6
Andi
Piggie Ties
Ninja hisses from the pet carrier that sits by my leg. I drove in to the vet this morning, made my appointment, begged for an extra-large dog cage to bring her back in, and now we sit in the waiting room with frayed nerves and only a few claw marks on my arms.
Ninja didn’t come easily, and I have battle scars to prove it, but now we’re here, and while Nacho sits in her little pouch on my side, Ninja’s growling promises another round of retribution just as soon as I close my eyes tonight.
She’s so angry I would drag her ass to this undignified place, but I’m doing the responsible thing. I’m making sure Riley doesn’t come home to a messy house or a dead cat, so if I end up with a thousand scratches, so be it.
I’ll take them, and I’ll take another million if it makes his life just that little bit easier.
“Miss Conner?” A man I now dubDoctor McHottysteps into the waiting room and smiles in a way the younger me might have tossed my panties for. He’s got aGQMagazine look going on; short hair on the back and sides, with a little bit extra on top so hair gel looks good, short stubble on his jaw, and thick arms that stretch his white coat. He wears a blue dress shirt and pleated slacks beneath his doctor coat, but the clincher is the little piggies on his tie.
He has baby pigs on his tie! And yet, my panties remain intact.
Standing, I lift my pig and Riley’s cat, and step forward. “That’s me.”
McHotty flashes a charming grin and makes the whore in me sigh. I went ahead and caught feelings for a man who no longer wants me, and now this man wearing a piggie tie will go to waste.
Oblivious to my thoughts, he follows me in to the examination room and closes the door while I heft Ninja’s cage up to the little table. “Thanks for seeing us on short notice.”
“It’s okay, Miss Conner. I don’t recognize your name; you’re new to town?”
“You can call me Andi.” I accept his hand when he offers. “And no. I don’t even live here, but I’m cat-sitting, and I think she might have broken her tail.”
He grimaces and steps back. Folding a little lower and peeking into the cage, his demeanor changes in an instant. “Ninja?” He checks his paperwork. “This is Ninja? Officer Cruz’s cat?”
“Yeah. Riley’s my pal, but he’s not feeling so well right now. I think Ninja was climbing the blinds and fell, but she won’t really let me get a good look.”
“Okay, no problem.” He bravely opens the cage and pulls my hissing nemesis out. McHotty doesn’t flinch. He’s not scared of the cat with a bad attitude. He only pulls her out and sets the cage on the floor. Holding her collar with one hand, and running the other over her back, her fur stands on end while he studies her large body. “Sure looks broken, huh?” His brows narrow as he studies her. “We’ll get some X-rays to make sure, but I don’t think this is too serious. Does she have incontinence?”
I shake my head. “She used the litter box fine last night.”
“And she’s eating?”
“Yeah, but not in front of me. She’s shy, so I left a tray of dinner out for her last night. I went out for an hour, and when I got home, it was all gone.”
“Good.” He touches her tail and makes no reaction when her hisses turn to flat out warning howls. “I don’t think there’s nerve damage. This might be a wait-and-watch thing. We’ll get X-rays just to make sure, but I suspect this will just be a bandage job while she heals herself.”
“Umm…” Nervously, I slide my hand into my bag and scratch Nacho’s ears. “How much will X-rays cost?”
He waves me off. “Nothing for Ninja. We treat all emergency personnel pets for free.” His eyes meet mine. “We appreciate what our first responders do in this town, and though you say Cruz isn’t feeling so well…” He shrugs. “Well, this is a small town. I know what you’renotsaying, so this won’t cost anything. But could you please send my best whenever you think it’s appropriate? Let Officer Cruz know we’re thinking of him and praying for his recovery.”
I’m not sure I’ll ever pass that message on, but I don’t tell him that. Instead, I nod and breathe a little easier that today won’t be as expensive as I expected. “Okay. Thank you.”
“You’re so welcome.” He picks Ninja up and turns toward the door. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll take her back for about twenty, get the scans, and we’ll be back. We’ll know right away what we’re dealing with, but I don’t think it’s too serious.”
“Okay.” Backing up to the wall, I cross my ankles and open the pouch so Nacho can get fresh air. I think she’s a little too comfortable being carried around, too happy to be babied, but I can’t find it in myself to mind, and I enjoy the sense of responsibility she rewards me with, so I don’t do anything to discourage her sloth-like behavior. For the first time in my life, I’ve decided to put someone else ahead of my own selfish needs. My pig needs a hug, Riley’s cat needs a vet, and Riley needs a safe home to come back to. So those are the things I do, instead of sleep in till ten like my body wants me to, or drink my tenth coffee of the day.
Or,sigh, flirt with McHotty.
Pulling Nacho out of the bag and smiling at her playful snorts, I set her on the floor to sniff around and explore the billion animals that visited this office before her. Her toesclip-clip-clipagainst the laminate floor. She trots toward a shelf displaying the different kinds of heartworm treatment for dogs, then sits back on her haunches and stares at a poster of a horse’s insides.
McHotty treats animals from mice right up to horses.Who the hell would bring a mouse to a vet?
Pulling my cell out when his twenty minutes turns to twenty-five, I scroll my social media profiles, make sure my text queue is empty – it’s not; Mia’s having a conniption – and check the group chat I’ve found myself added to overnight and two hundred messages I can’t possibly catch up on.