Tuesday
Maybe it was the beer, maybe exhaustion, maybe it was the conflict brewing within, try as he might, his mind would not settle, he could not sleep. His brain kept replaying the day, the cougar, mare, foal. A never ending parade of thoughts and images, only some based in reality, tormented him, kept him from rest.
Ty imagined the solitary black cougar to be male, powerful, muscular, weighing in at nearly two hundred pounds, yet sleek, graceful. Exquisite. He could see the big cat slinking through the early light on the prowl for his next meal. The cougar had long since perfected his stalk, his stealthy attack, quick and assured, leaping, lunging straight for the jugular. Natural instinct and hunger drove him that morning beyond his normal hunting grounds to Naomi's stables on the outskirts of Squamish.
In the greening pasture, Wind stood still, mere yards away from her foal. She sensed the intruder, before she saw him, before the attack. Her head held high, nose twitched surveying the air, ears rotated listening, eyes searched looking for movement. She remained frozen in place, silent in warning her offspring.
Cloud was busy, frolicking, prancing around his mother, frisky from a breakfast of her warm, comforting milk. Full, contented and safe under her watchful eye, he did not notice, did not see him coming.
Until the dogs sounded their alarm. Then it was too late.
The cougar's ambush was near perfect execution. He leapt silently through the air, digging sharp, retracting claws into the sides of Cloud's neck, plunging chiseled teeth into his young throat, releasing a flow of bright red blood, scented of a sickly metallic odor. The young horse didn't fight back, he couldn't. He was paralyzed from fear and pain.
Witnessing the attack, Wind panicked but her motherly instinct took over. She whipped around, charged the cougar, snorting. She bucked, kicked, stomped, forcing him to unhinge his grip on Cloud's throat. The attacker now being attacked, fought back with his signature move, he lunged for her jugular. Though penetrating her neck with his claws, his aim was off, missing the mark. She was too big, too strong, too agitated, too much trouble for the big cat to try again.
So, he backed away from her, bearing his teeth, growling, snarling and hissing. His greenish yellow eyes narrowed, fixated on her wild brown ones, watching her every move. Then he turned, crept away as he had come, hungry.
Cloud's body collapsed into a heap, then slowly descended into shock. Perpetuating her fight, her aggressive protective stance, Wind fiercely refused to let anyone or anything near her dying foal.
The vicious attack left Cloud with the knife-like claw marks on either side of his neck and a ragged, deep gouge in his throat. Though the long surgery was grueling, the next hours, days and weeks would be even more grueling for the young horse. He would be severely scarred for life, both physically and mentally, if he even made it through the night.
The image of him, laying there motionless, tethered to IV, oxygen, monitors and machines, restrained to prevent any unlikely movement, separated from his mother, alone, clinging to life...weighed on Ty. He couldn't banish the terrible vision of him from his thoughts.
Or Wind. She too endured a lengthy surgery to stitch the gapping wound on her neck back together. And, though her prognosis was much better, she too had an uphill battle and would be scarred for life. Separated from her foal, for whom she fought so fiercely, so valiantly to protect, she was alone.
Ty was frustrated with the unfairness of it all. While the horses were battling, their perpetrator escaped, unscathed, back into the wild, stalking in the darkness, given the chance to remain free, ready to ambush his next victim.
He struggled, knowing that the life, worth, value of these three animals were already decided, one over the others, the predator over the prey, the rare over the common, the wild over the domesticated. He wrestled with his role, the delay in treating the horses' injuries, risking their lives and the safety of the community at large, all to save a solitary cougar, though rare, a predator that would most certainly attack again.
First, do no harm to the patient or to others in society.
As every veterinarian, Ty long since memorized the oath and core ethical tenants of his profession. But in the darkness of night, the simple mantra surfaced from his memory bank, repeated in his head. He felt like he had abandoned this sacred oath.
First, do no harm to the patient or to others in society.
Unable to quiet the voices replaying over and over, frustrated, he got out of bed, showered and dressed. He called the rescue, just after midnight, just barely Tuesday.
Paul answered.
"Hey. I'm coming in." Ty said.
"Not stopping you." Paul didn't try to dissuade him as he knew it was useless.
Traffic lights seemingly set to solid green and streets emptied of vehicles waved him on as he drove straight, without stopping, to the Rescue. Parking his truck on the dark street, his street smarts took over, as always. He surveyed his surroundings, eyes and ears focused on surveillance, detection, seeking anything out the ordinary, anything out of place. Satisfied, he exited his truck, unlocked the front door, entered, locking it again.
