Page 22 of Midnight Creed

Grace snuggled down into his lap. He’d take her with him for a swim later. Work out some of the kinks in his back. It was good for her, too, and she loved it. And he did have to admit, lately, she did look stronger.

Hannah went back into the kitchen area. Poured a travel mug of coffee and brought it over to him.

“Thanks,” he told her. Grace’s head weighted his right arm, so he drank with his left hand.

A door opened behind him. All the dogs that had greeted him now raced around him. Bolo and Chance jumped over Creed’s outstretched legs. Hannah gestured to the new person, then started to pour another mug of coffee.

“That’s quite impressive,” Creed said over his shoulder without looking back. “Not many veterinarians get that kind of welcome.”

“It would be entirely different if they were over at the clinic coming to see me.” Dr. Avelyn Parker took her time greeting each dog.

They were excited to see her, but they were happy and excited, not anxious. She was on their turf, inside their home. Here, she never wore her white lab coat. She was dressed in blue jeans, a sweatshirt and hiking boots. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail.

Years ago, they hired the vet on retainer when it made more sense for her to come to their facility instead of them constantly loading up and taking dogs to her clinic in Milton. She still owned a portion of that clinic, though much of her time was spent with their dogs. Especially after Creed built a clinic and surgical center to Dr. Avelyn’s specifications.

Hannah brought her a mug of coffee, too. Dr. Avelyn thanked her, then sat cross-legged on the floor opposite Creed. Hannah sat in an empty spot on the closest dog sofa. The two dogs, already occupying the ends, moved in to cuddle next to her. Down on the floor, Molly, a yellow Labrador plopped her head on Hannah’s foot.

“You’re here late,” Creed told the veterinarian.

“I needed to finish some paperwork.”

He glanced at Hannah. She looked like she already knew what this was about. Dr. Avelyn caught his eyes, as if knowing exactly that he was feeling somehow left out.

She told him, “Hannah said I might be able to catch the two of you together tonight. There’s something I need to talk to you both about.”

15

“Is everything okay with the dogs?” Creed wanted to know.

“Oh sure. They're fine. I wanted to ask about quarantining some dogs in the new area of the clinic. Possibly in the next few days. I know it’s not quite finished, so I’ll understand if you don’t want to rush it.”

They had taken a separate unit and started renovations. The space would allow them to quarantine a few dogs at a time before they added them to the kennel. All of their dogs came to them after being in a shelter or after being abandoned. Grace had been dumped at the end of their long driveway.

“How many dogs are we talking about?” Creed asked.

“About a dozen.”

“A dozen all at once?”

“If we’re lucky. I was thinking we might be able to push out into the storage area temporarily. I can move a couple of the racks. That room is huge.” She looked from Creed to Hannah. “I don’t mind doing the work myself.”

“No,” Creed told her.

“No?”

“No, you’re not going to do it yourself. Jason and I will help. It shouldn’t take that long. Let’s get a list of everything we’ll need for them.”

Dr. Avelyn stared down into her coffee mug and went quiet. Creed glanced at Hannah again, hoping to see some explanation written on her face. When Dr. Avelyn looked up, she was smiling. Creed breathed a sigh of relief.

“You didn’t even ask where these dogs were coming from or why they need urgent shelter.” She looked down again and just shook her head. Now Creed could see the tear at the corner of her eye.

“I figure it must be from a disaster site.” Creed shrugged. But now he realized it might be something more personal.

He knew she was a member of an emergency response organization that sent veterinarians after mudslides or earthquakes to take care of working dogs and any other animals affected by the disaster. They were trained in protocol for decontamination as well as treating on-site injuries, dehydration and hypothermia.

“It’s something like that,” she said. “One of our members served in the Army as a veterinarian in Afghanistan. He’s been working stateside with a couple of former K9 handlers. They’ve been trying to locate and rescue the war dogs left behind. We’re hoping to get them back home. But it’s turning out to be quite the challenge.”

Creed felt a sudden knot twisting in his gut. As a military handler, he and others had their own personal stories of pushing for policy change, and legislation for how retired dogs were treated. After much lobbying, the dogs had finally been given concessions like the K9 soldier having a higher rank than its handler, so the handler’s number one priority was the dog. Robbie’s Law allowed for handlers to adopt their K9 after the dogs retired. But the military still wouldn’t pay for transport back to the states.