“I’m not squeamish,” he says.
I nod, not having time to deal with if he is or isn’t. I have a cat to save.
“Start opening those gauze packets.”
He does while I grab the scalpel. I don’t have time to shave the cat like I’d like or give the cat anything for pain. Instead, I palpate and then make a quick and exact cut into the cat’s lungs.
I grab the straw and carefully place it into the opening. I grab the gauze from Brody to stop the bleeding.
“Come on,” I say, waiting for oxygen to get into the cat’s lungs.
His lungs slowly start filling and then emptying with air, and I let out a deep breath.
“Hold him still,” I tell Brody.
His hands hold the cat that will start feeling more alive now that he is getting oxygen.
“Do you have your phone on you?”
Brody pulls out his phone and hands it to me. I turn the flashlight on and open the cat’s mouth to get a better look while I take the tweezers. It takes me several minutes to find the obstruction, but I finally find the piece of plastic that is lodged in his throat. I pull it out, and then slowly, the cat starts breathing on his own.
“Good kitty,” I say, petting his head. I wait a few more minutes to make sure he is breathing well on his own before I take the straw out and cover the small wound with gauze and wrap.
The captain runs back into th
e room. “I couldn’t find his favorite toys.”
I smile. “It’s okay. Your cat is doing much better now. You should have your vet take a look at him tomorrow to make sure he’s still doing okay, but he’s in the clear.”
I can see the relief all over the man’s face. It’s one of the best parts of the job—watching owners realize that their beloved pet is going to be all right.
He runs over to the cat and wraps his arms around him while I take a step back.
I don’t dare glance over at Brody. I don’t want to know what he’s thinking. We were supposed to remain a mystery to each other. That was how we would be able to remain unattached. But, in a matter of seconds, I destroyed all of that.
I walk out of the room, knowing that Brody is following. I walk back to the front of the boat as the first part of darkness starts covering the sky. I walk back to the railing to look out as the stars begin to take over the sky.
Brody slowly walks over next to me. He doesn’t touch me. He just leans on the railing and looks out at the ocean and sky with me.
“I wish I could pretend like I didn’t just see that, but I’m not a very good actor.”
I sigh. “It’s okay. It was stupid to think that we could spend a week together and not learn some basic facts about each other.” I turn toward Brody. “I’m a veterinarian, if you didn’t figure that out already. I like animals more than I like people. And, if you think what I did back there was impressive, don’t. I don’t want you thinking I’m this amazing human being you should date after this. I’m not that good of a person. If that had been a human back there, I would have let them die. This changes nothing.”
He smirks.
“What’s so amusing?”
“You are the strangest human being I’ve ever met.”
My lips slowly curl up. “You think I’m strange. Good.”
I walk back to the table, pour us each another drink, and then walk back to the railing, handing Brody his drink.
“So, tell me something about yourself since you now know too much about me.”
Brody takes a slow sip of his drink as he stares deeply into my eyes. “You don’t want me to tell you anything about myself.”
“Yes, I do.”