Dancing Tides by Vickie McKeehan Page B

a g i n g . D on ’ t w o r r y . W e’ ll g e t D o d g e r into ni c e d i g s a t a z oo or a n a qu ar ium. I should be b a c k in h a lf a n hour o r so. W ill y ou g e t one o f the r ooms rea d y in h e r e f or a rec o v e r y ? He’ s s e d a t e d , but ap p are nt l y he h a s a h ea d inju r y ar ound t h e e y e .”
    “O h, poor b a b y . D on ’ t w o r r y . I ’ ll g e t e v e r y thi n g r ea d y .”
     

     
    H ous e d in a t w o - sto r y C r af tsm a n-s t y le hou s e , the P e li ca n Pointe An im a l C l inic h a d a lot in c ommon w ith F MRC i n th a t both h a d b ee n built in the 1940s a nd both wer e r e nov a t e d to s e r ve a s a c lini c.
    B ut th er e t h e simil ar i t y e nd e d. B r a n a nd Jo y Sulliv a n h a d lo n g us e d th e ir r e sid e n c e a s a w o r kpl ace . W h e r e Po r t e r a nd M a r y h a d t r i e d to k e e p th e ir p r o f e ssion s e p a r a te fr om th e ir homeli fe , B r a n a nd Jo y s e e m e d to f use th e i r s tog e th e r a nd m a ke it w o r k.
    L o c a t e d a bl o c k o f f M a in on C re s ce nt St ree t, the S ulliv a n house stood out fr om the oth er s b eca use o f its b r i g ht blue - p a st e l p a int job a nd the f ac t th er e were a l w a y s c a r s in the d r iv ew a y a nd th eref o r e , a p ar ki n g p r ob l e m.
    T he minute Ke e g a n pull e d h e r t r u c k into the c r o w d e d ar e a a nd ca me to a s t op, Jo y Sulliv a n popp e d out the fr ont door to g ree t h e r . T h e c h er ub i c w om a n w ith h e r re d h a ir tu r ni n g a s t y lish g r a y put a h a nd to h e r b r e a st a nd s a id, “ Ar e w e g l a d to s e e y o u ! W e wer e af r a id t ha t s ea ott e r w ould wa ke up a nd we’ d h a v e to s e d a te him a g a in.”
    “ I g ot h e r e a s soon a s I c ould. I s he t h a t b a d o ff ? ”
    Jo y m a de a f ace . “H is h e a d ’ s a ll c ut up a nd — I ’ ll l e t B r a n g ive y ou the lo w do w n on the m e di ca l d e t a ils.”
    Ke e g a n ’ s h e a r t s a nk. T h i s sound e d mo r e s er ious t h a n sh e’ d b e e n l e d to b e l i e v e . “ W e ll, l e t ’ s s e e w h a t we’ v e g ot . ”
    T h e y wa lk e d into a cr o w d e d re c e ption a r e a a nd J oy l e d h e r b a c k to the op e r a ting r oom w h er e th e r e on the t a ble l a y a v e r y still s e a ott e r , we i g hi n g no mo r e th a n t we n t y - f ive pounds w ith a b a nd a ge ar ound his little h ea d.
    Ke e g a n a lso noti ce d his st o m ac h wa s w r a pp e d. “W h a t h a pp e n e d th e r e ? B ra n didn ’ t m e ntion th a t.”
    “Ga sh e s ar ound his middle th a t took f o r t y stit c h e s. T hose w ill lik e l y g ive h i m some p a in.”
    “O k a y , th e n l e t ’ s g e t this little g u y ho m e b ef o r e he wa k e s up.”
    T he th re e o f th e m lo a d e d t h e p a ti e nt into a dog ca r r i e r a nd car t e d him out to the F o r d w h er e th e y ea s e d him into the b e d of the t r u c k, still un c ons c ious. “T h a nks g u y s.”
    “ C a ll us if he n ee ds a n y t hi n g e ls e . ”
    “ W ill do.” W ith th a t she craw l e d b e hind the w h ee l a nd b ac k e d out to h e a d f or hom e .
    Sh e’ d a lmost m a de it b a c k to M a in St ree t w h e n s h e noti ce d t h e t e mp e ra tu r e g a u ge in c hing into the re d z on e . I t s e e m e d stu c k in the t w o -f o r t y ra n ge a nd w ould n ’ t bud g e . A nd th e n a ll of a sudd e n, the e n g ine li g ht c a me on, a nd w ith it the sound of hissing a nd sp ew in g .
    Cou g hi n g a nd sputt er i n g , she e d g e d the old blue Fo r d ov e r to the side of t h e r o a d. W hite smoke pou re d fr om un d e r n ea th the hood. I f she w a sn ’ t mist a k e n, sh e’ d just blo w n a h ea d g a sk e t.
    “ I don ’ t b e li e v e this,” K e e g a n mutt ere d a s she r e a c h e d into h e r po c k e t a nd dug out h e r ce ll phon e , pun c h e d in a numb e r she kn e w b