Fight for Life

Chapter Three

Gran doesn’t mind loud animals, but she hates it when kids cry. Still, she allows the father and his wailing twins into the exam room. Gran tells Maggie to take Shelby to the far end of the room, away from the commotion. Maggie lays out a soft bed of clean towels and settles Shelby onto it, stroking her ears to keep her calm. Gran tells the twins they can stay in the room as long as they remain quiet.

Gran cleans the exam table with disinfectant, its sharp smell filling the room, and dries the table off. She lifts the two little Labs out of the box. It’s like Shelby all over again. They’re scrawny, their fur is matted and dull, and their eyes are crusty with discharge. Maggie’s stomach sinks at the sight of them. The man says he bought them at the farmer’s market last weekend. The seller didn’t say if they were vaccinated. Maggie clarifies if they were purchased at the Penn Street market.

After the father and the boys leave, Maggie is instructed to get two bags of lactated Ringer’s solution for the puppies, Inky and Dinky. Gran inserts a needle into a vein in each puppy’s right foreleg, and the puppies barely flinch, too weak to protest. The Ringer’s solution looks like a bag of water, clear and slowly dripping. But it contains electrolytes to help the puppies get their energy back.

Maggie goes to get some charts for the puppies. Lois, their last receptionist, quit last week. She’s been the third receptionist in three months. It’s hard to find a receptionist who isn’t allergic to fur or afraid of birds. As Maggie is rummaging through the messy desk, papers and file folders sliding out of place, Maggie hears someone calling from the waiting room.