Ch. 43 – Layla
W ith a sigh of relief, Layla flipped the closed sign on the front door of the clinic and turned the lock. For a moment, she rested her forehead against the cool glass of the door and shut her eyes.
Exhaustion filled her bones.
Without Deja in the rotation, Layla was nearing 50 hours at the clinic this week. Normally, she’d be happy to spend more time at the place she considered a second home. But All Paws and Claws had felt anything but homey recently.
That would be on account of Prem. He skulked through the practice like a malevolent spirit, barking orders, jumping down Kate’s throat, and managing only the tersest of conversations with customers. Whenever their eyes met, the furrow dug deeper between his brows, and he looked away like he couldn’t stand the sight of her.
Why couldn’t he just admit he’d been wrong to fire Deja and ask her to return? Scratch that, beg her to return on hands and knees?
“I’m out,” Kate called.
Layla blinked her eyes open and turned to see the gray-haired vet tech leaning out from the doorway of Exam Room 1.
“Good work today,” Layla said. “What a mad house…again.”
Kate nodded. “And a patient is running the asylum.”
“Dr. Dhawan is just tired. We all are,” Layla said, some deeply ingrained urge still wanting to protect Prem.
Kate raised a silver eyebrow. “Probably wouldn’t be so tired if he hadn’t shanked his best worker,” she responded. “God, I don’t know how you stand him. If the other vet clinic in town was hiring, I’d be gone.”
Layla offered a wan smile. “You know me. I get along with everyone. ”
Kate grunted a laugh, then disappeared into the back of the clinic. A moment later, Layla heard the back door swing closed.
She took a few minutes to clean up the reception area and waiting room before moving to the back of the clinic.
“Sunny,” she called. “Where’s my sweet little boy?”
A soft meow answered her, followed by the squeak of wheels rolling across the floor. Sunny appeared and made his slow way to her. In the beginning of the cat’s recovery, Layla would use straps to elevate Sunny’s back legs in the cat cart so he could move only using his front legs. Two weeks ago, she’d stopped using the straps, allowing him to walk using all four legs with the assistance of the cart. Now, his back legs moved cautiously next to the wheels as he walked into her waiting arms.
“Hello, handsome,” she cooed. “You’re getting so strong. Ready to try some exercises without the cart?”
Layla unstrapped Sunny from the cart and carefully massaged his hips and back legs.
“Okay, let’s play.” She moved to the supply cabinet and pulled out a brightly colored stick with a string attached to a shiny, crinkly ball.
“Here we go, sweet boy.” She resumed her seated position in front of Sunny and slowly dragged the crinkle ball across the floor. The orange tabby immediately became transfixed. Sleek muscles tensed across his body. His little butt wiggled.
“Come and get it,” Layla teased, bopping the little ball in front of him.
Sunny lunged for the shiny ball, his back legs wobbling. He slapped a paw on the bright toy before his back legs gave out and he sat down.
“That’s okay,” Layla reassured him. “You’re doing so good. Let’s try again.”
She moved the ball on the string back and forth and Sunny did his best to go after it. The cat was still weak, but his timing and coordination were improving. After a few minutes, Sunny lay on his belly, refusing to move.
“You going on strike after only 10 minutes?” Layla teased him.
“Mrw,” Sunny responded and started licking his paw.
“I see. Okay. Well, you did amazing.” Layla gave the cat a big kiss on the head, then presented him with a treat from her pocket that he was more than happy to accept.
While Sunny chowed down on the treat, Layla moved to his crate. A modified litter box had appeared in the cat’s enclosure at the beginning of the week, the lip on the front lowered to make it easier for Sunny to climb in.
To Layla’s immense gratification, Sunny had begun to cautiously use the litter box, though his aim wasn’t always precise. Still, it was a huge step forward and would make him much more adoptable.
After cleaning Sunny’s litter box, she washed out and refilled his water dish. Just as she set the dish in the crate, a voice spoke behind her.
“It’s time you find a permanent home for Sunny.”
Layla’s heart still set off at a gallop every time she heard Prem’s voice. She turned. He stood in the doorway of his office, hands in the pockets of his slacks. He’d be so handsome if it weren’t for that now-familiar scowl on his face.
“Sunny still needs daily physical therapy,” Layla answered him.
“The right owner can handle it,” Prem countered. “Sunny’s ready. He deserves a forever home.”
Layla nodded. In her heart, she knew Prem was right. As much as she tried, she couldn’t give Sunny all the time and attention he deserved, and it wasn’t fair to keep him at the clinic locked in a crate every night.
“I’ll start asking around,” she answered.
“Good.” Prem rubbed his brow. He never seemed to leave the clinic these days, and rings of exhaustion darkened the skin beneath his eyes.
The silence stretched. Prem picked up Sunny and brought the orange tabby to the crate, his limp more pronounced as it always was at the end of the day.
“He pounced on a toy,” Layla said, stepping aside so Prem could gently set Sunny in the crate. “Well, he mostly, kinda pounced. It was clearly a pounce attempt.”
