Page 18 of The CEO

“What the fuck, Pria? You’re not supposed to kill my dogs while I’m gone.” Everyone on the floor was looking at me, but I didn’t care. Pria was going to be the end of me and my dogs. “What happened?” I growled out, my teeth grinding together.

“I don’t know. I swear I’m not trying to kill your dogs. I love Jimmy and Orvy.” Her voice cracked and I swear my heart stopped beating for a second. “Everything was going great. I took the dogs out this morning. Sarah by herself and she seems to enjoy it only being her and then the boys. After we came back, we all ate our breakfasts, and I started to work. I set my laptop on the dining room table. I?—”

“I don’t give a fuck where you set up shop. I want to know what’s happening with my dog and why you think you poisoned him. Are you sure you didn’t get the vet’s number wrong in your frazzled state?”

I was going to murder her if Jimmy died while I was away. He was the first dog my sister had rescued and given to me. He was the best dog and I couldn’t lose him. Not now or ever.

“It’s possible. I’m so worried about poor Jimmy. He was lying in his bed and made this sad sound. I went to check him and his stomach is all distended. I don’t know what to do or know of another vet. I thought you might know what to do.” Her voice shook, but I didn’t give a shit if Pria was upset. She was trying to kill Jimmy.

“No, I don’t know of another vet off the top of my head; that’s why I left you the sheet with all the important numbers on it. Let me see if I can get ahold of the vet. Stay on the line.” Before she could answer, I switched lines, pulled the vet’s number and called them. They answered on the third ring and I sighed in relief and annoyance. How could she have gotten the phone number wrong? Who knew Pria was so incompetent at dog care? Since I didn’t know what was going on I brought Pria on the line to answer their questions.

“I’ve got one of the vet techs on the line now. They have some questions for you.” I tried not to sound as pissed off as I was, but there was no hiding it. I stepped into an unoccupied conference room to have a little privacy and sat down at the table. Closing my eyes, I kept the phone to my ear as I listened.

“What seems to be the problem? Mr. Avery said Jimmy’s belly is distended. Are there any other symptoms?”

“Um… I’m not really well versed in dogs. It’s only my third day with them. I took him for his morning walk and bathroom break and when we came back, I fed them the leftover stew from last night. It was a small portion and he still seemed hungry so after I ate all my cereal, I let him have the rest of the milk that was in the bowl.”

She what? That was not a part of Jimmy nor the others’ dietary guidelines.

“And how long afterward did you notice his belly?”

“I’m not sure since I was working. I heard a little noise come from him and I thought I smelled something unpleasant so I went over to check on him. His stomach was easy to see and when I put my hand on it, it felt hard. Was it the leftovers?”

“No, sweetie it wasn’t the leftovers. It sounds like Jimmy is lactose intolerant and isn’t handling the milk you gave him very well.”

“Intolerant?” Pria mumbled. “That doesn’t seem right. Don’t dogs drink milk from their mothers.”

“Yes, they do, but after they’re weaned they no longer drink milk, and it’s easy for them to become intolerant to something they no longer need in their diet.”

“But don’t people always set out milk for dogs to drink. Jimmy loved it.”

“I’m sure he did, dear. He probably liked the sugariness of it, but he’s not loving it now. From now on let’s make sure not togive him any more milk. The milk people leave out for pets or strays isn’t for dogs, but for kittens.”

“That’s stupid. Dogs should be able to have milk too. Why are people only leaving stuff out for cats?” Her argument and irritation caused my lips to twitch, but I’d never let her know it.

“I’m not sure why, but if Jimmy doesn’t get better in a few hours or gets worse please, bring him into the clinic and we’ll look him over.”

“I can’t bring him in now and you’ll make him feel better?” She sounded like she was about to cry. It was obvious that Pria had become attached to Jimmy.

“I wish there was something we could do, but there’s no fix to lactose intolerance except to wait it out. Do you have any more questions or concerns before we get off the line?”

I let out a sigh of relief to know that Jimmy was okay, and it was likely just built up gas that was causing his stomach to distend. I wanted to rail on Pria for not following the rules, but I didn’t want to upset her more and cause her to leave. Since I no longer trusted the people the agency sent, I wasn’t sure who I could get to watch the dogs from now on when I traveled or had to work late. I had already put in some calls but hadn’t heard anything back yet.

Murphy would have watched them. She loved them and spending time with them. My chest hurt thinking of my sister and how I’d never see her again.

“Not right now,” Pria answered sounding unsure. “Can I call you with any questions?”

“Yes, dear. We also have an overnight call center that can answer any of your questions. If that’s all, I suggest you try to make Jimmy as comfortable as possible until this passes.”

“I will. Thank you and thank you for being so nice.”

Nice? Did she want me to be nice when she called me saying she’d poisoned my dog and that he might be dying? No one was going to handle that news lightly.

“You’re welcome, dear.”

There was a pause of silence. Neither Pria nor I said a word. Maybe she thought I’d hung up after the vet tech got on the line. If she thought I would hang up without knowing what was wrong with my dog, she was in for a rude surprise.

“Are you still there?” She broke the silence.

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