Page 3 of Heavy Petting

Then I did something I hadn’t done in years – I burst into tears.

Joshua

“Dr. Martin, you have an emergency drop-in patient.”

I looked up from a stack of paperwork, almost glad to hear someone needed my help. When I purchased this practice from my mentor Dr. James Phillips a few years back, I had no idea just how much paperwork was involved in running your own practice. It was endless and it kept me away from spending time on my true passion – caring for animals.

“What do we have, Erica?”

My vet tech took a quick look at the iPad in her hand to verify the details before speaking. She was new to her career but already an integral member of my team. I appreciated how thoughtful she was about her work.

“Mixed breed chihuahua, age approximately three, went after a squirrel at the dog park and somehow ended up trapped inside a box hedge. The dog was wearing a princess dress, part of which is now embedded in her skin, causing localized bleeding.”

“Did you say a princess dress?” I asked incredulously.

“Affirmative.”

Seeing my raised eyebrow, Erica added, “I didn’t ask. The owner is beside herself. In addition to the abrasions, the dog hurt her leg and won’t put weight on it.”

I nodded. “Okay, let me save this spreadsheet and I’ll be right there.”

“They’re waiting in room one.”

I grabbed my stethoscope, draping it around the back of my neck, and headed into the exam room.

“Hello, I’m Doctor Joshua Martin,” I said as I entered the room, my eyes going immediately to the dog. “I understand you had an accident at the dog park.”

If I had a dollar for every canine who got injured at the dog park, I could probably retire early. The combination of overexcited dogs and inattentive owners could be a recipe for disaster.

“Yes Doctor, this is Esmerelda, she got chased by a Doberman, but then they teamed up together to chase a squirrel, the fattest squirrel you’ve ever seen, with evil in its eyes too. Then the squirrel and the other dog jumped the hedge, and my poor sweet baby tried to follow but she was too short to make it over, so she got trapped inside the hedge. It took me a while to dig her out. Now she’s injured and she can’t walk, and she’s been whimpering in pain. I got her here as fast as I could. Please tell me she’s going to be all right.”

The words came out in a frantic rush. I turned my attention to the dog’s owner and reared back in shock. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, but it was more than that. It was like I knew her somehow, even though I’d never seen her before..

It was hard to gauge her height since she was sitting, but I could tell her figure was curvy. Long, dark brown hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft waves, and she had the most unusual green eyes that stood out in contrast to her pale, smooth skin. A cute little button nose and thick, heart shaped lips led to a slightly pointy chin.

Those green eyes locked onto mine and I felt my heart start pounding frantically in my chest. The air in the room seemed to be sucked away, leaving only the crackling of something electric, the way the air was before a big thunderstorm.

It’s her, a voice in my brain said in wonder. She’s the one. I couldn’t figure out why I had that thought, I wasn’t a man who was prone to bouts of whimsy.

The dog in her arms made a whining noise, breaking the strange spell between us. Oh yeah, I was a doctor. I was supposed to be helping her injured dog. Somehow all of that had flown right out of my head. It wasn’t like me to lose focus. Later I’d have to think about why this woman was so distracting.

“Uh. Let me have a look at her. Can you put her up on the exam table for me?”

She laid the dog on the table.

“Stay, Esmerelda,” the woman instructed.

The dog obediently stayed on the table, her eyes on her owner as I started a visual assessment of the animal’s condition.

“May I ask what this is?” I picked up the edge of torn fabric around the dog’s hindquarters.

“It’s a princess dress,” the woman said, as if that was the most normal thing to say.

“Why is your dog wearing a princess dress?” I asked, “Miss, uh…”

I glanced at the computer screen next to me for her name, then realized that I’d been so distracted by her that I hadn’t logged in. I turned away to wake up the screen and access my medical records system. Esmerelda’s record was at the top of the list.

“Mabel Jameson,” she said. “Today is National Dress Up Your Dog Day so I thought it would be fun to dig out Esmerelda’s princess costume from Halloween.”