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Ali straddled Jo’s legs and pressed her down to the bed before engulfing her with another passionate kiss. As they kissed one another, a phone started going off. Ali groaned, but it was Jo that briefly parted.
“Yours or mine?” she breathlessly asked.
“Who cares?” Ali mumbled, moving back in for another kiss.
Jo laughed. “Well, you have to be to the hospital later, while I’m on call today. So, if it’s me, the hospital will care.”
Ali groaned and rolled off of her. She reached for her phone and shook her head, as Jo grabbed hers. She sighed and answered it.
“This is Johanna?”
Ali waited. She didn’t want Jo to have to rush off, not when they were in the midst of another heated rendezvous. She turned to the floor, where Maverick was lying. She got up from the bed and went over to him.
“Maverick,” she whispered.
“I’ll be right there. Give me thirty minutes.”
“Maverick?” Nothing. Ali’s chest tightened.
“Yep, it was the hospital, and I have to go in. They had a call in and the floor is already hectic.”
Ali reached out and touched Maverick, but he was lying so still. “I don’t think you can go in,” Ali replied.
“What? What’s wrong?”
Ali looked up, and the blood rushed from Jo’s face. “Maverick?” Jo called. She rushed out of bed and knelt at his side. “Get up boy!” He barely moved his head, and she tried to lift him to his feet, but he merely slumped back to the floor. Ali stared at Jo as she feared the tears would start to fall.
“I’ll call the hospital and let them know that you can’t come in.” Ali jumped up and reached for her phone.
“You can’t,” Jo hollered. “They’ll wonder how you know.” Jo stood to her feet, but her legs appeared shaky, and Ali rushed to her side to help her stay steady. “I’ll call them.” She shook her head, and this time, two tears started to fall.
“It’s going to be okay,” Ali argued, touching Jo’s shoulder. “Do you hear me? Maverick will be fine. You call the hospital. May is off today; tell them you have an emergency. See if they’ll call her to come in.”
Jo nodded and wiped away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. Ali wanted to take the pain from her, but there wasn’t anything she could do. Not physically, anyway.
Ali continued, “I’ll call the vet and see if we can bring him in. Everything is going to be fine. You got that?”
Jo nodded. “Thank you!” She still appeared shaky but called up the number as Ali searched for the closest emergency vet. She focused on Maverick, reaching out to him to caress his fur.
“Hang in there, buddy,” she whispered. “We’re going to get you through this.” In the background she heard Jo’s shaking voice, but she couldn’t even make out the words. She had her own mission, and she was going to make sure nothing happened to Maverick.
Johanna
Jo paced in front of Ali. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She was grateful that Ali was there, and the hospital was able to get ahold of May, so she didn’t have to fret over that, but she wanted to be back in the room with Maverick, just to make sure he was doing alright. He seemed so pale. And he seemed so weak. Jo felt this pit in her stomach that she couldn’t shake. What if he never left the vet hospital?
“Jo, come sit next to me. You’re making me dizzy, all that pacing.”
“I’m sorry.” Jo hurried over to the seat.
Ali sighed. “I’m only teasing, but I’m worried about you. He’s going to be fine.”
“He’s been back there forever,” Jo argued. She got back up and began pacing again. From the chair, she heard Ali sigh. “How long has it been?”
“It’s only been twenty minutes. I know it feels like forever, but he’s in the best care right now. They’re running labs and the minute they know something, they’ll surely come out here and tell you what they’ve found.”
Jo nodded and sat down in the seat. Ali wrapped her arm around her and pulled her closer to her. Ali was there to protect her. Jo couldn’t deny that having her there was helping, but in this moment, she had to try to remind herself to just be calm and patient. When they know something, they’d be out there. That’s exactly what they said. Unfortunately, to her racing heart it wasn’t enough to realize that. She turned and went to the front desk.
The woman was pleasant enough. You would have to be if placed under stressful circumstances. “I don’t mean to be a pain, but do you know how much longer?”
