“The need for you to pay your bill isn’t going to change if she leaves.”
“If you cut us off, I’ll make sure no one will use you for their animals.”
I held my ground and ground out, “I haven’t slept in four days.I’ve done overnight calls the last three nights and worked all day, every day, since Roland died.If no one called tonight and tomorrow… Hell, if no one called me out for the next week, I’d be thrilled.”
“I’ll make sure she suffers for this.”Timothy leaned in so close I could feel his breath on my cheek.“And I’ll see you at the farm in an hour.”He stormed out.
The silence that followed felt like an aftershock from an earthquake.
Did they still expect me at Sunday dinner?Probably.
But his parting words prickled under my skin.Make sure she suffers.Was he bluffing?Or did he mean it?
If Timothy touched her—if he so much astried—I’d end him myself and feed him to those bears Erika joked about.Oh, I knew where they lived.Everyone did.
Marty stood at the office’s door wringing her hands.
I gave her a double eyebrow raise.
She handed me a chart.“Mrs.Tadlock is in room two with Lexi.She said it was an emergency.”
“Does Lexi have diarrhea again?”
“Mrs.Tadlock said she pooped blood.Lexi also skipped breakfast.”She muttered, “Not that that the little thing couldn’t stand to skip a few meals.”
“Be nice.Her mom means well, even if the dog is a land shark.”I stared at my computer blankly to get my head right after that argument.I called out, “I’ll be right there.”
I plastered on a smile before I pushed into the exam room.“How’s my favorite frequent flyer?”
“This is all Jim’s fault.”The sixty-something debutante pushed her short, styled brown hair out of her eyes.As usual, she wore horse riding breeches and a polo shirt beneath a fleece vest.“He gave her roast beef last night.”She held up a hand.“I know, I know.We have this poor girl on a strict diet of turkey and rice for her stomach issues.She gets a whiff of beef and she’s squirting all night.Lordy, Dr.Hurst, I’ve been up with her since two in the morning.I’m exhausted.She’s exhausted.The poor girl’s whining and scooting and squirting.”
“Let’s take a look.”The fluffy white toy poodle must’ve had a grooming appointment yesterday.Her head was floofier than normal with new little pink bows in her bangs.As Mrs.Tadlock hefted her on the table, I asked, “Is she still getting the probiotic we started two weeks ago?”
“She won’t take it unless I put it in a piece of chicken or pecan pie.She won’t eat it in a hot dog or cheese.I even tried mayo, peanut butter, and cream cheese.She sucks off the stuff around it and spits it out.”
“Uh-huh.”Strict diet, my ass.The dog’s body could hold three dogs of her should-be size.The “snacks” her parents gave her landed her here every two to three weeks with diarrhea.I worried Lexi was on the fast track to developing diabetes.“Did you give her anything for diarrhea last night or this morning?I know you’ve got a few things at home.”
“I gave her some of the one that starts with a P that Dr.Chomping gave her a few months ago.”She hovered in front of Lexi who blinked up at her mom unmoving without a hint of anxiety.When I moved forward to examine her, the right side of Lexi’s upper lip rose.This little piranha would take my finger off if given the chance.
“Darling, it’s okay.”She pulled the dog’s head between her gigantic breasts and held her there.“He’s going to get you straightened out.I promise.Be nice to Dr.Hurst.”She kissed the dog on the nose several times.
When I touched Lexi’s back she snapped at me.I jumped back.
“Dr.Hurst is a nice doctor.Now you went and scared him.”She pulled Lexi’s head back into her chest.“Is this the big one, Doc?Does she have cancer?”
“I’m not seeing anything to suggest cancer.”The dog and I exchanged glares.The dog was too feisty to let cancer take her down, even if she was almost fourteen years old.I cautiously examined the dog’s hind end and listened to her heart.Mrs.Tadlock caught her when she tried to get me again.Gently, I said, “I need to peek at her head, Mrs.Tadlock.Can you help me?”
“It’s Bunny.Everyone calls me that.”
“I still can’t, you know.”It felt wrong to call her that.
She lifted Lexi’s lips for me.I wasn’t going anywhere near that mouth unless the dog was sedated.She made one of my fingers bleed for an hour the last time she got me.“Are you sure you haven’t started anything else new?”
“Well…” She grimaced.“My personal trainer said it’d be a good idea to try her on this mushroom supplement that’s all over my social feeds.Then my esthetician was going on and on about the same one.Her dog’s skin cancer disappeared after starting it.Then Sue down at Piggly Wiggly said she just started her old boy on it too.Sue was promoted to manager last month.Her mom was so proud.Jim wasn’t sure about the mushroom thing, given Lexi gets diarrhea if the cat looks at her wrong.I hate telling him he was right.He is right, isn’t he?I shouldn’t have started it.”
I opened my mouth to reply but she resumed, “Jim has got his coloscopy tomorrow.He’s hoping they’ll fix his hemorrhoids, but I told him that’s probably a different appointment.If they do, then I think he’ll forget to gloat that he was right on the mushroom thing.He spends far too much time on the toilet as it is, but now that they’ve got him drinking the stuff to prep for the procedure tomorrow, he’s going to be in there all day.I might have to go to my sister’s house or the barn to get close to a toilet today.”
“You’re welcome to use our bathroom, if you like.”I knew more about my client’s health problems than their own doctors probably did.I never commented or made suggestions since it wasn’t my place.I chose veterinary medicine for a reason, which was to avoid people medicine.Dog diarrhea I could handle, but not people blow-outs?Eww.I opened my mouth to talk about Lexi, but she started in again.
