I gasp awake when water is splashed over me. Cracking my eyes open, not realizing I had passed out, I feel brief relief that I can see again. Thankfully the human's light isn't pointed directly into my eyes this time. A very worried human crouches over me, with a bucket. My gills part and I gasp in again. Coughing a few times I reach out towards the bucket. "More?" The human asks. I flop my arm down, it's so heavy, 'No duh, I'm just reaching for the bucket because I think it's shiny.' It slowly pours ocean water over my neck. Instinctively my gills lift and I even flare them out a little because the cold water feels so good. It relieves the suffocation sensation and the fog clouding my thoughts. The humans eyes widen with surprise when my gills flare but it's expression is mostly focused once they go back to normal. It makes soothing noises as it wraps me in a wet blanket which feels great on my skin and scales reminding me why I shouldn't be on land. It's so dry. Then it tries to pick me up I panic, struggling. 

 "Calm down I'm just taking you somewhere I can treat you. You're not safe here." It says. I consider my options, I've already decided to trust a human at this point and it wasn't like I could go back to the water- I try to stay calm as it slips it's hands underneath me again but I can't help trembling. Everything is pinned so tightly to my sides. It notices and murmurs, "It's okay, you're going to be okay." Then it tries to stand. The human's face goes red and it lets out a loud grunt. Straining it readjusts itself and then lifts with it's legs, "Ugh you're so heavy!" I don't respond not sure what even to think. 'Heavy? Oh that's right, on land everything is much heavier.' 

 "Okay." The human strains, "I got you, here we go!" It starts to jog. Yelping I scramble for a hold but it tightens its grip on my arms. "Don't struggle!" It gasps. 'I had no idea walking would be so bumpy. My head starts to hurt and I whimper. "Here," the human gasps, stopping while panting heavily, I look up at its sweaty face. "Lean your head against me," it orders. I obey. It repositions its arms, "Comfy?" It asks, sweat dripping slowly from it's chin, arms shaking, I'm not but I don't complain. I don't know how much longer it will be able to carry me. I literally feel the difference as we go from the flat sand to inclined gravel. I don't make another noise, just watching as we climb out of the beach and onto the dark road. 'What if another car goes by?' I see a light across the street. 'The clinic!' I relax. 'It really is helping me, I am so lucky.' 

 Then the human turns and there's a car with the back of it opened up ready to swallow me and take me somewhere where I will never be seen again. My stomach drops with dread and panicking I lurch falling from the man's weakened arms. Hitting the ground hard I start writhing madly, trying to loosen myself from the blanket. I feel it grab me by my pinned arms so I turn to hiss at it, teeth bared, ready to bite. 'You betrayed me, you lied!' I scream in my head. It whips its hand away then grabbing the corner of the blanket shoves it into my mouth. I gag and try to spit it out but it picks me up, strengthened by adrenaline, and rushes me towards the trunk of the car dumping me in unceremoniously. The trunk slams closed leaving me panting and gagged in the dark. I listen to its footsteps crunch on its way to get into the car while rolling from side to side trying to loosen the blanket. I'm scared out of my mind as the car turns on, a little light turns barely illuminates the trunk. The car starts lurches forward and roars away. I hear barking, the land beast is in the car, another thing to worry about.

 Eventually I calm down enough that I realize I'm pointlessly tiring myself and making my wounds ache. Which is bad because the human is probably taking me far away from the medical help I need. I've heard of the horrors of the black market, I could be picked to the bone and my pieces individually sold or even worse, cut up and served raw as food while still alive. 'Humans love sushi.' My mentor warned me. I close my eyes as they well up with tears. I can't be weak, I can't be tired, I have to fight to get free. I put pressure on the blanket, 'I just need to unroll it,' I think now that my mind isn't reeling. It's a lot harder to unroll myself when I'm thrown back and forth whenever the car touches the breaks. I'm on my third unroll, I'm breathless, and maybe ten minutes have passed when the car turns off. I arch my back finally freeing an arm, gasping, I pull the cloth out of my mouth and yank the rest of the blanket off of me. I'm exhausted, each heart beat sends pain through my wounds. I hear the human leave and open another door but it doesn't come back to the trunk. 'It's leaving me in here?!' I close my eyes trying to stifle the panic. Catching my breath I consider making my way back to the ocean, I can still sense it so it must be close by...and what? Drag myself all the way back to the sea? Maybe if I could call a half-blood. They shouldn't be able to resist my call for help. 

 I scramble to prepare everything I would need for the mercreatures recovery, after locking Honey in the main house I scoop up medical supplies and dump them on the counter with the supplies I got from the clinic. Turning on the water for the tank I mutter to myself, "Okay, okay what else do you need?" I grab the clamps used for holding down fins and the like during surgery, mostly for dolphins. 'I'm going to need to restrain it.' By the time the tank is full and the table is prepared I'm sure that the mermaid has unwrapped itself from the blanket. I don't know what misunderstanding caused the sudden act of violence but I'm sure there will be nothing holding it back from lunging and attacking again. I grab the tranquilizer gun, cock it, and take a deep breath to steal myself. 

 Unlocking the trunk was the hardest thing I've ever done, I keep picturing it jumping out at me and slitting my throat with it's long claws. Whipping it open I lift the gun and flashlight right at it. I lower it immediately after the sight greeting me reveals it still partially wrapped in a blanket, gagged, and terrified. I feel my heart skip a beat. Watery eyes widen and it freaks out wailing through the gag. "No, no it's okay!" I gasp letting the gun hang on the strap over my shoulder. "I thought you were going to attack me again. It's a tranquilizer it would have only made you sleep not kill you." I trail off as it's obviously not listening. It curled in on itself, shaking while tears trial down it's face. Grimacing realizing the mercreature would probably not trust me anymore, I pick it up. Holding it tight in case it struggles I carry it towards the lab. It trembles in my arms, "Crap," I think, "It was scared enough as it was, maybe I should have just shot it and let it sleep before it even realized what was going on. What history does it have with cars? Or maybe it's kidnapping..." I look down at the tightly closed eyes, "You're going to be okay." I try to comfort. "I'm not going to hurt you." I cringe, probably shouldn't have said that considering it needed stitches. 

 Upon entering the small side building it opens it eyes and seeing the lab, the tank, and the table with restraints, screams through the gag. I hold the mermaid tighter almost dropping it on the table. "I'm a veterinarian, I couldn't work on you in the clinic or you would have been seen by a bunch of people!" I yell over it's panic attack. It's heartbeat increases as it continues to take in everything with wide eyes. "I promise I am not trying to scare or hurt you." It's head rolls and it makes soft sobbing noises before it looses consciousness. I stare at it for a second and then mutter, "Well that's convenient." I inject painkiller into it and unwrapping it from the blanket, strap it firmly to the table. Looking at the devastated tail I take a deep breath, "Time to get started." I mumble.