Page 60 of Vetted for Vengeance
“He was very brave coming forward to save all those dogs,” I nod in agreement, opening the door to the prep room.
Noah isn't hiding in the dog kennel now. He's hiding behind his clipboard. The camera is in position; the first dog is ledthrough. This one is significant, as she's the first. The first of 24 females and 2 males to be neutered and rehomed. It's a big day for Noah, and now his parents get to share it.
He's on fire, metaphorically, giving directions like a pro. But when Floofy gets spooked, he's that overworked kennel hand again, on his knees, reassuring her like he's the only human she's seen in her life. He is her world, and her tail wags so hard that her body is skidding on the floor. With his hand stroking a Mohican-style tuft of fur, he slips back into his organized role. Orders are given, Floofy is lifted onto the table, and he is right there with her as she is prepared for her surgery.
“We're neutering five of his dogs today. Bitch 24, Harriet. Bitch 16, Pepper. Bitch 13, Floofy. Bitch 7, Zoozoo. And Bitch 22, Apple. Noah will do their re-homing visits next week.” I read from the whiteboard where we list all the day’s tasks, but I sound like I know all of that as well as Noah does.
“We don’t care about the dogs. We want to see Noah.”
I know they don’t care about the practice, but Noah is busy and I’m not good at making up distractions.
Finally, I move forward with his parents.
“Noah, your parents were just telling me how proud they are of you.”
“Oh, yes.” Elizabeth tells the room in general. “We always knew he'd work with animals when he started adopting three-legged stick insects.”
“You remember how we used to find the babies crawling across the walls,” Henry reminds his wife.
“And then we see our boy on the TV. What a surprise.” Elizabeth tells my staff exactly how she felt seeing her boy on television. Henry informs everyone how he knew his boy had it in him.
And Noah just keeps his focus on Floofy as I sedate her, ready for the operation, like he hasn’t heard a word. I hate myself for it.
I have to leave Noah out here without me while I operate on his first true loss.
After I cut into Floofy’s abdomen, there’s no going back. Her future is fixed.
This outcome has been fixed since I slid that needle into Noah’s neck, but this will hit him hard. I have to leave him with his parents instead of staying with him.
Fortunately, spays are quick; forty-five minutes and Floofy is done. I clean my hands, change my apron, and scrub back in. The next dog is already ready, and I'm cutting into her own minutes after Floofy is moved into recovery.
I'm done in just under four hours. It's nothing unusual about that, but everything seems to run smoother.
I leave the cleanup to my scrub nurse and step out of the theatre. I'm greeted by a very welcome coffee and a chair.
They call it resting post surgery, I call it observing. I love watching my practice thrive around me, but today, I only have one target. Noah. He's working hard, just taking everything in. Questioning everything. Does Poppy have a discharge appointment with Tree? Is the aftercare pack made up ready? Has anyone updated Ginger's owner since we admitted him? Does Chloe have enough coffee? How is Figgy's labor?
He's interacting with everyone.
Everyone except his parents.
And they are interacting with everyone except him.
Every word out of their mouths is about Noah, rather than to him.
It's the strangest parental relationship I've ever seen.
My parents ignored me. I went to boarding school, then college, then out into the world with very little interaction from them. But Noah appears to be just as invisible physically, while being the center of his parents' attention.
“Mr. Humphries, do you have accommodation arranged, or are you travelling home tonight?” I cut my break short to encourage our interlopers to the door.
“We're staying with Noah tonight,” Elizabeth answers confidently. “We'll be staying for a few days. I'm sure the nation wants to know all about Noah growing up. We brought baby photos.”
“Did you ask Noah if you could stay before making this arrangement?”
“Noah won't mind. He's a good boy.”
“He's renting a single room. He isn't allowed guests overnight.
