“Hey, Vaughn! Kristin Alloway is here,” Grace said, poking her head around the corner.
“Oh! Great! I was just checking on Diego. Tell her we’ll be right out.”
She nodded and disappeared. The pointer jumped up from the bed in his kennel, wiggling his butt in excitement.
“Yeah, you heard that, didn’t you, bud? You get to go home!”
Diego let out a low, happy howl while I reached for one of the leads on the wall. “All right, come on.”
Diego’s enthusiasm had us to the front lobby in about two seconds flat. Kristin was leaning against the counter with a pair of crutches, still looking a little worse for wear while the man next to her bent down to greet the eager dog.
“Thank you so much,” Kristin said. “Sorry it’s taken so long to get here.”
It had only been about five days since the accident, and the time had flown by faster than I’d thought possible. “No worries at all. I’m glad I was there and could help. How are you doing?”
She sighed. “I have a few cracked ribs and other injuries but nothing that won’t heal. This is Jason, my husband.”
Jason held out his hand. “I was out of town when it happened and rushed back as soon as I heard. I stayed with her at the hospital. Otherwise I would have come to get him sooner.”
“Vaughn. And really, no worries. I’m just glad we had a safe place for him. The cuts on his paw healed quickly. He’s almost as good as new.”
“Heeeyy, boy!” Kristin cooed when Diego nudged her. “Yes, I missed you too! I was going nuts without you!”
“So, what do we owe you?” Jason asked.
Grace was already pulling up their file on the computer and motioned for me to come around the desk. “Vaughn, would you come look at this?”
I peered over her shoulder to where she was pointing and my jaw dropped. I knew the bill wasn’t going to be very much because while I hadn’t charged boarding fees, I did charge a small fee for the care to his leg, if only to have a paid record of his visit somewhere on file.
Grace recovered from seeing the zero balance first. “Actually, um, you guys are good to go. Someone covered your fees.”
The couple looked at each other, then back at us. “What?”
We both nodded. “Yeah.” She hit print on their copy and handed them the invoice.
“Paid in full by AS on December 3?” Kristin asked. “Who’s AS?”
I kept my expression carefully guarded.Only the sweetest man on earth.“Must’ve been someone who heard about your story and wanted to pay it forward,” I said vaguely.
Diego nudged Kristin again, getting her attention. “Okay. Is that it, then? We’re good?”
“Yup. Good to go.”
“Thank you again, Dr. Winters. Truly.”
“It was my pleasure. Take care of yourself, Kristin.” I went around the counter and gave Diego a final pat on the side. “Bye, Diego!”
I watched them go, while Grace suddenly jumped from her chair. “Oh, I completely forgot to tell you! Another person was asking when the kittens will be ready to adopt.”
“Oh, that’s good. They should be next week. I’m already weaning them.”
“Great. I think only one is left unclaimed then.”
I groaned. “Oh no. Don’t let Alex hear you say that.”
“Don’t let me hear what?” Alex asked, stepping in through the back door.
I plastered an innocent smile on my face. “Nothing.”
