Chapter 15 #2
“You’re welcome.” I disconnected and sent a quick text to mark my location on the map. While I waited for Zina to show, I knelt down to try to figure out what Buster was so keen on protecting. “Hey, bud, what have you got there?”
Looked like a nest of rats or something. Every once in a while, one of them moved, causing the rest of them to squirm around. My stomach did the same, twisting and turning as I tried to figure out how we were going to get Buster out of the dead log without a fight.
Finally, the sound of Zina crashing through the woods reached me. “Alex? Where are you?”
“Over here.” I moved toward the direction of her voice until I caught sight of her. “He’s right here.”
“Thank goodness.” She reached for me as she got closer. “Where?”
I led her to the fallen log. “Down here. And he’s got something with him. I don’t know what they are, but when I tried to get closer, he growled at me.”
Zina knelt down and looked in the tree. “Hey, Buster. What have you got there?”
The dog whapped his tail, a much different reception than the one I’d received. What a fair-weather friend I had in Buster. Apparently, Zina had the magic touch.
She ran a hand over the dog’s giant noggin. “Let me see.”
Buster lifted his head, revealing the pile of critters.
“Oh, Buster.” Zina pulled her hand back and pressed it to her chest.
“What?”
She looked up at me, shock registering on her face. “They’re puppies.”
“Puppies? Are you sure? They look like baby possums or rats or something. I would have been able to tell if they were puppies.”
“Have you ever been around newborn puppies?” she asked.
I didn’t have to think about that. No, I hadn’t. But I never expected puppies to look like rats.
“We’ve got to get them back to the shelter.” She gave Buster’s collar a gentle tug. “Good boy. We can take it from here.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Here, take Buster’s leash.” She handed me the end of the leash. Buster exited the log willingly. Even he could tell that Zina was better prepared to handle the situation. Smart dog.
“I wish I had something to put them in. They can’t be more than a couple of days old.” She glanced around. “I guess I’ll just carry them in my shirt.”
My lungs spasmed. If she took her shirt off, I’d lose it. I glanced away, studying some leaves on a nearby branch.
“There.” Zina turned to me, her shirt still in place. She held the bottom hem up, creating a little bit of a sling to carry the puppies back. “Let’s go.”
“What about the mom?” I hesitated. With puppies that young, there had to be a mama dog nearby.
“I don’t know. They look pretty tiny, so I’m not sure if she’s been around. If we want to save them, we need to get them back to the warehouse.”
“Okay. Lead the way.” I followed her through the trees, wondering how this might affect the timing on getting the dogs relocated. I hadn’t had a chance to count but there had to be at least four or five of the little critters.
Zina emerged from the woods and speed walked across the lawn to the warehouse. “I wish I had all of my stuff from the shelter.”
I held the door for her as she entered. “What do you need?”
“Well, we need to get them warmed up right away.” She nudged her chin toward a chair. “Sit.”
“You talking to me or the dog?” I asked.
“You. Sit down and hold a couple of them up against your chest.”
I slumped into the chair and let go of Buster’s leash. Zina handed me a squirming pup, who squealed as it was removed from the pile of its siblings. I cradled it in my arms. She handed over another one.
“How long do you need me to sit with them like this?” It wasn’t entirely unpleasant except for the way their tiny nails scratched against my pecs.
“Until I figure out what to do. I’ve got formula over at the shelter. I’ve got to go back.”
“Isn’t there somewhere closer?”
“I guess I can grab some from Coop. These pups need to eat.”
“I’ll go.” I stood, juggling the two pups in my arms. “You stay here and I’ll go get what you need.”
“You sure?” She’d set the other pups down on a towel and pulled a heating pad out of a box.
“Yep. Just let me grab my shirt. You make a list and I’ll get everything you tell me to, okay?” For the first time in as long as I could remember, I wanted to help. And not just do enough to get myself out of an uncomfortable situation, but really, truly help someone in need.
“Okay.” Zina took the pups and placed them on the towel with their siblings.
I counted six. Six more dogs that would need to be moved.
How did she do it? As soon as it looked like she was making progress, some other dogs would show up, and she’d have to start all over again.
I shook my head as I walked toward the door.
Thirty minutes later I’d run to the store and come back with everything Zina had on the list. She took the two bags of supplies and started barking orders. I followed her lead as she mixed up formula and began to feed the pups.
“Give me one, I can help.” I held out my hands, and she set a tiny black-and-white puppy in my palm.
“They’re going to want to wolf it down, but you’ve got to make sure they go slow. Otherwise they’ll just get sick.”
Minutes passed, then hours. I went back and forth between feeding one pup and then trading it out for another. By the time they’d all been fed, it was time to start over again.
Zina was relentless . . . kept plugging away, taking a break every now and then to feed and exercise the other dogs.
I wasn’t going to be the reason one of the pups didn’t make it, so I kept up with my job.
After she’d gotten the other dogs taken care of, she joined me on the warehouse floor, where she’d spread out a few layers of blankets. She’d settled the pups in a laundry basket with the heating pad underneath, then collapsed on the blanket next to me and let her head rest on my shoulder.
“I hope they all make it.” She let out a sigh that sounded like it contained all of her frustration.
I tilted my head, resting my cheek against her hair. “They will. They’re lucky they’ve got you in their corner.” With her fighting for them, I couldn’t believe they wouldn’t make it.
“I’m so tired.” She nestled closer.
I put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her down to where her head rested in my lap. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”
“I can’t. I’ve got to make sure those puppies make it through the night.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them. I promise I’ll wake you up if I need you for anything.”
She shook her head. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Tell you what. It’s uncomfortable as hell out here. Why don’t we bring the pups in the house, and I’ll watch them while you rest?”
Her eyes closed. I almost laughed. I bet I could get her to do just about anything while sleep tugged at her consciousness.
“Come on.” I got up and put my hands under her armpits to tug her to a standing position. She didn’t resist.
“Okay, but only for a little bit.”
“Whatever you say.” I tucked the feeding supplies into the laundry basket and picked it up.
With the basket on my hip and one arm wrapped around Zina, I led the way through the dim lighting of the warehouse and across the drive to the house.
The lights were off on the lower level, which meant Gramps had turned in.
I opened the front door and led Zina up the stairs to the bedroom I’d been using. I herded her toward the bed. She fell onto it, already asleep. I set the basket down and slipped her shoes off her feet. Then slid her lower half under the covers.
By the time I plugged the heating pad in and made sure the pups were settled, it was time for another feeding.
This had to be worse than handling a newborn.
It was like a newborn times six. I did kind of like it though.
Three girls and three little boys. While I held the smallest one in my arms and dropped the formula into its mouth, it let out a contented sigh.
Maybe I could get used to caring for something else. If I wasn’t ready to deal with people yet, I could find enough space in my heart for an animal.
I settled the last pup back in the basket, changed out the towel for a clean one, and then wondered whether or not I should go downstairs to try to catch a few winks on the antique sofa. As I leaned over to turn off the bedside lamp, Zina cleared her throat.
“Where do you think you’re going?”