Vet's Desire by Angela Verdenius Read Free Book Online Page A

had him jerking his
head up.
    “Tim?” There
was a definite wobbly tone to the normally happy voice. “This is
Cindy. I hope you’re there. Can you pick up? I don’t know who else
to call. I-”
    Tim practically
leaped at the phone and snatched it up. “Cindy? It’s me.”
    “Oh, thank
goodness.” Relief was evident in her voice.
    “What’s wrong?”
Tomato sauce dripped onto the counter.
    “We found a
kitten. Two, actually.”
    “Kittens?” Tim
relaxed a little.
    “They’re really
tiny, their eyes are shut. One is crying a lot, the other one isn’t
making much noise.”
    “Okay.” His
mind was already falling into vet mode. “Bill’s on call
tonight-”
    “I tried your
clinic but there’s only an answering service, he’s out of range
somewhere.”
    Obviously on a
call-out in the country or in the middle of an emergency. “Right.”
He was already putting the spoon down.
    “I’m sorry.”
She sounded desperate and definitely unhappy. “I’ll call another
clinic-”
    “No.” He
glanced up at the clock on the wall. “I’ll meet you at the clinic
in twenty minutes.”
    There was a
slight pause. “Are you sure?”
    “I’m sure.
Twenty minutes.” He hung up the phone, put the lasagne back in the
oven and ran up the stairs.
    Fifteen minutes
later he was pulling up outside the vet clinic. Unlocking the door,
he deactivated the alarm and heard a car pull up just as he was
about to walk around the reception desk. Glancing outside, he saw
that it was Cindy’s Hyundai under the light, and as he watched, she
got out of the car and hurried around to the passenger door,
opening it and leaning inside, coming back out with a shoe box.
    Turning, she
rushed across the parking lot, and he half expected her to go arse
over tit in her high heels, but she missed nary a beat as she
hurried to the door.
    Tim held it
open as she entered. “Follow me.”
    She did as
bidden and he flicked the light on as they entered a consult room.
Moving to the other side of the bench, he watched as she placed the
box down on the surface. As she lifted her face towards his, he
could see the sheen of tears in her eyes.
    “Are you all
right?” He pulled the box towards him.
    “Yes. Just
worried. One of them...” She swallowed and cleared her throat. “I
don’t think it’s made it.”
    Gently, Tim
took out one of the kittens, a tabby, and it lifted its tiny head
and meowed weakly. He looked at the other one, a little
tortoiseshell, but it lay unmoving and he couldn’t see it
breathing. Passing the meowing kitten to Cindy, he took out the
tiny, unmoving kitten. It was cool to touch and he knew without
even having to listen that it had died. Nevertheless, he took the
stethoscope and gently laid it under the kitten, listening for a
heartbeat he knew he wouldn’t hear. There was nothing. He turned it
gently, checking its skin and looking in its mouth and, as he
suspected, it was dehydrated. Going by the umbilical cord still
attached, it was only a day or two old.
    “I’m sorry,
Cindy.” He gently laid it aside and held out his hand to her.
“Let’s have a look at this other little scrap and see what we can
do for it.”
    Silently she
handed the kitten to him, and he placed the stethoscope in position
and listened. The little heart gamely beat and the kitten cried
weakly and struggled. A check of the skin proved dehydration. The
stomach was quite distended, and he checked the kitten’s mouth. It
seemed healthy enough and there were no sores or signs of problems
with the umbilical cord.
    Taking a gauze
packet, he broke it open and took out a square of gauze. Wetting it
under the tap, he squeezed out the excess water and wiped the
kitten’s bottom. Immediately he felt the warm trickle of urine.
    “What are you
doing?” Cindy queried.
    He glanced at
her, taking in the wet tear track on her cheek and the way her hand
rested protectively on the still body of the kitten on the bench.
And his heart clenched a