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Authors: Kathi Daley
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happened with Nona?”
“I may have mentioned it when I spoke to her yesterday,” Zak said sheepishly. “You know I love you more than anything. I’ll figure out a way to get her out of the house and into a rental as soon as I get home.”
I sighed but didn’t respond.
“If I could get home sooner I would.”
“Yeah, I know. We’ll be fine.”
“I was supposed to meet with my client twenty minutes ago, so I really have to run. I’ll call you this evening.”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I remembered a friend telling me, before I married Zak, that when you got married you weren’t only marrying the man you loved but his family as well. Boy, was she right. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and then pulled back onto the highway. My stress over Mother Zimmerman and the cousins was quickly replaced by fear about the kittens in the backseat and the reason Scott wanted me to bring them in.
Scott was an awesome man I considered to be not only my veterinarian but a friend. He was currently dating Tiffany Middleton. Scott had donated much of his time to us, especially when we were first starting out and didn’t have a big budget.
“So?” I asked anxiously after walking into Scott’s office with my cat carrier.
“Several of the kittens have an elevated level of white blood cells. There could be many reasons for that, but the most common is infection. Given the overall health of the kittens, I want to start them all on an antibiotic. I’ll have you bring them back in a couple days and we can do another blood test to see if they’re responding to the drug. How are they eating?”
“Pretty well.” I picked up the smallest kitten. “This little guy needs quite a bit of coaxing, but I think we’re making progress.”
“The formula I gave you to supplement their food is high in both nutrients and calories. They should all be gaining weight. I’m going to weigh them all again today. We’ll need to keep an eye on their progress. If the antibiotics don’t take care of the white blood cell issue we’ll need to look for other causes.”
Scott weighed each kitten as well as doing a complete exam for them. Then he gave me the medication I would need and encouraged me to get as much formula into the babies as they would tolerate. We arranged to meet up again on Friday and I left the animal hospital, debating what to do next. Twyla’s children reminded me of a Tasmanian devil: They were loud, undisciplined, and overly energetic. I figured the family cats knew plenty of hiding places to stay out of harm’s way, and Zak’s dog, Bella, and Scooter’s dog, Digger, were both large enough to be capable of fending for themselves, but I had an overwhelming need to protect Charlie and the kittens. I could keep Charlie with me, but I couldn’t crate the kittens all over town while I went about my daily chores. I could leave them at the Zoo, but Jeremy had his hands full, and the kittens really did need extra attention. After some thought I decided to see if Ellie would keep them for a few days. The boathouse she lived in with her dog Shep was small, but the kittens really didn’t take up much space and Ellie was the most nurturing person I knew.
Ellie’s home had originally been converted by my grandfather for me. When I’d moved in with Zak I rented the boathouse to Ellie rather than sell it. I loved the small space that was my first home away from home. It’s weathered and unconventional, with a large living area, a small loft bedroom, and a modern yet cozy kitchen. The entire wall facing the lake had been replaced with glass to give the space an open, airy feel.
I called ahead to make sure Ellie was there and willing to foster the kittens for the time being, so she was waiting for me on the deck, which looks out over the lake. As I pulled up in front of the boathouse I suddenly had a flashback to a year earlier, when the Zimmerman clan had descended on the house and I’d
“I may have mentioned it when I spoke to her yesterday,” Zak said sheepishly. “You know I love you more than anything. I’ll figure out a way to get her out of the house and into a rental as soon as I get home.”
I sighed but didn’t respond.
“If I could get home sooner I would.”
“Yeah, I know. We’ll be fine.”
“I was supposed to meet with my client twenty minutes ago, so I really have to run. I’ll call you this evening.”
“Okay.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I remembered a friend telling me, before I married Zak, that when you got married you weren’t only marrying the man you loved but his family as well. Boy, was she right. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and then pulled back onto the highway. My stress over Mother Zimmerman and the cousins was quickly replaced by fear about the kittens in the backseat and the reason Scott wanted me to bring them in.
Scott was an awesome man I considered to be not only my veterinarian but a friend. He was currently dating Tiffany Middleton. Scott had donated much of his time to us, especially when we were first starting out and didn’t have a big budget.
“So?” I asked anxiously after walking into Scott’s office with my cat carrier.
“Several of the kittens have an elevated level of white blood cells. There could be many reasons for that, but the most common is infection. Given the overall health of the kittens, I want to start them all on an antibiotic. I’ll have you bring them back in a couple days and we can do another blood test to see if they’re responding to the drug. How are they eating?”
“Pretty well.” I picked up the smallest kitten. “This little guy needs quite a bit of coaxing, but I think we’re making progress.”
“The formula I gave you to supplement their food is high in both nutrients and calories. They should all be gaining weight. I’m going to weigh them all again today. We’ll need to keep an eye on their progress. If the antibiotics don’t take care of the white blood cell issue we’ll need to look for other causes.”
Scott weighed each kitten as well as doing a complete exam for them. Then he gave me the medication I would need and encouraged me to get as much formula into the babies as they would tolerate. We arranged to meet up again on Friday and I left the animal hospital, debating what to do next. Twyla’s children reminded me of a Tasmanian devil: They were loud, undisciplined, and overly energetic. I figured the family cats knew plenty of hiding places to stay out of harm’s way, and Zak’s dog, Bella, and Scooter’s dog, Digger, were both large enough to be capable of fending for themselves, but I had an overwhelming need to protect Charlie and the kittens. I could keep Charlie with me, but I couldn’t crate the kittens all over town while I went about my daily chores. I could leave them at the Zoo, but Jeremy had his hands full, and the kittens really did need extra attention. After some thought I decided to see if Ellie would keep them for a few days. The boathouse she lived in with her dog Shep was small, but the kittens really didn’t take up much space and Ellie was the most nurturing person I knew.
Ellie’s home had originally been converted by my grandfather for me. When I’d moved in with Zak I rented the boathouse to Ellie rather than sell it. I loved the small space that was my first home away from home. It’s weathered and unconventional, with a large living area, a small loft bedroom, and a modern yet cozy kitchen. The entire wall facing the lake had been replaced with glass to give the space an open, airy feel.
I called ahead to make sure Ellie was there and willing to foster the kittens for the time being, so she was waiting for me on the deck, which looks out over the lake. As I pulled up in front of the boathouse I suddenly had a flashback to a year earlier, when the Zimmerman clan had descended on the house and I’d
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