“Yeah?” Prem smiled lightly. “That’a boy, Sunny.” He scratched the cat behind the ear, eliciting a warm purr.
Layla wanted to purr herself, watching Prem’s face transform with his smile. As much as she tried, she couldn’t tamp down the desire that rushed through her or the memories of his lips and his hands on her body.
Layla realized how close she was standing to Prem. Close enough to breathe in the sage scent of his aftershave. Close enough to see the shadow of stubble darkening his strong jaw. Close enough that her fingers ached to slide through his thick hair.
Prem must have noticed their closeness as well. His body stiffened. Their eyes met. Layla knew she should step away, but her feet were planted to the ground. She licked her lips. Prem swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.
He’s not mine anymore, Layla reminded herself. You made your choice. But her body hadn’t gotten the memo. Her heart raced. That place tingled.
A sharp noise erupted from the front of the building.
Layla squeaked and grabbed onto Prem, her hands closing around his biceps.
The sound continued, and Layla realized someone was banging frantically on the clinic’s front door.
“Stay here.” Prem’s brow puckered into a frown as he stepped out of her arms and walked through the exam room.
Layla quickly fastened the door to Sunny’s crate, then jogged after Prem. If he faced potential danger, no way would she just stand by. She could grab her cell from her purse and call for help or maybe scrounge up that pink bottle of pepper spray if the situation became truly dire.
She made it into the reception area just in time to watch Prem unlock and swing open the front door. A small, bent figure stumbled inside, clutching something to its chest.
“Mrs. Moffat,” Layla breathed, recognizing the woman at once.
“It’s Princess,” the old woman cried, her voice cracking as she rocked the chihuahua in her arms. “She was shaking and foaming. Oh, my poor baby. My poor, poor baby.”
The woman swayed as if she might crumple to the floor, and Layla rushed to her side.
“Okay, Mrs. Moffat,” she said soothingly, wrapping an arm around the tiny woman. “Let’s get Princess to an exam room. Dr. Dhawan can take a look.”
She guided Mrs. Moffat into Exam Room One. Prem, on their heels, plucked the shivering dog from the old woman’s arms and placed the dog on the table.
“Please, help her!” Mrs. Moffat begged, clutching onto Layla.
“I’ll do everything that I can,” Prem answered, his voice cool and professional.
Layla squeezed Mrs. Moffat as they watched Prem examine the dog. He grabbed a stethoscope and listened carefully to Princess’s heartbeat, then checked her eyes with his pen light.
The poor creature shivered uncontrollably, her mouth drooping on one side. Layla wasn’t a veterinarian, but she’d been around animals long enough to know when one was reaching its end. She met Prem’s gaze and saw a reflection of her own sorrowful conclusion.
“Mrs. Moffat,” Prem began, his voice soft. “I can do some additional tests, but my guess is that Princess suffered a stroke.”
“Oh, my baby,” Mrs. Moffat wept. “What can we do? Are there pills to make her better? Surgery?”
Prem was quiet for a long while before he spoke. “This is likely only the first stroke. Princess is in pain. Her kidneys are failing. Her body is shutting down.” He met the old woman’s gaze. “It’s time, Mrs. Moffat.”
“Noooooooo!” Mrs. Moffat sagged against Layla.
Prem moved around the table and helped Layla guide Mrs. Moffat into a chair.
“No. No. No!” The woman shook her head violently. “Princess isn’t ready. She doesn’t want to go.”
Layla took the woman’s hand and tried to offer love and solace through her touch. It was the cruelest of ironies. Pets possessed a magical ability to fill the lives of their humans with unconditional love… only to shatter their hearts in the end.
Prem got down on a knee in front of the weeping woman.
“Mrs. Moffat, if there was any way I could make life bearable for Princess, I would. I swear. I know how much she means to you. But sometimes the greatest act of love we can give to our pets, to our best friends, is to let them go.”
A sob wracked the small woman.
“It’s your decision, Mrs. Moffat,” Prem continued, “but if Princess were my dog, I wouldn’t want her to suffer any longer.”
Slowly Mrs. Moffat nodded. “Okay,” she whimpered.
Layla rested a hand on Prem’s shoulder. He looked up, and in his gaze, she saw pain and resolution.
She loved him so deeply, so dearly in that moment.
“Princess won’t experience any pain,” Prem promised Mrs. Moffat. “It will feel like a gentle sleep, and you and I will be there for every step.”
“I… I can’t,” Mrs. Moffat whispered.
“Yes, you can,” Layla squeezed Mrs. Moffat’s hand. “Princess needs you.”
“No!” Mrs. Moffat shook her head. “I won’t be able to stop crying. She’ll get scared. I don’t want her to be scared.”
“Then I’ll stay with Princess,” Layla said immediately. It wasn’t even a choice. “Princess knows me. Dr. Dhawan and I will be with her.”
The old woman threw her arms around Layla and clasped her tight. “Thank you!” she sobbed.