Finding Isadora (22 page)

“
She’s lovely,” I commented, to which Ms. Fitzsimmons responded with a “hmph” sound that could have meant anything.

“
All right, let’s take a look at your friend. You mentioned some sores?”

“
Yes, on her head. I stopped using antiseptic and I’ve been treating them with antibiotic lotion but they’re not getting better.”

“
Poor Princess Anne. Let’s take a look.”

The cat submitted graciously to my examination. The sores were roundish, scaly areas of hair loss.
“It could be ringworm.”

“
Ringworm!”

“
It’s one possibility. Has she been in contact with another cat?”

“
We were at a cat show two or three weeks ago. But those were pedigreed animals, all very well cared for.”

“
Ringworm is contagious. All it takes is for one of those pedigreed cats to have contact with an infected animal. Anyway, I’ll have to run a test to be sure what’s causing this.” I collected a few hairs, explaining I’d do a fungal culture and let her know the results. “You can take her home and we won’t start any treatment until we know what it is.”

“
What if it
is
ringworm? How serious is it?”

“
Not serious at all, but you’ll want to deal with it quickly. I’ll give you some tablets to give Princess Anne, and a shampoo to use on her. It would be easier if you clipped her hair, but I imagine…”

“
No, not unless it can’t be avoided.”

“
Then you’ll have to be really assiduous about shampooing. And you’ll need to decontaminate your home. I’ll give you instructions on how to do that. I’m assuming there are no other animals in your house, or in regular contact with Princess Anne?”

“
No, there’s only the Princess and I.”

“
Uh…” I had to ask the next question; there was no way around it. “You haven’t by any chance noticed any scaly or inflamed patches of skin on your own body, have you? Itchiness? Hair loss?”

Her green eyes widened in appalled shock.
“Good lord! You mean I could have it?”

“
Humans can get it from cats.”

Althea Fitzsimmons eyed her cat with a certain degree of horror.

“If you’d prefer,” I said, “we can keep her here until I’ve made the diagnosis.”

She hesitated.
“No, no. Princess and I will deal with this together.” She reached out and rather gingerly picked up her cat, then relented and gave Princess Anne a warm hug.

My own feelings for Ms. Fitzsimmons warmed significantly, too.

I ushered her back to the reception area where she tilted her head and studied me carefully. “Those earrings suit you better than the diamonds did. Still think you’d look good in amethysts, though.”

Today I was wearing dragonflies with blue and purple wings.
“I’m afraid my budget doesn’t extend to gemstones,” I said with a smile. “Besides, I like earrings with animal themes.”

“
Dragonflies are insects.” She turned and strode out the door.

Of course dragonflies were insects. I
’d been speaking generically, not scientifically. Then I chuckled. Althea Fitzsimmons wasn’t boring, I’d say that for her.

I went back to the lab and began work on the fungal culture. Ringworm wasn
’t at all uncommon among our animal clients, so the procedure was familiar.

Suddenly Margarida, the Portuguese receptionist who alternated with Betty, shouted my name and I put everything down and dashed out to the front.

“Gabriel!” My eyes widened, taking in the sight of him cradling a black, blood-covered dog in his arms. I could never have imagined Gabriel looking panicky, but there was no mistaking the expression in his eyes.

“
Isadora, thank god. I found her in the alley behind my office. Hit by a car, I think.”

“
Bring her in.” I turned to Margarida. “Could you get Martin or Marianna to finish up the culture for Princess Anne?”

I hurried toward one of the examining rooms and motioned Gabriel to lay the dog on the table while I grabbed a fresh surgical gown and slipped into it, then pulled on a pair of gloves.

The dog, a female, was probably a poodle cocker cross. It was hard to tell because the creature’s coat was soaked with blood. She whimpered pitifully and tried to raise her head, but otherwise her body didn’t move. I had a bad feeling about this.

Tentatively I reached my hand toward her, then, when I realized she wasn
’t going to snap at me, I stroked her head gently. “Steady there, baby, I know it hurts but I’m going to do something about that in a moment.”

As I examine
d the dog, I asked Gabriel, “You didn’t see what happened?”

“
No. I was walking down the alley toward where I park, and heard her whining. Hit by a car?”

“
Looks like it.”

“
I didn’t know what to do. Just picked her up and brought her to you.”

I glanced up, noting the blood that coated his denim shirt and jeans as well as his hands.
“She didn’t bite you, did she?”

He gave his head a quick shake.
“Cringed when she first saw me, but then I guess she realized I only wanted to help.”

Or she couldn
’t run, or even crawl away. “How did you know where to come?” I asked him.

“
At the fundraiser, you told me where you worked.”

And he remembered?

“Is she going to be okay?” he asked.

I carried on with my examination, hoping against hope I was wrong.

“I think she’s a stray,” he said. “I’ve seen her before, rooting for scraps around the dumpsters. Friendly little creature. Miki—my assistant—and I give her leftovers from our lunch.”

“
No collar,” I commented. An abandoned animal, a friendly animal, and now… I drew in a shaky breath.

“
I can’t take her myself,” he said. “I’m never home, but Miki might. She has a little boy and—”

He broke off as I straightened to look at him.

He straightened, too, met my gaze, and swallowed hard. “She’s not going to make it, is she?”

