Gently, Tim took out one of the kittens, a tabby, and it lifted its tiny head and meowed weakly. He looked at the other one, a little tortoiseshell, but it lay unmoving and he couldn’t see it breathing. Passing the meowing kitten to Cindy, he took out the tiny, unmoving kitten. It was cool to touch and he knew without even having to listen that it had died. Nevertheless, he took the stethoscope and gently laid it under the kitten, listening for a heartbeat he knew he wouldn’t hear. There was nothing. He turned it gently, checking its skin and looking in its mouth and, as he suspected, it was dehydrated. Going by the umbilical cord still attached, it was only a day or two old.
“I’m sorry, Cindy.” He gently laid it aside and held out his hand to her. “Let’s have a look at this other little scrap and see what we can do for it.”
Silently she handed the kitten to him, and he placed the stethoscope in position and listened. The little heart gamely beat and the kitten cried weakly and struggled. A check of the skin proved dehydration. The stomach was quite distended, and he checked the kitten’s mouth. It seemed healthy enough and there were no sores or signs of problems with the umbilical cord.
Taking a gauze packet, he broke it open and took out a square of gauze. Wetting it under the tap, he squeezed out the excess water and wiped the kitten’s bottom. Immediately he felt the warm trickle of urine.
“What are you doing?” Cindy queried.
He glanced at her, taking in the wet tear track on her cheek and the way her hand rested protectively on the still body of the kitten on the bench. And his heart clenched a little.
Reassuringly, Tim smiled at her. “Kittens can’t pee on their own. Their mothers stimulate them by licking, so I’m mimicking it with wet gauze. A wet cloth will do the same thing. Going by the amount of pee, it’s been awhile since this little scrap was last attended.”
“Will it live?”
“I think it stands a chance. I’ll get some milk into it and get it warm and we’ll see.”
“So it’s not a guarantee.”
“No, it’s not.” Seriously, he regarded her. “But I’ll do my best, I promise you.”
She nodded.
“I’m going to get a bottle ready with special formula, and we’ll see what it does. Okay?”
She nodded again.
Tim went out the back and made the formula, ensuring it was warm, and poured it into a small bottle with a little kitten teat. Carrying a clean towel, he returned to the consult room and saw that the kitten was cuddled up to Cindy’s cheek. As he watched, she turned her head and nuzzled the kitten’s cheek, and it meowed.
As soon as Cindy saw him, she handed the kitten into his waiting hands. Placing it down on the towel, he bent over the tiny animal and carefully opened its mouth to put the teat inside.
The kitten tried to turn away, but he persevered, managing to squeeze a drop of milk from the teat into its mouth. Still it tried to turn away from the strange taste of the teat.
“Is it going to work?” Cindy was bent over the other side of the bench, her head close to his as she watched anxiously.
The scent of cashmere powder drifted to his senses. He couldn’t help but notice that her other hand remained firmly over the dead kitten.
She cared so much and he glanced up to find himself close to her face, the blue of her eyes almost startling in their clarity. Her long lashes were still damp. How he wanted to see her smile again.
“We’ll get there,” he assured her.
The kitten tugged on the bottle, drawing his attention down, and he saw that it had latched onto the teat and was sucking.
“Success.” He grinned, feeling the familiar sensation of satisfaction when something was going right with a patient.
“It’s sucking?” Hope filled her voice.
“Yep.”
“So it’s going to live?” Reaching out a finger, she gently touched the little head.
“It’s not out of the woods yet.” He didn’t want to build false hope. “But it’s got a chance. I’ll take it home and see how it goes tonight.”
“You’ll take it home?”
Tim glanced up at her. “We’re not open at night, Cindy. Trust me, every vet and nurse here has taken animals and other things home that need attention.”
“But what about the animals here?”
“Either the vet or the nurse on call comes in and attends to them, depending on what is needed.”
She was silent for a few seconds, watching the kitten drink, before she said softly, “I’m sorry I got you out on your night off.”
“It’s not a problem.” The kitten pulled its head back and he let the teat slip free. “I’m glad you called me.”
“You are?” Again there was surprise in her voice.
“Yes.” Picking the kitten up, he cradled it in his hands and looked at her. Really looked at her. Her mascara was a little runny around her eyes where she’d wiped tears away and her nose a little red from crying. She looked so soft and concerned and uncertain that it made his heart warm.
It had been a long time since anyone had made his heart warm.
“Yes,” he said again. “I really am glad you called me.” And he really meant it.
She smiled a little, a soft curve of her plump lips, and he felt something inside his chest shift.
Dropping her gaze, she reached out and ran her fingertip along the kitten’s tiny head. “This kitten…”
“Yes?” He looked down, watching how carefully she touched it.
“If it’s okay…if it makes the night…” Her voice grew a little wobbly again and she cleared her throat. “If it’s okay, I want it.”
“You do?” This time it was his turn to be surprised.
“Yes. My old cat died a few months ago and I’ve been thinking about getting another cat.” She glanced up at him and smiled. “Why not this one?”
