Barbara waved at the cushioned chairs lining the waiting room. “Make yourself comfortable. Dr. McConnell’s in with a patient right now, he shouldn’t be long. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”
“No, thank you, I’m fine. I came prepared.” Naomi settled on a chair near the door, and pulled out her Kindle, raising it for Barbara to see, and they shared a laugh. In the best feline fashion, Cat proceeded to ignore both of them, and began grooming one tufted paw.
Naomi waited until Cat honored her with a glance, then mouthed “Dogs?” silently. The large, tufted ears swiveled back, and Cat hissed at her. Grinning, Naomi opened her Kindle and scrolled through, looking through her library before settling on one of the books, a vampire romance, that she and Beth had decided to read together.
The door opening behind her had both her and Cat turning their attention to the new arrival. Naomi blinked in surprise as she saw Nathan, the man she’d met at the food court in the mall a couple weeks ago. Ugly suspicion rose, but just as swiftly banished at the panicked look on the man’s face as he peered in the door.
“I don’t know which door to come in,” he said, his voice strained. “I’ve got a… uh… I’ve got a rabbit.”
Amusement filled her, but she bit back her smile.
“Come on in, then,” Naomi invited. “I’m sure it’s fine.”
Relief swept over his face, and he came all the way into the waiting room, carefully holding a hard plastic pet carrier, a larger one, meant to hold a medium-size dog. He started toward the reception desk, then paused, doing the classic double-take.
“Wait… I know you. Naomi, right?”
She smiled at him. “Yes, from the mall.”
Behind her, Barbara asked, “May I help you?”
“Oh.” He turned back to the counter. “Um, yes. I called. I’m Nathan Burke. Its, uh, an emergency.”
Barbara did a quick check on the computer and nodded. “I’ll take you back to a room now. You’ll be seeing Dr. Shelton.”
He gulped, seeming oddly nervous, and gave Naomi a distracted nod as he followed the woman down the hallway. She had to chuckle. Well, that was weird. But clearly, he wasn’t following her, so she went back to her book. A moment later, she was startled by a male voice bellowing, “Cat!”
There was a thud as Cat leaped to the floor and trotted down the hall. Near the end of the hall, Troy stepped out of an exam room, beckoning to Naomi. “You’d better come, too. And Barbara? Call Liam and tell him to get in here.”
Curious, Naomi tucked her Kindle into her purse and headed down the hall. She entered the exam room right behind Cat, and was startled when Troy turned a furious glare onto Cat.
“I am so going to throttle you.”
Large gold eyes blinked up at him, and the plumy tail swished. Naomi moved her gaze to where the pet carrier rested on the metal exam table. Nathan was loosening the screws that held the top half on, while Troy bent to look inside the carrier. Naomi exchanged a baffled glance with Cat, and shrugged.
Finished with the screws, Nathan stepped back. His gaze fell on Cat, and then he looked at Naomi, clearly bewildered by their presence. Troy straightened, his mouth set in a tight line.
“Ready for this?”
He lifted the top off the carrier, and it was all Naomi could do not to gasp aloud. Crouched in the carrier bottom, its eyes wide with fear, shivering in terror, was a bunny. A tiny baby bunny, with small antlers attached to its head.
“How did you do that?” Naomi asked Nathan, bending to look closer.
“I didn’t,” was his terse response.
The bunny turned its head at the sound of Nathan’s voice, and hopped out of the crate, over to the edge of the table, butting its face against Nathan’s waist. Naomi couldn’t help smiling at the warm, fuzzy feeling she got, watching Nathan cradle the little creature in both hands, despite the shell-shocked look on his face.
“Aww. It trusts you.”
Troy’s stern gaze was on Cat. “Well?”
The air shimmered with the magic of an impending Change, and Naomi squeaked in alarm.
“Wait!” She dove for the cabinets lining one wall of the exam room, rummaging until she found a sheet. She emerged, holding it up between Nathan and Cat. “Okay, now.”
A moment later, Cat disappeared, and Katerina emerged, filling out the sheet, which she clutched about her with a grateful smile at Naomi.
“A jackalope?” Troy demanded of his fiancee. “Really, Katerina?”
