Coco (Dr. Richards’ Littles #34)

Chapter 1

Clamping her teeth together to stop them from chattering, Coco crossed her fingers in the folds of her skirt.

She distracted herself by checking out the waiting room on the dog side of the veterinary clinic.

Cute pictures of dogs in various poses decorated the room.

Coco loved them all, but wished she’d met the puppies in person instead.

“Coco?” a woman in a white coat asked from the doorway.

“Yes. I’m Coco,” Coco answered, hating the slight tremor in her voice.

“I’m Sofia Rossi. Thank you for coming to interview today. Let’s head to my office where we can speak privately.”

“Of course, Dr. Rossi.”

Coco followed her through the doorway, passing the front desk area. Two woman juggled manning the phones and greeting clients. Coco smiled and returned their greetings, glad to see smiles on their faces. Even while busy, the employees appeared to enjoy their jobs. This must be a good place to work.

Dr. Rossi led Coco into a sunny office and waved her into a chair. “Coco, let me tell you about the position and the type of person we’re looking for.”

“Okay. I’d love to know more,” Coco said as she took a seat.

“I joined this practice with an older veterinarian. He retired a few years ago. Currently, I work here with two vet techs, two weekend vet assistants, an office manager, and a receptionist. Unfortunately, one of my techs is moving, leaving us with a vacancy. You’re interested in a vet tech position, correct? ”

“Yes. I saw the advertisement in the placement office of the community college I attend,” Coco shared.

“You’ve finished your associate’s degree?”

“I have. I’m currently working on additional certification in anesthesiology and analgesia,” Coco said, carefully pronouncing the two words. She often stumbled over words when she got nervous. She sighed in relief as she said these without messing them up.

“So, you’d like to work in the operating room?” Dr. Rossi asked.

“Eventually. I know I need more experience and am eager to work my way up into a specified… Sorry, I mean… specialized position if that’s a possibility.” Mentally, Coco kicked herself. She’d managed to say anesthesiology, but screwed up specialized?

“Of course, it’s a possibility. Finding someone with additional certifications would be a bonus. Are you good with animals?”

Coco smiled. “I adore animals. I want them all to be healthy and happy.”

“How would you like to assist me with a couple of appointments?”

“That sounds fun.” Coco would love to work with animals instead of trying to showcase herself for a job.

“I hoped you’d say that. Let’s go see my next two patients and then we’ll talk some more,” Dr. Rossi suggested as she stood.

Coco followed her through the connecting door in the back of the office, through the rear working space of the vet clinic. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of a woman who looked exactly like the veterinarian she followed.

“Hi, Coco, right? I’m Isabella, Sofia… Dr. Rossi’s twin. I’m a vet tech, too.”

“Oh! That’s so fun. Hi, Isabella.” Coco noticed Dr. Rossi standing by a closed door waiting for her. “I'd better hurry.”

“Sorry, Dr. Rossi,” she apologized as she approached.

“Totally understandable. I should have warned you.”

Dr. Rossi smiled as she opened the door to greet the next pet owner. “Hi, Janet. This is Coco. She’ll assist me today. How are the kittens?”

The basket on the counter barely contained a bunch of squirming kittens in all colors.

In her studies, Coco had learned that a female cat could mate with several males and have different breeds of babies.

In the basket, a Siamese kitten climbed up the side while a flashy calico kitten meowed up at her.

A pure white kitten slept despite all the chaos next to two yellow tabbies who wrestled.

A small gray fur ball barely moved. Coco instinctively knew something was wrong.

“Everyone is great, except for this small one,” the owner said, looking worried. “She’s not getting any bigger.”

“Sometimes with a litter this big, a kitten can get lost. Let’s start with the gray kitten first.” Dr. Rossi looked at Coco.

Scooping the runt up in her hands, Coco hesitated to put the animal on the cold metal table. “Is there a towel or a mat I could grab? She or he’s not very warm.”

“Good thought.” Dr. Rossi opened a drawer and pulled out a thick rectangle of material. “Okay. Let’s see how the fluff ball is doing.”

Almost instantly, Dr. Rossi looked at Coco. “Could you step in the back and ask Isabella for some kitten formula in a bottle?”

Isabella snapped into motion, and soon Coco was back with a warm bottle for the kitten.

The doctor had moved on to examine the others, so Coco scooped the kitten up and offered it some nourishment.

“Come on, little one. You can do it. Yum, yum, yum.” Finally, to her delight, the kitten rallied and sucked.

