She dragged her gaze away from the little girl and looked over at the doctor. ‘Dr Jones? Can I help?’
Am I stammering? I feel like I’m stammering.
‘My daughter’s rabbit. I think it’s been attacked.’
He lifted up the carrier, so she could see through the barred door, but it was impossible to gauge the extent of the animal’s injuries.
Sydney glanced quickly at the little girl. She looked around Olivia’s age. Maybe a bit older. She wasn’t sure. But she was young, and she didn’t need to see Sydney examining the rabbit if it was in a bad way. There were a lot of foxes out here in Silverdale Village. It was a very rural area, surrounded by farms and woodlands. Occasionally they even saw deer. The likelihood that there were animal predators around was very high.
All business now, she took the carrier from the doctor. ‘Maybe your daughter should sit in the waiting room whilst I take a look?’
The little girl slipped her tiny hand into her father’s. ‘Don’t leave me, Daddy.’
Dr Jones looked torn, but then he nodded. ‘I’ll sit with you.’ He looked up at Sydney. ‘Is that okay? If I sit out here with Anna?’
Anna. A lovely name.
‘Of course. I’ll just take a quick look.’
She hurried the rabbit through to the surgery, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it for a moment whilst she gathered herself.
That’s Anna. Anna! Not Olivia.
The table where she usually examined pets had already been cleaned down, so she laid the carrier upon it and opened it up.
Inside was a very scared, very shocked black rabbit. From what she could see at this stage it had injuries to the top of its head, its left eye looked damaged, and there were other fine puncture marks across its back and legs. Sydney held it gently whilst she checked it over. The ears looked okay, as did its throat, and it seemed to be breathing fine, if a little loudly. She listened to its chest through her stethoscope and tried to get a better look at the eye, but she couldn’t tell if it was ruptured or not.
Poor thing.
She suspected it might die of shock. She felt for its pulse. It was slow and faint, but that was typical for an animal like this in such a situation. Its gums were pale, too and its ears cool.
There wasn’t much she could do at this point. Technically, she couldn’t see any fatal injuries. The shock itself might be the killer here. All she could do at the moment was give the rabbit a painkilling injection and some antibiotics. But she’d need to check with Dr Jones first, in case they requested euthanasia.
Sydney put the rabbit back into the carrier and secured it, then headed to the waiting room, her own heart thumping rapidly at the thought of returning to speak to him.
‘Dr Jones?’
He looked up when she called his name and then patted his daughter’s hand and told her to stay in her seat before he came over to her and whispered in a low voice, ‘How is she?’
Sydney also kept her voice low, not wanting to upset Anna. ‘She’s in a great deal of shock. Can you tell me what happened?’
He shrugged. ‘We’re not sure. I’d been at work all day and then went to pick Anna up from school. She found Lottie like that when we got back.’
She nodded. ‘She has sustained a great deal of damage to her left eye, but it’s hard to see at the moment whether the eyeball itself has been ruptured. If it has, we might have to remove it, but at this stage I think we need to see if she’ll survive the night.’
Dr Jones let out a heavy sigh and glanced at his daughter. ‘Do you think Lottie might die?’
‘It’s fifty-fifty. I can give her a painkiller and some antibiotics if you wish. The bite marks are quite small and thin, possibly caused by a cat or a fox. Their mouths are filled with bacteria, so the chance of infection is high. There aren’t any fatal injuries, but shock can kill an animal like this. It’s up to you what measures you’d like me to take.’
She left the implication hanging. Did he want to see if the rabbit survived? Or did he want her to put the rabbit to sleep?
Dr Jones thought for a moment. ‘Lottie is Anna’s world. She loves animals. If there aren’t any fatal injuries I think I owe it to her to see if Lottie makes it through the night. She won’t be in any pain?’
‘There’ll be some discomfort, but the painkillers should help her an awful lot. I’ll give her the injections, but if you can take her home, keep her somewhere warm and safe where she won’t be disturbed. Do you have an indoor cage?’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t.’
‘A bathroom, then. It’s the safest place—somewhere there aren’t any cables or wires to chew.’
‘Will she want to eat?’
‘You must get her to try. When a rabbit goes into shock it sometimes stops eating, and it will just lead to further complications if her digestive system shuts down. Offer her all her favourites and try to get her to drink, too. I’ll need to see her first thing in the morning. Can you bring her in then?’
‘Before surgery, yes. About eight?’
She nodded. ‘I’ll be here.’
Sydney slipped back inside her room and administered the injections. She really hoped on their behalf that Lottie would survive, but the poor thing had been through a terrible ordeal.
Back in the waiting room, she handed the carrier to Dr Jones and then, hesitantly, after thinking twice about doing so, she knelt in front of Anna. She tried not to notice the way the little girl’s eyes looked into hers with so much hope. The way tears had welled in her eyes.
‘Stay nice and quiet for her. No loud noises. Lottie needs to rest. Can you help her do that?’
Anna nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Good.’ She stood up again, frighteningly taken in by the little girl’s big blue eyes. So similar to Olivia’s it was unsettling. How was it possible that this little girl should remind her so strongly of her own?
Backing away, she held open the door for them, eager for them to go. So she could breathe again.
‘What do I owe you?’ Dr Jones glanced over at the till.
‘We’ll sort it in the morning. Don’t worry. And good luck.’
She watched them go and backed away from the door. They were a nice family, little Anna and her father. Was there a wife at home, waiting for news? It hadn’t sounded like it. He’d been at work, he’d picked his daughter up from school. No mention of anyone else.
It doesn’t matter. You’re not interested in him anyway. Dr Jones is off limits!
So why was she thinking about him? Just because he was handsome? No. She wasn’t that shallow. It must be because of the way she’d walked out on him that morning after her consultation. She’d been rude and had not apologised for it, either. She’d been defensive. Abrupt. Even though he had suggested the most ridiculous thing. And now she’d helped with their rabbit; that was all. They’d all had a shock and she knew how that felt. She wanted it to be easier for them.
Poor rabbit.
She hoped it was still alive in the morning.
* * *
Nathan had a sleepless night. It wasn’t just because of the rabbit. Though he was worrying about getting up in the morning and finding her dead on the floor of the bathroom. If that happened then he wanted to deal with everything before Anna saw any of it. She shouldn’t have