Impurrfections: Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue by Kaje Harper

Author:Kaje Harper [Harper, Kaje]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-01T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 14

THEO

A shrill tune woke me from my sleep. Shane’s new ringtone. I fumbled for my phone. “What’s wrong?”

“Foxy’s been straining and grunting for, like, six hours, and her butt’s all wet, but there’s no puppies yet. I’m getting worried.”

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. “What does Arthur say?”

“He’s not answering. I guess he doesn’t recognize my number. He probably has his phone on don’t disturb.”

“I can try calling him.”

“Can you just come over? Please?”

I wasn’t used to Shane sounding less than confident. “Yeah, of course. Give me fifteen minutes.” I tried to keep my own anxiety out of my voice. What if something’s really wrong?

I Googled the local vet’s office and then “How long can a dog be in labor?” with one hand as I pulled on some clothes. The answers weren’t clear, but it looked like six to twelve hours before the first puppy wasn’t unreasonable, so we weren’t in emergency territory yet. I texted that to Shane so he’d calm down before I headed to the venue.

The dark building lurked behind the parking lot as I pulled in, but despite the pre-dawn gloom, it felt less threatening than ever before. This hulk with all its lights off wasn’t my grandparents’ showplace, and Shane was waiting for me in there. I parked by the side door and hurried inside, using the flashlight app on my phone. Mimsy gave me half a heart attack, jumping down through the banister as I passed the stairs. She trotted ahead of me toward the bathrooms.

A faint blue-white light leaked out into the hall as I approached the men’s. I pushed open the door. Shane looked up from where he sat beside the giant dog bed that was now layered with towels. His hair had reached a new level of messiness, like he’d been shoving his hands in it, and his eyes shone wide in the light of his dim lantern. “Theo! Thank God. I have no clue what I’m doing.”

“You’re watching.” I pointed at the panting dog on the bed. “She’s doing all the work.”

Shane nodded, not smiling, which was a measure of how stressed he was. “Arthur told me, if she started, to offer her water but not food, except she doesn’t want anything.” He touched the rim of a half-full metal bowl.

“We have to figure she knows what she’s doing.” I hope like hell she does, because all I seem to have to offer is platitudes.

“What if she doesn’t? What if it’s her first time and she’s clueless? My mom used to tell stories about how she didn’t even know she was in labor with me and she almost had me in the women’s room in the dollar store.”

I sat beside him, nudging his knee with mine. “Maybe dogs have better maternal instincts than your mom.”

He muttered, “A flea has better maternal instincts than my mom.”

Oh, Shane. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, and he leaned against me. “The vet clinic isn’t that far,” I told him. “It’s past six a.

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