Nine
When Rachel awoke on Monday morning, Molly was nowhere to be seen. Initially, she didn’t worry – the little animal often went out the doggy door. She’d no doubt reappear when she became hungry.
After showering and dressing in a loose sundress, Rachel settled into her morning routine of preparing breakfast for her guests. This week, she had a young couple who she suspected were on their honeymoon, as they were very affectionate towards each other, breaking apart with embarrassment in her company. The other guests were a family of four – Mum, Dad, and two teenagers – Rachel wasn’t sure why they weren’t in school – and the youngsters were proving to be a challenge with their continual whinging. She was glad they were only booked in for a week.
Breakfast over, there was still no sign of Molly, and Rachel began to worry. She stepped outside, calling, ‘Molly!’ which usually brought the little dog running. Not this morning. Her heart dropped. Where was she? Rachel started to search around the garden, calling out the dog’s name as she went, becoming more and more anxious. Then, as she rounded the sundial, she heard a faint whimper, then saw what looked like a white bundle lying under a bush.
‘Molly!’ Rachel rushed to the dog who tried to get up when she saw Rachel, but she seemed unable to move her back legs. Recognising the signs of a tick, she knelt down and examined her pet, frustrated when she was unable to find the culprit. She had no idea how long Molly had been lying there. She only knew she needed to get her pet to the vet right away.
Rachel bundled the little dog into the car and set off for the vet clinic, driving carefully so as not to disturb her, and glad she didn’t have far to go. The clinic was located along the bluff from her home. She’d heard Bob Reed, the usual vet who’d taken care of Molly since she was a tiny puppy, was away and hoped the locum would be as caring as Bob always was. But surely anyone who chose to work with animals must be kind and caring?
Entering the clinic, Wendy, the receptionist who’d been there for ever, welcomed her with a smile. ‘Morning, Rachel. Molly poorly? You do know Bob’s away at the moment? His replacement’s a lovely man.’ Wendy’s endorsement meant nothing. She saw the good in everyone, but it was some sort of a comfort. Rachel and Molly were the only ones there so she shouldn’t have long to wait. ‘You’re going to be fine, Molly,’ she reassured her pet, stroking the dog’s head gently.
In only a few minutes, Wendy told her to go in.
Inside the consulting room, the vet had his back to Rachel. All she could see were a pair of long legs encased in blue jeans which had seen better days and a white tee-shirt stretched across a set of broad shoulders. The body was topped by a thatch of white hair. ‘Take a seat. Be with you in a minute.’ The voice sounded vaguely familiar.
When he turned to face her, Rachel gasped as she recognised Luke Findlay, the boy – now a man – who had been her sister’s first boyfriend.
Luke stared at her for a moment, a puzzled expression on his face then, ‘Red?’
‘Rachel,’ she said automatically. What was he doing here? When she was fourteen, she’d had a huge crush on her sister’s boyfriend and instead of ignoring her, he’d been happy for her to tag along on some of their dates, calling her Red , because of her red hair, the hair which was now faded to more of a strawberry blonde. He’d left for university around the same time his family had moved away too. It was all over forty years ago. But she could easily recognise the younger version of him. Although his once black hair was now silver and the matching beard neatly trimmed, his eyes hadn’t changed, eyes of such a dark navy blue, the young Rachel had felt she could drown in them. His features hadn’t changed either, the high cheekbones and sallow complexion. Wasn’t there an Italian connection somewhere in the mix? All of this went through her mind in a flash, so it was a shock when he spoke.
‘Rachel, of course.’ His lips turned up in the smile Rachel remembered, the one which had made her senses reel when she was fourteen, and she felt her heart lurch at the memory. ‘And who have we here?’ he asked, taking Molly into his arms and setting her down on the examination table.
‘Molly. She’s very lethargic this morning, I think she’s picked up a tick, but I can’t locate it,’ Rachel said, trying to control the butterflies in her stomach. It was nerves about Molly, she assured herself, nothing to do with the man who was now carefully examining the little dog. She wasn’t fourteen any longer, and Luke must be… she did a quick calculation… sixty-two. At fifty-eight, Rachel was older than the other three in her group of friends. It was possibly the reason they often confided in her and asked her advice. And she was much too old to have a resurgence of her teenage emotions for a man from her past… from her sister’s past, she corrected herself. To him, she’d always been Becky’s little sister.
‘Let’s have a look,’ Luke was saying, his long, tanned fingers feeling around Molly’s tiny frame, while Rachel watched on anxiously. ‘I believe you’re right,’ he said. ‘Good thing you brought her in when you did.’
‘What…?’
‘I’ll just administer a sedative to ensure I can find the tick and don’t miss any others. I’ll give her an anti-serum to help neutralise the toxin. Then I’d like Molly to stay in the vet hospital for a few days so I can monitor her and provide any additional treatments which prove necessary.’
Rachel felt the colour drain from her face. ‘How long will it take? She will recover?’
‘I’m sure she’ll be fine. It looks as if you found her before the toxin got a hold. But she should stay here for a few days. It can sometimes be a slow process, take up to nine days. You can call in two days’ time, and we’ll let you know how Molly is doing.’
‘And that’s it?’ Rachel realised she was sounding foolish. But this was Molly who had been with her since she was a tiny pup. What would she do without her, and how would Molly take to being in a cage at the vet clinic?
‘I can assure you I’ll take good care of her,’ Luke said smiling. He was clearly accustomed to dealing with anxious pet owners. ‘And, once she goes home again, you’ll still need to take care – keep her comfortable with a cool environment and minimal stress or exercise, feed her smaller, more frequent meals and ensure she has plenty of water. It could be up to three weeks before she’s fully recovered.’
‘Three weeks? That takes us up to Christmas!’
‘Is that a problem?’ Luke raised an eyebrow.
‘No, of course not.’ But Rachel was already trying to work out how to incorporate Molly’s care with her Christmas preparations, and how she was going to manage to ensure her lively pet got enough rest. Normally, this was a time when Molly liked to be in the thick of everything, excited when the tree went up, and on Christmas morning when the two terrors were unwrapping their presents – and this year there was Emily too.
‘Well, then.’ Luke stood looking at her, and Rachel realised he was waiting for her to leave.
‘Right, thanks. I’ll call in two days, then?’
Luke nodded.
Molly looked so sad lying there on the long examination table. Rachel hated to leave her there, but she had to trust Luke. ‘Bye, little one,’ she said, bending over to place a kiss on Molly’s nose, which was warmer and drier than usual. ‘Be good.’ Then, feeling even more foolish, she turned and left, tears coming to her eyes as the door of the surgery closed behind her.
Rachel drove home in a haze, unsure what had upset her most, having to leave Molly with the vet, or the fact the vet was Luke Findlay, the first boy she’d ever had a crush on – and who she’d never forgotten.