Page 3 of Lightning Strikes

I have ten appointments today and I have to take care of Cutie… We really need to hire more vets. I read through Blake’s notes and groan when I realize he didn’t write down the amounts Cutie ate or drank or what he passed… So I note that down to ream him for it tonight when he comes back for the night shift. No reason to call him and cause the tired human to crash his car.

I turn right out of my office, gliding through the doors to the hospital portion of the clinic where we have surgical rooms and comfortable areas for our patients to stay for an extended amount of time. I pass the open doors to the empty rooms and find Cutie sleeping on a pile of blankets. Blake must have removed the IV, since it’s nowhere in sight. I sigh, he never notated that either. I would have preferred him to keep the IV in until I could run more tests.

He’s gone to the bathroom on the mats in the corner of the room and I clip a leash to his collar so I can lead him out through the hospital hallway to our grassy area for him to get some exercise and do his thing.

I squat down and wait for him to pee. I watch with a smile as he stalks around the area, sniffing the trees and digging for treasure. He finally rushes up to me with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. I’ve seen some odd mixes throughout the years, but this one takes the cake. He’s medium sized, about fifty pounds at a maximum healthy weight, with a rottweiler face and coloring, yet he has long and curly hair like a poodle. Right now he looks too malnourished.

“Hi boy, how are you feeling?” I place my hands on his head and watch them glow before I check him out. He’s right as rain… Just needs more food and fluids. “Good boy! You must be feeling much better. Come on, let’s go draw some blood and clean up your room. I’ll give you a treat and a new toy.” I clip the leash back on and head back to the exam room, stopping to draw some blood and hand him a treat from the container on the counter. He snuggles in his blankets and I work on cleaning up his mess, placing some water and wet food against the wall, and toss him a new toy from the cabinet.

“I’ll be back in a bit.” I blow him a kiss and walk back into the clinic and start to hastily type up my notes and berate Blake at the same time. Hopefully by tonight I’m calmer so that I don’t bite his neck or throw him through the wall. Damn humans are so damn lazy. And weak. And fucking annoying.

“Dr. Miller! Your first appointment for the day is ready in room one!” Dang it Melissa… I sigh and get back to work. I was enjoying being here alone. Melissa is a savior on most days, but I’m burned out from working every. Damn. Day. Since Cassie went on maternity leave to have a baby.

I finished my last appointment at five PM and I’m about to check on Cutie for the fiftieth time when someone rushes in yelling for help. Melissa calls out for me to head into the front and I stop short when I see who walked in.

The weird man from the bar last night. Weird, yet exceptionally beautiful, even without the tequila in my belly. “What’s going on?” I step up and see that he’s covered in blood with a lethargic puppy in his arms. I tighten my lips and keep my hands behind my back.

“I was driving down Main Street and watched a car toss this little guy out the window. This was the closest clinic with a hospital…” He’s breathing heavily, his auburn hair is in a disarray, and his eyes are wide and absolutely terrorized from this experience.

I shake out my hands and hold out my arms for the pup and I nod to him. “I’ll take him right back, if you’d like updates, leave your information with Melissa. Melissa, call Mac and have him meet me here when he can, please. I’ll scan the pup for a chip and then he will watch the cameras and find who did this.” I sigh when I look back over to the sexy man. “If you could write a description of the vehicle or any of the people you saw driving… License plate, the cross streets, that would be great.” I nod at them and rush through the hall into the hospital and step into the surgical suite before closing and locking the door with my elbow. I wash my hands and turn on the heater on the bed and shake my head as I drag the x-ray machine to the bed to take the photos before I start healing.

A cracked skull, several broken ribs, internal bleeding, a lacerated liver, and top it off, three of his legs are broken. How fast were these people going, and how beaten was he before they tossed him out? Good thing for my shifter senses, he’s passed out and has internal damages, but his heart is pumping just fine.

I heal all of his bones and fix the laceration before I pour any more of my magic into him to keep him sedated for a long while. I shave his unbroken leg to add in an IV line, draw blood, and add a catheter for urine collection…

I wrap bandages around his ribs and place temporary casts on his legs so that his body can heal properly and I lean back against the wall when I’m done. Now I need to eat, shift, and drink a gallon of water. Exhausted is what I am after healing such extensive injuries, even on a tiny pup. Well, the alcohol from last night probably isn’t helping my lethargy… Even if I burn it all off, it still weakens my magic.

