CHAPTER 9

I'm almost done with the papers that Elaine gave me when my assistant at the clinic called on my number. I'm about to speak when she started to talk in a hurry, "Whoa! Slow down! I don't understand," I calmed her, Elaine entered the room when she heard me shout. "Strangers brought an injured dog to the clinic just now, he is losing too much blood," she sounds in a hurry and runs out of breath. I need to go back there immediately to treat and save the dog.

"Ok! I'm on my way," I stand up and immediately run to my car then drive to the clinic. Before I left, I let Elaine handle the matters in the café and told her I will be back after the operation. You might think that I am exaggerating things, but I'm not. Just like humans, animals are worth saving too, so I have to do my best to save the animals' lives no matter what. This is my sworn duty as a veterinarian.

After a few minutes of driving, I finally arrived at the clinic. In my haste, I didn't notice that there was a different car parked in front of the clinic. When the door opened, I rushed to the reception area and asked the person stationed there about the patient's status and vitals she immediately reported to me.

I ran with the nurse by my side with the files in my hands. In the files are all the information gathered by the nurses who are looking after him. The information includes the dog's estimated age so we can know what kind of medicines are best for him, and things about how serious the wound is and how the dog got injured.

The dog is lying on the operating table in pain, I can hear him whine just by entering the door. I walk near him to check his wound, his back paw has a huge cut that causes him to have excessive bleeding. Good thing that they stopped it on time or else, the dog might not survive. Based on my observations, this wound is old, but not treated immediately, and it opens up again because of the strong impact.

I washed my hands as part of sanitation and wore my surgical gloves. I instructed the nurses, who were in the same room as me, to get all the equipment we needed. I gently patted his head to comfort him, "everything is going to be fine," I assured him.

I believe that animals can understand human language, so every time I conduct an operation, I'm making sure to talk to them first to make them feel at ease. The operation's success will be based on how the animals feel protected by the humans making contact with them.

When the nurse finished preparing the things we needed, I started injecting him with anesthesia and putting on some wires around his chest that are connected to our machines to monitor his heartbeat and blood pressure. The dog lost consciousness indicating that the anesthesia is already taking its effect. We inserted an endotracheal tube, which is a windpipe that is inserted in the pet's trachea to provide oxygen to its lungs during the operation.

I trimmed some of his hair around the wound, so I can have a good look. Later on, I washed his wound with warm water using a syringe without a needle and squirted it gently on it until it became clear. Not so long, I started the operation by removing the infected tissues that may cause problems in the future. After the operation, I disinfected his wound with a betadine for its final raise to avoid any infections and stitches it to close the wound. It didn't take too long until the operation was successfully done.

The dog is gently moved to a quiet place and semi-dark cage for peaceful recovery. During his stay, he is closely monitored by the nurses and responds quickly if any problems happen. He is also provided with some pads and blankets to keep him warm during his recovery period.

After I washed my hands and wore my doctor's gown, I asked the nurses who brought the dog to the clinic so I could thank them. They pointed me to the two gentlemen who were in the waiting area, undisturbed, waiting for the result of the operation. One of them is sitting worriedly on the bench with his hands entangled under his chin, lost in his thoughts, while the other one is leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

"Excuse me," I called their attention, the guy who was standing up faced me. From his serious look earlier, it changed into a warm smile that can lift the mood in the room. I didn't miss how the nurse's eyes were pinned on him with their heart-shaped eyes.

"Hi! Are you the one who sent the dog here?" I asked the question which has an obvious answer since they are the only customer around. "Yes, we are. My friend and I hit him on our way home, we got worried and decided to send him here after we saw how badly he bleeds," he said while scratching the back of his head.

"Don't worry about the dog, he's in a stable state now," I said, returning the smile he gave me, "thank you for bringing the dog here in a hurry. If you come a little late, it might be impossible to save him because of excessive bleeding," I explained, he sighs in relief "thank goodness," he said before he turned around to the man sitting to say the good news.

"Hey, the vet said that the dog was safe now, we can go home," the guy said, but the guy that was sitting before is now standing at his towering height, facing both of us with astonishment in his eyes.

My whole world stops moving when I see the man before me. Those chocolate brown eyes looked familiar to me, also his thin lips that slightly opened in surprise and his pointed nose just like in Greek Gods that you can only see in picture books.