Its efforts strengthened as it devoured the mixture. “Good job, champ. You’re doing it!”

Coco looked up to see Janet and Dr. Rossi looking at her with smiles. “Oh, sorry. I always talk to the animals. I don’t know if it makes me feel better or them.”

The small kitten let out a tiny squeak, drawing everyone’s attention.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard him talk,” Janet said. “You’ve got a magic touch, Coco.”

“She does,” Dr. Rossi agreed. “Looks like the gray kitten needs some additional food support. Are you up for feeding him every four hours?”

“We’ll take shifts at home. Can I buy all the supplies here?” Janet asked.

“We’ll get you all set up and send directions,” Dr. Rossi assured her. “All the others are thriving. If the gray little boy doesn’t continue to rally, bring him back in. Tell Suzanne at the desk she has my permission to work him in between appointments.”

“Thank you, Dr. Rossi.”

“My pleasure. Isabella will bring supplies in a moment. Have fun with that bunch!” Dr. Rossi motioned for Coco to follow her into the back.

When the door closed, Dr. Rossi spoke to her sister, “Isabella, thank you for your help with the supplies. Coco got the kitten to eat. Could you gather kitten feeding instructions, supplies, and supplemental food for Janet?”

“On it, Sofia. Good job, Coco!” Isabella said as she immediately switched tasks to help.

“Okay, Coco. This one will be tough,” Dr. Rossi warned.

They walked through the next door to find a huge, handsome man leaning over a bulldog on the table. “Roman, is it time?”

“He’s tired, Doctor. Buster has fought for so long.”

“We’ll take care of him. Do you want to stay?” Dr. Rossi asked.

“He wouldn’t leave me. I won’t abandon him either,” Roman answered.

Dr. Rossi ran her hand over the dog and scratched its neck softly. “Hey, Buster. What a wonderful dog you are. Let’s take this pain away, okay?”

The dog’s tail twitched. Coco’s eyes filled with tears as her heart broke for the owner and the suffering dog.

She stepped up beside the exam table as the doctor gathered her supplies to distract both Roman and Buster.

“Hi, Buster. I’m Coco. I can tell you are the bestest boy. Let’s think of all your favorites.”

She looked at Roman and asked, “What’s his favorite toy?”

“A blue squeaky ball,” Roman answered without hesitation. “He must have had a hundred of them over the years. I had to learn to sleep through the noise.”

“A blue ball?” Coco asked, talking to Buster. “That’s so fun. Did it go squeak, squeak, squeak?” She tried to make her voice sound like the toy must have. Buster’s nose twitched, and she could swear he was smiling.

“Did your daddy throw it in the backyard for you to chase?” Coco asked as Dr. Rossi drew the injection.

“He likes to go to the park,” Roman told her as the doctor shaved a small patch on the dog’s leg.

“Oh, the park! With all the trees and the leaves. I bet that’s fun to hunt for your toy.”

“Just a small pinch, Buster, and then you can go chase balls all day,” Dr. Rossi told her patient and delivered the medicine as his owner petted him.

“I love you, Buster. You’ve been such a good dog,” Roman told him as the light went out in Buster’s eyes.

“You made the right decision, Roman. It was time,” Dr. Rossi assured him.

“Thank you for taking care of Buster,” Roman told her. “Can we follow the arrangements we discussed earlier?”

“I’ll make sure your wishes we discussed before are completed correctly. Stay as long as you would like with Buster. Knock on the inner door when you’re ready for us to take care of him,” Dr. Rossi said quietly.

Coco could hear the pain in the vet’s voice. She imagined Dr. Rossi had treated Buster for years. Coco had witnessed animals being put to sleep during her training. In her opinion, Dr. Rossi was as compassionate as anyone could be. In just an hour, Coco thought the world of her.

Please let me get this job!

She crossed her fingers again as she followed Dr. Rossi into the back area. Isabella met them with a box of tissues. They both grabbed one and patted their eyes.

“That doesn’t get any easier,” Dr. Rossi said and sighed deeply before turning to Coco. “Can you start tomorrow? We need you.”

“I can start this afternoon if you wish, Dr. Rossi.” Coco had never in her life been more sure that she was in the right place. If the other doctor was half as nice as Dr. Rossi, this would be heaven.

“I could use the help,” Isabella told her twin.

“Paperwork first in my office and then, if you’re serious, head back here to dive in,” Dr. Rossi said with a smile. “Oh, and call me Sofia.”