Page 25 of Hesi-Dating
Susan returned and gave the hound a hug.
Amber got back on her knees and picked at something on his paw. "It's around his large pad. Almost…got it." She show-and-telled a piece of plastic. "Looks like a plastic Easter egg that has the rounded end busted. He must've jumped on it and it got stuck. Surprised he's not licking at his paw like crazy."
"He was at first but stopped. He always licks his feet. I asked him to stop, and he did." Seth deflated with relief. "Can't believe I missed that."
"Hard to see with all that hair. He's got a bit of bleeding from where it was embedded." Amber took the gauze that Susan handed her and used a clear solution to clean his paw. "Let me put a quick bandage on it to protect it for a few hours. We'll put him on an antibiotic to be safe." Amber looked at his other paws. "How long's he been licking his paws?"
"Since I found him. My vet said it's an obsessive-compulsive thing or something. Kind of blew it off as something dogs do."
"It's not normal to lick all the time. A little licking to groom is okay, but all the time is a problem." Amber fanned through the fur. "Looks like he's got a bit of an infection. Let me check." She used some double stick tape to get a sample. "Be right back and we'll put that little bandage on."
Once she left Seth said, "You two are sisters?"
We didn't look alike with Amber heavy on her Spanish heritage we'd discovered by doing one of those DNA tests. All four of us had done them since we knew nothing about our birth parents.
"We're foster sisters." I smiled when Henry batted at me to pet him again. "My two brothers, her, and me all ended up in the same foster home in high school. We all bonded and have stayed together as family ever since."
Henry put his injured paw down and happily walked on it. Everywhere he stepped left a blood print.
"Crap." Seth jumped up and grabbed a wad of paper towels off their roll. He wiped the floor.
I took the spray off the counter to help him. When I was down on my hands and knees, I realized the dog was still prancing around but Seth had frozen. I glanced up, catching him locked on where my shirt gaped.
He swallowed and muttered, "Sorry."
"Hey, Seth." I waited until he met my gaze again. It melted me that he was careful not to stare at my boobs. "It's okay for you to look. They're right there. Remember, they're devious little brats. They don't mind being stared at by you." I winked at him and returned to cleaning.
He rolled back on his haunches. "Joley, I think you and me should?—"
Amber came back in, cutting him off again.
I jumped up, face flaming since we'd been staring intensely at each other.
Amber waved at the floor. "You two don't need to worry about that. We'll get it cleaned up later." She waited until Seth sat in one of the two chairs. "He's got a yeast infection on his paws. I'll send him home with something to treat that, but it's usually caused by an underlying allergy to either food or something environmental. Hate to say it, but your vet shouldn't have blown it off. It can be helped but that means you need to find someone to help you figure out the allergy."
"Will you help me?" Seth asked.
"Sure, but I do emergency medicine rather than GP. General practice."
"I don't care if it costs more. You're Joley's sister. I trust you."
"Sure, I'll help you. Let's get him healed from this and work on clearing the infection he's got right now. Then we can recheck him in a month or so to see if the licking is back and talk allergies. I'm going to put in some medications for him that Susan will review with you. Joley, can I borrow you for a minute to talk about…" She shot me a gritty smile that had my stomach twisting. "Family stuff?"
I followed her out the back door of the clinic into the dog walking area, which was lined with short fake grass. It reeked of pee.
"We're out here because there aren't cameras. Remember, this place is rigged with them everywhere for the reality TV show. Most of the camera guys are at dinner." She covered her face and ran her hand slowly down her cheeks. "What the hell are you doing here with him, Joley? I get that youlike-like that guy, and even I'll admit he's hot in a penal code way, but you shouldn't be here with him. If Nosh gets wind that you're still hanging out with him…"
"He was a mess, Amber. You saw him. That's his baby."
"Every owner's a mess when their pet is in a crisis. I see it all day. He's a big boy who could've handled this alone. Youwantedto be here. Youwantedto see him again, didn't you?"
I dropped my head and sighed. "Yes."
She pulled me into a hug. "This is a problem. You have to try to stay away from him, even though being off limits probably makes him more attractive."
"We're only friends. I swear."
"I know, but when's the last time you became friends with a guy?" She let me go.
