Chapter 193: Adam

Dr. Adam Whitaker pulled to a stop in front of the fire station and strode inside, trying to hide his yawn behind one hand while carrying his vet bag in the other. The story of his life right there, in a nutshell. It was gonna be another long day, but before he could get to the must-do's on his list, he had to look over a stray dog found up in the foothills just outside of town. It had been found in the aftermath of a wildfire – or during it, Adam wasn't too clear on the details just yet – with no tags or identifying information.

Moose Garrett, one of the local volunteer firefighters, was the one who'd called Adam this morning to ask for his help. He believed that the dog had been abused, and Adam was pretty sure he had to be right. Any dog left to wander in the hills in the middle of a wildfire probably wasn't being taken care of by its owner, whether or not it was also being kicked around.