Page 16 of The Great Maple Mistake (Love in Maplewood #8)

Cody

I burst into the clinic and immediately spot Finn behind the registration desk. He gestures to a door on my right. “Through there. I’ll meet you on the other side.” He disappears through a swinging door at the back of reception, and I hurry to meet him.

He waves me into an exam room, and I dash in, carefully setting the storage tub on the stainless steel exam table. Finn’s right behind me, peering into the bin before he even comes to a stop on the other side of the table. “So tell me again what happened.”

“We got a call yesterday about a huge warehouse fire.” God, was it really just yesterday?

“It was over in Milton. It was huge, several companies were called in, and we were there overnight.” Finn picks up one of the lethargic kittens and turns it this way and that, making sure it doesn’t have any injuries, before listening to their lungs with a stethoscope.

As Finn does the same quick check on the rest of the fur babies, I tell him all about rescuing them from the dumpster and how we took care of them. “Then I rushed them here.”

Finn circles back through the litter, doing a more thorough check of the kittens’ lungs, eyes, and ears, making sure their joints are sound, and giving them a good initial checkup.

Thankfully, he also trims their razor-sharp claws.

“So, we have three boys and two girls. They’re about four weeks old.

All weaned, and they seem to have been taken care of decently.

No fleas, not much matting of the fur, so they couldn’t have been in the dumpster long.

They obviously all need baths and food.” He finishes with the initial exam, places them all back into the plastic tub, and opens the exam room door, leaning into the employee area.

“Al, can you bring in some wet kitten food, please? I’m hoping we have five hungry kittens.

” He turns back to face me. “I think they’re okay.

We’ll see if they eat. At this age, they should be starving.

If they get food in their bellies and keep it down, then I think they’re good to go home.

If they don’t, then I’ll keep them for observation. ”

“Okay.” I sit down on the wooden bench next to the exam table, suddenly exhausted.

The clock on the wall shows 7:24 a.m. When was the last time I ate?

Probably dinner Friday night at Red’s. Although I vaguely remember eating a protein bar at some point.

Or was I wishing I had a protein bar and imagined I ate one?

Was it last night? I have no idea. After my date with Alex, I went home to Aunt Viv’s to get some sleep before my shift.

I was only at work for a few hours when the call came in.

I rushed to the firehouse and joined the responding team as they rode out, totally skipping breakfast. Shit.

So Friday evening was my last meal. Now it’s almost thirty-six hours later, and I’m fading.

Fast. And there’s still cleanup to do at the station.

I may have to call Alex and cancel dinner tonight.

Fuck. That’s not what I want to do. Maybe I’ll give him a call and explain—

“Cody!”

My head jerks up, and I blink at Finn. “Sorry, what?”

“When was the last time you slept?” I know that look. He’s assessing my health.

I smile, even though I’m almost too tired to pull it off. “Finn, I’m not one of your patients.”

“If you were a patient, you’d be one of Dr. Stockton’s. She works with the big animals.”

I snort because I don’t have the energy for a full laugh.

“Since I’m here, do you happen to have any antibiotic cream I can put on these little razor cuts from the kittens’ claws?

” I lift my shirt and examine the bloody splotches on my upper abdomen.

“Good thing my T-shirt is navy blue, or people might wonder if I’ve been stabbed. ”

Al walks into the room with a dish of water and another filled with wet cat food.

It smells awful. But not as bad as some of the store brands I’ve smelled in the past. “Breakfast is served.” He sets the dishes on the exam table, and one by one, he and Finn set the kittens in front of the dishes.

Now that they’re starting to dry out, I can see the coloration differences on them.

There’s one all-black kitten that Finn announces is male.

He’s already wiggling to get to the food before Finn sets him on the exam table.

The second one is also male and has a big white splotch on his chest, but the rest of his fur is all black.

He’s a bit less enthusiastic about eating, but not by much.

The next kitten is one of the females, and she’s mostly black, but her underbelly is all white.

She waits for Al to set her on the table, and she glances around nervously, then tiptoes to the food.

But when she gets her first mouthful she loses all hesitancy.

The fourth kitten is the last male. Like the rest of his siblings, he has black fur, but there’s an upside-down triangle of white on his chest that runs to an all-white belly.

He also has two white front paws. It’s like he’s wearing a little tuxedo, and it’s absolutely adorable.

The minute he smells the food, he’s scrabbling to get out of the bin, and when he’s set in front of the dish, he practically dives in headfirst. “So far, so good, right Finn?”

He nods. “Yeah, so far. Last one.” He lifts the little female out of the bin and sets her on the table near the food.

Like her siblings, she’s mostly black with an all-white belly, but she has a white blaze down her nose.

She sniffs at the food, then looks at Finn, then she sits down. “Uh oh. That’s not good.”

My stomach drops. “Is she gonna be okay?” I know human medicine, and if she were a toddler, I wouldn’t necessarily panic just yet. But I know nothing about animal physiology.

“Probably, but we’ll keep an eye on her.

” He lightly strokes her back and puts a bit of the food on the tip of his finger, trying to coax her to eat.

She licks at it but doesn’t get a whole lot into her mouth, and my heart aches.

We sit for what seems like forever as her siblings chow down on the meal, but she lethargically licks little bits from Finn’s finger.

He turns to Al. “Will you get us a bottle?” Al nods and heads back into the employee area while Finn continues to focus on the kitten.

“Just like with people, sometimes trauma can set animals back a bit. So maybe if we give her a bottle or two, we can get her eating wet food again.”

“How do you know it’d be again? Maybe they weren’t weaned yet.”

Finn nods. “Maybe, but with the way these guys are going at the food, I don’t think it’s their first time eating it.

And maybe this little girl just isn’t feeling well, and she won’t take the milk either.

