Page 35 of Avenging Azalea

FAWN

“Well, hello there, sweetie,” Doreen said when I walked in the front door of Small Paws Veterinary.

This was my happy place when I wasn’t home in the sunroom with the girls. The clinic and Dr. Taylor showed me my purpose, and that was to help animals in need. Doreen glanced at the schedule on the wall.

“You’re not on today.”

“I know. I just wanted to put in a few extra hours. Free, of course, I’m not going to clock-in.”

Doreen stood and came around the desk without saying a word. She pulled me into a hug and squeezed me tight. Pulling back, she cupped my cheeks. She was similar to who I envisioned when I thought of a grandmother as a little girl. Always full of love, with a kind smile, warm eyes, and constant presence.

“What was that for?”

“You look like you needed it. Your heart is always so heavy, sweetie. Far too heavy for someone so young.”

I looked down, not sure what to say. I was saved when the employee door opened to the back.

“Doreen…oh, Fawn, you’re here. Perfect, you’re with me,” Dr. Taylor said and then darted into the back once more.

“Oh…okay. See you later, Doreen.”

“Bye, sweetie.”

Dr. Taylor carried two large bags of medical supplies and was already heading out the backdoor when I caught up to him.

“What’s going on,” I asked as he tossed the duffels into the backseat of his truck.

“Got a call that someone abandoned a farm outside of the city. They didn’t do anything about the animals. They just left them all locked up. One of the large animal vets is coming to look after the horses, but there are cats and a dog. Half of the livestock is already too far gone,” he said before jumping into the driver’s seat.

As fast as I could, I got in beside him and buckled my seatbelt. “That’s horrible. How can people be so cruel?”

Starting the truck, he shook his head. “I have no idea.”

Dr. Taylor was a remarkable surgeon, practically a legend. I was so happy that he’d hired me to work here while I finished my degree. My classmates were jealous that I’d gotten the position for the one-on-one training.

It also didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes. Matthew Taylor had electric baby blues, an easy smile, and a short, cropped hairstyle with a dusting of salt and pepper that gave him a distinguished look. He was fit, ran marathons, and could easily pass for ten years younger than forty. The girls in my class had nicknamed him Doc Hottie. I silently gloated when he chose me for the placement.

We flew out of the clinic driveway and sped along the roads as we made our way out of the city. Neither of us spoke, and I was just as happy not to make small talk while my mind swirled around what I’d overheard before I left the house.

After I’d changed, I went downstairs to find Titus. But when I found him, he was telling Naji about a ten-day trip with Vera. I’d darted out the front door before I burst into tears and made a fool of myself. It didn’t matter. I cried all the way to the clinic. It had been almost three weeks since I’d learned of his engagement, and yet, each day was as painful as the one before.

“That’s the place,” Dr. Taylor said, pointing to an old farm. Part of the roof was missing on the barn, the paint had faded away long ago, fence rails hung from their posts, and the house’s windows were smashed.

Three other trucks and a horse trailer were parked near the barn when we pulled up the drive. It looked like a massacre had taken place, and my throat tightened just seeing the plastic tarps covering deceased animals.

Dr. Taylor laid his hand on mine.

“If anything is too much for you, come back to the truck.”

His eyes were sincere when I looked over, but something about his kindness spurred my need to prove that I could handle the situation, not just to him but to myself. If I really wanted to help animals, then this was part of the job.

Hopping out of the truck, the animal rescue personnel walked over and gave us the rundown of everything that had happened and who we were there to see. Walking into the barn triggered my gag reflex. Normally, the fresh smell of hay and animals made my heart happy, but there was nothing joyous here in this place.

The smell of manure and ammonia was so strong that it stung my eyes and the back of my throat. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The stench of death hung in the air. I covered my nose with my sleeve, but it hardly helped.

Stall after stall, the animals had either been removed or were so far decayed that their remains would be left until the rescue was complete. We had been directed to the very end of the barn. Dr. Taylor looked in the last stall to the left, and I looked in the one on the right. My heart broke when I spotted the curled-up golden ball.

“Hey baby, we’re here to help you,” I said, my voice soft.