he squatted until he was at eye level with her. He gently helped her take off her glasses and put them on the coffee table.
“Hey pup” He reached for her tiny paw and held it tight with his, idly rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand. “Everything ok?”
She slowly shook her head.
“’Course not. Have you taken anything yet?”
She denied again, he sighed.
“Christ, what am I gonna do with ya” He gently squeezed her hand and let go of it as he got off the ground. From his desk’s drawers he pulled a blanket, a heating pad and some meds. Despite being such a crass jerk, deep down the old wolf was a huge worrywart, always keeping stuff like that with him just in case. He handed the pad to Marie and gently tucked her in with the blanket, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “I’ll get ya some water, want some tea too pup?”
“Jack, you don’t have to… besides I can’t stay here for long, I’ve still got work to do…”
He growled. “Listen here runt, yer not gonna lift a single finger for the rest of the day, ya hear!? Yer not feeling well so ya need to get some good rest.”
“But- “
“No buts! As yer damn boss I order ya to take care of yerself!”
Before she could protest, the old wolf had already made his way out of his office. He ordered his employees to get him a glass of water and a nice cup of tea with milk and honey. He went through Marie’s mountain of pending paperwork and divided it among his workers and himself. Days like this were not that common on the office, it was rare for Marie to be undisposed for whatever reason, that girl had an enviable good health and excellent work ethic, however her own body would occasionally get the best of her and when it came down to it everyone at the office was prepared.
Once the tea was ready, Jack walked right back into his office as if nothing had happened. She took the medicine to ease her pain, and slowly drank her tea. The cramps weren’t letting down, but at least she was feeling more comfortable. Jack noticed how the warmth from her face slowly came back to her and couldn’t help but smile.
At one point Marie managed to fall asleep as Jack quietly kept working. Out of everyone at the office, he took the biggest share of the corgi’s workload. He didn’t know how or when it happened, but when Jack noticed he had developed feelings for that tiny clumsy dork, he promised himself something. He’d never let any harm come to her; he’d protect her with his own life. As he watched the love of his life rest on his couch his tail wagged happily. He couldn’t describe how happy she made him.