He found Paul in the Avian Room, in the big cage feeding the eagles and hawk chunks of meat by hand.
"Hey."
"Hey." Paul replied, not looking away from his task.
"I couldn't sleep." Ty answered, though Paul didn't ask, didn't care particularly. "You know how that goes."
Paul turned to look at him. "Yeah."
Neither was immune to the stress of their work and its affect on their mind and body.
"How are they?" Ty asked, cutting his eyes to the raptors.
"Three eagles and the hawk are almost ready to go, maybe tomorrow." He pointed to the male eagle on the branch. "This guy may need another day. We'll see."
"Wait until he's ready, then release them all together. One less press conference." Ty said sarcastically. Almost on cue, the male eagle flapped his wings making a show before lowering its head to groom his under feathers.
"What do I care? I don't do those things." Paul's lips curled into a half smile.
"Right." He hesitated, afraid to know. "So, how are the horses?"
"Both have seen better days."
Ty could hear the pessimism in his voice, anticipated the worst.
"Wind had a bit of a setback. She refused to eat or drink tonight. And, her heart rate was up."
"In pain?"
"Yeah. I applied a Fentanyl patch instead of a drip. Anyhow, that should keep her comfortable for the next couple of days."
"Makes sense. Did it help?"
"Some. Her heart rate is back to normal but she still refuses to eat or drink. Anyhow. Need to keep a close watch on her. And that patch. We don't want to over medicate. She needs to be able to stand safely."
Ty wondered aloud. "Should we use natural remedies, you know, herbs and oils? For pain relief."
"Why? Did you read some new age article on herbs?" Paul said sarcastically.
"No. I just thought.."
"Look Ty." Paul softened his tone. "Homeopathic and natural therapies, like herbs and oils, can be extremely effective. But, there also can be drug-herb or herb-herb interaction as well as a risk of toxicity in certain species. So those must be managed by a highly trained and experienced herbalist or practitioner..."
"Oh."
"Unless you suddenly become a holistic vet. Did you?" He added sarcastically. Seeing Ty's expression, he recanted. "Sorry. That was unnecessary. Maybe Mirna knows someone."
"Right." Ty responded, changed subjects. "How's Cloud?"
"He still critical, but hanging on." Paul frowned. "Barely. Not much we can do. It's a wait and see thing with him."
Ty's frown mimicked Paul's. "Thanks. I guess I'll go check on him first."
In the darken room solely illuminated by tiny lights from a bevy of machines, a steady chorus of hums, sighs and shhs sounded. Cloud lay on his side, motionless on a heated blue thick mat on the floor. Square blocks surrounded him, cushioned and supported his legs and head. From the ventilator, a long clear oxygen tube was threaded into his nostril, secured by a compression bandage around his muzzle. An IV needle was inserted into his neck, attached by more tubing through an infusion pump to the fluid bags hanging from a tall metal arm. Even a cuff attached to the base of his tail tied him to a blood pressure monitor.
His throat was lightly dressed in a fine sterile cotton mesh so they could monitor the sutured wound and drain. A small towel covered his eyes, a thermal blanket lay over his body.
Talking quietly to Cloud throughout, Ty checked the foal's vitals, blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature, and such, then recorded them into the log. He noted the lack of change, no improvement. His temperature, he noted, was low. Mirna's 25 percent chance prediction taunted.
"Cloud. You're a fighter. So fight. And, you'll get through this." He tried to reassure the young horse as much as himself. "I'm gonna see to it. Let's prove Mirna wrong."
Next, he checked on Wind, standing in the center of large room next door to Cloud, restrained by halter lines to the wall, limit her movement.
"Hey Girl. How are you?"
He stroked the horse's neck with the back of his hand, careful to avoid any tender spots. She barely acknowledged his presence. He checked the Penrose drain, sutures, and vitals and logged his findings. Physically, she was doing as well as could be expected. But, her disposition was almost lifeless.
"Cloud is holding his own." He tried to reassure her. "He needs his mom, so you need to fight too."
He hesitated for a moment, then untethered her from the wall mounts. He walked her into Cloud's room. As soon as she saw him, she reached for him, her nose twitching, inhaling deeply, sniffing, nuzzling him. She licked his forehead, grooming him.
"Hey." Paul said as he looked in from the door.
"They need to be together."
"Maybe. Until she steps on him. Or pulls his IV tube out. Or pulls out her drain."
"I'm staying with them." He said as though he had planned it all along.
