Page 18 of All I Need

“I’M SO SORRY, WALKER.”

Last week I felt completely off kilter knowing that Ellie is in town, staying at Polly’s house while Polly does her magic. Now the news Linda just dropped in my lap threatens to tip me over the edge. “Relax, Linda. It’s not as if this is coming out of nowhere. I knew you’d be retiring at some point.”

Linda worked for the clinic long before I took over. She’s been over retirement age for a few years so it’s not exactly a surprise. However, I did expect to have a little more warning.

“I know it’s sudden.” I give her a look and the skin around her eyes wrinkles. “Okay, I know you expected this but… I feel bad leaving you right now.”

“It’s not a big deal. It’s summer and Grayson can help out until I find a replacement. You need to focus on your family right now.” Tears spring to her eyes and I don’t hesitate to pull her into a hug. “No tears, please. You know how they break my heart,” I murmur, rubbing her back.

She just told me her husband Roger was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Between his appointments and just managing his every day care needs, she needs to be more available to him. I would expect nothing else.

We step away from each other and she wipes under her eyes. She’s been a staple at the clinic for so long, it’s going to be weird without her here but my main worry is for Roger.

“I’m going to miss you,” she mutters.

“We’re going to miss you, too. You’ll be impossible to replace, you know that? But we’ll survive,” I rush to add, not wanting her to feel even worse than she already does.

“I know you will. And you’re not going to get rid of me completely. I’ll still be around.”

“Thank goodness for that,” I tell her smiling.

I hear the chime of the front door sound, letting me know my first patient must be here. I reach over and squeeze her hand lightly. “We’ll be fine. And Roger will beat this. He’s a fighter. I’m here for whatever your family needs, okay?”

She nods once and offers me a watery smile before heading out into the reception area to begin our day.

I settle back on my chair in my office and scrub a hand down my face, allowing myself just a few minutes to worry about the next steps before I move to the first exam room. Linda is only going to be with me for two more weeks.

When I said she’d be impossible to replace, I wasn’t exaggerating. She knows the patients, their owners, the accounting system and patient records like the back of her hand. But I also know that she’s religious about keeping notes and has done a great job of keeping track of how she does things.

Willow has helped out enough when Linda was gone on vacation or out sick and never had any problems.

I grab the chart out of the plastic holder on the outside of the exam room door and open the folder. Immediately I have to suppress a groan from escaping my throat.

Brooklyn Rosin is not exactly subtle in her pursuit of me. Within a month of her divorce she became a regular with her new puppy. There always seemed to be something wrong—her urine looked or smelled funny, she was shedding two more hairs than normal, her claws needed cut and she was nervous to do it on her own. The best was when she said she thought her puppy had anxiety because she barked at the mailman. I can’t even make this shit up.

I walk past the room and straight to Linda at reception.

“What’s the problem today?”

She presses her lips together tightly.

“Just tell me,” I groan.

“Brooklyn is concerned because Matilda pooped twice yesterday instead of just once.”

I stare at her unblinking.

“It’s a legitimate concern, Dr. McKinstry.”

How she manages to say the words without laughing is beyond me. And I know she’s being sassy. She only Doctor’s me when she’s in the mood to be a smart ass.

“She cares very deeply for Matilda,” Linda goes on, holding her hand to her chest.

I close my eyes and sigh, spinning on my heels to get this over with. “Thorn in my damn side,” I grumble. To that she does giggle.

I knock twice on the door and hear Brooklyn’s voice call out far too chipper, “Uh huh, yup! Come on in!”

She’s nothing if not cheerful.

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