“In all the time slots?”
She nodded. I dried my hands and glanced around at the doors that led into the exam rooms. I relied on the schedule and charting to know which animal was in what room and why. I was running behind schedule because of an emergency surgery that morning. Pebbles, the sweetest Rottweiler, had gotten out of his backyard and been hit by a car. Thankfully, he’d made it through surgery, but I was late to my first appointment.
“Caro, I’ve been saying this for a long time, but you need to think about it again. It’s time to hire a second vet. The clinic is growing. We’re full every day, and that doesn’t count the walk-ins that you accept, even though there is a sign on the front door that says no walk-ins. Between the training classes, surgeries, and normal visits, I’m not sure when you even sleep, and I know you don’t have a life.”
She’d taken the thoughts from my mind before I could even think them. When I’d opened my practice, I hadn’t expected it to grow as rapidly as it had, and I hadn’t wanted to hire another vet until I had to. That time was coming, though, because I wasn’t sure if I could juggle anything else, and if computer system failures kept happening, it would turn my already chaotic days into nightmares.
“I know, I know.” I blew out a breath, a small piece of hair flying away from my face. I placed my hands on my hips and looked at each exam room again.
“Lucky for you,” Alicia said, grinning and handing me a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it. “I already had the afternoon schedule memorized and know which of our furry little friends are in which rooms.”
“You’re my hero. Did you know that?”
“Sure did. But make sure you remember that at Christmastime when you’re writing those bonus checks. I’d like to spend my holiday on a white sandy beach while drinks in a hollowed-out pineapple are delivered to my beach chair.”
I laughed. “I’ll make sure you have your beach trip.”
“I’ll let you know when Toby arrives. Don’t forget you need to leave at five fifteen to make it to Myers Park for the beginners’ class this afternoon.”
My stomach dipped. Kiernan’s face popped into my mind, but I shook it away quickly. And I shook the next thought away even more quickly. I’d been shoving every thought of my hacker to the back of my mind and into a locked box. If I dwelled on it, I wouldn’t make it through the day. Right now, every day was about surviving to the next without collapsing from exhaustion.
An hour later Toby had arrived and was in my office, with the main server, repairing our system. I knocked on the door. He glanced up and smiled. His shaggy brown hair was swept across his forehead and curling behind his ears. The light blue polo with his company’s logo right above his heart was stretched across his chest and tucked into a pair of dark denim jeans. He stood up and swept a hand through his long hair.
“How are you, Toby?” I asked and leaned against the door.
“I’m doing good. How about you, Caroline?”
“I’d be better if this system didn’t decide to go wacky. What’s been going on? Should I change?”
Toby scrubbed a hand along the stubble on his jaw and shrugged. “I can tell you, you aren’t the only vet in the area experiencing issues, and a dentist’s office that uses the same software is also experiencing problems. I think I found a solution, but if it doesn’t work, I can come back and get you set up with something new.”
“Will your fix today set everything back to rights? The appointments all changed.”
“I have your system set up to back up every night. Worst case scenario, you’ll lose any appointment made today before the system failure.”
I sagged against the door, releasing some of the tension from my shoulders. If that was the worst case scenario, that would be great. Any appointments made today were fixable. “Thanks, Toby. You’re a saint! I’m going to send lunch to your office next week.”
I pushed myself away from the door. “It’s no problem. You know you’re my favorite client.”
I smiled. “I’m pretty sure you say that to everyone.”
He shrugged sheepishly. “You could have lunch with me.”
“I would, but I’m slammed right now. Stop by the front, and Alicia will take care of the check for the day. Thanks, Toby!” I waved and headed into Exam Room 5 to see Angus, a large tabby cat.
9 Kiernan
A substantial amount of my life had taken part in whispers. Whispered conversations, between bouts of tears, with my mom as she hid me in closets during my father’s drunken rages. Whispered “Happy Birthdays,” “I love yous,” and praise. Military missions done with light footsteps and whispered voices.
I hated whispering.
My father had been the noose around my mother’s neck for almost thirty years. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d heard her speak above a whisper. I was dead in my father’s eyes, and he was dead in mine. If only my mom could think of him the same way, but she wouldn’t leave and I couldn’t turn my back on her. If he knew that she still called me, even though it was usually to ask for money to pay their bills, since he wasted theirs on booze and strippers, he’d beat her within an inch of her life. He’d never kill her. He’d lose his meal ticket. Instead, he always made sure to stop the hitting in time.
Fucking bastard.
“Just a little bit, Kiernan,” my mom whispered into the phone. Her voice was so quiet, I could hear the TV in the background, a few
