Benjamin hated hospitals with a passion, but that call from Jessica was very important as he was driving that black 1969 Plymouth Roarunner. Finding a place to park at in the parking lot before getting out and as he walked his senses were overwhelmed a bit. A couple deep breaths were taken  till he went inside looking around trying to find out where Jessica is, wondering what  happened. Hands at his side while Benjamin looked to his left then to the right trying to figure out if he should stay where he was or walk deeper into the clinic. One of the nurses spotted Benjamin and walked  up to him telling him to wait her and that Jessica would be with him in few minutes. So the panther took a seat leaning back in that chair and played the waiting game.

((OOC: I don't really care if there's possible infections if yall want to play it out like that. I think it would be an interesting and awesome twist to the story!))

~*~She didn't know what was going on, or who was around her. All she knew were Theo and Remi, who were there when she awoke from the couch. And then a really nice woman came to her side saying that she's going to the hospital.~*~

"No no I'm okay, I promise! Nothing like a bottle of Advil and some water will do the trick, I swear. This is not the first time this has happened. I'm very clumsy, ya know..."

~*~But the woman insisted on taking her to the hospital. Once the lady lifted her from the couch, Vesta wrapped her arms around her neck. She was actually really surprised how easily the lady could pick her up since they were about the same size. And then she was hauled into a car, and on their way to the hospital.~*~

~*~She listened to the very nice lady that seemed to instantly calm her down when she touched her. The lady was so warm, so beautiful, and so sweet, and Vesta fell into a peaceful state.~*~

"Okay, I believe you. I mean I don't think it's that bad, I'm okay."

~*~A few nurses lifted her onto a stretcher and rolled her inside as soon as they stopped in front of the hospital. Again, the woman reassured and made her feel at peace. Vesta didn't know how she was doing it, but she didn't mind at all. In fact, she hoped the woman would be there to keep her calm when they worked on her scalp wound. Once they were inside a room, they began running tests, pumped her up with pain meds, and started to stitch her scalp wound up. The woman had to leave to deal with other patients, Vesta assumed, but she held onto the peaceful feeling as best as she could while they stitched her up. Then again, it could be the drugs doing it this time.~*~

~*~As soon as they were finished, the woman came back into the room, advising to rest, and waiting on her test results. For what, though? All she did was crack her skull a little bit. Perhaps they were making sure she didn't have a concussion or an early brain tumor? Vesta didn't really know. She smiled to the woman, nodded, and rested.~*~

She shook her head lightly at his formalily, "Please Benjamin, Jessica or Jess is fine." She sighed softly when he inquired about the 'situation'. "The rodere was assisting a human friend in warding her home and tonight a number of tigers attempted to break in. One of the rodere was injured and so were some of the tigers. Its likely now that there will be more violence between the rodere and the tigers." 

She studied him as she felt his excitement at the thoughts of violence, brow arching just slightly. "Injuries will likely be sent here but it is possible that the battle will as well. If that's the case I would like you, along with any others of the pard that are here to focus on protecting the humans here in the hospital and ensuring they are evacuated safely. My staff is well trained in dealing with violent shifters, they know to basically get out of the way. But we are only defending the staff and the patients here, we are not involved in the conflict."

One of the nurses approached them where they stood speaking, "Doctor, the blood tests..."

She accepted the offered chart, "Thank you Cheryl," looking down at it to studied the results. "Hell." She sighed softly, "Benjamin, I need to talk to my patient." She gestured to her office, "Artemus and Dakota, two others of the pard are waiting in there if you'd like to join them." She waited for his assent before moving back to the room where Vesta was resting.

"Vesta," she smiled softly as she entered the room. "We have your blood test results." This was always the difficult part of her job, relaying this sort of information to a patient. She pulled a stool over to sit beside the bed. "Your blood test is showing active lycanthropy virus in your system. Apparently there was comtamination of one of the shifter's blood in the wound to your head." She let the words sink in, studying Vesta's reaction.

