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Being a vet, doesn't that mean you are an animal lover? Well you can count on that when it comes to Pierce. Probably about the only thing he holds in high favor once he turned 32. People let you down, animals? Not so much. Sure they bite and such, but its expected. He is a sucker for any cute pets or critters that crawl along. He has a gentle hand, no matter how big they are and keeps a smooth, calm voice while he works with them. It's quite funny that he can be such a "softie", when outside of work, he is known for his grunts of replies.

Personable at work, able to explain anything to any of the owners, no matter how stupid they might seem at the time. His staff gets along with him and enjoy their time, though if you ask them anything about him, they would probably turn their heads slightly and say 'huh, I don't know much actually'. And that's how he liked it. No need for them to pry.

Outside of work, he isn't a social butterfly, but also not a hermit. He is more of a go with the flow, if conversation is needed, he tries his best to carry one. If not, he has no problem sitting there in silence as well, being comfortable in his own skin. He has been given a hard time by friends about how he doesn't quite support/lift people up. To which he always replies, what have you done to deserve that. He doesn't believe in building people up who just expect it or think they deserve it and yet have done nothing to earn it. He tells them to go talk to a therapist if that's what they need. He is a vet.


Pierce grew up as the oldest of three. Pierce, Jamie, and Leo, were born to Kelly and Hugo Ryker. On the outside, it seemed like they had quite the desired family life. Kelly and Hugo deeply in love, beautiful children who all had bright futures, being financially well off and able to afford some of the nicer things in life. From the outside, picture perfect family. Like complete with those beach photos you saw above fireplaces where they were all in white and barefoot with big toothy grins and tossed hair. Yeah, they had one of those. And pretty sure a ski trip as well.

But behind that? Not so picturesque. Now there wasn't any hidden torture chambers or chains or anything. More like, dad rarely was there for dinner. When he was, he was buried in his phone. That perfect couple in the picture on the mantel? Constantly bickering and never really spending much time together. The siblings were not close, each one kind of branching into their our areas of interest. Jamie was the artist, she really did make some fantastic pieces and made sure to take advantage of every dime she was allowed from daddy dearest. Leo was the bigger brains of the siblings. Sure, Pierce would ultimately go to school to be a doctor (for animals) but Leo, he had bigger ideas and plans. Now he does some secretive (Pierce is convinced he just doesn't want to share anything of use) stuff with Prism Biotech.

Pierce found animals much easier to be around. They never questioned much, though their eyes could tell you all that you needed to hear. And if you give them your all, they will do the same. He thought he found that in one person however. She was beautiful, all sun kissed skin and dimples to boot. She played coy with him for months when he was in his late twenties. Just flirting around enough to keep him on the hook, making him made with his want to be noticed and held by her. When she finally gave in, he was on cloud nine. Anything she wanted, he made sure to make that possible for her. Family money still came in, because their mom made sure that all her kids were well off, but he made a good living for himself alone.

Had he not been so head over heels for her, he might have noticed the side looks she'd shoot over her shoulder to others. Or the way she would always pout when she didn't get something right away upon request, or if he denied her request. Or perhaps the way she'd do whatever she wanted, no matter what his opinion had been. But it made her happy, and he just wanted her to flash that smile at him. After several years of dating and a year of living together, he asked her to marry him. Pierce could barely contain his happiness and excitement for their wedding as it started approaching. He bent over backwards to make sure that their wedding was everything that his bride to be could want.

If he hadn't been so wrapped up, maybe he would have noticed her burying her face in her phone so often. The day of the wedding came, and he sent off his "I love you and can't wait to see you at the alter" text before getting ready. He barely slept the night before, too excited to finally make her his wife. His suit was sharp, and everything was beautiful. The white roses filled the room with little bursts of lavender. It created a calming sense when you entered the chapel, which later wouldn't prove useful. He stood at the alter, watching everyone walk down. A few minutes past when she was supposed to, hey the bride could be late, probably had a last minute touch up that needed to be done right? As five minutes turned into thirty, guests started to whisper. Pierce looked to his best man who just shrugged before he shifted his eyes over to the maid of honor. Who he noticed was texting on her phone like crazy. He didn't even remember asking where she was, but he heard someone tell him that his bride was not coming.

As time went by, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Pierce turned to face his father who patted him twice before heading for the exit. How long did he stand there? He wasn't even sure. How did he get home? He could only guess that his body took over and drove him home. He found a note there, such a cliche. A note simply stating "I can't do this. I don't love you like you love me". The following months were a blur, boxes to pack, lots of awkward exchanges with his now ex's family as he gave them her stuff. And then packing up his own home and he left. Moving 5 states away to start his own Veterinary office in Lethford, who was seriously lacking animal care outside of the local shelter. His office now going on 3 years of being open.

When the outbreak started, Pierce learned the hard way what a disaster this sickness could be. His father being one of the the ones to fall dead during the first few months. A proper funeral couldn't even be held from the restrictions that had been placed on their home, not that Pierce could even get to his family anyway. Instead, he gets holed up in his office, taking care of strays that have been booted from their homes that he has had too much of a soft spot for to send to the shelter (thankfully he has only come across a few, he is pretty sure his staff would be quite upset at their already full area). Not to mention how he rotates the animals into his home to give them a break from the kennel life if they are feeling well/doing better with their treatment.