Клер Донелли - The Big Kitty

Jane broke off in surprise. “Hey, Shadow,” she said in a gentle voice. “Whatcha doin’ here?”

Shadow stirred and meowed at her.

“I thought you and all of Ada’s cats were with Animal Control.” Jane gently scratched the cat between the ears, talking to Shadow as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Sunny couldn’t help noticing that Shadow didn’t shy away from Jane’s fingers.

Great—she’s also the most popular with cats, Sunny fumed.

The vet turned to Sunny. “I gave all my medical files on Ada’s cats to the folks at the shelter to try and help get some adoptions set up. She probably spent more time and money taking care of her strays than she did for herself.” Jane smiled. “Guess I’ll have to get Shadow’s back.” She pointed over her shoulder. “Bring him into the kitchen. I’ll examine him there.”

Following Jane’s instructions, Sunny deposited Shadow on a kitchen island that probably cost as much as her year’s salary at MAX.

“It’s his side,” she said as the vet helped Shadow to sit up. He was obviously favoring one side.

Jane nodded. “Cats usually don’t show much when they’re hurting. Out in the big, bad world, a small animal that acts lame or starts crying is just asking to be attacked by something else. It’s simple survival to be stoic.”

Sunny blinked. “But Shadow cried out. He was in the back of our truck when I passed by, and I didn’t know it until I heard him.”

Jane looked surprised. “I don’t think he ever talked to Ada. Guess he must like you.” She continued her careful investigation. “He’s definitely hurt—probably a kick. His breathing seems all right …”

She stepped around to pull a stethoscope from a drawer. “Don’t hear anything wrong with his heart or lungs. The little guy may have some bruised ribs, but I don’t think anything is broken. You can bring him in for X-rays tomorrow”—she looked at the clock—“make that later this morning. Or you can keep an eye on him for a day. If you see breathing problems or if he suddenly doesn’t want to eat, then I’d be worried.”

Jane gently petted Shadow. “Don’t give him any pain medicines. It’s not just a question of dosage; cats’ systems—or dogs’, for that matter—don’t handle them the same ways ours do. The best thing right now is just to let him rest.”

Will kept glancing anxiously at the kitchen clock. “Look, I’ve got to go back on patrol.”

“I’m just going home,” Sunny told him. Will said his good-byes hurriedly and rushed out the door as Sunny turned to Jane. “I’m sorry for barging in like this. Maybe I overreacted.”

But the vet shook her head. “That kind of trauma can mess up a cat’s lungs, even his heart. You did the right thing.” She saw Sunny to the door. “Besides, it was interesting to see Will again—and you, too, Shadow,” she added, running a finger under his chin.

She glanced over at Sunny. “You don’t seem too familiar with cats, if you don’t mind my saying so. What’d he do, adopt you?”

“I—I guess so,” Sunny admitted.

“As I said, I can retrieve his medical records if you’re going to keep him. He can be a handful, but he’s healthy. If you’re still making up your mind, I have to warn you—he’s starting to bond with you.”

Sunny looked down into Shadow’s oddly flecked eyes. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I think I am, too.”

*

Her dad wasin bed by the time Sunny got home. His light was off, and Sunny suspected he had the covers over his head, hoping to avoid her righteous indignation over the results of his attempt to evict Shadow.

“Too bad, Dad,” she muttered. “I think your fiendish plan to toss Shadow out completely backfired on you.”

How was Mike going to get rid of the kitty that had saved Sunny and him from being gassed, especially when the feline hero came home injured?

Sunny transferred Shadow to the pet bed, which had remained in the corner of the living room. Then she carried him, bed and all, up the stairs to her room and put him down in front of her bookcase. “G’night, Shadow,” she said, getting a drowsy “Mrrrrow” in response.

Smiling, she went off to her own bed.

*

Sunny’s alarm rangall too early the next morning. She staggered downstairs to find Mike already making breakfast—his idea of a peace offering.

She decided not to beat him over the head. Instead she just repeated Jane Rigsdale’s advice about listening to Shadow’s breathing and letting him rest.

“Let him rest?” Mike muttered incredulously. “How is that different from what he usually does?”

Shadow came into the kitchen. He was still moving carefully, but already he seemed a bit better. After a brief detour to snag some dry food, he came over and nudged Sunny’s ankle with his head. She reached down and scratched him behind the ears, smiling when he didn’t shy away this time.

Mike watched and gave a helpless shrug. “So that’s the way it is now?”

Sunny didn’t even answer, gulping down her coffee and heading for the pickup truck. She made it to the office on time and spent most of the morning trying not to fall asleep on her desk.

Guess it’s just as well I’m not doing anything critical today, she told herself.

She tried to look bright and chipper as the office door opened—although the effect was spoiled a little when her mouth dropped open in surprise. Jane Rigsdale walked in. “Several of my patients mentioned you this morning,” the vet said.

“Parrots?” The snarky question came out before Sunny could think to stop it.

Jane grimaced. “I guess the ladies who talked to me consider themselves my patients’ mothers. So you were down in New York being a journalist? Now that I think about it, it wasn’t yearbook, was it? You were on the school paper back in the day.”

Yeah, while you were student government president and prom queen and —Sunny broke off that line of thought. Her high school annoyance at Perfect Miss Jane was almost fifteen years in the past. Why was she getting so riled up about it now?

She tried to keep that ancient irritation from her voice as she answered. “Yeah, that’s what I was doing until my dad got sick and I came up here to take care of him.” She shrugged, giving Jane a crooked smile. “I took a leave of absence, and then I got laid off. The newspaper business isn’t as healthy as it used to be.”

Once again, Sunny had to hand it to the gossip establishment over the local media. Here Jane had her whole backstory, not to mention clearly pinpointing where she worked now, all thanks to a couple of conversations with people bringing their sick pets in for treatment.

If Ollie could figure out how to tack advertising onto that, he’d be a megagazillionaire, Sunny thought. Out loud, she said, “So what brings you back to the old hometown?”

“Business,” Jane said shortly, drawing herself up. Then her shoulders slumped. “Martin—my ex-husband—had a practice outside of Boston. That’s how I met him, actually. In the vet trade, you essentially start off as an apprentice to an experienced practitioner when you come out of school.” She sighed. “Martin was a very good vet. As a husband, though, not so much. There were problems, financial and personal. I thought we could make a fresh start up here, but—” Jane made a helpless gesture. “Long story short, it didn’t work out. Martin moved on, and I stayed here with the pet hospital.”

After a moment’s silence, Jane pulled herself together, becoming a businesslike veterinarian again. “I had an early lunch, so I thought I’d stop by and see how your patient was doing.” She colored slightly. “The furry one, not your father.”