"Whatever. Blankets are in the closet." Paul said as he turned away.
He heeded Paul's not so subtle warning, securing Wind to the side wall, so she could see Cloud, be close, but not accidentally injuring him or herself.
Retrieving blankets, Ty assembled a makeshift bed next to Cloud. He settled in, his head propped on one of the cushion blocks. Soon the warmth from the humming medical equipment, crowded out his nagging thoughts, lulling him to sleep, one arm curled around the foal.
At just after 5, an shrill alarm drove Ty out of a deep sleep. One of the IV bags was empty. Replacing the bag, Ty then checked and logged Cloud vitals. The foal was still in critical condition but his vitals remained stable. Same as last night.
He checked Wind over too, that she had improved slightly. At least she seemed more aware, engaged and interested. Attaching a lead, he walked her outside to get exercise before feeding and watering her. Returning to her inside, she nuzzled the foal briefly, licking his face. Cloud's eyes fluttered.
As Paul's shift ended, the two vets did rounds together per usual, starting with the cubs. The two were interwoven, curled into a cub pile, asleep.
"Forgot to ask. How was the press conference?" Ty asked.
"No idea." Paul shrugged, proceeded with his update. "Switched Little Mister and Sissy to half mash half, milk replacement. No issues."
Ty couldn't resist teasing him. "Sissy? You named her Sissy?"
"That was Kerry and Chip's doing. I told you those two were getting too close." Paul was not in the mood for humor after his twelve hour shift.
"Paul. The cubs are fine. Like you said, they are being weaned without issue. They have bonded with each other." Ty challenged him lightheartedly. "Plus, I don't remember hearing them cry last night."
Frustrated, Paul tried to hold his tongue but it didn't last long. "Ty. You know damn well that a human imprint on an orphaned wild animal can be the kiss of death. They won't be able to survive on their own."
Ty realized he had pushed Paul too far. Ty acquiesced. "Paul. You're absolutely right. I'll minimize their contact."
He huffed, walked out of the room, crossing the open treatment room to the Canine Room. Ty followed behind, giving him some space. Once there, Paul's anger had dissipated. They were back to the business of rounding.
He stopped in front of a large cage holding a filthy white dog with short hair and medium build. She was scrawny with bones protruding everywhere.
"We got a ding, dong, dash last night while you were napping." He smirked. "Someone left a big box with her and her pups." In the next cage was four black and white puppies, tumbling over each other, yipping, squealing at the top of their lungs.
"She looks like part pit bull." Ty observed.
"Yeah, those ears and jaw are a dead giveaway." She had small ears set high on her broad, flat head, and a powerful square jaw. She wore the famous pit bull grin.
"Aggressive?"
"Nah, she's a pussycat. Poor thing was starving. She's overrun with heartworms. Not to mention fleas, ticks, cuts and bruises. The works."
"Ugh. How bad?" Ty opened the cage scratched behind the dog's ear. She thumped her tail in appreciation.
"Heartworms?"
"Yeah."
"Bad. Class 3 almost 4. Chest X-ray showed an almost total blockage leading to her heart." He pullout the X-ray and held it up. "See? Look at that mass."
"Pretty advanced. So meds or surgery?"
"Well. I already started her on antibiotics, heartworm prevention and steroids. But, if she was mine, I'd say surgery. But, it's risky either way."
"Yeah. Plus, two months of recovery."
"Ty. Who's gonna adopt her? A pit bull in her condition." Paul was a realist, after all.
"Hmm. Maybe an older person? Someone who isn't looking for an active dog? Someone who just wants company?"
"Don't forget the bans and restrictions on pits."
"Yeah. But. She's a mix, not full pit bull." Not willing to giving up on the dog, Ty suggested. "Maybe Celina has some ideas."
Paul shrugged as he closed her cage, moved to the puppy cage.
Ty bent to get a closer look at the puppies. "They look like a black lab and pit mix. Pitador?"
"My guess too. And, they're fairly healthy. Hungry but healthy. They tore through the milk replacement and dry pup food so they are essentially weaned. They still need distemper and parvovirus vaccines and micro chipping."
"I'll take care of it. I'll bathe them too."
After the rounding in the Reptile Room, they visited the Feline Room.
"These are all ready to go." Paul waved his hand around the room. "Heard you're keeping one."
"Apparently I am...Celina and Mirna are in cahoots." He said as he pulled her from the cage full of kittens, drew her to his chest. "They decided that I need a pet."
