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Her pause was barely noticeable. At least she hoped so. Then she was rushing to the door, her cheeks flaming at having to let in the dishy doc. Though, judging by the look of worry on his face, he wasn’t here to continue his conversation about warm milk.
She opened the door and Dr Jones came in, carrying a pet carrier. Behind him, a little uncertainly, followed a little girl with chestnut-brown hair in two ponytails held by pink bobbles, her face tearstained, pale and stunned. Seeing the little girl, so like Olivia—no, so like her father—startled her and her stomach twisted painfully. As if she’d been punched in the gut.
She dragged her gaze away from the little girl and looked over at the doctor. ‘Dr Jones? Can I help?’
Am I stammering? I feel like I’m stammering.
‘My daughter’s rabbit. I think it’s been attacked.’
He lifted up the carrier, so she could see through the barred door, but it was impossible to gauge the extent of the animal’s injuries.
Sydney glanced quickly at the little girl. She looked around Olivia’s age. Maybe a bit older. She wasn’t sure. But she was young, and she didn’t need to see Sydney examining the rabbit if it was in a bad way. There were a lot of foxes out here in Silverdale Village. It was a very rural area, surrounded by farms and woodlands. Occasionally they even saw deer. The likelihood that there were animal predators around was very high.
All business now, she took the carrier from the doctor. ‘Maybe your daughter should sit in the waiting room whilst I take a look?’
The little girl slipped her tiny hand into her father’s. ‘Don’t leave me, Daddy.’
Dr Jones looked torn, but then he nodded. ‘I’ll sit with you.’ He looked up at Sydney. ‘Is that okay? If I sit out here with Anna?’
Anna. A lovely name.
‘Of course. I’ll just take a quick look.’
She hurried the rabbit through to the surgery, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it for a moment whilst she gathered herself.
That’s Anna. Anna! Not Olivia.
The table where she usually examined pets had already been cleaned down, so she laid the carrier upon it and opened it up.
Inside was a very scared, very shocked black rabbit. From what she could see at this stage it had injuries to the top of its head, its left eye looked damaged, and there were other fine puncture marks across its back and legs. Sydney held it gently whilst she checked it over. The ears looked okay, as did its throat, and it seemed to be breathing fine, if a little loudly. She listened to its chest through her stethoscope and tried to get a better look at the eye, but she couldn’t tell if it was ruptured or not.
Poor thing.
She suspected it might die of shock. She felt for its pulse. It was slow and faint, but that was typical for an animal like this in such a situation. Its gums were pale, too and its ears cool.
There wasn’t much she could do at this point. Technically, she couldn’t see any fatal injuries. The shock itself might be the killer here. All she could do at the moment was give the rabbit a painkilling injection and some antibiotics. But she’d need to check with Dr Jones first, in case they requested euthanasia.
Sydney put the rabbit back into the carrier and secured it, then headed to the waiting room, her own heart thumping rapidly at the thought of returning to speak to him.
‘Dr Jones?’
He looked up when she called his name and then patted his daughter’s hand and told her to stay in her seat before he came over to her and whispered in a low voice, ‘How is she?’
Sydney also kept her voice low, not wanting to upset Anna. ‘She’s in a great deal of shock. Can you tell me what happened?’
He shrugged. ‘We’re not sure. I’d been at work all day and then went to pick Anna up from school. She found Lottie like that when we got back.’
She nodded. ‘She has sustained a great deal of damage to her left eye, but it’s hard to see at the moment whether the eyeball itself has been ruptured. If it has, we might have to remove it, but at this stage I think we need to see if she’ll survive the night.’
Dr Jones let out a heavy sigh and glanced at his daughter. ‘Do you think Lottie might die?’
‘It’s fifty-fifty. I can give her a painkiller and some antibiotics if you wish. The bite marks are quite small and thin, possibly caused by a cat or a fox. Their mouths are filled with bacteria, so the chance of infection is high. There aren’t any fatal injuries, but shock can kill an animal like this. It’s up to you what measures you’d like me to take.’
She left the implication hanging. Did he want to see if the rabbit survived? Or did he want her to put the rabbit to sleep?
Dr Jones thought for a moment. ‘Lottie is Anna’s world. She loves animals. If there aren’t any fatal injuries I think I owe it to her to see if Lottie makes it through the night. She won’t be in any pain?’
‘There’ll be some discomfort, but the painkillers should help her an awful lot. I’ll give her the injections, but if you can take her home, keep her somewhere warm and safe where she won’t be disturbed. Do you have an indoor cage?’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t.’
‘A bathroom, then. It’s the safest place—somewhere there aren’t any cables or wires to chew.’
‘Will she want to eat?’
‘You must get her to try. When a rabbit goes into shock it sometimes stops eating, and it will just lead to further complications if her digestive system shuts down. Offer her all her favourites and try to get her to drink, too. I’ll need to see her first thing in the morning. Can you bring her in then?’
‘Before surgery, yes. About eight?’
She nodded. ‘I’ll be here.’
