To Love Someone (Baytown Boys #14) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,28
closet to get the appropriate drugs while Samantha grabbed what she needed. She deftly managed to get the IV catheter in Toby’s front leg and then, after taking the Propofol from Susan, carefully watched as the large dog grew sleepy and stopped whimpering. “Nathaniel, I need you to step out of the surgical room, but if you want to go into that room over there,” she jerked her head to the side, “you can watch.”
After intubation, she hooked him up to the anesthetic machine before turning that part of the surgical procedure over to Susan. She carefully cleaned the area, moving the torn skin and muscle to the side, examining the complete injuries. “This is not nearly as bad as I was afraid it was going to be.”
“Good,” Susan agreed. “Do you think you’ll be able to send him home with Nathaniel?”
“I’ll stay here tonight. I’m sure he’s more than capable of administering the pain meds and antibiotics, but I want to keep monitoring him for a few hours. I’ll have Nathaniel come back in the morning—well, later this morning.” She began suturing, her movements swift and neat. Tying off the last knot, she ordered Susan to turn off the anesthesia. Waiting for just a moment, she pulled out the endotracheal tube.
Looking up, she offered a thumbs up toward Nathaniel and smiled as his shoulders slumped in relief. Once Toby was transferred to a kennel on the floor, resting on a thick blanket, she turned to Susan. “Thank you so much for coming in. I really hated having to ask.”
Shrugging, the pretty blonde laughed, “Oh, believe me, I have no social life here. I was glad to be able to help.”
She stood at the door to the clinic and watched as Nathaniel pulled out of the parking lot in his truck after promises from her that she’d call if Toby took a turn for the worse. After Liam’s questions about the reported wolf sightings, she knew she needed to report this incident to him. Coyotes? Wild dogs? No way it’s a wolf!
She walked to the door and waved as Susan pulled out after the farmer. A slight noise to the side caused her to jump. Jerking her head around, she was surprised to see a motorcycle parked next to the building. She was even more surprised when Joseph swung his leg over the seat and walked toward her.
His hands held his helmet as he stepped out of the shadows, and the lights from inside the clinic cast illumination over him. Her fingers twitched with the desire to reach up and brush back the lock of hair that was hanging in front of his face. Instead, she gripped the door a little tighter. “Joseph? What are you doing here?”
“I was concerned about you being here so late. I wanted to make sure you got home safely.”
“Oh.” He stared at his helmet for a few seconds before lifting his gaze to her. It was hard to see clearly, but she could almost swear she saw uncertainty move through his eyes. “It was nice of you to check on me.” Her words were rushed as her gaze locked on his lips that curved ever so slightly upward.
“How’s the dog?”
“He’s fine. In the back, actually. He had a severe laceration, but little muscle involvement and no internal injuries. He’s all cleaned up and stitched.”
“Good, good.” He looked around toward her truck parked at the side of the building and asked, “If you’re getting ready to leave, I can wait to make sure your truck starts.”
She snorted and shook her head. “Everybody worries about that truck, but it’s running fine now.” She glanced behind her, then turned back to look up at him. “Um, actually, I’m not going to be leaving, though. It’s so late, and I want to keep an eye on Toby. I’ll just rest here tonight.”
He jerked slightly, blinking as his gaze shifted behind her into the clinic and then returned to her face. “You live here?”
“No, although I keep thinking I’ll put a sleeper sofa in the storage room attic to make it easier on nights when I need to stay.” She shrugged and shook her head. “But there’s always something the clinic needs more than a sleeper sofa, so it hardly makes sense to spend money on that. Anyway, a few blankets on the floor near the kennels will be fine for me to catch a few hours of rest.”