Alice's POV
We had all the lions back at Leopards Den. It had been a massive operation to move them all, but we'd already lost five, and it seemed unless we did something quick we would lose the remainder of the pride. I looked across at Danny, how much worse can this get?
"Right, let's get them all as secure as we possibly can, we'll have to work worst to worse." Danny sighed as we all set to work.
"Okay, Danny this males probably the worst." I signalled to a large male, he was the main male in the pride. He was crucial to their survival.
"Okay, I'll work on him, if you work on this lioness?" I nodded in agreement, she seemed in a bad way. I quickly topped up her anaesthetic and secured all her drips. Everything seemed in place, everything seemed fine.
I began to work silently… Danny was mumbling to himself in his typical Danny manner, and Liv was humming some sort of song, Dupe was trying to order the lions into how bad they were and was discussing them with Charlotte. It all seemed very Leopards Den cliché!
Suddenly the machine on the lioness began to beep…
"Danny!" I shouted, but he was already by my side, he pressed his fingers to where the lions pulse was.
"We'll have to do CPR." He said quickly as we got to work.
Try and try as we might, we just could not save that lioness. She died. I continued for a long time. Why had she died? This didn't make any sense? Was it my fault, were the distractions of Leopards Den causing me problems? I sighed, maybe it's just I'm not the vet I'm cracked up to be. Maybe I am just a city vet, no killer instinct and no knowledge of using a gun. Maybe Dupe was right about something those what… 3 years ago?
"Right, we'll have to do a PM." Danny sighed, he moved back to his lion.
"We don't Danny." I added waking over to the lion, Danny had managed to secure him, but he was still critical. "I killed that lioness, no one else touched it but me."
"Alice, we don't know it's your fault, they are all ill!" Danny tried to soothe me but I shook my head.
"Let's just get on with these, I'll try not kill anymore of them." I spat, walking off. I knew I'd been a bit cruel to Danny with my manner and tone of voice, but it was just… I was scared.
"Right Alice, we've lost another lioness." Dupe sighed sadly. "That young lioness seems in a bad way."
"Hmm." I replied, as Dupe and I carried her in on a sling.
"Are you okay Alice?"
"Don't be stupid Dupe." I shouted, before turning away. I didn't mean to be harsh, I didn't… but, well… I'm realising things. I saw Danny give Dupe an apologetic look but I chose to ignore it.
I looked at the injection in my hand, it fell from my hand to the floor.
"Alice?" Danny asked as he set another lioness down.
"I can't Danny." I whispered.
"Alice you…" Danny began but at that moment the radio buzzed, I leapt to grab it… Vanessa.
"Alice, could either you and or Danny come over we have a couple of dogs here, don't even ask.." She said it so sweetly, she needn't have bothered though.
"On my way." I said quickly before Danny could stop me.
"Alice!" He shouted but I shook my head.
"Danny, I'm no use here. You and Dupe do the lions. I'll stick to what I know." the last part of the sentence I realised sounded spiteful.
"Alice…" I heard Danny's voice fade away as I jumped in the Jeep and drove.
Charlotte's POV
I saw my mum drive away at some speed. I wondered what was wrong with her… she seemed sort of upset? Like angry too though. I sighed and trudged on down to the hospital, I saw a line of lion's wrapped up in sheets.
"Why are they dead?" I asked, looking at Danny who was just putting one into the pen.
"I don't know sweetie." Danny replied, he began working on the final living lion.
"But, why?" I was confused.
"Cos I haven't done a PM yet, I need your darling mother here for that." He sounded a bit sour, I wondered if they'd had an argument.
"Have you and mum fell out?" I asked, sitting down beside him.
"No." He replied shortly, his eyes set on the lion.
"Then why are you talking like that and why's she just driven off like a mad woman?" I pestered. I saw Danny look to Dupe.
"And don't think I'm going." I added.
"We lost a lioness, your mum was treating it… seems to have upset her." He said sadly, he then shook his head at Dupe and injected the lion. I guess he'd put it down.
"Hmm well… okay. When will she be back?" I enquired.
"Dunno, Charlie I need space now, I'm gonna set up for a PM, I might have to do it alone." Danny smiled at me and put his hand on my shoulder. "I'll come and get you as soon as I've done okay?"
"Okay" I agreed, Danny rocked. I walked off happily.
Danny's POV
There was something wrong with Alice, deadly wrong.
It was like the death of the lioness she'd been treating had gone completely to her brain. I wonder for a moment, is all the stress of everything get on top of her?
Damn it man! I curse myself… I should be doing more to protect her! Well that's typical of me eh!
I looked down at the lion… I didn't want to do this alone but I had too. Another lioness had just died, that left 4 lioness' and one lion. This was bad, real bad.
I was half way through the Post Mortem, when I decided to try and open the stomach. I looked at the lions organs… the lungs seemed a bit… filled up… I looked at the stomach, loads of meat. It clicked, Vern. He was poisioning the lions, he had to be! Because I know that the chemical I think is in them, is only available from him, and his wife works in a butchers. I frowned, I'll kill him if I get proof I vowed. I decided to send the contents to the lab. I had to find out… meanwhile - I had to pump the others stomachs and give them some antibiotics, now was the time I needed Alice.
Alice's POV
I'd been harsh on Danny, I felt terrible. I'd just treated the two dogs, they were fine. I sighed, it reminded me of my days as a 'bunny hugger' as Danny so aptly called it. Maybe I should return to them, after all, it's where I belong. Terry told me that, and I've been nothing but hassle to Danny since I got here. I wonder why he evens loves me? He could have anyone! Why stick with a broken down, used up, rude cow like me?
I loved Danny with all my heart… He was everything to me…
"Alice!" Rowan ran out.
"Yeh?" I asked, concenred by his pace.
"Will you check this cheetah?" he asked, pointing at a mad cheetah running round a pen.
"Okay." I mumbled… annoyed that I couldn't quite go home to aplogize. I walked into the pen after darting him.
"He seems okay… when did you get him?" I asked, running my hand over his smooth body.
"Yesterday." Rowan added.
"He just needs time to settle, ask me in a few days and I'll check him again, or Danny will." I added quickly.
"Hmm okay, " Rowan muttered. I looked at the cheetah once more, as I ran my hand down his neck, his eyes suddenly shot open and his teeth launched into my arm.
"ALICE!" Rowan shouted, I managed to get the cheetah off me, as Rowan kept him away. We flung the pen gate shut.
"Rowan stop fussing," I sourly spat at him.
"Alice are you okay?" He asked shocked by my outburst.
"No, I'm not! Okay!" I shouted.
"Alice…" Rowan began
"No Rowan, not Alice, call me useless, everyone's right, I'm a bunny hugger, I'm no game vet, I'm a city vet…" I walked off as my emotions got the better of me. All I wanted right now was Danny, but he'd of course be busy with the lions… I stopped the Jeep at the top of the Leopard Den driveway, I rested my elbows on the steering wheel and held my head in my hands as I felt tears fall freely from my eyes.
Maybe it's for the best I didn't stay here? I mean what do I do for Leopards Den? Very little, I cause problems… maybe it's for the best if I just left… but that would mean leaving Danny, and that… that would kill me… but do I really belong here?
