Chapter 10
TEN
My foot taps restlessly as I finish typing notes on the beaver I just treated for a deep laceration. He’s chilling now after getting his sutures in, and slowly coming out of anesthesia. And now that the procedure is finished, my attention is wandering. Every time someone enters the back room, or I hear a door open, I can’t help but glance up.
“What has you so antsy?” Jessica, one of the vet techs, asks as she slips a file into the cabinet beside me.
I shake my head, lowering my gaze back to the computer. “Nothing.”
“Hm,” she hums. “Not buying it.”
I sigh, shooting her a quick glance. “Just waiting for someone. The guy who brought the bird in is coming by this afternoon.”
Her eyebrows shoot up as she glances across the room to the bird in her cage. “Really? Why?”
A small smile tugs at my lips. “He’s really into birds, and is pretty attached to this one.” My gaze slides over to the bird, rustling among the branch Arthur brought over the weekend. “I think I am too.”
Jessica cocks an eyebrow at me. “Not many vets would have done that surgery.”
“I know.” I nod.
She closes the filing cabinet and eyes me with a small shake of her head as she walks away. “If you weren’t gay…”
I laugh with a shrug. Sorry, not sorry.
She stops as she reaches the door leading to the front of the clinic. Then she looks back at me and tilts her head towards the entrance. “I think your guy might be here.”
Immediately, I’m on my feet. And as I head towards the entrance to greet Arthur, I’m cursing at myself to settle the fuck down. Somewhere along the way, Neville falls into step beside me, apparently having finished begging everyone for treats.
As I step into the front room, I see Arthur by the clinic entrance, peering out into the busy hallway that leads to the other offices and labs.
“Hey,” I say, and his head snaps towards me. But his gaze quickly drops to the floor as he gives a little nod in greeting.
His eyes find Neville as he scurries up to him and tries to stick his little paws in his sneakers. Arthur just watches him, and I bite back a chuckle as Neville clearly doesn’t find any treats in there and turns to make his way into the back rooms again.
“Come on in,” I say, gesturing for him to follow me and Neville into the clinic where the bird is. “She’s been moving around quite a bit more the past couple days since you saw her. She’s getting pretty adventurous.” I chuckle, stopping before her cage and turning to look at him.
He stands beside me, but his eyes are darting all around the space. He seems to sink into himself, and his hands grip the straps of his backpack. He doesn’t even seem to notice when Neville hops up onto the counter and reaches forward to grab at his sweater.
“The incision is healing nicely. I’ll take a closer look at it today,” I say, eyeing him carefully as his eyes flick to where Jessica and another tech are talking and laughing amongst themselves, and he squeezes his backpack straps even tighter.
“I need to swap out the tape for her splint, so you can help me with that,” I say, my eyes flicking to where his wide gaze has landed on the portable monitor across the room, beeping in a rhythmic pattern as it monitors the beaver’s heart rate.
His gaze follows one of the other techs as she walks by, and his entire body tenses as another wave of laughter makes its way across the room. Neville sticks his paw in the front pocket of Arthur’s hoodie, and I gently reach out to swat him away.
“Did you bring a branch?” I ask gently, hoping to bring Arthur’s focus to the bird.
His knuckles are almost white as he holds on tightly to his backpack. His eyes flick towards me, but quickly return to the bustling room. “What?” he asks in a distant-sounding voice.
“Did you bring a branch?” I ask again, stepping a little closer to him.
Arthur nods stiffly, but he doesn’t move to take it out of his backpack.
He looks like he’s one second away from bolting right out of here.
“You know,” I say, reaching out and picking up the bird’s cage. “I think it’s best we change her tape in an exam room.” I gesture with my head to a door behind him. “Let’s go in here.”
Arthur immediately turns around and pushes the door open. I follow him and set the bird’s cage on the exam table. The door closes behind us, with Neville sneaking in just in time, and I feel the shift in him the second it clicks shut. The tension seems to ease from his muscles, and his shoulders fall as he releases a breath. His bright green eyes meet mine for just a fleeting second… but it’s enough to know he’s ok in here.
“Thank you,” he murmurs quietly.
