Chapter 21 #2
“It’s a feral street cat, and Marley was worried about it, so we want to know if you could look it over for us.” Gia smiled at Marley’s grateful look before turning her attention back to the vet.
“I’m Dr. Hawthorne, but you can just call me Dr. Luke. Or, Luke is fine. And who do I have the pleasure of meeting…?” He raised his eyebrows hopefully. She recognized the look of interest on the male’s face.
It is way too early for this.
“Gia. And this is Marley.” Gia tipped her chin at Marley, redirecting his attention to the reason they were there.
“Oh, of course, Marley. Let me look at this beautiful creature you brought in.” An adorable blush colored his cheeks. If a certain other man hadn’t been preoccupying her thoughts, Gia would have found the dark-haired man’s interest endearing.
Marley slid the carrier closer to Dr. Luke. The cat hissed its displeasure at being moved.
“Ah, you are a ferocious creature, aren’t you? Come on, let Dr. Luke take a look at you.” Dr. Luke lifted it into his large arms. “Make yourselves comfortable, ladies. I’m working alone this fine Saturday. There’s fresh coffee in the back.” He disappeared through the swinging doors.
Gia gestured to the side door leading into what looked like a break room. “I’m gonna get a cup of coffee… You want one? Or are you too young for coffee?”
Marley shook her head. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
The break room was small, with a self-serving single-cup coffee maker gleaming on the countertop.
Fortunately, the device was easy to use, and the aroma of coffee nearly made her moan with happiness within minutes.
She rummaged through the fridge for the coffee creamer and added a few packets of sugar, stirring the contents with the plastic spoon she’d found in the drawer.
She was too impatient to let it cool down, and the hot liquid nearly scalded her tongue. “Shit! Fuck, that’s hot!” She tried blowing on it to cool it down and attempted another sip, sighing in satisfaction when the flavor lit up her taste buds.
It wasn’t Mama’s home-brewed coffee, which she’d sucked down too quickly this morning, but it would do for now. She made her way back into the waiting room, finding Marley standing in front of the fish tank like Gia had been not long ago.
Gia observed Marley and wondered again how she had come into Jake’s life. Though Marley appeared to be a normal thirteen-year-old girl, Gia recognized the weary look in her eyes. Marley carried the weight of the world on her young shoulders.
“You okay, Marley?” Gia whispered. Marley jerked as if startled out of her thoughts.
Marley pasted on a smile. “Me? I’m fine.” She shrugged. “Just worried, you know.”
Gia nodded, though she was curious to know more about what ate at Marley. “Yeah, I know. I’m sure everything is gonna be just fine.”
“How much longer do you think he’ll be?” Marley asked, chewing on her thumbnail.
“Well, hopefully not much longer, or I’ll fall asleep.” Gia smiled from where she sat on the bench with her legs stretched out in front of her.
“He’s been in there forever,” Marley whined.
Gia stretched; her back hurt. “Yeah.”
“I hope it’s okay.” Marley went back to chewing her thumbnail.
“Me too.”
Silence descended as they watched each other. She knew Marley wanted to ask her something but didn’t know how to say it, based on the way she’d open her mouth quickly to say something and then shut it.
“Gia?”
“Hmm?” Gia tilted her head, waiting for the inevitable question.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Um… sure.” She shrugged.
Marley leaned forward and met Gia’s gaze straight on. “Why do you hate Jake so much?” Marley pulled at her sleeves, hiding her poor thumbs.
Do I hate Jake? Is that what it looks like?
“I don’t hate Jake…” Not after last night…
“But…” Marley’s hands floundered in the air.
Gia sighed, trying to figure out what she could say. “It’s… complicated between us.”
“Do you think you could ever forgive him for whatever he did?”
Marley looked up, her eyes connecting with Gia’s.
“I—”
Suddenly, the door swung open with a whoosh.
Saved by the vet.
“All right, ladies. Come in, we need to talk.” Dr. Luke held the door open as Marley and Gia scrambled to their feet.
Luke gestured to an open exam room, where they could hear the familiar sound of hissing cats and the rattling of cages.
“Have a seat, please.”
“Okay… You’re scaring us,” Gia stated matter-of-factly.
He beamed a crooked smile at her. “Nothing to be scared about, but probably best for you to sit down.”
Marley sat on the bench, while Gia remained standing by the door.
“Okay… What’s wrong with him?” Marley asked as she sat on her hands, probably so she wouldn’t chew on her thumbs again.
Luke cleared his throat. “Well, he is actually a she.”
“Oh, okay.” Marley frowned.
“And… she’s pregnant.”
“Oh.” Marley’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
Pregnant?
“I went ahead and did an ultrasound when her exam turned up an enlarged abdomen but no injuries to report.” He walked over to the exam table and turned the carrier so they could look at the black pregnant cat. “This is the part where you needed to sit down.”
“Okay…”
“She’s pregnant with six kittens.” Luke folded his arms across his chest, bracing himself for their reaction.
“Six?” Marley squeaked.
“Yup. Six healthy kittens confirmed by ultrasound. Due in a couple of weeks.”
“A couple of weeks?” Marley echoed.
Gia could do nothing but watch as the scene unfolded. It seemed straight out of a novel.
“Yes. And as first-time customers and good Samaritans, I’ll waive the fee for today’s visit,” Luke said politely, though from the hopeful look he shot her, he was hoping it would earn him some points. “So, who will take her home?”
“Wait, take her home?” Marley screeched.
“Yes. In her state, it would be best for her to be in a safe environment when she gives birth.”
Marley and Gia looked at each other. They hadn’t thought this would be the outcome of today’s mission.
“My mom’s allergic, so I can’t take her back to my house…” Gia said regretfully, lips downturned.
“Oh, um, I’ll take her home,” Marley offered.
“Are you sure?” Gia asked softly.
“Yeah. I’m sure Jake will be fine with it.” Marley shrugged nonchalantly.
“Okay, if you’re sure…” Luke turned around and opened the cabinets behind him. He started pulling some items out and placing them on the table. “Here are some treats and vitamins you can give her until she delivers.”
He bent down and opened the cabinet below the sink, pulling out a reusable bag with their logo on the front. He continued placing items in the bag while talking about ways to get a feral cat to open up, though Gia was not interested in trying to socialize the feral beast.
Luke turned around, holding out the bag of goodies to Gia while Marley grabbed her precious and pregnant cargo.
They left without another word. The car ride back to Jake’s house was silent as they processed the news.
Even the cat was silent, as if finding out it was pregnant had been a shock.
All too soon, Gia pulled into the driveway and put the car in park.
She turned to face Marley, who looked a little green around the gills.
“Ready?”
“Um, no, not really.”
“Hey.” Gia placed a warm hand on Marley’s shoulder. “It’s gonna be fine. We’ll get through this together, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Besides, Jake owes me one. Let me do the talking.” Gia’s eyes gleamed with determination.
“Okay,” Marley whispered.
“Let’s go talk to Jake.”