Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
The moment I pulled into the clinic's parking lot, I knew we had a problem.
Cars packed every available space, spilling out onto the street in a chaotic mess of bumpers and bad parking jobs.
A line of people snaked from the clinic's front door, stretching at least twenty deep with everything from nervous-looking teenagers clutching cat carriers to elderly folks with dogs that looked older than Moses.
“Shit.” Joy pressed her face against the passenger window. “I completely forgot. It's free vaccination day.”
I circled the lot twice, hunting for an opening that didn't exist. Every spot was taken, including the ones that weren't technically spots but patches of grass where desperate pet owners had squeezed their vehicles.
“Graham, you can just drop me off at the front door.”
“Not happening. No way in hell I'm leaving you alone with all these strangers milling around.” I swung the truck around again and found a place out in back of the clinic, where others had already parked. I just parked behind them. It wasn’t a place that would normally be allowed by Roxie, but I joined the circus.
“It's just pet owners getting their animals vaccinated.”
“It's a crowd of people we don't know, and your stalker could be hiding in plain sight. I'm staying at the clinic today.”
Joy's eyebrows shot up. “But Graham. I know what he looks like.”
“He could have shaved his head and grown a beard for all we know. Nope, it’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”
“But all day? Graham, you'll be bored out of your mind.”
“I'll find something to do.”
The walk to the clinic took longer than I'd expected, weaving through the crowd of pet owners who were now forming an impromptu line down the sidewalk. Joy waved at several people she recognized, her natural warmth drawing smiles despite the early morning chaos.
“Joy!” Ava's voice carried over the noise as we reached the front door. “Thank God you're here. We're drowning.”
Roxie appeared behind her, clipboard in hand and stress written across her face. “I didn't expect this many people. The free vaccination program has been more popular than we anticipated.”
“What can I do to help?” Joy immediately slipped into work mode.
“Get checked in and grab a smock. We need all hands on deck.” Roxie's gaze shifted to me. “Graham, you're welcome to wait in the break room, but it might be a while.”
“I'll stay close to Joy.”
Three hours later, I understood why people said veterinary medicine wasn't for the faint of heart. I'd somehow been drafted into crowd control, herding anxious pet owners through the clinic like some kind of crossing guard.
“Sir?” A trembling voice caught my attention. “Could you help me?”
I turned to find a woman who had to be pushing ninety, clutching a cat carrier that looked ready to fall apart. The ancient orange tabby inside was making sounds that suggested it had given up on life sometime four Christmases ago. This didn’t look good.
“What do you need, ma'am?”
“Whiskers weighs twenty-two pounds, and I can't lift him onto the exam table.” She patted the carrier with arthritic hands. “He's been my companion for nineteen years.”
“Let me get that for you.”
I hefted the carrier, surprised by the weight. The cat inside fixed me with an angry yellow stare that clearly communicated his opinion of this entire situation.
“He doesn't like strangers,” she warned as I set the carrier on the exam table.
“That makes two of us,” I muttered.
She laughed, a surprisingly robust sound. “You're Joy's young man, aren't you? She talks about you when she checks on Whiskers during his overnight stays.”
“She does?”
“Yes. You're a good boy. I can tell by how you handle animals.” She opened the carrier door with practiced ease. “Whiskers, come meet Graham.”
The cat emerged, then promptly flopped onto his side with a wheeze.
“Is he okay?”
“Oh, he's fine. He's just dramatic. Whiskers, show the nice man your belly.”
The enormous cat rolled completely over, exposing an enormous gut. I couldn't help but grin as he started purring.
“He likes you.” The woman beamed. “Whiskers is an excellent judge of character.”
From across the room, I caught Joy watching with a soft smile on her face. She gave me a little wave before turning back to the nervous-looking teenager she was helping with a squirming puppy.
“Mister! Mister!” A high-pitched voice demanded my attention. “I need help!”
A little girl with pigtails and a gap-toothed grin stood beside me, holding a small cage that contained what looked like a furry ping-pong ball.
“What's wrong, sweetheart?”
“Peanut got out!” She pointed to the cage. “He was right here, and now he's gone!”
“Honey, he’s right there.” I pointed to the white fluff ball.
“No, that’s Princess Jelly. It’s Prince Peanut Butter who got away.”
I looked around the crowded waiting room, imagining a loose gerbil creating chaos among the already stressed animals. “When did you last see him?”