“No problem,” I reply as I watch him step towards the exam table, the dim light from the under-counter lighting illuminating his soft features as he watches the bird.
I stay quiet as he sets his backpack on a chair and carefully pulls out the branch. Neville immediately jumps up to root around in his bag, and I sigh to myself, about to step in and tell Neville to at least try to act like he has some fucking manners. But Arthur surprises me with a soft chuckle, and turns back to the table.
“That’s a good one,” I say, nodding at the branch in his hands.
A gentle smile spreads across his lips as he looks down at it. “I got it on the way here.”
Carefully, I take the bird out of the cage to place her on the counter, and Arthur watches with wide eyes before he quickly replaces the branch.
“How do you…” Arthur trails off, brows furrowed as he looks over her splinted wing. “How do you change the tape? Her wing is so small.”
I chuckle lightly as I pull the roll of tape from my lab coat pocket. “It is.” Then I cut two pieces of tape and hold them out to him. “I’ll gently peel off the tape that’s holding the splint in place now and replace it with these ones. Can you pass them to me when I need them?”
His eyes light up as he nods eagerly, taking the tape from me. My gaze lingers on him for another moment as I take in the shift in him, and notice how much calmer he is now. But I quickly bring my attention back to the little bird sitting between us, curiously looking around and waiting for us to get on with it.
“For just less than a week post-op, she’s doing really well,” I say as I take a quick look over her wing after carefully peeling back the tape.
Arthur leans forward as he peers at her wing, watching me work. And I can’t help but sneak another glance at him. His small smile brings one to my lips as well, and my gaze drifts over his shoulders wrapped in a grey hoodie. His tousled red hair is a wild mess as usual, and I find myself wondering what it would feel like to run my fingers through it.
Fuck.
Quickly, I force my attention away from him and back to the bird before me.
“Alright, tape,” I say, holding my hand out for a piece of tape from him. And when he passes it to me and my fingers graze his, I scold myself yet again for the jolt that flows through me.
What the fuck is wrong with me.
“She’s done,” I say as I secure the last piece of tape.
As I release the bird and place her back into her cage, she cocks her little head and hops towards the new branch waiting for her.
Arthur watches her as she hops around and explores her new digs, his small smile still in place.
“So…” I gather up the old tape, along with the courage to make some kind of move here. Because I’ve clearly got it bad for this guy, and I barely know him. Is he interested in talking to me at all, or is he just here for this bird? Does he want to get to know each other? Could he be into guys? Could I maybe steer us towards some kind of hangout again, away from the clinic? “What are you up to this weekend? ”
“Hiking Cobbler’s Path,” he says simply, without lifting his eyes from the bird.
My brows lift as I stare back at him. That’s an intense hike, about twelve kilometres with serious elevation.
But that’s all he says. No explanation, or even a glance in my direction.
I swallow down my disappointment and force a smile. I guess that answers my questions. “Sounds nice.”
He just nods, still watching the bird as she hops around in the cage.
I’m a fucking idiot. He’s just here for the bird, while I’m completely losing it over him. What was I hoping for? For him to invite me on his weekend plans?
Arthur glances up at me, and I quickly realize I’m scowling at myself. I quickly mask it with a smile, but his eyes curiously roam my face before he drops his gaze again.
“I’m supposed to be having coffee with my mom,” he says quietly.
“This weekend?” I ask.
“No.” He shakes his head. “Now.”
Great. Now I’m keeping him from his plans. Seriously, I need to get over myself. “Oh, ok. Well, she’s all finished, so…” I trail off, trying to ignore the sinking weight of disappointment in my stomach.
“I have coffee with her every Wednesday afternoon,” he says, shifting his weight on his feet and keeping his eyes cast down.
Confusion settles over me as I watch him, not sure why he’s telling me this, and why he’s not making any move to leave.
Until his bright green eyes lift and look directly into mine. “But I came here instead.”
My heart skips a beat as he holds my gaze a moment longer, then drops his eyes with a soft shake of his head.
“I don’t usually change my plans,” he says quietly.
The disappointment starts to lift, replaced by a flicker of hope. A slow smile spreads across my lips as he looks up again… this time with a soft smile of his own.
Maybe there’s something here after all.