the window. “It’s the ones I don’t know about that worry me. A storm panics animals much the same way fireworks do. Unless they’ve been trained to cope, storms just send them into a frenzy of panic. They lose all sense of reality. Tiny dogs jump huge fences, and if they can’t do that, then they’ll burrow their way out. Cats are the same. Their instinct tells them to run and they just keep going, trying to outrun the storm. By the time they stop, they’re bruised and fractured, exhausted and thirsty.” He looked over at her and smiled. “A bit like I found you.”
“You really care about them, don’t you.” She realized her words might have sounded patronizing again, but Noah just smiled, finally closing the curtain.
“They’re easy to love. No matter what you’ve done, what sort of day you’ve had, they treat you the same.As long as you love them, they just keep right on loving you back. Come on. I’ll lock up the dogs and then I’ll get you set up—”
“Aren’t they staying with us?”
Noah shook his head. “They’ll be safer locked up.”
“Can I help?”
“You just rest.” Leading the way to the clinic, he called over his shoulder, “You’ll be okay on your own, won’t you?”
It was more a statement than a question, and given her attitude before, Cheryl could forgive him the assumption. Under any other circumstance, she’d have nodded to his back, would have lied through her teeth and given an easy “sure.” But she didn’t want to be on her own now. The intensity of the storm was increasing with every passing moment, and Cheryl took a deep breath, not quite sure she was ready to admit that right now she didn’t feel so brave.
“I’d rather come with you.”
He turned and simply nodded, holding out his hand and leading the way in the darkness, through the narrow passage from the house to the attached clinic.
Even though the backup generator didn’t allow for bright lights, after the inky darkness of the house, seeing the subdued glow of the clinic was like stepping into the sun after being in a movie theater all afternoon. But as Cheryl’s eyes slowly adjusted, she felt herself smile. The wind was still audible, but thanks to the newer, more solid structure of the clinic, it was far quieter here than it had been in the house. “It really is like Noah’s ark in here!” she exclaimed.
“I’m not usually quite this full,” Noah admitted, whistling to Madge, who obediently climbed into her cage. He had to wrestle a touch harder with Cheryl’s faithful friend. “Close, but not quite.”
It felt familiar.
She couldn’t explain it, but somehow, the neatly organized shelves, the shining silver carts and waiting machines soothed her.
“You’re well set up here.”
“I need to be,” Noah said, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he watched her slowly work the room. “I’m the only veterinarian for miles. I have to be able to do everything from claw clipping to major surgery. There’s an operating room through there.” He gestured to a black swing door. “The studio apartment is in the room behind.”
“Why do you need one?”
“In case there’s a really sick animal, it’s easier to just crash here.” He registered her tiny frown. “I’m not talking about guinea pigs with colds, Cheryl. Some of the animals I treat are worth tens of thousands of dollars. For the most part I visit them on the farm or ranch, but every now and then we do some pretty big procedures here. Now,” he said, giving her a smile, “I’ll show you the Penthouse Suite.”
“This place is huge!” Cheryl exclaimed as he pushed open the doors and led her into a massive concrete enclosure that she could liken only to some sort of shed cum stable with massive roller doors. It was empty now, except for an enclosure in the corner surrounded with lamps.
“Heat lamps,” Noah explained, heading over. “Piglets can lose heat rapidly.”
Cheryl held back and with good reason. The
“You really care about them, don’t you.” She realized her words might have sounded patronizing again, but Noah just smiled, finally closing the curtain.
“They’re easy to love. No matter what you’ve done, what sort of day you’ve had, they treat you the same.As long as you love them, they just keep right on loving you back. Come on. I’ll lock up the dogs and then I’ll get you set up—”
“Aren’t they staying with us?”
Noah shook his head. “They’ll be safer locked up.”
“Can I help?”
“You just rest.” Leading the way to the clinic, he called over his shoulder, “You’ll be okay on your own, won’t you?”
It was more a statement than a question, and given her attitude before, Cheryl could forgive him the assumption. Under any other circumstance, she’d have nodded to his back, would have lied through her teeth and given an easy “sure.” But she didn’t want to be on her own now. The intensity of the storm was increasing with every passing moment, and Cheryl took a deep breath, not quite sure she was ready to admit that right now she didn’t feel so brave.
“I’d rather come with you.”
He turned and simply nodded, holding out his hand and leading the way in the darkness, through the narrow passage from the house to the attached clinic.
Even though the backup generator didn’t allow for bright lights, after the inky darkness of the house, seeing the subdued glow of the clinic was like stepping into the sun after being in a movie theater all afternoon. But as Cheryl’s eyes slowly adjusted, she felt herself smile. The wind was still audible, but thanks to the newer, more solid structure of the clinic, it was far quieter here than it had been in the house. “It really is like Noah’s ark in here!” she exclaimed.
“I’m not usually quite this full,” Noah admitted, whistling to Madge, who obediently climbed into her cage. He had to wrestle a touch harder with Cheryl’s faithful friend. “Close, but not quite.”
It felt familiar.
She couldn’t explain it, but somehow, the neatly organized shelves, the shining silver carts and waiting machines soothed her.
“You’re well set up here.”
“I need to be,” Noah said, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he watched her slowly work the room. “I’m the only veterinarian for miles. I have to be able to do everything from claw clipping to major surgery. There’s an operating room through there.” He gestured to a black swing door. “The studio apartment is in the room behind.”
“Why do you need one?”
“In case there’s a really sick animal, it’s easier to just crash here.” He registered her tiny frown. “I’m not talking about guinea pigs with colds, Cheryl. Some of the animals I treat are worth tens of thousands of dollars. For the most part I visit them on the farm or ranch, but every now and then we do some pretty big procedures here. Now,” he said, giving her a smile, “I’ll show you the Penthouse Suite.”
“This place is huge!” Cheryl exclaimed as he pushed open the doors and led her into a massive concrete enclosure that she could liken only to some sort of shed cum stable with massive roller doors. It was empty now, except for an enclosure in the corner surrounded with lamps.
“Heat lamps,” Noah explained, heading over. “Piglets can lose heat rapidly.”
Cheryl held back and with good reason. The
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