My Sunshine

My Sunshine by Catherine Anderson

Book: My Sunshine by Catherine Anderson Read Free Book Online
Authors: Catherine Anderson
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in.”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œNo buts. Tucker’s got three emergencies in his wing and only Susan to assist him. Normally Val fills in when we get shorthanded, but she’s not here either. That leaves only you to help me.”
    Still shaking her head, Laura managed to push out, “I—can’t. I’m sorry, but I just can’t.”
    â€œYou have to.” His blue eyes locked with hers. “This dog’s life is on the line. There’s no time for his owners to take him somewhere else. He’ll bleed to death.”
    Laura clutched the surgical scrubs to her chest, wishing she were sick, too. How come everyone else had gotten the bug, and she felt fine? “I don’t know what to do.”
    â€œI’ll talk you through it.” He inclined his head atthe sink as he grabbed a shaver to prep the unconscious canine. “That dispenser above the faucet is surgical soap. There are sterile gloves in that blue box at the end of the counter.”
    After jerking off her soiled smock, Laura quickly donned the clean one and rushed to the sink. Pushing at her hair with numb fingers as she pulled on the cap, she glanced in the mirror to make sure all of her head was covered. Her eyes, huge and dazed, stared back at her from a chalk-white face.
    â€œHurry,” Isaiah urged from behind her. “I don’t want to lose him.”
    Laura was trembling so violently she sent soap lather flying as she washed her hands and arms. Moments later she grew light-headed as she approached the table. Blood had pooled around the dog’s hindquarters.
    â€œDon’t pass out on me,” Isaiah warned softly. “Pretend it’s something on television. That’s what I used to do.”
    He seemed so calm, so unaffected by the gore, that Laura found it difficult to believe he’d ever felt as queasy as she did.
    As though he guessed her thoughts, he said, “The first time I observed an operation, I almost fainted. Happens to a lot of people. All you can do is find a way to separate yourself.”
    Laura nodded. Pretending it was something on television didn’t quite work. The coppery smell of blood coated her mouth, shivered over her tongue. Her gaze kept shifting to the stand beside him. A dozen different instruments lay on a white towel, the pieces of stainless steel glinting in the brightlight. She didn’t know the names of the tools, which of them he might need. She’d watched enough medical shows to realize that a surgical assistant had to anticipate a doctor’s needs and respond to his orders without hesitation.
    Her legs felt as if they’d turned to water, but she forced herself to move closer. “I don’t know what to do,” she said again, her voice quavering and thin.
    â€œNo worries. All I need is an extra pair of hands.” He nodded at the instruments. “Right now I need the scalpel.” When Laura hesitated, he described the implement and then winked at her when she grabbed the right one. “See there, sweetheart? Already a pro.”
    When he made a long incision in the animal’s leg, Laura gulped audibly. Little black spots danced in front of her eyes. She turned her gaze to the dog’s head. Its eyes were only partially closed, and its mouth hung open. It looked to her as if Isaiah had pulled the animal’s tongue out over its teeth. Her stomach tumbled and rolled. To hold down her gorge, she focused on the cotton blanket that now draped the canine’s body.
    â€œWhat kind of dog is it?” she asked, desperate for something, anything, to take her mind off what was happening.
    â€œHe’s a mongrel just like me, part this and part that. Mostly shepherd of some kind, I think. ‘Mongrel’ isn’t a very flattering term. I prefer the term ‘mixed-breed’ myself.” He glanced at the monitor to check the dog’s vitals and adjusted the IV drip. “Do you know what

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