Chapter Twenty-eight
Together we took a shower, surprisingly with no heated touches, and then climbed into bed. As I laid there curled up in Jakes arms, my mind started turning dirty. He was just too much man to let a night go by without a romp in the sheets.
I kissed the warm skin that I was lying on and kept on moving. His hands started caressing my curves and the fire between us was lit.
We clashed, and together we burned in a beautiful fire. I was in control this time. Well, he let me be in control until I rode him into orgasmic oblivion, then he took over until he caught his own release.
The air smelled of sex and sweat, and my life had never seemed better.
Until Jake woke me up at 3 a.m.
“Sweetheart. You need to wake up.” His voice was serious, but I still didn’t move.
“Casey’s not doing so good.” My eyes flew open. I sat up and looked him over. His hair was a mess from him running his hands through it. Things were not good. Without a word, I threw on some clothes and we hopped on the ATV, heading toward Doc’s house.
When I saw the sweet tiger lying in a crate, with IVs attached to her little legs, I started crying.
“I thought she was fine. She looked fine,” I cried out to them as quietly as I could. I walked over to her crate and sat down on the ground next to her. Poor baby.
“She has pneumonia. There is fluid building in her lungs. We are giving her antibiotics, and a light sedative to keep her calm. There is hope that she will pull through.” Hannah gave me a weak smile, one that said they hoped she would be okay, but that there was also a chance that she wouldn’t. Only time would tell. I sat next to the sweet cub and started softly singing songs about being strong and fighting. She would be fine. Jake was silent as he watched me sing to her. He knew how much she had come to mean to me.
As the hours passed, and light started peeking through the windows, my hope started to build that she was going to be okay. I had barely moved throughout the night— once to go to the bathroom, and once more to get fresh air for a moment. Jake stayed by my side, and Hannah and Dr. Nick kept checking her vitals and IV. She was stable, for now.
“You two need to get some fresh air. She will be fine for now.” Hannah was trying to get us to move. I didn’t want to. I wanted to be there, but I knew I wasn’t doing her any good. I was just taking up space right now. I needed to make myself useful somehow.
“Please keep us updated,” I told her, and stood. My legs were sore from sitting on the tiled floor for so long, but it was a welcomed ache. Jake joined me and together we left the house.
“If you just want to rest at the lodge you can.” He commented and I stopped him from speaking further.
“No, I need to do something. Keep my mind busy.” He looked me over and wrapped me in his arms.
“I know this is tough. Many animals we rescue have been through so much that it’s hard to see them go through anymore. You’re strong, sweetheart. It’ll be all right.” He kissed my lips softly, and then hugged me tightly. I understood what he said, but I didn’t truly take it to heart. Wild Rescue was a safe haven for these animals, and if there was a higher power why would he punish those who had already suffered? It wasn’t fair.
“Put me to work, Jake,” I demanded. He pulled back and looked into my eyes. I was determined to be of use, and keep my mind busy. He nodded and we got back on the ATV. One by one, we helped the workers clean habitats and make the food buckets. My arms were aching, and my back was sore. I had worked harder than I ever had before. Jake disappeared to take care of something while I helped Derek with the small animal habitats. Not even the damn wallaby could get to me now.
“Cammy,” Jake uttered my name behind me. I looked at him in confusion. He called me Cammy. Not sweetheart.
“Come here.” He held out his hand for me and I could tell something was wrong.
“Jake,” I warned, not wanting to hear what he had to say.
“Come here,” he demanded, and I went to him, my eyes pleading with him to just spit it out.
“Casey’s not doing any better. She’s suffering. We have to help her out of her misery.” When his words finally registered, I took a step back, like I’d been burned by the touch of his hand.
“What?” my voice was so soft. Barely above a whisper.
“She isn’t going to make it. The pneumonia is too much for her already weak immune system. We need to end her suffering.” He pleaded with me to understand, but I just shook my head. No. No,no,no,no. I did the only thing I could think of— I ran to the house. Breathless, I opened the door to see Casey up on the surgery table, lying on a pink blanket. One IV was still in her leg.
I ignored the looks of Hannah and Nick as I walked over to the cub. I stroked her soft fur, and the tears flooded over my cheeks.
“You can’t give up. You have to fight,” I whispered to the cub. She was a fighter.
“Cammy, she’s suffering. We have to help her,” Hannah spoke, her voice laced with sadness but resolve.
“She can do this,” I told her. She had to. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. But I was already going under.
“No, Cammy, she can’t. The fluid buildup in her lungs is too much and too rapid. She’s practically drowning. We need to end her pain now. We’ll let you say goodbye, then we have to end it. It’s the humane thing to do.” Her voice was strong; it wasn’t easy to do what she had to do. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it was the right thing to do. The tears kept coming as I heard steps go into the other room.
