Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Tom had forgotten about them.
“Yes, that’d be great. But first, can you look around and see if there are any other kittens who might have gotten out of this box? Litters can be larger than this, I want to make sure we got them all, but I don’t have time to look. These cats need care immediately. If you find one, call me. Then, yes, if you could take care of my gear, I’d appreciate it. I’ll arrange to get it from you later. All right?”
“Yes, sir.”
They were at his Jaguar I-Pace and Tom was gingerly putting the box in the front seat. He then unscrewed the top of his water bottle, wedged it into the corner of the box, and filled it with water.
He was right, the three who’d remained in the box didn’t move, the ginger who was out on the court headed right to it.
“Are they going to be okay?” Clay asked.
His guess, no. Maybe the one who’d gotten out. He was in far better shape than the others. However, the other three were skimming the line. Malnourished and alarmingly dehydrated, their pulses were so faint, he’d be surprised if they survived the ride to the hospital.
“We’ll hope,” he murmured, closed the door and looked down at the kid. “Thanks, bud.”
“No problem, Mr. Pierce.”
He felt surprise the kid knew him, but he just gave him a distracted smile and rounded the hood.
He dumped his bag in the back seat, got behind the wheel, started up and headed to the hospital.
On the way, he phoned his daughter Sasha, because if any of those cats managed to pull through, he’d need to be set up. And since she had nothing better to do, she could get to the pet store for him.
The last he’d heard from her, which was the day before, she wasn’t up in the mountains with her mother and Bowie. She was at her mother’s condo in Phoenix.
She didn’t pick up.
Tom felt his mouth tighten.
It was early Saturday morning, not yet nine o’clock, but she was probably still in bed asleep.
This was indicative of a number of concerns he had about his youngest. It was a weekend, it was, for some, still early, but she wasn’t a teenager. She was also not in school. And she had no job.
There was really no reason for her to be up, she had nothing pressing to do.
But it was still time to be up and doing something.
And that was at the height of his concerns for his youngest.
She did nothing.
When he got her voicemail, he said, “Call me the minute you get this, Sasha. It’s important,” and he disconnected.
He drove to the hospital and hustled the box into reception.
When the receptionist saw him, her mouth dropped open.
Not everyone was a tennis fan, but most everyone was an Imogen Swan fan, so he’d had that kind of response his entire adult life.
He ignored it, set the box on the counter in front of her and said, “I found these kittens by the public tennis courts. All of them need IV fluids immediately. I’ll take responsibility for them. Please, all efforts to save, not euthanize.”
She was up and she glanced into the box.
Within half a second, she grabbed hold and hurried into the back.
He stepped away from the desk, pulled out his phone, and noticed two people in the waiting room.
One had a lethargic Boston terrier on her lap, the other had a black, domestic shorthair in a cat carrier on the seat beside her.
Both were women.
Both were staring at him.
He nodded to them, stepped to some empty seats on the other side of the room that were in front of a window, and he looked to the parking lot, pulling out his phone.
In an effort to contain his fury that anyone would be heartless enough to shove a box of kittens anywhere, it didn’t matter where, rather than making certain they had care, attention and sustenance, he started to call his daughter again.
While he was in the middle of that, another call came in.
Hoping it wasn’t Clay with news of another kitten, but thinking that was a possibility, he took the call without looking to see who it was.
“Pierce,” he answered.
“Tom?”
Damn.
It was Mika.
Unexpected and he was pleased to hear from her, but now was not the time.
“Mika, I—”
His phone buzzed.
“Hang on,” he said. “I’m getting another call. I’m at the vet with an emergency, and I might have to take it.”
“Okay, I’ll—”
He didn’t wait to hear what she had to say, he took the call.
“Pierce.”
“Mr. Pierce. It’s Clay. I found another kitten.”
Goddamn it.
He started toward the door. “Okay, Clay, I’ll be there in—”
“No, I called my mom. She came to the courts with Dad. We got it and Mom and me are on our way there.”
“Right, Clay. Good. I’ll see you when you get here.”