We wait patiently while they do that, and in the meantime, I can see the woman being questioned by the cops. When she sees the three of us with the cubs in our arms, she starts screaming, “They’re mine, you thieves! Don't you dare take them!”
The cop leaves her with the paramedic in favor of approaching us. Can’t say I blame him, given her piss-poor attitude. “She said her husband was back there. Did you find him?” We exchange a glance, and I can’t hide my grimace.
“Ah… yeah, but he’s not going to need a medic. You’re going to have to call the coroner,” Jay says, and the cop winces.
“Ok, I’ll get on the phone then go have a look.”
“Before you go, I need to ask her some questions about the animals. Is that okay?” I ask him. His eyes drop to the cubs in my arms, and a smile lights up his face as he scratches one of them on the head.
“Yup, no problem. Why don’t you get them locked up? I’ll check out the body and break the news to her, then you can ask what you need.”
“Sounds good,” I tell him, and Jay, Thomas, and I head over to Doc Davies’ truck, where I know there’s going to be an animal carrier of some kind; he’s always got one tucked into the back. But when I get there, my hands are full.
“Here, let me help,” Declan says from behind me, and I think he meant to open the door, but I spin and hand him the two cubs. His face is comical when he realizes what he has in his arms, but the big old softy, of course, melts as soon as he recovers, cooing like a schoolgirl to the bundles of fluff in his arms.
I chuckle with amusement, but there’s a huge grin on my face as I let myself into the back of Doc’s truck. Sure enough, there’s a large dog cage in the back, so I grab it, placing it on the ground next to the vehicle. Jay hands me his cub before heading over to help with mama tiger and speak to his colleagues. Placing him in the cage, Thomas and Declan pass me their four cubs, so I add them to the cage and close the door before they can escape.
“Dec, can you watch over them while I ask the woman some questions about the other animals? When I’m done with her, we’ll head home and get the enclosure sorted for when Animal Control bring the tiger.”
Dec enthusiastically agrees, and with a smile, I leave him to it. Thomas and I walk over to the woman, who is now sobbing hysterically.
She looks up as I approach, her face a mess of snot and tears. “What doyouwant?” she snaps.
“I just want to ask where you got the animals from.” She shrugs and wipes her nose on the back of her hand.
“I don’t know.”
“You did all of this on your own, just the two of you? How did you know she was pregnant?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Well, it’s just like a house cat, isn't it?”
“No, it really isn't. I can’t believe you managed to have a successful birth, and she didn't kill any of her babies. Tigers often kill their babies if they’re not comfortable in their surroundings, and let me tell you, that cage was inhumane.”
The woman stares at me like she has no clue what I’m talking about. I guess she probably doesn't. Sighing, I ask another question. “So, do you know where he got them from, the tigers, I mean?” I can tell by the look in her eyes that she might have an idea, but she stubbornly shakes her head. “Okay, what can you tell me about the jaguar?”
The shrug she gives me in return makes me want to fucking strangle her. “Jim came home with it a couple of weeks ago. I think he had plans to do the same thing as he did for Shinto—find a male for her. I think she’s about a year old. He said she was also house raised, but she grew too big, and the owners wanted her out. She was chewing on their furniture.”
Fuck my life. The sheer stupidity of people. “So you didn't declaw her?” No doubt seeing the violence in my eyes, she shakes her head emphatically enough that I’m almost worried about it falling off.
“No, no, she came like that. I had her inside because she’s a sweetie, and I missed Shinto, but Jim insisted she go out to the barn with the others.”
“Does she have a name? And will I need to sedate her to get her into the cage?” As I ask the questions, the woman’s eyes stray to the barn, where the paramedics are wheeling out a bodybag atop a gurney.
She breaks into tears again. “Nyx, and no, she had a collar and leash that’s hanging on the wall of the shed.” She sobs as the cop helps her to her feet and walks her over to the ambulance. They probably want her to ID Jim before taking her for medical care and to be booked into the police station.
She’s their problem now; I just have to make sure that the animals don't suffer any more than they have.
They have Shinto on the back of the truck, with Doc listening to her chest, and the frown on his face says it’s not good. When he looks up, my eyes meet his, and I know it’s really bad. He shakes his head just enough, and a wave of sadness flows over me, followed by panic. Fuck, I didn’t want to face this reality even though I saw it coming. I just became the mom of five tiger cubs. Or maybe Declan became the daddy because when I look over, he has them crawling all over him, and the laughter that reaches my ears contains complete joy and wonder.
Doc jumps down from the truck and strides over to me. “I’m sorry, Harlow. She just wasn’t strong enough. That has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the fact that she’s underweight and malnourished.” He pulls me into a hug, and for a brief moment, I allow myself to accept his comfort. A small amount of guilt prickles at me, as well as sadness, but loss is one of the first things you have to get used to when deciding to become a vet. Much like a doctor, I guess you need to come to terms with the knowledge that you can’t save everyone. If I hadn't tranq’d her, we’d all still be in danger. There was no other option.
“Shit, well, we’ve got two more cats and some snakes.” I shudder, and he chuckles.
“I guess you want me to deal with the snakes.”
“Please.”
“Animal Control already told me that they can take care of them.”