Sydney slipped back inside her room and administered the injections. She really hoped on their behalf that Lottie would survive, but the poor thing had been through a terrible ordeal.
Back in the waiting room, she handed the carrier to Dr Jones and then, hesitantly, after thinking twice about doing so, she knelt in front of Anna. She tried not to notice the way the little girl’s eyes looked into hers with so much hope. The way tears had welled in her eyes.
‘Stay nice and quiet for her. No loud noises. Lottie needs to rest. Can you help her do that?’
Anna nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Good.’ She stood up again, frighteningly taken in by the little girl’s big blue eyes. So similar to Olivia’s it was unsettling. How was it possible that this little girl should remind her so strongly of her own?
Backing away, she held open the door for them, eager for them to go. So she could breathe again.
‘What do I owe you?’ Dr Jones glanced over at the till.
‘We’ll sort it in the morning. Don’t worry. And good luck.’
She watched them go and backed away from the door. They were a nice family, little Anna and her father. Was there a wife at home, waiting for news? It hadn’t sounded like it. He’d been at work, he’d picked his daughter up from school. No mention of anyone else.
It doesn’t matter. You’re not interested in him anyway. Dr Jones is off limits!
So why was she thinking about him? Just because he was handsome? No. She wasn’t that shallow. It must be because of the way she’d walked out on him that morning after her consultation. She’d been rude and had not apologised for it, either. She’d been defensive. Abrupt. Even though he had suggested the most ridiculous thing. And now she’d helped with their rabbit; that was all. They’d all had a shock and she knew how that felt. She wanted it to be easier for them.
Poor rabbit.
She hoped it was still alive in the morning.
* * *
Nathan had a sleepless night. It wasn’t just because of the rabbit. Though he was worrying about getting up in the morning and finding her dead on the floor of the bathroom. If that happened then he wanted to deal with everything before Anna saw any of it. She shouldn’t have to see that.
But, no. It was his own body that had kept him from sleeping.
Yesterday he’d tried to give advice on getting a good night’s sleep to Sydney and he felt a bit hypocritical. Yes, there were tried and tested methods—relaxation, a milky drink, a warm bath, checking you had a comfortable bed—but they didn’t work for him, either.
The spasticity he suffered from his multiple sclerosis kept him awake at night.
It wasn’t as bad as it was for some people, and he knew he was lucky that no one just looking at him could guess his condition. He liked it that way. Fought to keep it so. But that didn’t stop the damned stiffness that never seemed to go away. Sometimes he would lie there, trying to relax, and he would feel his muscles tightening so hard it almost felt like a vice. Then he would have to rub at his arm or his leg and hope that it would go away. It never did. And he knew it wouldn’t. But that didn’t stop him from trying.
So he’d spent the night alternately staring at the ceiling and getting up to check that the rabbit was still breathing.
At five a.m. he crawled out of bed, ready for a cup of tea, and checked on Lottie once more.
She’s still alive. Thank goodness!
He gave her some dandelion leaves from the back garden and happily watched as she chewed them down, Her appetite was still good. Then he tried to pipette some water into her mouth—which she didn’t like—so he decided to leave her a small bowl to drink from instead.
Anna was thrilled when she woke to find Lottie moving about in the bathroom. The rabbit’s left eye still looked pretty mangled, though, and Anna was keen for the time to pass so she could go to the vet with her dad before school.
‘You won’t be at the vet, Anna. I’m dropping you at breakfast club, as normal.’
‘But, Daddy, I want to go! Please?’
‘No, Anna. I’m sorry.’
It was important that she kept to her routine. He hated changing things in Anna’s life. And, though the incident with Lottie was out of the ordinary, it didn’t mean that Anna’s life had to be disturbed. It had changed enough already. Her mother had walked out on them both, not to mention that he had his diagnosis to deal with. Life for Anna would change dramatically at some point, if his condition worsened. Best to keep things as normal as he could, for however long he could. He would not have her upset unnecessarily.
Anna pouted for a bit, but got in the car happily and whispered good things to Lottie through the carrier door as he drove. ‘You’ll be okay, Lottie. The vet will take good care of you.’
With his daughter at breakfast club, Nathan drove to work, parked, and then walked across the road to the veterinary surgery with Lottie in her carrier once more. He was kind of proud of his daughter’s little rabbit. Getting through a severe trauma and surviving. It was like finding a kindred spirit, and after getting up all night to check on her he felt he was bonding with her. And though last night he’d almost expected to have to tell Sydney to put Lottie to sleep, the fact that she’d lived... Well, he was kind of rooting for her now.
He was looking forward to seeing Sydney’s reaction. She was an intriguing woman, and he was keen for her to see that the rabbit was still alive and find out her plan of action. But picturing the look of surprise on her face, or even trying to imagine what her smile might be like, was doing surprising and disturbing things to his insides. Things he didn’t want to examine too closely for fear of what they might mean.
The bell above the door rang as he walked through, clutching the carrier, and he headed over to the reception desk, where a veterinary nurse sat.
