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“Talk to him,” Fisher encouraged. “It helps.”
Kylee glanced at him, then bent forward to whisper something to the animal.
“X-ray is ready for him,” Abigail said, poking her head into the exam room.
Fisher nodded, watching Kylee. “I’ll take care of him,” he promised her.
Kylee stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest again. “I can’t... I don’t have any money. He’s a stray.”
“It’s a teaching hospital.” Fisher nodded. “We’ll take care of him. Cases like this are good learning opportunities.”
She brightened. “Oh. Good.” She glanced down at the dog. “He deserves a second chance.”
He didn’t miss the wistfulness in her voice or the flash of pain in her huge blue eyes. But, like the night before, she seemed to stop and pull into herself.
Jarvis came in, followed by two vet students. He saw Kylee and smiled. “Beating up the doctor one day and saving the dog in distress the next,” he teased Kylee. “I imagine you make a mighty fine avenging angel.”
She stared at Fisher, stunned. “I didn’t touch Dr. Boone,” she argued, glaring at him with such anger he wanted to throttle Jarvis. “But the dog...well, it wasn’t a fair fight.”
He’d have to worry over Kylee later. Right now he had a patient to tend to. And a group of vet students waiting for his direction. The students carefully lifted the dog, laying him gently on the gurney. Fisher turned the dog’s head, assessing the injured eye. It didn’t look good. But the lacerations that covered the dog’s haunches and chest looked relatively superficial. He knew the students were watching, echoing his every motion, hanging on his every expression. It was part of the process, reading the animals, their owners, filling in the blanks when possible.
He stepped back. “Where do we start?” Fisher asked the three students, already clicking into teaching mode.
“Check his vitals,” Abigail sounded off.
“Done,” Fisher countered.
Jake, another student, was scanning the dog’s chart. “Oxygen?”
Fisher waited, prompting them, “And?”
“Fluids,” Abigail jumped in.
“IV?” Cliff asked.
Fisher nodded. “Good. And get him prepped for X-rays. Let’s get to it.” He held the door open, letting them lead the way.
Jarvis piped up, “We’ll take him from here, Kylee. Don’t worry, I have a feeling Dr. Fisher will do everything he can to see this mutt pulls through.”
Fisher shot Jarvis a look, but his friend just winked on his way out. Kylee followed, pointedly avoiding eye contact as she brushed past him into the hallway. Her heat, her scent, washed over him—knocking him completely off center. He stood, rooted to the spot, staring after her swinging ponytail. But her blue eyes were fixed on the dog as it disappeared into the X-ray room. He saw the slight tremor in her shoulders, the way her hands fisted at her sides, and knew this dog was somehow important to her. He had one option—save the dog. For Kylee.
* * *
“WHAT DID HE SAY?” Cutter asked, spinning his worn hat in his hands.
“Is he gonna be okay, Kylee?” Shawn’s voice shook.
She shrugged. “Dr. Boone said he’ll do what he can.”
“Which one?” Cutter asked. “There are two Dr. Boones in Stonewall Crossing.”
“Fisher,” she clarified. “Not much we can do now.”
“Good. That’s good,” Cutter murmured, heading toward the admissions desk.
She tried to act unaffected, like it was every day she charged at two massive dogs
screaming her head off. She didn’t even know why she did it, exactly. That dog’s desperation, trying again and again to get away, tore at something deep inside of her. She knew how that dog felt.
