“Damn,” Taylor breathed. “Any idea what kind of prognosis they’re giving her?”
“He said they wouldn’t know much until they remove it, but since it seems to be growing pretty rapidly, it needs to come out whether it’s cancerous or not.”
“All right.” The clattering of a keyboard echoed over the line. “Our funds are—as always—low, but I’ll organize a fundraiser for Cherry. The community usually comes through for us when something like this happens. I can’t imagine that they won’t come through for a precious little puppy like Cherry. Just remind Emmett to give us our usual discount? And we’ll need a payment plan. I can authorize you to charge two hundred to the rescue’s card today for a down payment.”
“I’ll tell him. Thanks, Taylor.”
I ended the call as the vet came back into the exam room. We worked out the payment details, and then I was in my car, headed home without Cherry. When I got there, I went straight to the bedroom to check on Violet and the other puppies. She seemed calm, not overly concerned about her missing baby, which was a little bit surprising, but maybe she was able to live in the moment in a way most people weren’t.
The idea of freedom from the mistakes of my past or worry about the future felt awfully enticing. And in fact, maybe it was what I should be focusing on. Maybe I should be savoring every moment with Taylor instead of worrying what our future held. As I watched Violet grooming her three healthy puppies, I vowed to try harder to live in the present.
I’d planned to go shopping for accents and artwork for the main living areas today, but I was too tired after having been up half the night with Cherry. Instead, I climbed into bed and dozed off. The sound of my phone ringing yanked me back to consciousness. I blinked as I rolled over, looking for my phone. It was on the table by the bed, and my dad’s name flashed on the screen. I connected the call. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hi, sweetie. Are you okay? You sound a little hoarse.”
“Oh, sorry. I was asleep,” I told him, clearing my throat to rid myself of my sleep voice. “I was up most of the night with a puppy medical emergency, so I just took a nap.”
“That’s not good. I’m sorry I woke you,” he said.
“It’s fine. What’s up?”
“How’s the puppy?” he asked.
“She’s having emergency surgery this afternoon to remove a mass from her liver. Hopefully, I’ll hear something soon.”
“That sounds serious.” He paused. “And also expensive.”
“The shelter pays for all of it,” I told him.
“Well, that’s good.”
“Yeah.” I snuggled further under the quilt.
“Anyway, I was calling to let you know that I’ve decided not to sell the cabin,” he told me, and even though it was the news I’d expected, my stomach still sank knowing Taylor wouldn’t get her wish.
“Okay, well, thanks for at least thinking about it,” I said. My phone beeped, indicating I had another call. “Dad? I need to go. I think the vet’s calling with an update about the puppy.”
“All right, dear. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye,” I told him, then connected the call. “Hello?”
“Is this Phoebe Shaw?” a male voice asked.
“Yes, this is Phoebe.”
“Hi, Phoebe, this is Emmett Moore from the Cherry Street Veterinary Clinic. I’m calling to let you know that Cherry came through surgery well. We successfully removed the mass on her liver and sent it off to be biopsied at the state lab.”
“Oh good,” I breathed. “How is she?”
“She’s just starting to come out from under the anesthesia. Given her age and size, she’ll need to stay overnight at the least,” he told me.
I cringed because that sounded expensive, but I was also glad she’d have medical professionals watching over her for the time being instead of me. “Is it okay for her to be away from her mom like that?”
“Oh, sure,” he said. “She’s resting comfortably in an incubator for warmth. If she’s alert enough, we’ll bottle feed her tonight, but we can tube feed if necessary.”
“Tube feed?” My voice rose.
“It’s not as scary as it sounds. We just put a small flexible tube down her throat into her stomach to deliver formula to her that way if she’s unable to drink on her own.”