‘Lottie Jones to see Sydney, please.’
‘Ah, yes. Please take a seat—you’ll be called through in a moment.’
He sat and waited, his nerves strangely on edge. For the rabbit? For himself? For seeing Sydney again? Last night when he’d lain awake he’d thought about her a great deal. She was very beautiful, and totally out of his league, but...she intrigued him. For all that she’d been through—the loss of her daughter—she seemed surprisingly together. A little terse, maybe, but professional and she clearly cared for her animal charges.
What made her tick? What kept her going? Her bravery in the face of immense tragedy was a very positive force, and he liked to surround himself with positive people. He needed that; he tried to stay positive himself. Perhaps just by knowing her a little bit better he might learn her secret? If she ever forgave him for what he’d said. She was a strong woman. Determined. He could see that. The complete antithesis of Gwyneth.
He shook his head as he thought of his thoughtless advice to her. Warm milk?
So busy was he, feeling embarrassed for what he’d said, that he wasn’t ready when she opened her surgery door and called his name. ‘Dr Jones?’
He looked up, startled. Today, her long brown hair was taken up into a messy ponytail. There were little wavy bits hanging free around her face, and even without make-up she looked amazing. He quickly cursed himself for noticing.
He got up, loudly cleared his throat and took the carrier through to her consulting room, determined to be distant and professional.
‘She’s still with us. Lottie survived the night.’
He placed the carrier onto her examination table and stood quite far back, as if the physical distance would somehow stop him stealing glances at her.
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. ‘Okay. Let’s have a look at her.’
He watched as Sydney’s very fine hands opened the carrier and she gave Lottie a thorough assessment, listening to her chest and abdomen with her stethoscope, taking the rabbit’s temperature, checking the bites and scratches and finally examining the wounded eye.
He tried not to take notice of the small beauty mark on Sydney’s bared neck, her delicate cheekbones, or the way she bit her bottom lip as she concentrated. She had a very fine mouth. With full, soft-looking lips.
Dragging his eyes away from her mouth, he stared hard at Lottie. Focus on the rabbit!
‘It’s impossible for me to see if the eyeball itself has ruptured. The damage is too extensive. But until the swelling goes down I don’t think we should assume that it has. I’m going to prescribe antibiotic drops for her eye, more painkillers, and a drug to keep her digestive system working which is an oral medicine. Rabbits don’t like receiving oral meds, so if you can put the medicine in a food that you know she will eat you can get it into her that way.’
He nodded, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on Lottie’s thick black fur so that he didn’t accidentally start staring into Sydney’s soft grey eyes. ‘Okay. How often does she need the meds?’
‘The eye drops three times a day, the oral meds four times a day. Will you be able to do that?’
He thought about his work schedule. It would be tough. But manageable. Perhaps if he kept Lottie in her carrier at work? In an unused room?
‘I’ll find a way.’
‘I’ll need to see her in about four days’ time. The swelling should have gone down by then, we’ll know if the antibiotics have worked, and I’ll be able to see if the eye needs to be removed.’
He risked a glance at her wide almond-shaped eyes. ‘She’d cope with that?’
‘Not all rabbits do well with surgery, and if we do have to remove the eye then she could be susceptible to further infection. Keep it clean. Bathe it with cooled boiled water when you can—three or four times a day.’
‘Like a proper patient.’ He smiled and closed the door on the carrier once again. ‘Thank you, Sydney, for seeing us last night. I appreciate that you were probably closed and your staff were ready to go home.’
She glanced away, her cheeks glowing slightly, before she began typing notes into her computer. ‘It was no problem.’
He watched her where she stood by the computer. It was better with her further away and not looking at him. He could think more clearly. And he wanted to make things right between them. He hated it that she’d left his consulting room feeling stressed and angry. Hated it that he’d insulted her daughter’s memory with a crass piece of advice.
‘I’d like to thank you properly, if I may? We got off to a bad start the other day and... Well, we both live in this village. It’d be nice to know I’ve not upset the first person I got to properly meet. Would you join me for a coffee some time? I’d really appreciate the chance to apologise.’
What on earth are you doing?
The invitation had just come out. He cursed himself silently, knowing she would refuse him, but, hell, he kind of wanted her to say yes. He couldn’t just see her about rabbits and sleeping tablets. Part of him wanted to know more about her. About that strong side of her that kept her going in the cruel world that had taken her daughter. That inner strength of hers...
But he also got the feeling that if they were given the chance the two of them might become friends. It had been a long time since he’d sat down and just chatted with a woman who wasn’t a patient, or some cashier in a shop, someone with whom he could pass the time of day.
‘Oh, I don’t know. I—’ She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and continued typing, her fingers tripping over one another on the keyboard, so that he could see she had to tap ‘delete’ a few times and go back, cursing silently.
He focused on her stumbling fingers. Tried not to imagine himself reaching for her hands and stilling them. ‘Just coffee. I don’t have an evil plan to try and seduce you, or anything.’
Shut up, you idiot. You’re making it worse!