“Why not indeed,” he echoed, and then regarded her seriously. “Bottle feeding a kitten so young can be very time consuming and tiring.”
“I guess so.”
“In the case of this little scrap, maybe every hour, depending on how dehydrated it is.”
“I’ve got an alarm clock.”
“Speaking of clocks, hourly to two hourly feeds around the clock.”
“I can do that.”
He studied her closely.
“I can do it,” she stated firmly.
“Okay.” He nodded slowly. “I’ll see how this scrap goes overnight and if all is okay, I’ll call you.”
She reached out and touched his arm. “Let me know either way.”
He felt the warmth of her fingers clear through to his bones. “Okay.”
“Can you ring me in the morning?”
“Sure. I come in at seven thirty, so I’ll give you a call.” He stepped back and she took her hand away. “Let me put this kitten on a warming pad and I’ll be back to get your details.”
By the time he had the kitten snuggled on a warming pad and covered with a fluffy sheet, and returned to the consult room, he found it empty. Poking his head out, he saw that Cindy was waiting patiently by the reception desk.
Coming out, he went behind the desk and revved up the computer. While it warmed up, he looked curiously at her, realizing how little he actually knew about her but how much he wanted to know. Now how to ask without sounding nosey?
Ahhhh… “So, what’s your work number?”
She looked blankly at him.
“To ring you tomorrow.” He held up a pen.
“I’ll give you my mobile.”
Damn. “Okay.”
She rattled off the number and he wrote it down along with her address, which he already knew.
“For now we’ll enter the kitten as just ‘kitten’ on your records until we know if he’s going to make it.” Tim continued to jot down notes. “You can name him when you take him.”
“Him?”
“Yeah, I had a quick look. Your stray is a boy.”
Genuine pleasure was reflected
in her smile. “I’ll think of a nice name.”
“Cindy…” He hesitated uncharacteristically.
“Yes?”
“I just want you to understand that the kitten has a tough fight ahead of him, okay?”
“I know. I understand.” She looked gravely at him. “He’s in the best care, right?”
“Right.”
Taking a deep breath, she stepped back from the counter and now he noticed that she held the shoebox in her hands. Inside was the unmoving body of the dead kitten. He felt a little twinge of sadness at such a young life cut off so callously.
“I’m taking it home to bury it.” There was a sudden sheen of tears in her eyes. “It deserves that much.”
That just tore his heart in two. Moving around the counter, he laid one hand on her shoulder. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” She glanced down at the kitten. “I’m not going to desert it.”
“I’ll follow you home and bury it.”
“No.” She smiled up at him reassuringly. “I buried Bast myself; I can do this little darling as well. It can rest beside Bast under the lilac tree.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind doing it.”
“No. You take of the living, and I’ll take care of this one.”
He nodded. “It’s a girl, by the way.”
“A girl?” She gently stroked the little body and he didn’t miss the tear that slid down her cheek. “I’ll remember. She’ll have a nice name, too.”
Jesus, his heart was going to break. He followed her out to the car and waited while she got in and locked the door. When she looked up at him through the open window, he couldn’t stop himself from leaning down, reaching in, and wiping the tear away with his thumb. “It’ll be okay.”
She nodded. “I know.” She started the car.
“Call me when you get home,” he said abruptly.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Please.”
“Okay.”
Nodding, he straightened and stepped back. He watched until her rear lights vanished in the traffic. Only then did he return to the clinic and enter all the details of the consult into the computer before going out the back and getting the kitten. After packing him, the warmer, the bottle and formula into a cat carrier, he turned off the lights except for the reception, reset the alarm and locked the door. Placing the cat carrier in the passenger seat, he heard a faint meow from the kitten and smiled.
This was one little scrap he wouldn’t have to euthanase due to being unwanted. Now all he had to do was keep it alive. If it didn’t make it, he had a feeling that Cindy’s tears just might kill him.
Once home, he checked his answering machine but there was no message light glowing. Maybe Cindy was going to bury the kitten first. He still felt wrong leaving her to do it, but he understood her need.
Placing the carrier on the kitchen bench, he turned the oven on to rewarm his food and plugged in the kettle.
The phone rang about twenty minutes later and he grabbed it off the counter. “Hello?”
“Tim?”
Relief coursed through Tim and he relaxed on the stool at the kitchen counter. “Cindy. Everything okay?”
“Yes. I buried Princess beside Bast.”
He waited several heartbeats before saying, “Princess, huh?”
“She was a little princess, Tim.”
“Yeah, she was.” He took a breath. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. How’s the boy?”
Reaching into the carrier, Tim carefully lifted a corner of the fluffy sheet. “Fast asleep.”
“He’s okay?”
“Doing well under the circumstances.”
“Good. That’s great. Give him a kiss goodnight for me.”
He blinked. “Sure.”
There was silence for several seconds before she said quietly, “Thanks, Tim. Really, I mean it.”
“No need, sugar.”
“No, there is. Thank you.”
He smiled. “I’ll call you in the morning.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She rang off.
Tim slowly lowered the mobile to the counter and turned to face the cat carrier. “She’ll be waiting for my call but I’ve no illusions, kitten. It’s you she’s interested in.”
