Popping around the corner Suzanne looked at Annie with irritation. “Dr. Donavan you should have waited. You work too hard as it is.”
Annie looked at her young vet tech with affection. Suzanne had only been working for her for about six months, but the two of them had become friends. Physically, they could not have been more opposite in height and coloring. Oh, to be twenty and gorgeous, Annie thought, feeling much older than her twenty-eight years. Petite, with her ginger hair and green eyes, she sometimes felt frumpy next to the young beauty.
“And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Annie?”
Laughing, Suzanne admitted, “I know, but I call you Dr. Donavan all during the day in front of clients. It’s hard to switch.”
“Well, we’re finished here. Hopefully, as soon as you finish your vet tech program in a couple of months, I can pay both of you to be techs and hire someone else to be the receptionist. Then neither of you will have to pull double duty.” Looking around to make sure everything was done for the evening, Annie put her arm around Suzanne and steered her toward the front door. “Leon, are you ready? I’ll have you watch Suzanne get in her car tonight, and I’ll toss the trash out. See you guys on Monday morning.”
Waving goodbye, Suzanne and Leon headed out of the door and Annie watched as they drove off. Looking around the neighborhood for a moment, Annie sighed. Fresh air. Green grass. Room for a dog to run. That had been her ideal setting when she graduated from vet school, but jobs were not as plentiful as she had hoped. When Dr. Cranston was looking for a young doctor to help with his inner-city practice that came with a small apartment over it, she jumped at the chance to start paying off the loans.
The old neighborhood, filled with tall brick dwellings, a few homeless people shuffling down the street, and some rough looking characters driving by in a car had her shutting and locking the front door securely. One day maybe. A vet clinic in the country.
Annie headed towards the back door, grabbing the trash bags on her way out. Stepping into the alley, she tossed the bags into the dumpster behind her building.
The alley was quiet, almost eerily so. Turning to go back inside, a large body was standing right in front of her. Screaming, she jumped back stumbling over her feet. A hand snapped out of the darkness, grabbing her arm. Heart pounding, chest heaving, she stared up at the tall figure in front of her. Oh Jesus. I’m going to be murdered. I’m going to be raped. I’m going to be…
“Doctor. Are you all right?” a deep voice resonated from the shadowed figure.
All right? Do murderers ask if you are all right? Still in shock, Annie just stared at the man.
“Doctor. Are. You. All. Right?” He enunciated each word as though she did not understand him the first time.
“Y…yes,” she answered tentatively, slowly finding her voice.
“I need your help.” Stepping from the shadows into the dim light, she saw his features instead of just a shape. Oh my, he’s big. Her fear at an all-time high, she looked into his shadowed face. Broad shoulders that tapered to a slimmer waist, he was wearing a dark, opened jacket that allowed her to see his tattooed chest. Twisting as he knelt down, she noticed his large thighs in old, faded, slightly torn blue jeans. He picked up a large blanketed object from behind the dumpster.
Annie heard a whimper, her fear immediately replaced by concern. Stepping forward she pulled the blanket back slightly seeing the face of a German shepherd. Its eyes were closed and its nose was warm. “What did you do to it?” she asked sharply placing her hands on its head.
Sucking in a quick breath, the man growled, “What makes you think I did this? I’m here for help, doc.”
Pulling her lips in, she looked back at his face, but it was still too much in the shadows for her to see clearly.
“What happened?”
“I found him like this when I got home. I think he musta’ eaten somethin’ he shouldn’t. Been throwin’ up. Don’t know what’s wrong, but I know he needs help. I don’t want him to die.”
Hesitating for just a moment trying to decide if she should trust the stranger, she knew she couldn’t let the dog suffer. Skirting around him, she called out as she walked back in the office, “Come on. Bring him in.”
The man followed quickly as though afraid she would change her mind and she shut the door behind him. Walking to the first exam room, she directed him to lay the dog on the table. Pulling back the blanket she began to assess the dog, her focus entirely on the patient in front of her.
While her attention was on the dog, the man was able to see the vet up close in the bright light of the examination room. Rubbing his hand over his beard, he couldn’t help but stare at the beauty leaning over the table. Her hair was the most unusual color. Not red. Not blond. Under the florescent lights, it glistened like copper. She was short, much shorter than his six feet, two inches. And tiny. Her small hands were moving over the large animal assessing its condition. As his dog made a snap in pain, he found himself jumping forward to protect her if needed.