Chapter 7

A/N: Hello hello, everyone. I hope you guys are staying safe and healthy while this virus stuff is going down. The world's a little crazy right now, and not in a good way, so I hope this chapter will help lighten up your spirits. If only for a minute.

With a minute left on her break, Anna looked over her Pros and Cons list of her new job one more time.

Pros:

- I get to see Elsa all the time now

- The pay is good

- All the animals here are SO cute

- Dr. Maren is...amazing

- Once I work off the adoption fee, I can keep Elsa for good

Cons:

- Animals poop.

- A LOT.

- It's disgusting and smells so bad.

- Dr. Maren always walks by when I conveniently have bags of poop in my hands.

- I hate poop.

She closed out of the document and slipped her phone back in her pocket. She'd been at this job for about a couple of weeks now and had finally started settling into a groove. In a couple of hours, her shift would be over and she'd have a couple of days off. It was strange having her "weekend" be on Wednesday and Thursday, but it was just another adjustment she'd have to make.

And she'd had to make many.

An early morning start meant setting five alarms and getting used to the taste of coffee. Cleaning out cages and play areas meant needing to get used to the smell of poop and vomit, and not having an appetite for half the day. And having a puppy of her own meant getting used to having someone else live with her.

Thankfully, Elsa was proving to be a welcome addition. She was playful and energetic like most puppies, and Anna couldn't take her on walks yet so all of that energy was contained in the confines of her apartment. Which meant if Anna's alarms didn't wake her up, then Elsa's howling sure did. And man did this dog have a tiny bladder…

Anna left the break room and walked back to the custodian's closet (her "office"). She wasn't just tasked with cleaning up after the animals, but also the human animals. Right now, her top priority was cleaning the bathrooms, a job she hated so much that she left it as one of the last things on her to-do list.

If she hated it so much, it probably should have been one of the first things she did. But there was no point in cleaning a relatively clean restroom at 6 in the morning. And she wanted to show that she was dedicated to this job.

Anna peeked into the men's restroom, wanting to get this disgusting place out of the way first. When she didn't see anyone inside, she propped the door open with her cart and took a deep breath.

Which turned out to be a bad idea. She coughed and hacked until the stench of "man" was out of her noses, and shook her head. "Bleugh, alright Anna Muenster let's get this done."

No time to think, just scrub and wipe and throw away the trash. In twenty minutes, she was done and thoroughly relieved. Another half an hour later, and she was finished cleaning the women's restroom too. Thankfully, there were only two rooms to clean.

After she put away the cart and washed her hands for an eternity, Anna got to work on her final task: walking around the building whilst holding a broom and dustpan. She didn't need it, it was just so no one could accuse her of not doing anything. This last step was more just to ensure that she didn't forget to do anything.

And it also gave her an excuse to stop by Dr. Maren's office.

Sometimes her door would be open, and she'd have these short ten-second conversations with the doctor (which were always one of the highlights of her day). Sometimes, they'd be closed if she was on the phone or in a meeting.

Today, it was open, but Dr. Maren had just slipped on her coat, possibly about to leave.

"Oh, hi Anna!" The doctor said when she saw the redhead awkwardly standing by her door. "Did you need something? I was just about to go out and meet a patient."

It took a few even more awkward seconds for Anna to register that she was asked a question. "Me? Oh n-no! No, I'm just here cleaning. Brooms and sweeping and all that."

"Oh, mmkay. Your shift is almost over, right?"

She remembered her schedule! "Yeah, I'm just finishing up. With cleaning, it's fun. Very rewarding." Oh dear, this went so much better in her head. Then again, it always does.

"Well then don't let me keep you," Dr. Maren said with a polite smile before patting Anna's shoulder and walking past her.

And as if the ghost of bad timing had overtaken her, Anna yelped out a "Wait!" before Dr. Maren rounded a corner. She stopped and turned her head, eyeing the flustered custodian curiously.

"What is it?" she said in a voice that felt like she was in a rush. Because of course she was, she had to see a patient. Which meant Anna needed to make this quick, and say it exactly the way she'd rehearsed it in her "office".

"I-I just wanted to say," Anna cleared her throat, "Have a good weekend."

Dr. Maren looked at her as if she'd asked her to give her a high five, "Uh...it's Tuesday."

...right.

"Uh it's actually my weekend since I have the next two days off, that's why I said that. So, um, have a good 'my' weekend, I guess?" Anna had never failed a test, interview, or date as badly as she was failing this conversation right now.

The doctor laughed, but it was more of a pity laugh than a genuine one. Anna had heard those many times before. "I'll, uh...I'll try. Thank you, Anna, I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Thanks! You too!" When Dr. Maren finally walked away, leaving her to wallow in her self-made pool of cringe, Anna added a soft, "I miss you already" as a joke. Fortunately, no one was around to hear that.

Anna unlocked her door, thankful that her workday was finally over. On the drive back, she added: "I don't know how to talk to Dr. Maren" to her Cons list.

Thankfully, her biggest blessing was waiting for her right behind the door, howling away inside her kennel when Anna finally walked in.

"Hi, Elsa!" Anna said as she excitedly walked over and unlocked the husky's kennel, "How's the best puppy in the- oh right, you need to pee."

Elsa scurried onto the pad by the hallway, squatting down with what Anna assumed was an embarrassed look on her face as she did her business. Aside from the occasional mess-up, Elsa was taking to pad training pretty well. In fact, she was taking to everything pretty well. From being cooped up in a kennel all morning, to waiting patiently for her food.

She really was this magic, fairy-tale puppy. So well-behaved and obedient for such a young and excitable thing. After Elsa was done peeing and drinking water to replenish her empty bladder, she began running up and down the hallway.

Anna giggled, "Did you lose Jorgen again?" She knew full well that the tattered penguin was in her room.

The puppy continued to run at full speed until she tripped over herself, and toppled over, only to continue running when she got right-side up again. This time, towards her. Anna knelt down, letting the puppy attack her with those tiny paws and small (yet still relatively sharp) teeth.

As long as she didn't clamp down, Anna reminded herself, then the nibbling was okay.

Elsa growled as she tugged on the cuffs of Anna's jeans. "You can smell all the other animals on me, can't you? Well don't worry, you're still my favorite. Even though I did see the cutest tabby cat today."

The puppy trailed down to her shoes, threatening to untie her laces with her teeth.

Anna stood up, "Alright. Come on, girlie." She walked to her room, Elsa walking and bouncing in front of her. She wanted desperately to get out of her uniform and into a comfy pair of pajamas.

This was nice, for the first time in forever life felt good. She had no worries, nothing holding her back, and a little bit more of a purpose. Once she took a shower and took a nap, she'd play with Elsa some more, figure out what to eat for late lunch/early dinner, and...well, who knows after that.

All she knew right now was that life was good. And with Elsa by her side, she planned to keep it that way.

She reminded herself to place one more thing on her Pros list:

"I'm happy."