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Seyla opened the blanket to reveal a scrawny little creature with enormous eyes. Something inside Jax wanted to reach out to it, assure it that Seyla would do whatever she had to in order to help.
“Janet, go get the warm water blanket pump to put on the gurney. I’ve got a pulse, Jessa, but it’s weak. Gums are tacky andpale, with refill time over two seconds. Respiration’s at ten per minute.”
Moments later, Seyla lifted the bundle. Janet swept the water-filled pad under it and pushed the switch on the pump to activate it. Seyla set the animal and its blanket on the pad.
“Janet, I need a thin film of corn syrup rubbed on its gums.”
Its fur was patchy near the back end, with a leg bent at an unnatural angle.
In awe, Jax watched them place a catheter, draw blood for testing, and hook it up to IV fluids, while Jessa used syringes to draw up drugs from bottles in a tackle box. She injected them into the skin and catheter of the creature.
“Pain med and epinephrine are on board,” she announced.
It was too pitiful and emaciated to survive, but their teamwork impressed him.
Seyla stroked its head, murmuring softly to it. The image of her doing the same with a baby flashed through his mind. Something in Jax’s chest stirred, surprising him. The woman’s absolute resolve, despite the pressure of the situation, left him awe-struck.
“Once we get her hydrated, we can get some milk replacer into her,” Seyla said.
Did they actually think it would make it?
Seyla’s mouth tipped up at the corners as she fussed over the creature, her compassion-laden eyes and tenderness revealing how much she cared for the tiny thing. Revealing to him how much he wanted that little fox to live for her sake. He’d walled off the possibility of having a pet himself long ago, but he didn’t want animals to come to harm, either. Still, the degree of relief he experienced when Jessa declared it stable surprised him.
Jax shook off the thought and got Seyla’s attention with a wave of his hand. “I have to head out to my truck. Can you meet me in the parking lot after you’re done here? We have a situationto discuss but…first, I need some fresh air.” He regretted sounding gruff, but the animal scent hung heavy in the enclosed building, gradually smothering him.
He had to leave. Now.
Without waiting for an answer, Jax turned and walked to the front of the facility. Muffled voices followed the abrupt exit, but he didn’t care. He needed to get out of there. Fast.
Once he was outside, he leaned against the rough-hewn red brick building and inhaled the fresh air until his chest tightened, his rib cage protesting. Rubbed his hands over his eyes. Pulled in more clean air. The faintest tinge of animal scent lingered, but it was nothing compared to the scent inside the building. While the place looked clean, the odor of the animals was too much. Not for a normal person, but he wasn’t normal.
Jax grabbed his cell phone and called Seyla’s cousin, Matt Ecal.
His friend’s baritone voice came over the line, his Filipino accent unmistakable. “Hey, bro, what’s going on?”
“You were right.”
Silence. Before long, Matt sighed. “Not what I wanted to hear. Did anything else happen?”
Jax filled him in on the strange incident on the hiking trail and what happened in the enclosure.
“Wow.” Matt uttered a phrase in Tagalog that sounded none too pleasant.
Jax was glad for once that he didn’t know the language. “Hey, by the way, what does Ate mean?”
“It’s a Filipino term of respect, usually for an older cousin or their spouse. Where’d you hear that?”
“Seyla called her cousin Vanessa that on the hiking trail yesterday.”
“Makes sense. Oh, I got a call from the garage about Seyla’s car this morning,” Matt said. “The mechanic said the brakebooster had a leak from possible wear and tear. That, or…it was intentionally damaged. He stressed the latter. Once the car started, it couldn’t stop. At least, not until a tree got in the way.”
“Did you talk with the sheriff?”
“Yeah. Without clear-cut evidence of foul play, there's not much he can do. They can't rule out an accident despite the mechanic’s statement when he showed them what happened.”
Frustrated, Jax squeezed the bridge of his nose, eyes squinted shut. “I’m thankful both of you are okay.”
“Apart from this broken leg, that is,” Matt groused. “I know this is rough on you because of the whole animal thing and this goes against what you came here to do, but…thanks, man. I wish I could do more, but these crutches make it tough to be there for her. Seyla won’t admit it, but she needs a capable protector in her corner right now.”
