Page 15 of Maybe, Probably
An hour later, I start to get stir-crazy. I was able to pass some time answering work emails, but now, the silence is uncomfortable. I pull up Evie’s number and hit the call button.
“Hey babes! I was actually just thinking about you! I was going to see if you wanted to go out for drinks tonight!” The happy-go-lucky chimes of my favorite human instantly calm my nerves.
“Honestly? After the day that I’ve had, that sounds fantastic.” I huff as I run my fingers through my hair.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh God, where do I even begin? First, I went out to Sailors Point. I’ve been working with Winnie on his off leash training, and it’s the first time we’ve done it outside of the backyard. I can only do it so many times in the backyard before we have to actually try it out in public, you know? He’s been doing so well, and we were on our way back down. But out of nowhere, he takes off, and then I hear him yelp. So I race over to find him, and his poor face is covered in porcupine quills.”
I hear a gasp come from Evie before I continue.
“So, I got him in the car, and looked up the closest vet. Thankfully, they could see him right away. I’m sitting there in the exam room and you wouldnoteven fathom a guess on who comes through the staff door to check out Winnie’s face.”
She’s silent for a minute. “Okay, spill, bitch! Don’t keep me waiting.”
I huff a laugh, “No one other than the hot brother of Dalton’s new boo.”
“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
“Oh, but it gets better. Me being in the absolute shocked state that I was, stood up to shake his hand and introduce myself. Well, I flipping trip over Winnie and go down. Not only do I fall into him, but he catches me before I face plant onto the ground. And as I was falling down, I threw my hands forward at an attempt to catch myself but ended up copping a feel of the guy's junk. Evie, it was so embarrassing and he was so short with me. I think I totally offended him.” At this point I’m leaning forward withmy elbows resting on my knees. One hand holding my phone, the other holding up my head as I look at my feet.
There is silence, and I check my phone to see if it’s still connected. Then all of a sudden I hear a snort, followed by a roar of laughter. “You… yo—.” There’s a brief pause for more snorts to escape then she continues, “Shut the fuck up.” More laughter follows.
I give her a minute before I finally say something. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I don’t even think I could ever look him in the face again. I’m hoping that his assistant comes to let me know how everything goes.”
I stay on the phone with Evie, and she does her best to keep me distracted. She’s actually doing a great job too. She even got me laughing a few times too.
“Miss Beckett?”
“Evie, I gotta go. I’ll text you.” I don’t give her a chance to reply, and hang up so I can focus my attention on the lady in scrubs in front of me.
“Hi, yes that’s me! Sorry about that. How is he?” I start to wring my fingers nervously.
She gives me a small smile, “We were able to successfully get all the quills out. He is having a little trouble coming out of anesthesia. It’s nothing to worry about, but he’s a bit more sluggish than we would like. So, we would like to keep him overnight.”
“What does that mean? Is he going to be ok?” I feel my chest starting to tighten, anxiety starting to claw at me.
“Oh yes, we have no concerns that he won’t come out of this! It’s just precautionary, we have a staff who stays overnight and keeps an eye on them. And Dr. Hawthorne lives on the property if there are any emergencies. I want to assure you, I don’t have the slightest concern that we’re going to need to call him.”
The tightness starts to ease in my chest a bit; the fact that they have a staff who stays overnight is comforting. I know he won’t be left alone all night. The assistant works with me to sort everything out, and we go over the bill before I pay for everything. I say a silent goodbye to the chunk of money leaving my bank account. They let me go back to say goodnightto Winnie, assuring me that he will be fine for the night. He was asleep when I went in there, surely sleeping off the remainder of the drugs in his system, but he looked good.
I feel comfortable enough to leave and head home. I text Evie giving her the update, and finalising our plans to meet at O’Shays, one of the local bars we have. It’s one that Evie and I always go to when we need a girls night. It has karaoke on Fridays, and the drinks are amazing. It’s like a hidden gem in the city and I absolutely love it because it doesn’t get crazy busy.
And after the day that I’ve had, I totally need a drink… or three.
Chapter Eight
Xavier
IforgottonightwasKaraokenight…
I grimace as I hear the intro ofThe Bad Touchby the Bloodhound Gang start. I understand wanting to blow off some steam while belting out some good music, but there are certain songs that are tacky. This is one of those songs.
Don’t get me wrong, all I want to do is let off a bit of steam too. Today was absolutely ridiculous. We were completely booked to the brim today, but I still took on that extra emergency appointment. As soon as I heard that the dog had a run in with a porcupine, I couldn’t let the poor thing wait.
So, I ended up working through my lunch break instead to make sure that we didn’t fall behind. To say that was a terrible idea is an understatement. I may have gotten a little grumbly and short, and wasn’t my usual self. When I’m at work, I’m my happiest. I love being able to help animals and make sure they’re healthy. I get so committed that I skip meals when I shouldn’t.
Which leads me here.
