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SARA
“Oh, shit.” The words slip out of my mouth before I can shut them down.
“Literally.” Dr. Charles chuckles as he adjusts his hold on the squirming Pomeranian. The poor thing is so scared she just crapped all over our exam table. Luckily, the owner isn't in the room with us. It usually creates exponentially more drama when they are.
“One last shot, then little Lulu can go get a bum wash,” Dr. Charles says with a grimace. Despite the very smelly room, being a vet tech is my absolute dream job. Caring for animals is something I’ve been obsessed with since I saved a baby raccoon when I was six. Mom was none too thrilled, but I’d fallen in love with the little guy.
And any other wounded animal that came my way.
The Sonoma Animal Clinic handles mostly dogs and cats, however, there are plenty of other types of animals in our small town. We’ve got a few hamsters, a couple of lizards, and we even have a little garter snake that comes in for regular checks. We also handle some of the bigger livestock outside of town, but for the most part, we only help with challenging births and vaccines for the farms. There’s a vet in Westlake that handles any of the major issues.
Dr. Charles Crawford, our fearless leader, started the animal clinic when his family moved here almost twenty years ago. I remember the very first interaction I had with him when I was a distraught sixteen-year-old. My youngest brother, Nolan, accidentally kicked my hamster, Millie, and I was terrified she was going to die.
The way Dr. Charles soothed my nerves while taking the best care of my pet set me on the path to becoming a vet tech. For a long time, I debated becoming a veterinarian myself. It was a tough decision, but I ultimately decided I wanted to be hands-on as quickly as possible without incurring all the debt vet school would have brought.
When little Lulu is finished with her shots, I carry her to the sink in the back of the clinic. Our large building gives us the space to offer multiple services outside of just everyday visits. We’ve got crates of various sizes for boarding, a room outfitted for any type of surgery, as well as three exam rooms for our regular checkups.
Setting the squirming Pomeranian into the deep sink, I work quickly to rinse off Lulu’s butt, then do my best to dry her off. At this point, she is done with her vet visit, and I have very little hope of continuing to hold on to her without her trying to snap at me.
After I return Lulu to her owner, I set about cleaning up the exam room. When I step in, the smell of cleaning products hits my nose, telling me it’s already been cleaned.
“I handled cleanup for you,” Michelle says from behind me. Her icy blonde hair is in her typical messy bun while her gray eyes are sharp and focused. At thirty, she’s only a few years younger than me, so we’ve become pretty good work friends over the last few years.
“You didn’t have to do that, but thanks.”
“Sure. We’ve got the staff meeting right after we close, so I figured if I got a jump start on the closing checklist, we could get the meeting started right away.”
“Good thinking!” I grin at her.
She goes off to finish closing down the clinic while I head up to the front for our last patient. The front desk is a long counter that separates the waiting room from the rest of the clinic. Susan, our clinic manager, handles all the office tasks like a drill sergeant. She’s organized, meticulous, and will cut you if you mess with her system. I love her.
She hands me a file for Toby, an overweight tabby cat we’ve been monitoring for obesity concerns. Once I get him back to the exam room, I go through all the normal checks, making notes for Dr. Charles. Once I’m done, I let him know it’s his turn and head back to the front of the clinic to help Susan and Michelle finish closing up. It’s six o'clock, and we’re all eager to get the meeting over with.
“You have any idea what Dr. Charles wants to talk about?” I ask when I step up to the desk. Not surprisingly, Susan has most of the end-of-day tasks completed.
“Not a clue. He only told me about it yesterday so I could put it on everyone’s schedules.” Her pinched expression tells me exactly how she feels about the last-minute update.
“So, it’s a full staff meeting?”
“Apparently.”
We have seven employees at our clinic. Susan, Michelle, and I are the full-time techs. We also have two part-time techs, a high school intern, and, of course, Dr. Charles.
We make our way into the break room at the back of the clinic. It’s small but has your basic necessities: fridge, microwave, a few cabinets, and drawers holding paper cutlery. The six of us chatter, filling the space with noise, until Dr. Charles comes in a few minutes later, a serious expression on his face.
“I apologize for the last-minute meeting and appreciate everyone being willing to give up their time for me. I’ll try to make this quick.” He runs a hand through his silver hair, his face lined with worry. Usually, Dr. Charles’s brown eyes are lit up with humor, a smile never far from his handsome face. Right now, a joke seems about the furthest thing from his mind. It makes my gut twist.
“You all know I had to take a couple of months off for my health a while back, and I appreciate everything you guys did to keep the clinic going while I was gone. I figured I’d bounce back and be fine to continue working, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the case. My heart is giving out on me. The doctors say I need to do everything I can to reduce my stress to keep it going.”
“What exactly does that mean?” Susan pushes when Dr. Charles doesn’t continue talking.
He clears his throat and makes eye contact with everyone in the room. “It means I have to retire.”
A chorus of confusion arises at the declaration, my own questions drowned out in the mix of noise. A sharp whistle from Susan has all of us shutting up. Dr. Charles nods at her in thanks.
“I will not be shutting down the clinic,” he starts when we’re all quiet. A collective deep breath is released at his words. It seems I wasn’t the only one worried about it. “My son, Benjamin, has moved here from Greensboro to take over for me. He was a vet at a large animal hospital there and has a lot of great experiences I think will truly benefit the clinic.”
