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But a few minutes later, she’s back, striding into SurgeryOne dressed in a spare set of scrubs and pulling on latex gloves. She’s got a mask over her features, clean glasses, and her dark eyes meet mine.

“You’re not serious, Gillian,” I growl.

“Tell me what we’ve got,” she demands.

“You shouldn’t be here. This isn’t a game. Maggots have tunneled inside vital organs.”

Why am I even explaining it to her?

She isn’t looking at me, though. She’s examining the endotracheal tube in the dog’s windpipe.

“I’ve seen something similar before, but never to this extent,” Gillian says. “I’ve assisted in surgeries. What do you need from me?”

“To get the fuck out.”

I’m short, snappy, and she doesn’t seem to give a shit about my bad attitude.

She merely stands up to her full height and points down at the wound. “You stopped in the middle of surgery. That’s how I know it’s bad, because I’m sure you’ve seen some terrible things but evenyouneeded a minute. I’m registered, licensed, and ready to help. So tell me what you need and stop wasting time.”

Her hair is tied on the top of her head, still damp from a shower apparently, and there’s a small smudge of something like grease above her right eye. She must have missed it.

“Licensed?” I move into place and pick up a pair of tweezers to resume removing the maggots one by one. “You’re serious?”

“I thought you heard the other night. I’m registered in Maryland. I’m not sure what requirements there are for New Jersey, but I know what I’m doing.”

Knots constrict in my gut and I hear them, like chains.Clink. “So you know that we remove maggots by hand. It’s time-consuming.”

She moves closer and without getting in my way, sheworks alongside me. She’s a steady presence at my side. My awareness kicks up a notch.

“I know the larvae have to be removed carefully, as maggots can release an enzyme to kill living tissue,” she says, gripping a pair of fine tipped tweezers.

“That enzyme in large quantities can cause tissue death or shock.”

“Yes. Now stow your terrible attitude because I do my best work in silence.”

She’s competent, I’ll give her that.

Gillian moves with the confidence of a woman who knows her skills and trusts them. It’s a delicate dance where we both work in tandem, and the few moments of silence are comforting rather than stressful.

“Like I said, I worked on a similar case at my old clinic,” she tells me after a bit. “The infection hadn’t reached this point, but the dog came to us in pitiful condition. Someone hit the old hound and it must have been on the side of the road for a full day before someone stopped to bring it in.”

“People suck sometimes,” I agree sharply.

She hums in the back of her throat, a sound of agreement. “There are good people out there too, though. Those who care. Who devote their lives to speaking up for those who don’t have a voice.”

She remains composed with every removal.

“You’re too young to have seen those horrors.”

“I chose to go into this work. To make a difference,” she says tersely.

“Have you always been an animal lover?”

“You could say that. We never had pets growing up, but I saw how the neighbors treated theirs. Tying their dogs outside on chains all day despite the heat and the weather. I just want to do better.”

My eyes narrow. “And you came here today to help me?”

She grabs a wipe to clear an area of blood. “I came here to help myself, I admit it. Helping you is a bonus.”