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The sound of brakes squealing startles both of us. My head jerks up, interrupting the barrage of thoughts running through my head.
“Archie!” someone screams, and Ben and I both react to the commotion.
We run toward the street, coming upon a car sitting sideways in the road. The driver is out of the car, frantic with worry. “I’m so sorry! He came out of nowhere! I tried to stop in time but couldn’t.”
Ben races to the dog lying on the road, having apparently been hit by the car. “Call Michelle, get her to come to the clinic.”
“Why? I can assist you. I’ve done it for your dad.”
Ben tells the driver to get him something stable to put the dog on so we can move him.
“Sara, you were almost kidnapped just now. You’re not coming with me. You need to go to the police, not aid in surgery.”
“I don’t give a fuck what happened to me. I’m fine. This dog won’t be if we don’t help right now. I can do this.”
“It’s not that you can’t, it’s that you shouldn’t.”
“You’re not going to tell me what to do. I’m here. I’m helping.”
“Sara…”
Those denim blue eyes are overflowing with worry. I almost cave. Taking a deep breath, I work to calm my racing heart, allowing the adrenaline of the moment to focus my attention on what needs to happen next.
“Ben, I need this.” My voice is all but a whisper as I keep his gaze.
He looks at me for a moment longer before nodding his head in agreement.
“We need to get him stabilized. Find out what the damage is before we get him to the clinic.” Ben takes over the scene, making sure we keep everything as controlled as possible. When we locate the biggest concerns, his back and hips, we load him up into the bed of the owner’s truck, working quickly to get him back to the clinic.
When we pull up to the clinic, Ben and the dog’s owner get him out of the truck while I rush into our surgery room to prepare for any eventuality. He was only hit on his back end, which is good, but you never know if there will be any type of internal damage we’ll need to repair.
I get the X-ray machine set up right before they come in with the dog. He’s a sweet boxer with brownish-red fur. He’s come into the clinic a couple of times for checkups.
“I’m sorry, Dan, but you’re going to need to wait out in the lobby. We need all the space we can get in here,” Ben says in a surprisingly gentle way.
Dan’s throat bobs as he stares at his pup on our table. I lay a hand on his arm, gently directing him out of the room. Once he’s gone, I turn toward Ben. With blue gloves on, he administers a sedative to keep Archie still. Then we get to work, attempting to heal this poor little pup.
14
BEN
The pass-through door creaks as I walk out to the lobby of the clinic. “Hey, Dan.”
The man startles, shooting out of his chair. “How’s Archie?”
“He’ll be just fine. He’s got a cracked pelvis and a shattered back leg. I ended up having to set it with screws so it heals properly. All in all, he’s very lucky. He’ll just need a lot of rest and attention.”
“Thank you so much.” Dan sighs. He wraps me in his arms for a hug while I awkwardly pat his shoulder.
I pull away, unsure of what to do now. Clearing my throat, I finish the update. “I want to keep him here for the next few days to make sure he’s healing okay. We’ll all trade shifts to keep him company overnight so he won’t be lonely. After that, we’ll see how he’s doing, and if all looks good, he can go home.”
“I don’t know what to say, Dr. Crawford. Thank you isn’t enough.”
“Just doing my job.”
Dan hesitates before finally asking the question I know is coming. “How much is all of this going to cost? My daughter was just diagnosed with diabetes, and between the insulin shots and medical bills, we’re strapped.”
“Let’s not worry about it tonight.” I pat Dan’s shoulder. “We’ll get with Susan when it’s time to pick up Archie and figure something out then. We’ll take care of him no matter what.”