"All them, Huh? So what'd you name her?"
"AK."
"Meaning?"
Ty hesitated. "Just letters."
"Sure."
After rounds, Ty walked Paul to the front where Celina was opening up the clinic.
"Good morning gentlemen. And, AK. Looks like it's going be a good day." Celina smiled wide, matching her cheerful mood. "Fresh coffee in the kitchen."
"Morning." The vets returned her greeting.
"I'm gone." Paul retrieved his jacket from the coat rack. They watched him walk out the door without another word.
"So. What's on tap today?" She asked.
"My priority is the horses, but best laid plans..." he said. "Coffee?"
"Please."
Ty brought back two cups, one in each hand. AK balanced on his shoulder.
"So, did you finalized your plans for the conference?" She asked.
"Yep. I work tomorrow morning. Rounding with Joe in the early afternoon. He will finish up then work my shift Thursday through Saturday. Mirna will take Sunday. I'll be back Monday."
She nodded. "Good."
"If there's an emergency, text me."
"We will be fine. Plus. You need to get those 20 continuing education credits. You're butting up against the deadline. Without those, you are useless to us." She exaggerated.
"Right. Thanks."
"And, what about AK?"
He flashed his boyish smile, the one that usually melted her heart.
"Fine. I will watch after her. You are lucky that I like you!" She teased.
"I am very lucky. Thank you Momma C." He kissed her cheek.
"So dinner at our house, tomorrow night. Does 7pm work for you and Michael?"
"Absolutely. Can we bring anything?"
"Your appetite."
"Always." He brought the conversation back to business. "So we have four lab pit bull mixed puppies that need homes. Could you ask Kerry to post them too?"
"Will do." She made a note. "Hey. Take a look at what she put together for the cats." She pulled up the website for him to scroll through.
"She did a great job." He chuckled, then shook his head.
She watched him turn to the display of animal products for sale and selected a small leather collar.
"I'd like to adopt kitten #3. What is the process?"
"Good choice sir."
"You kill me Celina."
She grinned, then handed him the adoption forms.
"We want to make it official. Fill these out. I also need to see your driver's license."
He did as he was told, then handed the completed forms back.
"By signing these forms, you agree to get her neutered within 6 months. If you don't have a vet, you can always bring her here. We are happy to help." Celina recited from memory.
"I have a vet, but he's not very good. So she will be neutered here." He chuckled.
"Good. That will be 100 adoption fee, 45 for lifetime registration with BC Pet Registry, 20 for the collar and 5 for the tag. For a total of 170."
"Seriously. 170 bucks!" He huffed dramatically as he pulled out his wallet again. "Do you take credit cards?"
"Yep." When the transaction was done, she smiled. "Congratulations on the beautiful addition to your family. AK is one very lucky kitty."
"Thanks...I think."
"Now here's her tag. Put it on her collar."
"You know, this is a racket." He said, attaching the tag on the collar.
"This racket pays your salary."
"And, it's a beautiful racket."
They both laughed as he put the collar on the kitten.
The morning blew by quickly. Ty and Chip were finishing up with the pit bull and her puppies when his cell vibrated. Mirna had text him.
"STAT. My office."
She was on the phone when he knocked on her door. She signaled him to take a seat as she hung up her phone.
"Hey Mirna.
"Hey Ty. Two things. First. The Greater Vancouver Zoo called twenty minutes ago. They saw our press conference last night." She didn't waste any time with chit chat and got down to business.
"Good."
"Their black bear sow just gave birth to a still born this morning."
"That's tough."
"They want our orphaned cubs for her."
"Good timing!"
"No kidding. And, it gets better." She paused for effect. "And...they agreed to pay for our expenses."
"That is better."
"Their biologists are on their way now to pick them up."
"What can I do?" He asked earnestly.
"Well. Hold on." She smiled. "Second. I just got off the phone with Chief Campbell. They found and trapped the cougar." Mirna was clearly pleased.
"How about that." Ty replied, not nearly as pleased.
"They are on their way here with him."
"Why?" He was pointed.
"He's injured. Appears to have a fracture of his front right leg."
"Oh."
"So he needs surgery. And you are gonna do it."
"I can't."
Mirna was taken aback. "Ty. You have never said no to doing a surgery. Why now?"
"Two reasons. Wind and Cloud."
"They'll be fine. Chip and Kerry can monitor them. They'll let us know if there is an issue." She smiled at him. "Look. The cougar needs surgery. You are our best and most practiced surgeon. Paul is coming in to assist."
