Page 5 of My Ghost

“Yes, we made it a tradition to meet every Sunday—Chiara, me and the boys whenever they can.Your presence is of course mandatory now that you live here.”

I exhale slowly.Shit.

I was prepared to run into him once or twice during my time here.But seeing him every week?That is an entirely different notion.

Should I go?Of course, I internally kick myself.He might not even be there, Lily saidifhe shows.It is fine, I will be fine.

Chapter Four

Erin

The week goes by smoothly at the clinic and I embrace my new normal.At first I was too tense, too afraid to screw things up.I made a point of showing up early in the mornings, checking schedules and patient files, double-checking supplies like my life depended on it.But I quickly realized that the clinic didn’t actually need me to run it.Lily had already trained her staff well.My role is more about support than leadership.

Still, I try to find ways to be useful.I fill in during appointments, lending a hand in surgery prep, helping soothe anxious patients.Mira makes a point of including me in everything, and I am grateful for her kindness and efficiency.The whole team has seemingly adopted me and their warmth makes me want to give the best of me.

Right now I am sitting in Lily’s office, browsing spreadsheets, making sure the budget is on track.Of course it is.I feel restless.What am I even doing here?

A knock on the door interrupts my spiraling thoughts.

“Yes?”I straighten in my chair while the door opens a crack and Mira pokes her head in.

“Erin, can I come in?”

I nod, curious.Mira slips inside, glancing nervously over her shoulder.I frown.Something is off.

“I…need your hand with something.It’s urgent.”Her voice is hushed and filled with concern.

I stand up, senses on high alert.“Sure, what’s going on?”

She looks over her shoulder once again, and whispers, “You need to see this.But you’ll have to pretend you’re my tech.”

I nod, slip on a scrub top and follow her down the hall and into her exam room.As soon as I walk in, the metallic smell of blood hits my nostrils.Then I see the dog.A Rottweiler is lying on the exam table, barely breathing.My breath hitches in my throat.The animal is covered in wounds, blood oozing out onto the stainless-steel table.

My throat constricts and I freeze.Mira steps up to the exam table and sends me a meaningful look.

“We will give her a shot of anesthetics for the pain, and antibiotics,” she starts, “then we will check how serious the wounds are and we will suture them.”

Her firm voice snaps me out of my horror-induced trance and I go to prepare the anesthetic and antibiotic shots.When I move up closer, the wounds look even worse than from across the room.Some of them are shallow, but most are deep, with blood still seeping out.My eyes sting and I have to grit my teeth to hide my shock.

“What happened to her?”I lift my eyes to take in the owner.He is a large man with a heavy build.He is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.His eyes dart warily from Mira to me.

He shrugs.“Coyote attack.”

Coyote, my ass.I breathe around the tight knot in my chest.“Who usually treats her?”I press on.“Who’s her vet?”

His eyes narrow.“The usual place.Can’t say the name, Doc’s on holiday.”

Mira shoots me a subtle warning glance.Shit, right, I’m a vet tech.I lower my eyes but I steal glances at the man, looking for distinctive details.I make out a tattoo on his right forearm, a snarling dog head.I commit it to memory for later, then try to clear my head and concentrate on the task at hand.

Mira and I tend to the dog’s wounds as best as we can.Her state is so serious that we might need to keep her overnight.But the owner keeps refusing, and unless we involve authorities, our hands are tied.

“We strongly recommend an overnight stay here.”Mira tries to reason with him.“She’s in no shape to move.”

“It’s my dog, we’re leaving.End of story,” he snarls.He hoists the dog up and puts her in a travel carrier.Then he is gone.

I sag into a nearby chair, trying to calm my breaths and get my dizziness under control.

“This is beyond anything I’ve ever seen, Erin.”Mira’s voice is tense.“We need to call the authorities.”