Page 23 of With a Grain of Salt

"He's got terrible diarrhea," she says, whispering the last word as if it would be a disgrace to have someone else hear her say it. "I don't know if it's something he ate. The boys are terrified."

"Let's get him checked in," I tell her and circle around the counter to the computer.

I pull up her information, smiling when I see the notes written on the computer. I remember Nanuk very well. The poor thing was found on the highway, and he was nothing but skin and bones before Dr. McBride got him here. The dog has a certain charm and it usually comes out in the form of a screaming howl when he's excited. Chase, Madison's fiancé, ended up with him, but I really think that was a bait-and-switch situation where the dog just got dropped off at Chase's house while Dr. McBride left, hoping he wouldn't be demanded to come and pick him back up.

Madison cringes with every question I ask her, but she answers me to the best of her knowledge. She looks relieved when I stand and have her follow me to one of the sick bays we have for dogs. We have four entrances to the building—two for dogs both sick and well, and two for cats for the same reasons. We do our best to limit healthy pets being exposed to the germs of those that might be sick. Some animal diseases and illnesses can be missed, especially out here where a lot of animals work farms and spend most of their time outside roaming around.

"Is it cancer?" Madison asks, nearly in tears.“I googled his symptoms.”

The confession is marked with regret, but that’s understandable. Articles on the internet can go left pretty dang fast.

I shake my head. "I can't say one way or the other, but let's run some tests to be sure."

I get Nanuk weighed, chuckling when Madison scrunches her nose when I have to lift his tail for a stool sample.

"It's a glorious job, most days," I explain as I insert the specimen tip into the tube for safekeeping.

"I hope so," she says. "Hey, now that I have you here, I wanted to see what you thought about a playdate on Saturday."

I give her a kind smile.

"For Larkin, of course," she says. "But you're more than welcome to come chitchat with me while the kids play. I think the boys need more than each other to be friends with."

I could cry happy tears at the invite. "I wish I could, but we're open this Saturday."

She looks as disappointed as I feel.

"What about Sunday?" I barter, not wanting to give up completely.

"I have some things scheduled on Sunday," Madison answers. "But if you trust me to keep Larkin, I'm sure she'd have a great time."

I chew the inside of my lip before answering. It's not that I don't trust Madison, but Larkin has never stayed with anyone other than the Kennedys, and I was a mess every day for the first two months I had to drop her off as an infant so I could go to work.

"I know I'm not a biological mom, yet," she says, running her hand over the tiniest baby bump I've ever seen. "I have been watching and taking care of kids for a really long time. I've even won community awards for being the best childcare provider, although that was when I was in high school. I know it's a big ask, but the boys—"

"I don't doubt that you'll keep her safe," I assure her. "And I think she'd have a great time."

"So she can come?" she squeals, making Nanuk yawn in a way that sounds like a yelp.

"She can come, but I'll have to make arrangements with the Kennedys. I work here and then at The Hairy Frog tomorrow evening."

I know better than to be selfish and make Larkin miss out on an opportunity to socialize with other kids close to her age just because I'm selfish and want to spend those few hours with her in between my jobs.

"I can get with Nora and see what works for them," Madison offers, and I know she's just trying to be kind and take some things off my plate.

"I'll handle that. What time is best for you?"

We hash out the details and exchange phone numbers. It makes me feel a little better about tomorrow than I've been feeling about my shift at the bar tomorrow evening.

Half an hour later, I'm back in the room with Nanuk's test results.

"He has giardia," I tell her.

Madison's face falls. "That sounds horrible."

"It's a rather unpleasant intestinal disorder to deal with but we'll give him a prescription, and he should be as good as new in a few days. I will advise you to clean up very well after him because it is transmissible to humans, and the last thing the boys need is to get it."

Her face turns green, and I realize that she's been having to clean up after the dog and never realized just how bad it could get.

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