Groaning, I peeled myself off the floor, trying to ignore the scent of urine while praying I didn’t smell like it the rest of the day. This coat wasdefinitelygoing straight to the dry cleaners.
“I amsosorry, Dr. Thomas.” A woman sitting on a nearby bench fretted. “Maple here is a nervous tinkler.”
Maple, a goldendoodle, whined like she was embarrassed.
“No need to be embarrassed,” I told Maple, reaching down to scratch behind her ear. “It happens to everyone.”
“It does?” Merri wondered.
I turned, and she blanched, then handed me the travel mug and briefcase that she’d kindly put back together.
“Thank you,” I said, straightening my coat. “Could we maybe get a little cleanup out here?”
“Right away,” she agreed.
“Oh, I’ll do it,” Maple’s owner offered.
I held up my hand. “No need, ma’am. We’re trained professionals.”
The owner of the Jack Russel laughed under her breath.
The phone behind the desk started ringing. Over in the corner, a cat let out a loud yowl from a carrier, and “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” blasted through the speakers.
“Just give me five,” I said, tugging free the slobber-coated apple, which was back in the mouth of the St. Bernard, and hurrying into the back toward my shoebox-sized office.
“Where is Dr. Richardson?” I asked when David, one of the techs, appeared in the doorway.
“She’s running late. Her daughter is sick and has to wait for the sitter to get there,” he explained.
Gonna be one of those days. ‘Tis the season.
After dropping my items, discarding the apple, and scrubbing my hands at the sink, I exchanged my coat—yes, it reeked of Maple’s nervous tinkle—for my white doctor’s coat.
Thank God I was already dressed in navy scrubs because today was going to be a busy one.
“Okay then, start getting patients into exam rooms,” I instructed, gesturing to the two other techs waiting at the counter. “Let’s get to work!”
The rich aromaof the takeout lasagna I’d stopped for on my way home from work taunted my empty stomach. Since missing breakfast this morning, I managed a protein bar and half a banana sometime around noon, which I ate between patients. It was now fully dark, after six in the evening, and the temperature was dropping by the minute.
I absolutely could not wait to get into a hot shower, scrub myself clean, put on the comfiest pajamas I owned, and become one with my couch while I stuffed myself full of lasagna and washed it down with a generous glass of Chianti.
I loved being a veterinarian. It was my dream job, but it was also exhausting.
The second I let myself into my third-floor walk-up, I sighed in relief and sagged against the door. After a brief respite, I used the last of my reserves to set my takeout in the kitchen and rush toward my bedroom, already stripping my scrubs as I went.
I’d made it only one step into my bedroom when my cell phone started to ring back out in the kitchen. Head inside my shirt, I groaned.
The ringing stopped, and I sighed gratefully, only to have it start right back up again. Ripping the shirt over my head, Idropped it in the hamper and went back for the phone. Cold air prickled my skin, and a shiver worked its way along my spine as I lifted the phone to see who was calling.
“Mom,” I said, pressing the phone to my ear. “Is everything okay?”
“You’re asking me?” she chided. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days, and you haven’t returned any of my calls.”
“You called twice in a row,” I pointed out.
“Apparently, that’s the secret to get you to answer.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s been so crazy at work. I’ve been working long shifts, and by the time I get home, I’m?—”
