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Pippa paced up and down in the waiting room, her mind racing and her heart beating jerkily. Sparky had to make it through this... she had to... She couldn’t bear the thought of losing the little kitten. Even though Sparky had only been in her life a few weeks, she had grown to fill a huge part of Pippa’s heart. The thought of her dying... And it would be my fault! Pippa thought miserably. I should have checked in the dryer before I turned it on. I should have known—she’s always getting into strange places. Why didn’t I look inside? Oh God, I’ll never forgive myself if she dies!
The door to the clinic burst open and Matt’s tall figure filled the doorway.
“Matt!” Pippa ran to him.
He caught her and held her close for a second, then gently pushed her away and said briskly, “Where’s Sparky?”
“With Jenn... she’s trying to cool her down...”
They hurried into Consult Room 1 where Jenn had the little kitten on the examination table and was wrapping Sparky in cold, wet towels.
“Great thinking, Jenn,” Matt praised her. He stepped up to the table and began a swift examination of the unconscious kitten, working as he talked. “We need to rehydrate her quickly. She’s probably hyperkalaemic—the extreme heat will have caused blood cell rupture, which leads to electrolyte imbalances.” He looked at the kitten carefully. “She’s got some minor foot pad and ear tip burns so she needs pain relief—and something for the burns on her body. We’ll run some blood tests—a full blood count, electrolytes, renal function and coagulation profile.”
Jenn rushed around, preparing things as Matt spoke. He gently raised the kitten’s eyelids, opened her mouth, and looked at her nose.
“That bleeding...” said Pippa.
“It’s fairly superficial, thankfully,” said Matt. “It doesn’t look like it’s due to internal injuries. It’s probably from her nose getting battered inside the dryer. I’m more concerned about possible concussion of the head—”
“Internal injuries?” Pippa gasped. “Do you think she might have ruptured something inside—”
“We won’t know for sure unless we do an X-ray and ultrasound—but she’s too fragile now to undergo surgery anyway, even if there was an internal injury,” said Matt as he began treating the kitten. “The blood tests will help to give us an idea of whether there are any internal injuries—if there’s internal bleeding or coagulopathy, her blood count will be low—but otherwise, the most important thing now is restoring her electrolyte balance, getting her body temperature back to normal, and treating her for shock.”
Pippa watched apprehensively as he inserted an IV line into a vein in the kitten’s leg. “But... but she’ll be okay, right? I mean, once you get her electrolytes back to normal and cool her down...”
Matt hesitated then said quietly, “Pippa—I’m not going to lie to you. Sparky’s condition is pretty bad. The chances of her making it are very slim.”
Pippa covered her mouth with her hands. Her breath came out in a dry sob.
Matt put a gentle hand on her arm. “Look, why don’t you go and wait outside? Jenn and I will take Sparky to the ICU and work on her there.”
Pippa looked uncertainly at the kitten, then back at Matt.
His brown eyes met hers. “I promise—I’ll do everything I can to save her.”
Pippa took a deep breath, then nodded and left the room. Behind her, she could hear Matt giving Jenn instructions as the two of them began fighting to save the kitten’s life.
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It must have only been about forty minutes but it seemed like an eternity before Matt appeared in the hallway. Pippa sprang up from where she had been sitting on one of the waiting room chairs and hurried up to him, her eyes searching his. She was almost afraid to ask.
“Is she...?”
“She’s stable,” said Matt. “Now it’s just a waiting game. The next twelve hours are crucial. Jenn has offered to stay with her overnight and—”
“You’re not staying?” Pippa asked in dismay.
Matt’s face was expressionless. “I’ve got a... friend visiting and I’ve left her at the Kooka—we came in my car so she’s stranded there until I go back to get her...”
Of course. Justine. She had completely forgotten about Matt’s ex-girlfriend. Of course he would want to get back to her. Pippa swallowed and took a step back. “Oh, sure... sorry for dragging you away.”
“No worries,” said Matt. “It’s part of the job. But I’d better get back. I’ll check on Sparky later—but she’s in good hands and Jenn will contact you if anything comes up. She’s got my number as well, of course. So you should go home and get some rest too. Okay?”
Pippa nodded wordlessly as he gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze, then turned and left the hospital. The bells on the clinic door jingled as it shut behind him. Then it was just her in the waiting room. Pippa had never felt so alone in her life. She wanted Matt to come back, to hold her, to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Just having him next to her filled her with strength, knowing he was there for her. But he’s not mine, she reminded herself bleakly as she turned and headed towards the back of the hospital to say goodbye to Jenn. He was never mine and judging from how desperate he was to get back to Justine, he never will be.
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Matt entered the café and found Justine sitting on one of the stools at the bar, chatting to the barman. She was laughing flirtatiously at something he was saying and stirring the straw of a tall cocktail in front of her. There were still several tables with people eating but the main evening rush was over and the place was emptying out.
Justine looked up and slid off her stool as Matt walked over to her. “I thought you were never coming back,” she said reproachfully.
“I’m sorry,” Matt said. “That was terrible, leaving you like that. I hope at least you had a good dinner?”
“The food was great—but it was lonely,” she said with a small moue, sidling close to him. She dropped her voice to a throaty purr. “But I’ll let you make it up to me back at your place.” She arched an eyebrow. Her meaning was clear.
Matt looked at her—at her flawless face, her voluptuous figure, her seductive confidence—and instead saw another woman, her eyes puffy and red from crying, her hair wild, her clothes dishevelled... and yet still so much more beautiful to him.
He sighed. “Justine—”
“There’s someone else, isn’t there?” she said suddenly, all coquettish behaviour gone.
He stopped. “What d’you mean?”
“The person who rang you earlier... that was her, wasn’t it?”
“Why do you say that?” he asked cautiously.
“Because I saw the way your eyes lit up when you heard her voice.” Justine gave a sad little smile. “They never lit up that way for me.”
Matt stared at her. He didn’t know what to say. He still cared for Justine and would always have fond memories of their time together. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her—but he could see that he had already done that.
“Justine... I’m sorry.”
She shook her head, that sad smile still on her face. Then she stretched up and pecked him on the cheek. “She’s a very lucky woman,” she said next to his ear. “I hope you guys will be very happy.”
Matt caught her hand. “You’ll meet someone else, Justine. Someone who’ll be able to make you happier than I’ll ever be able to.”
Justine’s smile faltered for a moment, then she squared her shoulders and said with a hint of her old spirit, “Well, next time I’ll make bloody sure that he does enjoy being a celebrity!”
With a wink and a toss of her head, she picked up her handbag and sauntered ahead of him, out of the café.
