a message; she wanted Billy looked at immediately. The third call was answered by an actual person.
“Good morning. How can I help?” a perky female voice asked.
“Hi. My dog fell down some steps. I think he’s badly hurt.”
“Are you a current patient?”
“No, I just moved to the area. Is there any way you can fit me in?” Lauren pleaded.
“Please hold,” the young woman said. She came back a few moments later. “Dr. Kelly will see you at noon. Can I have your name, address, phone number, and the name and breed of your dog?”
Lauren provided all the information, her gaze never leaving Billy’s face. He was perfectly still, lying there as if unconscious. “I’m afraid to cause him more pain,” Lauren said to the receptionist as she considered the logistics of getting him to the vet.
“Is he bleeding?”
“No, but he’s not moving.”
“Pick him up very carefully and settle him in the back seat,” the woman advised.
“Okay. Thank you.”
Lauren glanced at the clock on the phone. It was almost eleven and the drive wouldn’t take longer than fifteen minutes. There was no sense disturbing Billy twice, so she sat on the step next to him and waited, hoping he’d miraculously come around, but Billy didn’t stir. At eleven thirty, she picked up the puppy and carried him to her car, settling him in the back seat. He whimpered but never opened his eyes and put a paw over his face as if to block out the light.
“We’ll be there very soon,” Lauren told him as she got in the driver’s seat and put the key in the ignition. “You’ll be all right. You’ll see.”
Lauren drove to the vet’s office, parked, and carried Billy inside. The young woman at reception looked even younger than she’d sounded on the phone. She had to still be in her teens. She checked them in, took down Billy’s medical history, since in her agitation Lauren had forgotten to bring along his medical records, and asked Lauren to have a seat.
There was no one else in the waiting room, so Lauren looked around, studying the framed prints on the walls. Some of the prints were black and white, and the light made the subjects leap off the paper, particularly a photo of a lighthouse in a gathering storm.
“The doctor usually takes lunch at twelve,” said the young woman, whose name plate proclaimed her to be Merielle Kelly. “But he could never leave an animal in pain.”
“That’s very kind,” Lauren said, wondering if Merielle was the doctor’s wife or daughter. Daughter, most likely.
“He’s really sweet,” she said, nodding toward Billy. “I’m more of a cat person myself, but I can appreciate a cute puppy. Oh, you can go in. First door on the left,” she said when a woman with a French bulldog came out into the reception area and approached the desk.
Lauren cuddled Billy as she followed the corridor to an examining room. The doctor smiled as she walked in and asked her to place Billy on the examining table. He appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties, with unruly dark-brown hair that brushed the collar of his doctor’s coat at the nape, and dark green eyes, so like Merielle’s. He was tall and fit with strong, capable hands, Lauren noted as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves and bent over Billy.
“Hello, little guy,” he said gently. “Let’s see what’s wrong with you.”
Lauren waited anxiously while Dr. Kelly examined Billy. He was thorough and didn’t waste time on small talk, but asked several questions, which Lauren answered to the best of her ability. Billy, displeased at being prodded, opened his eyes and glared at the doctor, who took the opportunity to shine a light into his eyes, making him growl.
“I’m sorry, Billy,” Dr. Kelly said as he shut off the light. “I know that’s bright.”
Billy relaxed once the offending light had been switched off and rested his head on his paws, lying quietly and watching the doctor with obvious suspicion.
“Will he be all right?” Lauren asked anxiously.
“He’ll be just fine. Nothing is broken. He’s bruised and has a mild concussion. He’s scared himself silly more than anything,” Dr. Kelly said, pulling off the gloves.
“Concussion? What should I do?”
“Nothing. Allow him to set his own pace. He might be a little lethargic for a few days and will probably be in some pain from the bruises, but he’s young and strong, and his body will heal itself. I’d like to see him in about three days