Page 65 of Unaware

Chapter Sixteen

Aria

Most of the following week was uneventful. I spent it giving patients vaccinations, stitching up small wounds, performing general surgeries like neutering and ear cropping, and I put one Labrador on a strict weight-loss diet.

At the last minute on Thursday evening, we had an emergency come in with a broken pelvis, which Dr. Hutchins and I had to take X-rays of and do extensive tests on. We then performed a gruelling two-hour surgery to set the severe fracture.

Now the dog was in recovery and resting in one of the cages in the kennel room. More X-rays and intensive treatment would be needed before the dog would be able to go home.

The whole ordeal urged me to dig out some of the clinic’s information books. I went to the clinic’s pathology and X-ray room, which also doubled as its library. I was deeply focused on reading a page of one of the thick textbooks when Dr. Hutchens stopped in the doorway.

“Good work there, Dr. Jones,” he said to me as he put his tie back on.

“Thanks, you too,” I replied.

He rubbed his hand through his greying hair as he walked over to me. “What are you reading about?”

“Orthopaedics,” I answered.

“Refreshing your knowledge?”

“Yep.”

Dr. Hutchens smiled. “I admire your dedication, Aria, but it’s late and we were supposed to be home hours ago. Save it for another day.” He patted my shoulder and started for the door.

I read a couple more passages before agreeing that perhaps he was right. I closed the thick tome and put it back on the shelf.

“Go and get Mama ready for her behavioural assessment!” Dr. Hitchens’ voice echoed back to me.

Yep. He was definitely right. Mama was going to be put through her paces tomorrow, and I hoped she passed with flying colours. However, the thought of her going up for adoption tugged the heartstrings as tight as trip wire.

I moved through the dark clinic to fetch Mama from the kennel she was resting in. I attached her lead and made my way to the back of the premises where the employees exited and entered. I opened the door, barely paying attention to what I was doing, when I was jumped.

With a squeal, I backed into the clinic. Mama barked, but backed away, tail between her legs. I began to push the door shut until I heard . . .

“Aria.”

The familiar voice was so full of pain and when I looked at my potential mugger properly, I gasped. Logan was clutching his left arm across his body and his shirt was covered in blood. “Logan! Oh my god, what’s happened to you?”

He pressed himself up against the doorframe. “I need your help, baby.”

When he began to slide to the floor, I dropped my things and caught a hold of him.

He screamed in pain.

“I’ll get you to the hospital,” I said, trying to heft him.

“We’re at one.”

“This is an animal hospital.”

“Exactly.” Logan pushed himself into the building and leaned against one of the counters. “I need you to fix me.”

“What?” I looked at him as if he were mad, and not just bleeding all over the clean floor. “I work on animals.”

“It’s not that different.”

“Logan—”

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