CHAPTER 4

 

Hannah stood as still as she could as she watched four people as they tried to save the kangaroo’s life. She silently prayed, hoping a higher power could assist too. Every animal was too precious for even one life to be lost.

The heart rate monitor was beeping with the alarm instead of the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart. It was too noisy, blaring in her ears when her own internal alarm was screaming at her. Something was wrong and she couldn’t do anything to help, it was all up to the others.

She felt so useless standing there.

Her heart was in her throat while they continued on. Every moment felt like one too long, that the animal shouldn’t be in cardiac arrest for such a long time. Everything she learned from Logan told her it was too long, that the kangaroo couldn’t fight for life much longer.

The alarm stopped.

All the blood ran cold in her veins.

“He’s back,” Dr. Johnson declared with relief. Everyone stopped to thank their lucky stars for a few seconds. It could have gone either way and they had been blessed today. “Let’s get this guy comfortable so he can recover in peace.”

They all moved, including Hannah. She helped them transport the large animal onto a sheet so they could transport him to a holding cage. When he finally awoke, he wouldn’t be happy so he needed to be contained so he couldn’t hurt himself or anybody else.

When it was over and the theater cleaned, Hannah was allowed to slip out of the surgery. Her hands were still shaking from the whole thing, her head a scramble of thoughts.

She needed a few moments alone to gather herself back together again. Stumbling down the pathway, she sat on the first seat she found – which was in the zoo’s food court.

Normally the area would have been chaotic with kids running everywhere as their parents tried to get them to eat. As it was outside lunchtime, it was much quieter than usual. Only a few families were seated and eating, mostly snack food now.

Hannah cradled her head in her hands and closed her eyes. They had been so close to losing the kangaroo. He could have died back there and she couldn’t have done anything about it. If it wasn’t for Dr. Johnson and his assistants, he wouldn’t be alive now.

It was a stark reminder for Hannah that the animals’ lives were so precious and dependent on them. Just one little mistake or slip up and they could lose them.

She pictured herself in Dr. Johnson’s position Would she be able to remain so calm in the same position? Once she’d been through college and completed all her training, would she be any good as a vet?

She hoped so, but there were no guarantees. All she could do was study her butt off and be the very best she could be. With any luck, everything would fall into place if she worked hard enough.

The sound of children giggling nearby caught her attention. Her head rose before she looked around. There were a group of children playing at the edge of the food court where an enclosure of spiders was positioned.

Animals of all kinds brought joy to the zoo’s visitors. From the smallest of creepy-crawlies to the heaviest elephants. They were all special and they all needed the vets and the keepers to look after them with the highest of care.

Hannah could do it. She knew deep within herself that she was capable of it. Whatever her job threw at her, she would rise to the challenge and then do it. Sure, it was going to be difficult, but everything worth doing was difficult.

She watched Harry approach the group of children by the spiders. He crouched down and started speaking with the kids, pointing at the different spiders behind the glass. They were all enthralled in whatever he was saying, completely absorbed in the story he was spinning.

Hannah couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her lips. If there was anyone that would succeed, it was Harry. He had a way with people and animals, an irresistible charm that was difficult to refuse. She had succumbed to that charm when she was fifteen and was falling for it again now.

Her cell phone beeped with a text message in her pocket. Hannah reluctantly tore her gaze away from Harry to read it. The message was from Logan:

 

Hey Hannah Banana, I just helped an elephant survive a hunting attack. It’s amazing out here, my team is actually making a real difference and saving lives. I’m so glad I came, but I’m missing you. Hope everything is going great. Logan xx

 

He gave her another reason to smile. Logan might not have been as charming as Harry, but he was passionate. Hannah knew Logan was exactly where he was supposed to be in Africa. The animals needed him much more than she did.

She picked herself up from the seat and stood, forcing herself forward. Her hands had stopped shaking; she was slowly getting over the shock of the kangaroo emergency. Life at the zoo went on, no matter what happened.

Later on, after Hannah was finished with her shift, she started working on her enclosure project at home. It still seemed silly to be doing something a fifth-grader could do but she did it anyway. Whatever it took to succeed, she would put her heart and soul into it.

Alicia was working with her, trying to make paper trees without gluing her fingers together. She finally succeeded with one. “One down, only nineteen more to go.”

“You’re on your way,” Hannah replied.

They worked in silence for some time, the television providing background noise so it wasn’t completely devoid of sound. Coco was in the kitchen cooking dinner, quietly humming to herself. Billy was asleep on the couch.

“My dad called me today,” Alicia said out of nowhere.

That got all of Hannah’s attention. “He did?” In her mind, she crossed her fingers, hoping it was the start of a good story and not a tragic one.

“Yeah. He didn’t say much, just asked how I was and stuff. I couldn’t believe it when I saw his name on my caller ID. I thought something really horrible must have happened.”

“But he called, that’s a big step, right? He wouldn’t talk to you before.”

Alicia sighed. “Yeah, it’s a step. I don’t know if things can ever be the same between us, but at least he called. He doesn’t hate me like I thought he did.”

“Did anything come out of it? Are you going to visit him?”

She shook her head. “He didn’t say anything like that. It was just a quick hello and not much else.”

“It’s a start.”

“I hope so.”

Hannah hoped so too. She had been so worried her visit to Mr. Samburu would only cause damage to their relationship. But maybe it had actually helped. Maybe she’d given Alicia’s dad something to think about. Maybe he’d listened.

They returned back to their paper and cardboard enclosures, working in silence once again. Neither said another word until Coco called out from the kitchen, “Dinner’s ready!”