“Good thought.” Dr. Rossi opened a drawer and pulled out a thick rectangle of material. “Okay. Let’s see how the fluff ball is doing.”
Almost instantly, Dr. Rossi looked at Coco. “Could you step in the back and ask Isabella for some kitten formula in a bottle?”
Isabella snapped into motion, and soon Coco was back with a warm bottle for the kitten. The doctor had moved on toexamine the others, so Coco scooped the kitten up and offered it some nourishment. “Come on, little one. You can do it. Yum, yum, yum.” Finally, to her delight, the kitten rallied and sucked. Its efforts strengthened as it devoured the mixture. “Good job, champ. You’re doing it!”
Coco looked up to see Janet and Dr. Rossi looking at her with smiles. “Oh, sorry. I always talk to the animals. I don’t know if it makes me feel better or them.”
The small kitten let out a tiny squeak, drawing everyone’s attention.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard him talk,” Janet said. “You’ve got a magic touch, Coco.”
“She does,” Dr. Rossi agreed. “Looks like the gray kitten needs some additional food support. Are you up for feeding him every four hours?”
“We’ll take shifts at home. Can I buy all the supplies here?” Janet asked.
“We’ll get you all set up and send directions,” Dr. Rossi assured her. “All the others are thriving. If the gray little boy doesn’t continue to rally, bring him back in. Tell Suzanne at the desk she has my permission to work him in between appointments.”
“Thank you, Dr. Rossi.”
“My pleasure. Isabella will bring supplies in a moment. Have fun with that bunch!” Dr. Rossi motioned for Coco to follow her into the back.
When the door closed, Dr. Rossi spoke to her sister, “Isabella, thank you for your help with the supplies. Coco got the kitten to eat. Could you gather kitten feeding instructions, supplies, and supplemental food for Janet?”
“On it, Sofia. Good job, Coco!” Isabella said as she immediately switched tasks to help.
“Okay, Coco. This one will be tough,” Dr. Rossi warned.
They walked through the next door to find a huge, handsome man leaning over a bulldog on the table. “Roman, is it time?”
“He’s tired, Doctor. Buster has fought for so long.”
“We’ll take care of him. Do you want to stay?” Dr. Rossi asked.
“He wouldn’t leave me. I won’t abandon him either,” Roman answered.
Dr. Rossi ran her hand over the dog and scratched its neck softly. “Hey, Buster. What a wonderful dog you are. Let’s take this pain away, okay?”
The dog’s tail twitched. Coco’s eyes filled with tears as her heart broke for the owner and the suffering dog. She stepped up beside the exam table as the doctor gathered her supplies to distract both Roman and Buster. “Hi, Buster. I’m Coco. I can tell you are the bestest boy. Let’s think of all your favorites.”
She looked at Roman and asked, “What’s his favorite toy?”
“A blue squeaky ball,” Roman answered without hesitation. “He must have had a hundred of them over the years. I had to learn to sleep through the noise.”
“A blue ball?” Coco asked, talking to Buster. “That’s so fun. Did it go squeak, squeak, squeak?” She tried to make her voice sound like the toy must have. Buster’s nose twitched, and she could swear he was smiling.
“Did your daddy throw it in the backyard for you to chase?” Coco asked as Dr. Rossi drew the injection.
“He likes to go to the park,” Roman told her as the doctor shaved a small patch on the dog’s leg.
“Oh, the park! With all the trees and the leaves. I bet that’s fun to hunt for your toy.”
“Just a small pinch, Buster, and then you can go chase balls all day,” Dr. Rossi told her patient and delivered the medicine as his owner petted him.
“I love you, Buster. You’ve been such a good dog,” Roman told him as the light went out in Buster’s eyes.
“You made the right decision, Roman. It was time,” Dr. Rossi assured him.
“Thank you for taking care of Buster,” Roman told her. “Can we follow the arrangements we discussed earlier?”