“Just now! Mommy said to hold the cage tight, but Prince Peanut Butter pushed the door open with his nose.”
A woman with a toddler attached to her hip rushed over, her face flushed with embarrassment.
“I'm so sorry,” she said as she looked up at me. I could see her wince. I knew I didn’t look like the type of man she wanted her daughter talking to.
Oh well, I was who she was stuck with. She looked down at her daughter.
“Madison, I told you to keep that latch closed.”
“Mom, you know that Prince Peanut Butter is really smart,” Madison explained seriously. She turned to me. “He can open doors and everything.”
I crouched down to her eye level. “Okay, Madison. Gerbils like to hide in small, dark places. Where would you hide if you were Prince Peanut Butter?”
She scrunched up her face in concentration. “Under something?”
“Exactly. Let's check under all the chairs.”
“You don’t have to do this,” her mother said as her toddler started to cry.
“It’s fine,” I assured the mother. “I’m on animal-wrangling duty today.” I gave her my best smile, the one I saved for Joy. The mom grinned back at me.
Bingo!
“Thanks so much.” She turned to her toddler and attempted to quiet him down while I focused on Madison and our search.
For the next ten minutes, I found myself crawling around the waiting room on my hands and knees, searching for a gerbil while Madison directed the operation like a tiny general.
“There!” She pointed under the reception desk. “I see his tail!”
Sure enough, a small brown blur was huddled in the corner, looking overwhelmed by all the noise and activity.
“Prince Peanut Butter!” Madison dropped to her knees beside me. “Come here, Prince.” He stayed exactly where he was.
“Let me try something.” I reached slowly toward the gerbil, making soft clicking sounds. “Sometimes they respond to gentle noises.”
At least I hoped they did since I was talking out my ass.
The little rodent twitched his whiskers, then scampered straight into my palm like we'd been friends for years.
“You did it!” Madison clapped her hands as I carefully transferred the prince back into his cage. “Are you a gerbil whisperer?”
“Something like that,” I grinned.
Her mother mouthed “thank you” over Madison's head while double-checking the cage latch.
I was dusting off my knees when another crisis erupted near the front door. A little boy, maybe six years old, was sobbing like his world had ended while his father knelt beside him with the patience of a saint.
“Buddy, the shot won't hurt that much. It's just a little pinch. I promise.”
“I don't want Buster to get a shot!” The boy's face was red and streaked with tears. “What if it hurts him?”
I looked at the puppy in question, a cute golden retriever with floppy ears. The dog was wagging his tail and trying to lick everyone within reach, completely oblivious to his owner's distress.
“Mind if I try?” I asked the father.
“Please. We've been at this since before we left the house.”
I crouched down next to the boy, who was clutching his puppy like a lifeline.
“What's your name?”
“Tyler.” He sniffled, not looking at me, his focus all on his puppy.
“That's a good name. Strong name. And this is Buster?”
Tyler nodded, burying his face in golden fur.
“Can I tell you a secret about shots, Tyler?”
He peered at me with red-rimmed eyes.
“I used to be in the Navy, and I had to get lots of shots to keep me healthy when I traveled to different countries. You know what I learned?”
“W-what?”
“The idea of the shot is always worse than the actual shot. It's like being afraid of monsters under the bed when they are really just dust bunnies. Do you know what I mean?”
Tyler looked up at his dad. “You showed me there weren’t any monsters.”
“I sure did.” His dad smiled down at him.
“Did the shots hurt you?” he asked me. He was serious as hell.
“A little. For about two seconds. But then I felt proud because I was taking care of my body, just like you're taking care of Buster.”
“Buster's brave,” Tyler said quietly.
“I can tell. Look at how calm he is. He trusts you to make good decisions for him.”
Tyler looked down at his puppy, who was now chewing on his shirt sleeve with obvious delight.
“Will you stay with us when he gets his shot?” the boy asked me.
I glanced at the father, who nodded gratefully.
“Absolutely. Your dad and I will both be right there with you and Buster.”
When it was their turn, Tyler walked into the exam room with his shoulders back and his chin up, carrying Buster like a woman would carry her newborn. The shot took less than five seconds, and Buster barely noticed because he was too busy trying to reach the treat Roxie was holding.
“See?” I ruffled Tyler's hair as we walked back to the waiting room. “Buster's already forgotten about it.”
“Thanks, man.” Tyler's dad shook my hand. “I've been dreading this all week.”