I wash my hands again, scrubbing off the blood and grime from his coat… Then I focus on cleaning him up before taking him to the room beside Cutie’s. After he’s settled and Cutie is happy, I clean up the surgical suite. So much blood. I’m shocked he’s doing as well as he is. After I run his blood, I’ll make sure he doesn’t need a transfusion. His pulse and blood pressure are just fine for now, but it doesn’t hurt to double check.

I languidly walk to my office, change my scrubs and tie my long hair up into a messy bun before sitting at my desk and chugging water. I rummage through my drawers to search for a granola bar and shove the whole thing in my mouth before finding Melissa, and hopefully Mac. I need to ask him about Cutie’s owners anyway.

“You’re still here.” It comes out as a statement instead of a question and the auburn-haired human rushes up to me with a frown marring his face.

“Is the puppy okay? What happened? Where is he staying?” He runs his now clean hands through his hair and he rubs his hands together, grimacing at me. He really is truly a sight to behold.

I smile at him and wave at the chairs for him to sit down. I sit across from him and sigh. “There was a lot of damage. I mean… A lot. He’s resting in a recovery room and will probably be here for a week while I get him well enough to be placed in a foster home. Are you interested in adopting him? Once I run his chip, I’m going to have Mac check out the family he’s registered to. It might not be the same people that hurt him…”

He nods absently, staring intently into my eyes. “No, I’m not in town for very long, I just want to ensure he’s doing well… And I wanted to pay for the services.”

My eyebrows raise high on my forehead. I clear my throat and send him a smile. “That’s considerate of you, thank you. I should have the full bill ready in a couple of days, it all depends on how he feels tomorrow, what other services he may need.” He sighs as he stands, stretching his lean arms above his head with a sad smile.

“Thanks, Doc. Tequila again tonight?”

I snort and shake my head as I stand and walk him to the door. “No,sir.I’m going to go to bed early tonight to enjoy several more hours of sleep.” He waves as he stalks out and I sigh as I search for Melissa. I check the clock on the wall and notice it’s after six, so she’s already left. At least she knows not to bother me when I’m in patient rooms or the surgical suite. She can never know about what I really do. The human, no matter how much I love and trust her, would probably spill the beans and have the FBI coming after me.

I collapse down behind the reception desk and call Mac from the office phone and he picks up right away. “I’m on my way, I’m on my way. Calm your shit, Ang.”

I chuckle into the mic and lean back in the chair. “Good. Did you stop by Cutie’s house today?”

He huffs. “Of course. They have a fuckin’ zoo on their land, all of the animals are kept outdoors with barely any food or water. I citated them and had them all removed… Called up Piggly Wiggly Foster Care and they met me there and took them all to be cleaned up and cared for before they can be adopted out.”

I shut my eyes, shaking my head. “So now Cutie doesn’t have a home. I’ll give them a call to see if they are able to take him in so that the can be with his brothers and sisters…”

“Or you can adopt him? Come on, Ang. You need to work less and spend more time athome.The alpha wasn’t pleased you missed the meeting. I’m sure he’ll be by eventually to speak to you.”

I chuckle under my breath. “He wouldn’t dare, and you know it, Mac. See you when you get here.” I hang up the phone against the receiver and head back to the recovery rooms to check on Cutie and smile when I see his water bowl and food set out for him recently and he’s passed out while chewing on his toys. Looks like Melissa snuck in here without me noticing while I was cleaning the surgical suite.

I find the pup in the next room and grab the chip scanner from the drawer and move it all around his healing, fluffy body and find that he’s not chipped at all. Fucking assholes that backyard breed and hand out puppies like candy… Hopefully I can find him a good home so that he’s not stuck and lonely here or passed off to a foster that doesn’t have time for him. He’s probably only around eight weeks old, barely, and I can’t tell his breed without a DNA test… He’s definitely a mix and shows a lot of golden retriever characteristics, but with a black stripe down his back and small white spots of fur on his legs.

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