He knew he didn't have a choice. He sighed, then nodded. "Fine."
"Then it's resolved."
"I guess." He pivoted. "If we are going to do this, we need to make room for the cougar. So. Chip and Kerry can crate the cubs. Then we'll disinfect and sterilize the room."
"Good. Thanks." Her focus drifted back to the papers on her desk.
"Listen Mirna." She looked up at him. "You know, the cougar will be in the room next to the horses. Wind will sense him. It's going to upset her, possibly set their recovery back." He pressed his lips, exhaled through his nose.
"It should be fine. The cougar will be sedated and he won't be here long."
"So, he's gonna rehab somewhere else?" Ty asked.
"Right. So. Let's put cushions on the walls to try to sound proof."
"I think we'll need more distance between them. How about we move Cloud into Wind's room? It's bigger anyhow. Plus, that will leave an empty room between them."
"Like your thinking. But, you'll need to get to it. We don't have much time."
"Right."
Though incredibly hectic, somehow everything fell in line. The handoff of the cubs to the zoo biologists was smooth, quick, though a little teary for Kerry. Chip promised he'd take her the zoo to visit, scoring himself a peck in the cheek.
And, fortunately, the Squamish men got lost, arriving one hour late, giving them plenty of time to move the horses and prepare the large room for the cougar.
Awaiting the big cat's arrival, Ty squatted next to Cloud, gently stroking his neck, he tried to reassure him and calm his own jumbled nerves. He just couldn't come to terms with caring for Cloud's attacker.
Mirna peeked her head into the room, saw his expression. She entered the room, leaned again the wall.
"Ty. I know this isn't easy, treating Cloud and Wind's perpetrator. But. You need to think about this differently."
"How's that?"
"Nature plays a role, predictors and prey, winners and losers. But, we don't have to play by those same rules. We treat every animal equally. So, it doesn't have to be a zero sum game. All three animals have an excellent chance to live and thrive."
"Except Cloud." He muttered.
"It's almost been 24 hours. He's stable. His chances of survival have improved significantly." She tried to reassure him. "And. Cloud and Wind are in good hands."
He shrugged.
"But, Ty. Now the cougar is our patient too. And as vets, we will do our best to provide the best possible care for him." She leaned over, patted his shoulder. "Come on. They are here."
Ty followed her out to the back of the rescue. Chief Campbell, Hank and John from the Squamish Stables, were standing around the bed of an old pick-up truck, hand painted in greens and browns to resembled camouflage. A large cage, covered by a tarp, was strapped into the bed. The men were talking amongst themselves while Paul, Chip and Kerry were standing off to one side, watching.
"Hey Chief Campbell." Mirna reached out, shook his hand.
"Mirna, Ty. Nice to see you both." Ty nodded to all three men.
"Congratulations on the capture. Can't wait to lay eyes on that cougar."
"Cougars." John corrected her.
"Did I hear right?" Surprised, Mirna asked. "Cougars?"
"Well, turns out, our cougar is also a nursing mother. We found her with her cub, not far from the stables." The Chief explained.
"Wow. Okay then. So aside from the fracture, are they healthy?" Mirna asked.
"Both are a bit undersized. Probably underfed. But in relative good healthy. Want to see?" He explained.
"Absolutely."
John and Hank pulled back the tarp, revealing the cat. The black cougar crouched in the cage, unhappy, hissing, growling. Her deep green eyes almost glowed against the black of her fur. They all stepped toward the bed to get a closer look. The cub was hidden from view.
"Wow. She's really beautiful." Ty couldn't help himself.
"That video didn't do her justice." Mirna added.
"She's not tranquilized." Paul stated, clearly impatient.
"Right."
"Weight estimate?"
"About 100 pounds or so."
Paul headed inside, returned shortly after with a long pole syringe filled with a tranquilizer. Quickly, he walked around to the back of the bed, reached the pole through the cage into the cat's hind quarter. The unsuspecting cat reacted angrily but not before the jab was completed.
"Thanks Paul. We'll give her a few minutes, then let's take them in." Ty suggested. "Who wants to take responsibility for the kitten?"
"We will." Chip volunteered he and Kerry. She nodded. Paul groaned.
"Let me check him over first." Mirna suggested.
After the cougar succumbed to the tranquilizer, Hank, John, Ty and Paul carried the cage into the surgical suite, then hoisted the melanistic cougar on the sterile table.
"She really is gorgeous" Mirna said almost breathlessly as her fingers stroked her fur.
