Page 56 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
She headed back through the barn while they waited, eyes on the sweet babies who were curled around each other for warmth. A moment later, he heard her footsteps coming back toward them.
“There are no paw prints,” she said. “Which means she hasn’t been in or out in a while. I think we need to get them to a vet or a shelter.”
“She left them?” River asked, horrified.
“Maybe she was very young,” Nora said. “Or maybe she got sick or hurt. It happens sometimes.”
“They don’t have a mama?” John-John asked sadly.
Pixie wrapped an arm around her brother, looking too sad to speak. River realized suddenly that the kids already had their own experience with losing a mother, and his heart clenched at the thought.
“We’ll take them to the vet,” he decided. “And if they’re doing okay, we can bring them home with us.”
“We can?” Pixie’s sweet little voice was soft with hope.
River felt his eyes burning and he had to turn away from the three of them for a moment to pull himself together.
When he turned back, Nora was gazing up at him with tears in her own eyes.
“Of course we will, Pixie,” River told the girl, his voice a little husky with emotion. “We always take care of the ones who need us.”
Suddenly, her little arms wrapped around his waist as she began to sob.
They came homefrom the local veterinarian’s office an hour later with their laundry basket full of kittens, formula, kitten food, and a list of instructions.
You’re lucky to have your own personal vet tech,the doc had chuckled as he sent them on their way.
“Are you sure you don’t mind taking this on?” Nora asked quietly as the kids piled out of the truck and ran for the farmhouse.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” he said, feeling relieved.
She laughed softly and he could feel it in his heart, like rain on the desert.
“It’ll be a lot of work,” she told him. “But so rewarding. It’s nice that they’re already old enough to start weaning. And… well, I think you can imagine what this means to the kids.”
“They’ve been through so much,” River said quietly. “And they handle it with so much grace. But this reminded me what’s always going on in the background for them, even when they don’t let us see it.”
“It will be good for them to see these little guysgrowing up strong and healthy together,” Nora said, nodding.
But they won’t see anything that happens here once you all go back to the city, River thought but didn’t dare say. He didn’t want to spoil the happy moment.
“Come on,” John-John squeaked excitedly from the front porch. “Let’s show the kittens their new house.”
Nora smiled fondly at the little boy and River felt his heart aching again.
They headed inside, and River took charge of the basket of kittens while Nora chased the kids upstairs to wash up and get changed into something cozy.
When the three of them all filed down in their flannel jammies, River had to smile.
“I can take over kitten duty now,” Nora told him.
“I’ll start on lunch then,” he told her.
But Nora and the kids wound up in the kitchen with him anyway, along with the five kittens. It was the warmest room in the house, and there was a nice little spot near the table to tuck them.
The vet had even loaned them a nice crate and a heating pad. Nora got down on the floor to arrange it all with some towels and a soft blanket to keep the babies warm and clean.
Next, she set up a litter box for them, to John-John’s great interest.
