Page 84 of Not Mine to Rescue

Fly pointed at the doors to surgery. Because I’d volunteered here multiple times, I was familiar with the layout. I even knew the woman behind the counter. I approached. “Hey Brenda, where’s Dumb Ass?”

She looked up from whatever she’d been doing and her face fell. “Oh, Wombat.”

I shook my head because, no… he couldn’t be.

“Don’t tell me they put him down.”

Her face instantly changed. “No. No, it’s just that they’ve got him hooked up to hemodialysis and he’s in pretty bad shape.”

“They figure out what he ate?”

She shook her head.

“Is he knocked out?”

“Yes, Lemon is in helping our on call. She’s been a rock.”

Good. “Do you need me back there?”

Her up-down scan of me took in my shaking hands and slumped shoulders. “Why don’t you sit down and wait, okay? Maybe drink something?”

Code for, I looked like shit. “Thanks. Let me know when something changes.”

“I will.”

My body felt heavy. I couldn’t sit upright to save my soul. I stared at the TV in the corner, and at the posters, and anywhere but that damn door.

Fly swung an arm over the back of my chair and slapped my shoulders twice to show he cared. Then pointedly slid his arm back to his side and looked away.

“Thanks, man.”

“Yeah, well, he’s a good dog, you know?”

Yup. “How’s the kittens?” I asked.

He checked his phone. “Shit. I gotta get back. Their next feeding is in a hour.”

“You good with that?”

He looked kind of green. “Yeah. Syringe, make sure they don’t aspirate, jiggle butts, wipe the poop out, keep ’em warm. I got it.”

“Okay.” I really needed to talk about the mess in my head, but Fly had to go. Part of me understood that, but another part was screaming, “Save me!”

He must have noticed. “Are you really okay?”

“No.”

He sighed and stretched out his leg. It was a sure sign he was in pain. Sitting couldn’t be good for his back.

“What about you? How’s rehab?”

“Sucks. I’ve been getting better workouts at the farm than with those fuckers.”

“You’re always welcome.”

He grunted and changed the subject. “What’s eating at you? The dog?”

“That’s only part of it. Someone’s been on the property. And I know it isn’t Lemon leaving shit unlocked.”