“When?”
“Tonight.”
Sheryl sat there for a few seconds thinking things over, then she got up and walked over to the sink and washed her hands. “You know, Cristie, I know you’re supposed to want to greet all new arrivals and all, and this one is a childhood friend, too, so that makes it tough, but you’re late. You’re very late gettinginto work today, and the appointments are backing up, and then you’re going to have to stay late to do the paperwork because me and Trey have plans tonight, so it just cannot happen tonight. You’re going to have to stay here late tonight.”
Cristie smiled at Sheryl. The first real smile she’d smiled since seeing Remi earlier that morning. “That’s right! I have so much work to catch up on here and I wouldn’t be properly performing my job if I didn’t give it priority.”
“That’s right. And you need to get out there right now and see some of these baby animals that just want to feel better. In fact, Mrs. Jensen’s cat is in room 3 waiting for the next available doctor to see him.”
“Mr. Jangles? I hate Mr. Jangles. He bites me.”
“It’s because you’re a bigger cat than he is. He’s afraid. Just put on some good, thick gloves and go in like you own the place.”
“Fine.”
“But take a minute to compose yourself. Then go in. If you’re already upset, he’ll sense that and consider it a sign of weakness and we may end up having to stitch you up before you can move on to the next patient.”
Cristie nodded as she reached for her coffee and took a sip.
Sheryl stopped at the door and looked back at Cristie before she went back to the front desk. “Cristie?”
“Yes,” Cristie asked, turning her head toward Sheryl.
“Maybe he didn’t immediately throw his girlfriend over for you because he’s stronger than most. Maybe he was wrestling with a moral dilemma that most don’t even experience because their loyalties don’t lie that deep. I don’t know, just saying maybe. But it wouldn’t have been right if he’d just thrown her over and run blindly to you, would it? I mean, that’s just instinct, not loyalty. He’d invested time in something he thought would last and just dropping her flat wouldn’t be fair. I mean, what if you’d been the girlfriend and she’d been the mate, andsuddenly one day you looked up and he was gone with little-to-no explanation. Seems to me, and I don’t know the boy, but seems to me that he couldn’t win for losing in that one.”
Sheryl went back to the front desk, and Cristie sat there, Sheryl’s words swimming around her head. She leaned over and banged her head on the table a few times before she stood up, sipped another mouthful of her coffee, then went to the supply room to get a pair of the long leather gloves they used when they treated Mr. Jangles.
~~~
“That went well,” Richie said.
Remi laughed.
“No, it did. She didn’t hit you. She didn’t throw her coffee at you. She just yelled a little.”
“And twitched. She twitched,” Remi said.
“Yeah, she did twitch. That left eye. It gets going when she’s about to blow. But she didn’t blow,” Richie said brightly.
“She was pissed, though.”
“Truthfully? I don’t think she’s forgiven you for renouncing her,” Richie said.
“I didn’t renounce her,” Remi said.
“Oh, I know. I heard the whole thing… pulled the hole in after yourself.”
“Head up my ass,” Remi said.
“Yeah. Same thing. Still, she hasn’t forgiven you. She’s mad as hell.”
“Or still hurting.”
“And still hurting,” Richie said.
“Angry and in pain,” Remi said.
“Aren’t you supposed to stay away from animals that are in pain and injured?”
