“Shhh,” she whispers, brushing her fingers along the carrier. “Just a little longer, sweet girl.”
Miso responds with another indignant cry.
“Miso?” a vet tech calls from the doorway.
Camila sighs and stands quickly. “That’s us.”
“Follow me, please.”
Inside the exam room, she takes a seat. The womanreaches for the carrier, and Camila hands it over. “We’ll be right back,” she says, smiling gently.
“Oh,” Camila blurts, unable to hide her disappointment. “The vet isn’t coming in?”
“She’ll be in after she takes a look at Miso’s stitches,” the woman says.
“Perfect,” Camila replies, and her heart does a little flip she doesn’t entirely understand.
She had booked specifically with the vet who helped them that first night. Valeria Oroz, D.V.M. It wasn’t hard to find her. Camila went to the clinic’s website, and there she was, neatly catalogued under “staff,” smiling widely.
After a few minutes, the back door swings open, Valeria steps inside, and the atmosphere subtly shifts.
The website photo doesn’t do her justice. In it, Valeria wears a cute, dirty-blond pixie cut. It must be an old picture because her hair is longer now, blond falling to her shoulders in soft, unbothered waves, thick sideswept bangs framing her face. Her eyes are so dark you almost feel yourself tipping forward when you meet them, even across a room.
Camila registers all of this in the strange, hyper-detailed way her brain sometimes does. When it decides something is important and insists on preserving it.
She definitely noticed Valeria’s beauty the first time she saw her, but at the time, her focus had been a little more consumed by Miso’s pain. Seeing her now, fully present, she realizes the photo never came close. Valeria is stunning in a way that feels grounding rather than intimidating.
“Hi there,” Valeria says softly, sitting at the stool across from Camila. “Miso looks great,” she continues. “Her stitches aren’t quite ready to come out yet. I’d like to see her again in a few days.”
Camila nods. Not minding one bit that she’ll have to make the forty-five-minute drive to this clinic again in a few days.
“Her FIV and FeLV tests came back negative,” Valeria says. “So we can proceed with the FeLV vaccine today. It’s about fifty dollars and will protect her from feline leukemia, which can cause cancer and other serious issues.”
“That’s fine,” Camila says. “I’d rather she have it.”
“Wonderful, I will give her the shot now, and I’ll have Brenda at the front desk set up a follow-up when you check out.” Valeria pats her legs and stands.
“Wait,” Camila says, and Valeria sits back down slowly.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, and there’s so much tenderness in her voice that Camila almost melts. There is an unmistakable warmth about her, something that settles easily, without asking permission.
Camila smiles. “Yeah, everything is fine. I just wanted to say thank you.”
Valeria’s eyes soften, and she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “You don’t have to thank me.”
“No, Ido. I didn’t catch it at the time, but when I was in the waiting room at the emergency clinic, I realized you were on your way out, but you stayed to help us. Thank you, and thank you for calling the clinic to let them know we were coming. You were probably exhausted by the time we barreled in, and I want to make sure I at least acknowledge it and express my gratitude.”
A gentle blush colors Valeria’s cheeks, and she looks down for a moment, then back at Camila with an almost shy smile. It’s subtle, but Camila can tell she’s touched, and that makes her chest a little warmer.
A knock at the back door breaks the moment, and a vet tech steps inside. She leans close, whispering something in Valeria’s ear. Valeriastraightens.
“Sounds like Miso’s getting a little restless,” she says with a smile. “I’ll go administer her shot and bring her back out to you.”
Camila snorts and gently shakes her head. “She’s a menace.”
Valeria laughs. “She knows what she wants. So I’ll go get her ready to return home.”
Camila nods and sits back in her chair, watching Valeria walk toward the back room where she can hear Miso meowing insistently.
