“I guess he didn’t realize puppies can be as inquisitive as babies when it comes to putting things in their mouths. He’ll need to pay better attention to him. Hold on,” Bryson said. He guided the wand back a few centimeters. “I think I found it. Let’s turn Rocket onto his back.”
He helped Chloe maneuver the puppy, who was much more manageable after the sedative Bryson had given him.He usually tried to avoid even mild sedation during noninvasive procedures, but Rocket had lived up to his name. The moment they’d placed him on the table, the dog had shot up and dove off the side like… well… a rocket.
“Let’s see if I’m right,” Bryson said. He zoomed in on the cranial region of the abdomen. “Yep. Look here at the duodenum.”
Chloe squinted from where she stood, gently rubbing Rocket’s head. “I’ll be damned.”
“Does that look like a ’68 Custom Camaro Hot Wheels to you? It looks like one to me,” Bryson said.
“Sure does,” she said. She shook her head. “Do you think it would have had a chance of making it through if it hadn’t turned horizontal?”
He shook his head. “He’s lucky it hasn’t torn through the small intestine already.”
Chloe leaned over and kissed the dog on his head. “Poor baby must be in so much pain. Let’s hope his owner is willing to pay for surgery.”
“He said that Hot Wheels is worth a thousand bucks. It’s going to cost more than that to get it out, but I’d say you’re worth it,” he spoke directly to the puppy as he ran a hand along his flank. “I’ll consult with Dr. Wu, then talk with the owner. Start prepping Rocket for surgery. Whether he’s willing to pay for it or not, I’m not letting this dog suffer.”
“Um, Dr. Mitchell. Do you—”
“I know the laws regarding informed consent,” Bryson told her, chuckling at the alarmed look on her face. “Don’t worry, I won’t go against the owner’s expressed wishes. I will just make sure Justin wishes to move forward with the surgery.” He winked. “I have my ways.”
Bryson peeled off the gloves and tossed them in the trash as he left the examination room. Adam Wu, who led the team of doctors who specialized in soft tissue surgeries, was walking toward him.
“How’s the first official day on the job?” Adam asked.
“I have a six-month-old German shepherd who swallowed an extremely valuable Hot Wheels car. It’s lodged right there in the duodenum.”
He nodded. “Sounds about right. A simple splenectomy would have been too routine for a surgeon of your caliber.”
“I’m sure that’s coming through the doors next,” Bryson said.
Rocket’s owner had been joined by his girlfriend by the time Bryson met with them in one of the six patient consult rooms at the hospital. Three hours later, he was back in the consult room, handing the man his freshly washed die-cast Camaro.
To Bryson’s relief and pleasure, Justin Lewis wasn’t nearly as concerned about the collectible toy car as he was about the puppy he had not even known two months ago. It never ceased to amaze him how quickly a pet became the center of a family’s life.
He went over the next steps in the recovery sequence, explaining that Rocket would remain at the hospital for at least one more day for post-surgery monitoring before being released.
“You’ll be given care instructions when you come to pick him up tomorrow. You’ll have to watch him because he’s an active one.”
Justin threw his arms around Bryson while his girlfriend continued to wipe tears of relief from her eyes. Bryson accepteda more restrained hug from the girlfriend before walking them to the lobby.
Rocket’s owners had barely pulled out of the parking lot before a gorgeous American bobtail with a distended abdomen was brought in. Bryson had handled enough cholecystectomies on ruptured gallbladders to be able to successfully pull off the operation blindfolded, but he wasn’t an arrogant asshole, so he performed the surgery with eyes wide open.
One of the techs came in to bring the cat to recovery and Bryson went out to talk to his owners. When he returned to the operating room, Chloe was setting up fresh surgical tools for the next emergency that entered the door.
“You’re getting baptized by fire on your first day,” she said as she covered the gleaming instruments with a clean cloth.
“I don’t mind,” Bryson said. “It feels good.”
And it did. This is the type of day he had envisioned during those long hours in the library when he was an undergrad. It was hard to say no to those huge speaker fees, but if he had a choice between giving a presentation to a ballroom full of veterinary surgeons or escorting a ten-year-old to the recovery room so she could get a glimpse of the cat he’d just saved…
There was no choice.
“I’m heading out for the day, but I’m available if you need me,” Bryson told Chloe.
“What about the onboarding period? You shouldn’t be scheduled for on-call duties during your first two weeks.”
“Nah.” Bryson shook his head. “I don’t need any kind of adjustment time. Call me if necessary.”