” He turns to look at me. “I’m going to keep her overnight.

But you can take the other ones home with you.

They’ll need to be back for shots in about two weeks, but I think I want to see the lot of them again in one, just to check and make sure everyone’s doing well. ”

Wait. He wants to separate them? And leave them with me ?

“Shouldn’t they all be together? They just went through a traumatic experience.

Won’t they want their siblings since they can’t have their mom?

” Fuck. The thought of my mom hits me like a ton of bricks, and I have to fight the lump in my throat.

“Won’t she miss them if I take them home? ”

Finn watches me for a minute and then shakes his head.

“She might, if she were feeling better. And if she takes the bottle and is more playful and energetic, I might let you take her with you too.” He gestures to the other kittens, who are now curiously investigating the bin and the table.

“But these guys are already perking up, and if they start to get rambunctious, and she’s not feeling well, they could end up hurting her. ” Oh. I hadn’t considered that.

Al comes back in with the bottle, and Finn tries to get the little kitten to eat. After a few tries, she finally latches on, and she eats decently, but Finn is still frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m probably worrying too much. But I’m still going to take her home with me and watch her overnight.”

Relief washes over me. “Whew! I thought she was gonna be here overnight by herself. But if you’re gonna take her home, I think she’ll be okay.”

“What are you going to do with the rest of them?” Finn catches the all-black kitten as he tries to fling himself off of the table.

“Well, I’m heading home tonight, so I guess I’ll take them with me.

But I’m not sure Aunt Viv is up for watching four kittens and trying to work at the same time.

They’ll do better with the guys at the firehouse until I can find permanent homes for them.

” I hadn’t planned on taking them back with me, but if the guys are willing to help with them, that won’t be so bad.

And Enya’s a good dog. I don’t think she’ll have a problem with kittens. Hopefully.

Finn nods like he approves of my plan. “I can help find good homes, and they’d be alright to go to them now, if needed, but I’d love to get them their first round of shots before we do that. Can the firehouse hang onto them for two weeks?”

I nod, confident in making that decision. “It’s two weeks. We can use the time to find them forever homes.” I pick up each kitten and kiss their little faces before gently placing them into the bin for the ride back to Aunt Viv’s. When I look up, Finn is watching me again. “What?”

“You know, I was going to give you the shovel speech.”

It takes me a minute to figure out what he means. “What? Why?”

“You’re dating my best friend. Alex is like a brother to me.

And he’s been treated like shit by past boyfriends.

I don’t want to see that happen again.” I’m stunned, unsure if it’s because someone as amazing as Alex was treated badly or because Finn thinks I’d do that to him.

Before I can protest, Finn holds up a hand, stopping me.

“I said I was going to do that. But watching you with these kittens, knowing you went dumpster diving to save them—” He stares at me and crosses his arms. “I think maybe I don’t need to.

Just treat him respectfully. If things don’t work out, then they don’t work out.

But remember that he’s a person. With feelings. ”

I have no idea where this is coming from, and part of me is worried I’ve done something to upset Alex.

Was I too pushy Friday night? Did I make him uncomfortable?

Another part of me is furious that Finn would even need to say this.

But obviously he does because someone or some people treated Alex badly enough that Finn is protective.

“I promise you, I respect him now, and I’ll respect him in the future, even if things don’t work out. But I hope they do. I really like him.”

Finn holds my gaze for another few seconds, then nods and starts typing into the computer.

“Good. He’s a great guy. Now, I’ll have instructions for you at the front desk so you know when to feed the kittens and how much.

There’s also a new cat owner shopping list of things we suggest you get.

You don’t need anything else, and you don’t need to get the most expensive version of any of this.

You can purchase the food here that we were feeding them today.

I’ll give you a discount.” Finn stops typing, and once again, he’s looking at me with a very serious expression.

“Who’s paying for everything? If it’s the firehouse, I can call Chief Brennan and work out the payment.

If it’s you personally, then I have a small fund from donations that we can tap into to help cover some of the cost since there’s five of them and you’ve done a good deed.

You shouldn’t be financially penalized for that. ”

Shit. I hadn’t even thought about that when I volunteered to bring the kittens in. I just knew they needed to be seen immediately. “Give me a second.” I pull out my phone and send a text to the chief.

Me: Hey Chief. Am I covering the vet bill or is the firehouse?

It takes an awkward minute for a reply, during which Finn, thankfully, turns back to the computer and continues entering information.

Chief : You shouldn’t get stuck with the bill. The firehouse will cover it. I’ll expense it. But we’ll need to find homes for the kittens fast. Pets are expensive

Although I’d have willingly covered the cost, I’m glad I don’t have to. “Chief says the firehouse will cover it.” My phone buzzes again.

Chief: How are the kittens doing?

Me: Four are doing great. They seem to be healthy and Finn got them to eat. One isn’t so hot. Finn’s going to take her home with him to keep an eye on her

Me: I’m going to take the rest home with me tonight and I’ll bring them back to the station tomorrow

Chief: thumbs_up emoji

Chief: Have the front desk call when you get the final bill and I’ll give them a credit card over the phone

Me: Will do. Thanks Chief

Chief: no problem

Finn finishes entering information into the computer and offers me his hand, which I take, shaking it firmly.

He holds on a little longer than normal and looks me in the eyes.

“Thank you for rescuing the kittens and for bringing them to me. It’s obvious you’re worried about them, and honestly, that makes me feel a lot better about you and Alex.

” He finally lets go and picks up the little female, stroking under her chin.

“I’m sure this little one will be fine in a few days.

” Then he looks at me again, eyes deadly serious.

“But just so you know, if you hurt Alex, it’s not just me you’ll need to worry about.

You’ll have the whole town to answer to. ”