I rested my hand on the dog
’s head and stroked her gently. Her whimpering stopped, as if my touch soothed her. “Her spine was severed. The good news is, it’s helped her from feeling too much pain.” I fought to keep my voice steady. This was the worst part of my job. “I’ll have to euthanize her, Gabriel.”

“
Damn.” He punched one fist into the other. “There’s no other option?”

“
We could keep her alive, but she’d have virtually no quality of life.”

“
Fuck. Did I do it? Break her spine when I lifted her?”

I shook my head.
“The car did it. And the driver left her to die.”

“
It was pointless what I did. Bringing the dog here.”

“
No, not at all. She’s suffering and I can end it. Besides, she would have died all alone in an alley. This way, she knows someone tried. Someone cared enough to try.”

I stroked the dog
’s head once more, then gathered my strength. “Would you pet her like this for a minute or two while I get what I need? Just touch her head. It’s the only place she has any sensation.”

Gabriel
’s throat moved in another hard swallow, then he came closer and reached out his bloody hand.

I hated euthanizing animals, even when it was the humane thing to do. As quickly as I could, I unlocked the drug cabinet and got everything ready.
“You can leave now, if you want. There’s a restroom down the hall where you can wash up.”

His eyes met mine. Bleak, wounded eyes. He shook his head.

I held his gaze for a moment. “You don’t know her name?”

“
No. Why?”

“
No animal dies nameless here. What shall we call her?”

“
You pick.”

He probably
thought I was foolish and sentimental, but this was important to me. Later, it might be important to Gabriel, too. I squatted down and peered into the dog’s brown eyes, trying to think of an appropriate name.

“
Valente,” Gabriel said.

Surprised, I glanced up.
“For a name?”

He cleared his throat.
“It means brave in Portuguese.”

I
touched the back of my hand to the dog’s hot, dry nose. “Hi, Valente.”

To Gabriel, I said,
“I do this in two steps. First, I sedate her. She’ll be at peace and we’ll keep stroking her. Then I’ll inject the drug that will euthanize her. She may go quietly, but it’s possible she’ll cry out, her head may move. She won’t be feeling anything, it’s just a reflex, but it can be disturbing to watch. If you don’t want to stay for that part…”

He didn
’t say anything, just kept stroking Valente’s head. I glanced away from both the man and the dog, trying to compose myself.

I touched the dog
’s face briefly, then murmured, “Go to sleep now, Valente. Dream of running along the beach, chasing seagulls.” Then I injected the sedative, just a little pinch like with a vaccination. Together, Gabriel and I waited as her head relaxed.

“
I’ll give her the other injection now,” I warned him.

He nodded and kept gently stroking her head.

I injected the drug and again we waited. Fortunately, the poor creature went peacefully. After checking for vital signs, I murmured, “She’s gone.”

“
Her eyes are still open.” His voice sounded choked.

“
That’s common.” I smoothed down her eyelids.

Gabriel didn
’t move for a while, then he gave Valente’s head one last, lingering pat and slowly removed his hand. “What now?”

“
Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her.”

He nodded.
“Thank you, Isadora. I’ll pay for everything.”

“
There’s no need. She’s not your dog.”

“
Nor yours. I’d like to, okay?”

“
Okay. Thanks.”

He lifted his hand and I saw it was trembling. He reached up and, before I could stop him, ran it across his cheek and jaw, leaving a smear of red.

“Gabriel, no.” I reached for his hand, caught it in my gloved ones, and turned it palm up, showing him the blood.

“
Oh.”

He glanced down at himself, seeming to realize for the first time what a mess he was.
“I should clean up.”

“
Are you all right?”

“
Sure.” He stared at his bloody hand. “Okay, maybe not. I’ve never watched an animal die before.”

“
No matter how many times you’ve seen it, it’s never easy. It shouldn’t be.”

He gazed at me, eyes quizzical.
“How can you do it?”

I swallowed hard.
“Because it’s kinder than the alternative.”

He stared down at the stray dog.
“Yes.”

When he kept staring, I said,
“Gabriel?”

He gave himself a shake.
“Right, I should go.”

“
Wash up first.”

“
Oh, yeah.”

It was a role reversal. I
’d always seen Gabriel as the strong, competent one, the person who was in control. Today he’d come to me for help, and was visibly upset. It only made him more appealing.

I
stripped off my gloves, caught him by the arm, and guided him out of the examining room. After I’d pointed him toward the restroom, I hurried to find Liz Chen, the other vet on duty. “I just had to euthanize a dog. Could you get Margarida to make the arrangements for her body? Her name’s Valente. She was a stray, no owner, but the man who found her will pay the costs. I know him and he’s pretty shaken up. I think I should drive him home. Can you cover for me for the rest of the evening?”

“
Go.” She gave me a sympathetic hug. “I’ll deal with everything.”

“
Thanks.”

I tossed my lab coat in the laundry bin, scrubbed my hands, then collected my gear. When Gabriel emerged from the men
’s room, I was waiting. His hands and face were clean, but he still looked dazed.

“
Where’s your car?” I asked.

“
Outside.”

I went with him, and saw his
Volvo in the loading zone in front of the clinic. The passenger door was wide open, and he didn’t seem to notice. No way was I letting this man loose in traffic.

“
Get in.” I gestured to the passenger seat. There was blood on it, but his clothes were already filthy so a little more wouldn’t hurt.