~*~It might have seemed hours later that the doctor returned due to the medicine, but it was really a few minutes or the most, an hour. Vesta smiled when she entered in the room. And then she sat herself up when the doctor said she had the test results.~*~

"Oh! Okay. Do I have a brain tumor? Maybe internal bleeding?"

~*~Of course, this was what Vesta expected because it was a pretty hard collision and fall. However, what the doctor said, was not at all what Vesta had expected. The smile instantly faded from her lips; her jaw almost dropping to her lap. Contamination??? Lycanthropy virus??? Couldn't be....~*~

"Wha....."

~*~For once in her life, she was speechless, completely silent. Her eyes blinked wildly as they began to soak, and silent tears streamed down her cherub cheeks. After a few moments, she closed her jaw and swallowed hard; those black long lashes fluttering faster than a butterfly's wings. She took a deep breath.~*~

"So....what now? How did it happen? Am I gonna turn furry once a month? Am I gonna start killing innocent people when I'm furry? Where am I going to live? Oh my God! What about my job?? What do I have to eat now?? Are there others like me?? Oh wait...the house that I was at, were those people lycanthropes too??! What blood is now in my veins?? What animal am I gonna turn into??! Oh God!"

~*~Her mouth spilled. She began to talk a mile a minute, not taking any breaths between questions. And it was that moment she fell into complete shock, and bursted into a full-blown cry, burying her face into her hands, shaking her head side to side. Praying to God.~*~

With everything that was going on lately, it was a wonder they had time to breathe. From Art finding out about his grandmother, to Jess finding a place for the pard. To school starting, and now finishing, with her finals just the next week. Now something about the rodere and tigers??

Her brow furrowed as she'd driven herself and Art to the clinic downtown, and walked hand in hand inside, her fingers laced with his as they moved down the hallways together, heading towards Jess. She'd never spent all that much time around tigers. the only ones she'd really ever met were the ones in hawaii. And she hadn't really known them well.

So when Jess explained the situation and started asking Art questions about the journal he'd brought with him, Kota just listened quietly.

Soon they were sitting in Jess's office, Kota chewing on her thumb nail as she stood next to the window beside Artemus, dark amber eye's staring out the window. "She didn't say which one of the rats it was....you dont' think it was Alex or Theo or Otis do you?" Glancing sideways towards her mate, concern clear in her voice. She was worried about her friends. They were important to her. But she figured if it had been, Jess would probably have told her what happend. maybe...hopefully?

When the door opened though awhile later, Kota was ready to ask questions, only it wasn't Jess that came through the door. Seeing the dark skinned man entering, and sensing that larger black cat, the smaller, more petite female that was Kota's other half, moved like a shadow towards the lighter form of it's mate, even as Kota moved towards Art himself instinctivly.

Artemus would understand. Kota had grown quite a bit, but a new cat was something she was always just a little wary of. Fingers found Art's, and she watched Benjamin with those dark eyes, outlined with thick black lashes. Her voice when she finally decided to speak, was soft, and thickly accented with a hispanic accent. "Hola...who are you?"

Well...had to give her points for at least trying right? Even if she was a little blunt.

Once the large panther entered Jessica's office he observed to the pair of cats within, looking each of them up and down in a slow manner with those yellow & black eyes, the panther within curiousity was very much sated for now at least.  An ear to ear grin formed on those lips thinking how these two would fall under his protection in case the fight between the rodere and tigers was brought to them though truth be told  Ben didn't stick his neck out for strangers, he was always caring about himself. He still wasn't fully sold on the pard, but hell Jessica had his respect and for that reason alone the panther would do whatever necessary for all to carry on. Settled on the pair whom from his observation had to be very close to one another because their scents were all over each other attention on the woman asking who he was and responding with that southern drawl.   "I'm Benjamin and you are?"   Then he looked over at the male with that same look, of questioning, though full of seriousness cause he knew he was about to answer his question "And you must be Artemus?" Holding his ground and position as he stood up in the office making introductions as this a quick meet and greet in a pretty bad situation.