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"I'm so sorry," I say. "He just ran out in front of my car. I swerved, but I still hit him."
"Accidents happen." Jared steps up to the table and runs his hand over Skidmark's furry body. The little guy doesn't move.
"I've sedated him," Dr. Ellis says. When did she do that? "He's breathing and his pulse is strong. Both of his back legs are broken, and I'm worried about what I can't see with my naked eye."
"Did you try the ultrasound?" Jared asks.
Dr. Ellis nods. "I didn't see any obvious damage, but I'd like to get a look at the ribs and hips in more detail."
"Let's get those x-rays, then."
They move around the room and it takes both of them to move a big device over Skidmark. I have to leave the room while they do the X-rays, but I'm back in there as soon as they say it's okay.
"I don't like the look of his legs," Jared says to Dr. Ellis.
She glances at me.
"Dani, why don't you wait in the front room?" Jared says. "Brit's at home tonight. If you call her, she'll probably come out here."
I hesitate. I don't want to leave Skidmark alone with the scary, serious doctors. "Will he be okay?"
"Dr. Ellis and I will do what we can for him."
I leave, already pulling my cell phone out of my back pocket to call Brit.
I don't get far before I hear Jared speak again.
"Do you see something I'm not seeing?" Jared asks.
"We're going to have to take the legs," Dr. Ellis says.
I almost drop my phone.
"There's no way he's going to last in the wild with only two legs. The humane thing to do is euthanize him."
"Not to mention the risk of rabies," Dr. Ellis says. "This little guy is young, but even if Dani wants to keep him and care for him, it's unlikely he'll bond with her."
"Nope." I storm back into the room and point at them in turn. "If there's a chance you can save him, I want you to do it."
Jared sighs like I didn't just ask him to do his freaking job and save a life. "There's a possibility he has rabies."
"Is there a test for rabies you can do?" I ask.
"The only test is to cut off his head and send it to a lab where they can analyze his brain."
"Or we can keep him under observation," Dr. Ellis says. "If he's rabid, there's a high likelihood he won't even survive the surgery."
"Fine," I say. "Do that. Do whatever you have to. I'll pay for it and I'll take care of him." I hope like hell they have a payment plan because I have no way to pay them right now. I'm not going to tell them that, though. Not until I've done everything I can for Skidmark.
"It's illegal for anyone to own a skunk in Virginia," Jared says. "He should go to a wildlife rehabilitation—"
I stick my fingers in my ears. "I can't hear you." I back out of the room but stop in the doorway to glare at them. "Fix him."
I go back to the waiting room and call my cousin.
***
Pushing open the door to the clinic, I step out into the cool night and wrap my cousin Brittany up in a hug. Her blond curls are in a loose bun on top of her head and she's wearing sweats and flip-flops, like she raced over here as soon as I called.