Extending the full length of the table, she was long, lean, almost 7 feet from the tip of her nose to the end of her long tail. Her black fur was thick, coarse, with a deep luster to it. Her head was fairly small with long whiskers and small, rounded ears. Her feet were enormous.
Climbing into the cage, Chip extracted the crying cub from its back reaches. Like most cougar cubs, his fur was brown with black spots on the body and bars on his tail. His eyes were a crystal clear blue. Mirna took kitten from Chip, held him up to get a good look.
"My, you are beautiful too."
She head to a small exam room, Chip and Kerry close on her heels.
After a thorough examination including X-ray, a complete fracture of lower front right leg was confirmed. Ty shaved her fur from her the leg. With Paul assisting, he cut open the skin, tissues along the length of the leg, set the radius and ulna, then used an interlocking nail, plate and screws secure bones in place.
Paul sutured the wound closed. From beginning to end, the examination and surgery took well over two hours. After moving the big cat to its pen, the large animal room, Ty needed some air.
Outside, he sat on the wooden bench, staring at the street in front of him but not really seeing it. In his mind, he was staring at the greening fields stretching to the majestic snow capped Rockies. Memories of another cougar and her kitten flooded back. Clear as day, he could see Jack holding the young cougar, feeding him a bottle.
His phone vibrated signaling an coming call. Not recognizing the number, he answered with a business demeanor.
"Hello. Vancouver Animal Rescue. Dr. Borden speaking."
"Hey Ty! It's me Claire." She said.
"Claire Russell?" Ty was taken by surprise. Of course, he would know her voice anywhere, even if a couple of years had passed.
She laughed. "How many Claires do you know?"
He chuckled, slightly uncomfortable. "Thankfully only one." Without realizing, he stood, and began to pace back and forth on the sidewalk.
"How's it going, Ty?" She asked, her tone friendly, like no time had passed.
"Good. You?" He tried to be vague, uncommitted.
"Great. Just got back from Ethiopia."
"Oh?" He wanted to be cool, aloof but she had a way of hooking him, pulling him in. Her work always intrigued him.
"Yeah. We were embedded in a small farming village for 6 months."
"Long mission, then."
"Yeah. But it was an amazing experience. We trained the local herdsmen and farmers in livestock management, disease prevention and resolution. Our goal was to improve herd health, milk quality and village wellbeing." Her words were well rehearsed, like she was in a commercial for Vets Without Borders.
"Wow. Camels, goats?" He asked, getting pulled in a little more.
"Nope." She laughed. "Just old fashioned dairy cows. But it was a very important mission. And. We had a good amount of success."
"Congratulations."
"How about you? Any good missions?"
"Just worked on a black cougar." He offered. He didn't want to admit to her that since becoming a vet, his mission travel was next to none.
"No kidding! Like our time in Bluenoser territory."
"Except this time, I actually saw a cougar." He deadpanned.
"Haha. True that. But, if I recall, we had plenty of other adventures." She laughed. "Tell me about your visible black cougar."
"She's really beautiful. Jet black with deep green, penetrating eyes." He was surprised by his own words.
"She's a nursing mom. We have her kitten too. Anyhow. We just finished up surgery. She had complete fracture of her front leg. Had to plate and pin it." He said, finding himself trying to impress her for some reason.
"Wow. Very cool. I haven't done any surgery essentially since school. Unless you consider lancing an abscess."
"If it involved a scalpel, it's a surgery." He chuckled, relaxing.
Celina stuck her head out of the clinic door. "Ty. When you're done, we need you inside."
Ty nodded.
"Um. Claire, hate to cut our conversation short but I have to get back to it. Is everything okay? I mean is there a reason why you called?"
"Yeah. I'm coming to Vancouver for the Vet conference this week and I was hoping to see you."
"Oh?" He had mixed feelings.
"Are you registered too?"
"Ah. Yes."
"Good. I'm am arriving on the red eye Thursday morning." She hesitated briefly, then just asked. "Look. Ty. I need a place to stay. Wondering if I could bunk up with you. Like old times."
"Oh. A friend is staying with me. He already claimed the couch. Sorry."
"I mean. I can sleep on the floor...or we could share.."
Just then his phone vibrated, it was a text from Mirna.
"STAT. Cloud is coding."
"Claire. Sorry but I got to go. We have an emergency."
Hello Dear Readers.
Hope you found this chapter interest peaking, if not enjoyable. Chapter 18 of Small World up next.
As always. Let me know what you think.
SBR