Why that would make him feel a little put out, he had no idea. Or at least, not one he wanted to scrutinize too closely. Nor did he want to scrutinize the fact that he rather looked forward to the phone call in morning.
Chapter Three
Troubling thoughts of the kittens plagued Cindy all night, and she felt incredibly sad that one of the kittens had died before she could get it - her - help. But she prayed so hard that the little boy kitten would live.
Five thirty found her in the kitchen sipping on coffee and gazing unseeingly out the window to the beautiful gardens beyond. Birds flittered through the branches of the huge Poinciana tree, and several of the birds were splashing in the bird bath beneath. The sun was just clearing the horizon.
It promised to be another overly warm day and she screwed her nose up. Summer wasn’t her favourite season.
Looking at the phone on the wall, she wished heartily that it was time for Tim to call. Surely if the kitten had died during the night, he would have let her know?
No, he’d wait until the appropriate time, which was probably after seven thirty.
With a sigh, Cindy took the cup to the sink and rinsed it out. Now would be a good time to go for a walk, try to get her mind on other things and enjoy the cool of the day before the heat set in too much.
Walking around the gardens was lovely, but she found herself passing the lilac tree and seeing the little patch of raised dirt that marked the grave of Princess. Beside it was the more settled earth where Bast lay.
Lengthening her stride, she walked down the driveway and out onto the road. The footpath went past several stately homes, and she admired the gardens while privately thinking that Ruth’s magic fingers definitely made hers look the best in the neighbourhood.
By the time she returned home, Ruth was out checking the plants for pests. She watched Cindy approach and come to a stop. “You’re up early.”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“Late night?”
“Not really.” Cindy rocked back and forward on her heels. “We’re getting a kitten.”
“Oh?” Ruth inspected a thin branch.
“If he survived the night.”
“I see.”
“I found him. Or rather, Marty and I did.”
“Uh-huh.”
Ruth, lady of few words. Cindy smiled a little. “You’re so curious.”
“I figure you’ll tell me what you want to.” There was a small crinkle of amusement at the corners of Ruth’s eyes.
“Think Sam’ll mind?”
“Would it make a difference?”
“No.”
“There you go.” Ruth glanced up at the sky. “Going to be hot today.”
“Yeah.” Cindy checked her watch. Six thirty. “Think I’ll have a shower to freshen up and get some breaky.”
Ruth nodded and resumed checking the bushes.
Cindy had just finished drying off when the phone rang. Heart thumping, she wrapped the towel around herself and ran into the bedroom. She nearly fell over the kitten-heeled slippers she’d left beside the bed, stumbled against the set of drawers beside the bed, and snatched up the phone as she managed to right herself before hitting the floor. “Yes?”
There was complete silence on the other end for several seconds before a male voice asked cautiously, “Cindy?”
“Oh. It’s you.” She sat down on the bed.
“Glad you’re pleased.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean it like that. I’m just waiting for an important call.”
“At this time of the morning?” Her brother was surprised, then suspicious. “Who is the bloke? Anyone I need to know about?”
“Marty, it’s the vet.”
“You’re shagging a vet?”
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“What? No! I mean, he’s going to call me this morning about the kitten.”
“Okay.” She could clearly hear him take a slurp of coffee before he spoke again. “So, you all right after last night?”
“Fine.”
“Dad gave me heaps for not coming with you to the vet.”
“Dad worries too much. I was fine.”
“I know that. He knows that. Hell, we all know that.”
“You should do. I got four separate calls last night after I got back. Scratch that, three of them were on my answering machine.”
“Don’t you just feel the love?”
Cindy laughed.
“You’re just lucky Dad and Mum didn’t come over to check on you personally. Alex was going to but I talked him out of it. You owe me, sis.”
“Put it on my tab.”
“Already there. You owe me big time.”
She lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “You rang me at this hour to ask about the kitten?”
“Sure. I knew you wouldn’t be asleep.”
“But there’s something else, too, right?”
“Well…”
“Out with it.”
“You know our cousin’s wedding?”
“Don’t remind me.”
“I broke up with Christy.”
“I am so surprised. Gosh.” Cindy rolled her eyes. “The shock of it.”
“Sarcasm. Why am I not surprised?” Marty grumped. “Would it hurt you to fake a bit of sympathy?”
“Not at all. Not if I knew that Christy had actually meant anything to you.” Lifting up one leg, Cindy studied her toenails. They needed re-doing. Maybe she’d go hot pink this time. “So I’m guessing no Christy and the cousin’s wedding equals one thing.”
“Give it a shot,” Marty replied. “I’m sure you’ll get it if you try really hard. Just don’t pull a muscle.”
“Marty, are you asking me to be your date?” Cindy cooed. “Oh, Marty! I am…I am so…oh wow!” She panted into the phone. “Yes! Yes! I thought you’d never ask!”
“You are so sick,” her brother returned in disgust. “I’ve got you on speaker phone, you know.”
“Liar.”
“Everyone in the office can hear you.”
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