Page 70 of Spindrift

“Client?”Emilia asked as they sat at a small table.

“Yeah.She has a flock of Jacob sheep.”

“Arethose the ones with the double horns?”

“Someonepaid attention in class,” said Morgan.

“Iwanted to go into mixed practice when I was in vet school.”

“Whatchanged?” She tread carefully, remembering the pain on Emilia’s face the lasttime she’d spoken about her career. Emilia took a drink before answering.

“Doyou really want to know?”

“Whenyou put it like that, yes.”

“Ifell in love with one of my professors.”

Morgantensed. “Was it mutual?”

“Ithought so at the time. She got me into shelter medicine before she calledthings off. Then I met my ex, Hannah, but—I don’t know. I think I went in toshelter medicine partly to spite Thao.”

“Yourprofessor?”

“Yeah.Toward the end she told me I wasn’t cut out for it. Turns out she was right.”

“Youcouldn’t have known that, though.”

“Couldn’tI? Come on, didn’t you have at least one professor who warned you sheltermedicine wasn’t for everyone?”

Morganrocked back in her chair to evade the question.

“Anyway,”Emilia continued, “I don’t even know if I want to practice anymore.”

“Didsomething happen? If you don’t mind me asking.” Just because she thought shecould guess didn’t mean she didn’t want to hear the truth from Emilia herself.

“No,it’s okay. And probably better that you know.” Emilia’s mouth twisted bitterly.“I’d been having a hard time for a while. Everything I did was eithereuthanasia or duct tape doctoring. None of the shelters ever had enough moneyto actually treat their patients. I just wanted to practice actual medicineonce in a while, you know? Then Dad died, and I just . . .” she trailed off.

“I’mso sorry, Emilia.”

“Hannahleft me while I was in a treatment facility.”

“That’sshitty.” It was more than shitty. Morgan wondered how hard it would be to findout where this Hannah lived.

“Yeah.She’s not a bad person, just incapable of understanding human weakness.”

“Yousure that doesn’t make her a bad person?” She wanted to reach out to comfortEmilia, but that half-feral edge had returned to Emilia’s eyes, and Morgan worriedshe might bolt if she touched her.

“It’show she does what she does, I think. She’s in shelter medicine, too. Nothinggets to her. I thought I was like that, too.”

“I’mglad you’re not.” Morgan hated losing patients. That was part of what kept heron call night after night, and part of the reason, ultimately, that Kate hadleft her.

“Basically,what I’m saying is that your first impression of me was pretty accurate.”

“Angryand wet?”

“Drowning.”

“Hey.”Morgan couldn’t stop herself from cupping Emilia’s face in her hand. “You’renot drowning. You patched your boat, remember? And you’re alive.”

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