Page 12 of Fake Dating in Half Moon Bay

She was at the clinic when he arrived, she must have called him while driving. Not good. Mrs.Miggins still had all her faculties, and was a decent driver, but when distraught, nobody needed to be on the phone while driving.

The second he parked, she jumped out of her aging yellow Cadillac, the dog in her arms.

“Dr.Bellamie. Bless you for coming. Thank you. Please help her.”

Even from eight feet away, the dog’s raspy breathing was audible. He knew in an instant that Peaches had swallowed something she shouldn’t have been eating.

He opened the door and held it open for Mrs.Miggins. He flipped the lock behind her and led her to an exam room.

“What was the last thing Peaches did, before her breathing changed?”

The frightened woman stared down at the floor and refused to meet his eye.

Carefully, he listened to the Chihuahua’s breathing and repeated gagging. Whatever was lodged in his/her throat was a problem, but the dog didn’t seem to be in immediate danger unless it started to panic.

“Mrs.Miggins, I cannot help her, unless I know what happened. You don’t want Peaches to die, do you?” The words were harsh, but they’d been down this road more than once. She flat out refused to stick to kibble. He cradled the dog in one arm and used his fingers to pry her mouth open. He peered down her throat.

“Is that a bone?” Surely, she wasn’t that foolish.

“Maybe.” Her voice trembled.

“What kind of bone and how did she get it?” He’d warned her a dozen times not to give bones to the miniscule dog.

“She jumped up and stole it off my plate while I was in the washroom.”

“Mrs.Miggins,” Zander said, aiming for patience. “You know as well as I do, that Peaches can barely climb stairs. There is no way she could jump onto a chair and get up on the dining table to steal a bone.”

She wept in earnest now. “I know,” she whispered. “But she was just so hungry and so cute I couldn’t resist.”

His phone started vibrating in his pocket. He ignored it. “I’m hoping I don’t have to sedate her to get the bone out. You’ll have to hold her still.” He set the distressed pooch on the exam table.

Mrs.M’s hands trembled, and tears streamed down her cheeks, but she managed to hold the dog in place. Pulling the bone was more traumatic for Mrs.Miggins than it was for Peaches. Zander freed the bone and examined it.

“A chicken bone? Those are the worst. How many pieces did she get?”

“Just one. I swear.” She clutched her hands in front of her chest as if praying.

“If you must feed her treats, get proper treats here, or from the pet store. Maybe you could find a recipe and bake your own. Just, please, stop feeding her table scraps.” He felt terrible for both the dog and its owner. “I understand that she’s your baby. Pets are great for our hearts. They are family. But if you don’t stop feeding her human food, she won’t last until the end of the year.”

“I promise.”

He suspected it was another in a long line of false promises. “I’m going to keep Peaches overnight for some tests and for observation.” The dog was fine. After repeated lectures on feeding, worry was the only thing that might penetrate Mrs.M’s stubborn attitude. “I’m hoping she’ll be fine in the morning.”

“But I haven’t slept alone since I got my Peachie-Pie. I got her when Mr.M. passed. What will I do?”

“Go home, make a nice cup of tea, and watch one of your murder mysteries. I’ll stay in the clinic tonight. I’ll call you in the morning. Come let’s put this little gal in a kennel.”

Weeping, Mrs.Miggins followed him to the overnight room and let her kiss her baby goodbye before shutting the tired animal in a pen. “Are you sure Peaches will be okay?” She twisted her hands together.

“I hope so. I’ll do an ultrasound to be sure there’s nothing else obstructing her throat. I’ll let you know if anything changes.” The dog was fine. The drumstick bone was intact and had no sharp edges. He prayed Mrs.Miggins was scared enough to modify her behavior. He hated seeing her upset, but she needed to realize what she was doing was terrible for Peaches’ health.

It was unfortunate that he was sending her home scared, but after three years of arguments, he was fed up. A serious jolt of fear might help her learn her lesson. Eventually, he calmed Mrs.Miggins enough to go home. He did a complete exam on Peaches and settled the tired pup back into the kennel. As he closed the door, he remembered his ringing phone.

He pulled it out and checked the screen. Tyson had called but hadn’t left a message. That wasn’t a good sign. A call that close to midnight meant something serious was up. He called his brother back.

“Hey, Ty, What’s up? Sorry I didn’t answer, I was with a patient.” Tyson grumbled about nothing in particular for a few minutes. He had something on his mind and was having trouble getting to the point.

Tyson was great with sports, he dealt well with kids, parents, and teachers, but discussing anything emotional or close to his heart always tripped him up.

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