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“Mrs.Williams, we’re doing some X-rays on Missy to find the location of the wire. Once we know if it’s gone down into her intestinal tract, we’ll make our next move. You can sit tight, and I’ll be back to you the moment we know more.”
The woman lets go of my hand. “Will she be all right?”
He glances at me. I realize he’s not sure what to say in this case, so I jump in. “We’ll be right here with you every step of the way.”
The door tinkles, signaling a client has entered the lobby. I excuse myself and hurry over to check in a woman with an angry cat missing several patches of hair. She sets the carrier on the reception desk. “Thank you so much for seeing me early. She’s bleeding in at least three places!”
I peer in at the kitty, who gives me a hard look. “Did you get in a fight?”
“There’s fur all over the yard,” the woman says. “Not her color.”
“Defending your territory, eh?” I ask the cat.
“There’s some old tomcat they’re fighting over,” the owner says. “Beats me why they care one whit about him.”
“I get you,” I say to the cat. “You’re all about your man.”
She sits back on her haunches and calmly licks her paw. She seems more pleased than hurt.
I quickly check them in and sort through the file cabinet for her chart. “We’ll get you right back,” I say and send a note to the screens in the treatment space that the injured cat has arrived.
It’s hard to focus. There’s so much happening on Mondays. And the way my heart speeds up around Drew makes it even worse.
But I manage. The morning is a nonstop rush. I barely see Maria and Todd, much less Drew. We work straight through lunch. I get two calls from my boss Cindy that I can’t take. Finally, I get a brief window between check-ins when the lobby is empty and I can rush to the break room to grab a sandwich. Lately lunch has been too short to even microwave Good Noodles.
I gulp it down, not even bothering to sit, as I call Cindy back. I’m not sure what she needs. I’m not due back until Thursday.
She answers on the first ring.
“Cindy, what’s going on? You said to call?”
“Oh my gosh, Ensley. Are you sitting down?”
I glance at the chair. “No, should I be?”
“Remember when you got promoted to assistant head teller? Corporate said they were doing some reorganizing of the company due to the upcoming merger.”
I vaguely remember that. “I thought the changes wouldn’t affect us other than we might get one more teller.”
“We were named one of the most efficient branches last week. I didn’t bother calling to tell you on your vacation. But I’ve been promoted!”
“Really? A promotion! That’s great.” I’m happy for her, but surprised that she called me twice today for this. I shove another chunk of sandwich in my mouth.
“Here’s the thing. The promotion is in Missouri.”
I stop chewing. “You’re being transferred from our branch?”
“I am!”
I guess this seals it. I mainly loved working at Farm to Market Bank and Trust because of her. If I’m left with Janet, I’m definitely staying here at the clinic.
“I’m going to miss you! When is your last day?”
“Wednesday. I was hoping you could come back a day early, if your sister can manage. I can’t leave without saying goodbye.”
I drop into the chair. “That’s so sudden!”
“Well, I’ve known for a week. I didn’t want to interrupt your break. I thought I’d be here until Friday, but they’re moving the Missouri manager, too, so I want to catch her before she leaves her branch.”
