The process of transformation was almost as bad as Foster expected it to be. As excited as Robbie had been for the prospect of becoming a werewolf, the reality of the situation was that he had been laid down with a fever almost straight away. The first three days weren’t too bad, it was almost as if Robbie were coming down with a cold. Then the true trial began. For a solid week Robbie had a very high temperature, slept fitfully and even got delirious for a while. He could barely hold any food or liquid down. Foster was eternally grateful for the experienced and dedicated team of medical professionals looking after his nephew. They did not panic and they calmed Foster’s own fears down, reassuring him the process was progressing as expected.
After that hell of a week Robbie has entered the second stage. That was, according to the specialists, when Rob’s body was slowly starting to recover from the worst part of the transition. It began with the fever dreams receding and his sleep improving. He also began to keep down more of his food and drink. This second stage took just over a week and it was most noticeable for the vast amount of time Robbie spent asleep. The last stage was when Foster was finally able to catch his breath and get some actual sleep himself. At this stage Robbie was basically recovering as one would from an illness. He was still understandably weakened and needed a lot of rest, but was eating more and slowly gaining more energy. This was also the exciting stage when first evidence of his new werewolf nature would start showing. Robbie was super enthused. Every few minutes he would check his skin for fur growing, his mouth for fangs and his fingers for claws. Foster… Well, to be honest, Foster was just relieved that the worst was over. Whenever the actual transformation part came, it came, there was no rush. But as day after day, after day passed without a single sign of lycanthropy even Foster began to feel just the slightest bit concerned. And then that concern increased.
“What are you doing?” Foster asked in amusement as he walked into his nephew’s room. Robbie spun around frantically pulling up his trackies and stepping away from the full size mirror on the wall. The boy’s eyes were wide before he looked away and mumbled something. “What was that?” Foster asked.
“I said I was checking for a tail.” Robbie said in a pout. Foster stifled a chuckle.
“I see. Anyway, Carl came around to see if you wanted to go to the library with him. He was on his way there and I mentioned you wanted to sign up to the town’s library so he offered to take you. I gave the go ahead, since you’re now fully recovered.”
“Oh, yeah, that would be great, Uncle Foster! Let me just get ready real quick.”
“No worries, remember to get that new school ID you got in the post yesterday. They might want it to start your account.”
“I will!”
Foster left Robbie to his preparations and went back to where Carl was waiting in the kitchen, sat at the aisle.
“He’s coming in a sec,” he told his friend.
“So how is he doing, you sure he’s fully recovered now? No weakness left?” Carl asked sounding concerned.
“None. Fit as a fiddle and running around full of energy since last week.” Foster reassured him. It did not seem to do the trick. Quite the opposite, Carl looked even more worried now.
“But that makes no sense, you know that, right? Usually as soon as you recover from the bite, you begin transforming. It’s not always immediate and it doesn’t always happen all at once but it does not take a whole week to show the first symptom of it. It just doesn’t happen.”
“Shhh.” Foster shot a quick look towards the stairs to check that his nephew wasn’t coming just yet. He did not want the kid to overhear them and worry. Robbie was already obsessing about not turning into a wolf, Foster didn’t want to add to his stress. Heavens knew that he was stressing enough about it for the both of them as it was. “I know all that!” He whisper shouted. “Lance and Grace, the medical team who looked after Rob’s transformation, are very, very concerned, okay? There is absolutely zero, naught, nada signs of him wolfing out. Nothing mental: no instinctive blurts, no ticks, no mind blankness preceding transformation. Then there’s also nothing physical: no pinches or pins and needles feeling in skin or strange lazy feeling in muscles, no urge to lie down and relax, No sudden sleepiness which some kids experience as they transform in their sleep. Nothing!” Foster checked the the stairs again then let his desperation show in his eyes as he stared at his best friend. “Lance and Grace were great, they sorted out a clinic appointment and they did all the possible tests they could think of yesterday. MRI, EEG, blood tests, and a vast battery of other tests I’ve never heard of before. We are now waiting for results. They put a rush on it so I’m hoping to hear at least some news today.”
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“Do they have any theories of what might be going on?” Carl asked after checking for Rob.
“No.” Foster rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. “They’re absolutely baffled. You know how many transformations they have assisted with. It’s their specialism. They have never seen nor heard about something like this before. Complications during the transition - yes. Sometimes, they said, the person’s vital’s will crash and they will have to go as far as resuscitate them and maybe even keep them in a coma. It is super rare but it happens. But this…” Foster closed his eyes, briefly, then shook his head. As he reopened them they were pinched with worry. “It’s completely outside of their experience.” Foster forced a smile. “They’re not worried, mind you, more excited than anything. Robbie is perfectly healthy, after all. They seem to be looking at it like some kind of miracle medical research case. Still very professional of course, but as a family member I can’t help but feel…” Foster sighed and run a hand through his shaggy hair mussing it up even more. “I don’t even know what it is that I feel.” Carl opened his mouth as if to say something in reply, but before he could, there was the pounding of footsteps on the stairs. Foster cleared his expression and smiled for Rob’s benefit. There was nothing to worry about after all. Rob was a perfectly healthy, energetic, eleven year old boy who was looking forward to starting new school, learning all about all the supernatural races and going on more hikes with his uncle.
“All good?” Foster asked his nephew. Rob had his usual serious expression as he considered his backpack.
“I think so,” Rob said. “I’ve got my school Id, and I made a list of books that I wanted to read, and I have a list of topics I want to ask the librarian about, and a list of questions about the library rules. I’ve got a pen and a notebook to write down their answers, and a snack and a water bottle in case I get hungry or thirsty. Do you think I need anything else?” He looked up at Foster.
“Nah, I think you’ll be fine.” Foster answered, his worries fading away in the light of this very normal interaction with his nephew. The kid was just so full of life it was impossible to worry in his presence. “You’ve got Carl in case you need any help or advice and you’ve got your mobile if you need to text or call me, right?” A sudden panicky frantic look entered Robbie’s eyes as he started riffling through his backpack pockets, then slapped his forehead as he realised the mobile was in his tracksuit bottoms’ pocket which was zippable, so quite safe.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve got it.” Rob answered on a sigh, patting his pocket, and Foster chuckled.
“You’ll be OK then. Are you guys going to have lunch out?” Foster directed the question at Carl.
“I just might treat us to a cheeky sarnie from that little corner shop.” Carl’s eyes got comically shifty as he mouthed at Rob from the corner of his mouth. “Don’t tell Nina, but I always do that when I visit library. They’ve got the best cheese and pickle toasties ever. It’s my guilty pleasure.”
“Okay, I won’t tell her, Sir.” Rob’s expression was so earnest Forest found it incredibly cute. Carl must have as well. Foster’s best friend ruffled Rob’s hair and reminded the boy:
“I told you to call me Carl. Sir makes me feel old.” He grimaced exaggeratedly and Robbie giggled.
“Okay Carl!”
“Right, then” Carl slapped his knees and got up. “Let’s go. We’ll be back sometime this afternoon.”
“Okay, have fun!” Foster waved them off. Then, just before they left through the front door he called after Rob.
“Yeah?” His nephew looked back.
“Don’t drag the whole library back in one go! Leave some books for the next time!”
“I know, Uncle Foster.” Rob rolled his eyes exaggeratedly and mumbled as he shut the door. “I’m not that much of a bookworm!”
Foster snickered at his nephew’s exasperation, his mood lifted. He just needed to have some patience, believe in the capabilities of the medical professionals and wait for the call when they would tell him they knew exactly what was going on and how to fix it. Yup, just needed to wait for that call…