Rich Tapestry (2 page)

Just as I’m arriving at the conclusion that I’ll have to drive to Barrow after all a movement catches my eye. The small pedestrian gate beside the kiosk opens and a lone figure trots out. It’s a woman, a member of staff I assume, on her way home.

“Excuse me…” I call out to her as I scramble out of my car.

She stops, clearly puzzled and more than a little perturbed at finding a strange car in the car park way after hours. And a strange women bent on conversation. She turns, and from her startled expression I suspect she’s about to shoot back inside and lock herself in.

“No, wait. Please. I need to see a vet. Is there a vet here?” I’m rushing across the shale car park toward her. Even if she does prefer to talk to me from the other side of the gate, at least she could summon someone else. If there is anyone else.

My words seem to be enough to at least convince her I mean her no harm. She pauses, one hand still on the wrought iron perimeter fencing, and waits as I get close.

“Did you say you were looking for a vet?” This is a wildlife park. Our vets don’t do surgeries.”

“No, I realize that. It’s just, I have an injured badger and I wondered if there was anyone who could…? I mean, it’s probably too late to help him but I just thought…”

“A badger? Where is it?” She looks interested now.

“In my car. I ran over it. It’s on the back seat.”

I can just make out her features in the dim light cast by the illuminated sign. She looks as though she considers my explanation dubious at best.

“You’ve got a badger on the back seat of your car? A live one?”

“It was alive a few minutes ago. It won’t be for long though. Is there a vet here or not?” I try to keep the exasperation out of my tone, but I suspect I don’t entirely succeed. Having got this far it seems a pity to let poor Bryan, as I’m coming to think of my latest little friend, die while we chat at the gate

The woman shakes her head. “I doubt it. The vet normally leaves by about four. I’ll check for you though. There might be someone on night duty, one of the nurses, who could have a look.”

I’m relieved, at last some cooperation. I wait in silence as my new ally pulls her mobile from her pocket and punches in a few numbers.

“Hello. This is Mary from the front kiosk. Is Becky there please?” There’s a pause, the woman obviously listening to something being said at the other end. “Oh. Julie then?” She listens for a few moments more, then, “I see. I’m sorry to bother you, sir. It’s just that I’m in the car park on my way home, and there’s a member of the public here with a badger that’s been hit by a car. She’s asking if there’s a vet who could deal with it.” A few more seconds pass, then. “Thank you. That’s fine, sir. I’ll tell her.”

She hangs up the call and turns to me. I’m fully expecting a final brush off. Clearly neither of the nurses is available to help.

“The vet hasn’t left yet. He says he’ll take a look at the badger. He’ll be out in a minute.”

* * * *

Daniel Riche ended the call and reached for his rucksack. Not the traditional vet’s bag, but much more practical for hiking around the zoo park and clambering across the various habitats and exhibits. It suited him, and contained everything he was likely to need to deal with the current emergency.

A badger. RTA. Road traffic accident. Probably past help, but always worth a look. He glanced around the small veterinary hospital, satisfied himself that none of the current incumbents were obviously in need of his immediate attention, then slipped out of the door. He could only spare a few minutes at best so he jogged up the drive to the outer gate, and used his staff pass key to unlock it.

The lone car in the car park stuck out, the rear passenger door standing wide open. He could just make out the movement of a slim figure crouching in the open doorway, caught in the reflected illumination cast by the car’s interior light.

Perhaps alerted by the sound of brisk footsteps approaching the figure straightened and turned. Daniel’s breath hitched.

Shit! Fucking gorgeous.

He’d anticipated some middle-aged animal welfare do-gooder, not this vision of female perfection now facing him. For all he knew she might be all of the above, but, for fuck’s sake…?

The woman was younger than he’d at first thought. She couldn’t be more than twenty, probably slightly less, though the smart car hinted at wealth. She was tall, willowy, with long blonde hair, and classically beautiful features. She was smartly dressed, expensively so, a slim black skirt with matching jacket over a deep red blouse, a broad leather belt and matching high heeled shoes. It was business-wear, perhaps she worked in an office. Whatever, she was sex on a stick. And she was here, smiling expectantly at him.

His cock took on a life of its own as Daniel attempted to maintain some semblance of professionalism. He was supposed to check on the dying badger, for God’s sake. Probably hasten it on its way. After he’d concluded his humanitarian mission he needed to get back to his surgery pronto. He had a lemur which would probably need a caesarean section before the night was out, a wallaby with mastitis, and a pile of paperwork to get through. He couldn’t be drooling over lovely strangers in the car park. Time to do polite.

“Good evening. I’m Daniel Riche, locum vet. I gather you have an injured animal you need me to attend to.” He thrust out a hand.

The woman took it, her handshake timid. Briefly, Daniel wondered why that might be, but he had more pressing matters to deal with. He leaned around the woman to peer into the back seat.

“Excuse me, could I just…?”

“Oh, right, sorry.” The woman shuffled aside to allow him better access, but hovered just behind him. Daniel wasn’t sure which was more disconcerting, the badger’s labored breath sounds or the woman’s soft sigh as he reached toward her unconscious charge.

“Is he going to be all right?” Her voice hitched, she was clearly upset.

In his small animal practice in Keswick he often had to deal with distraught owners, and the keepers here at the zoo park could get pretty emotional too. Daniel usually found a matter-of-fact approach worked well in such circumstances.

“I can’t tell just yet. I need to examine him. Do you know when he was hit?”

“Maybe half an hour. No more. I came straight here.”

He turned to look at her over his shoulder. “You ran into him?”

She nodded, then lowered her gaze from his. “It was an accident. I didn’t see him until…”

Daniel watched in wonder, his cock now solidifying in his jeans. That look, the way she averted her eyes. Her whole fucking demeanor was pure submissive. He was certain she had no idea she was doing it, but the Dom in him was leaping to attention. She might as well have ‘Spank me, then fuck me. Please’ emblazoned across her forehead in green neon. He’d love to oblige.

Not a good idea. At least, not yet.

Giving himself a mental shake, Daniel straightened and reached for his bag which he’d dumped on the ground beside the car. He pulled out his stethoscope, then checked the badger’s breathing to confirm his original assessment. Finally he glanced at each of the four paws in turn before announcing his conclusion

“Right. Typical five point landing, a common injury in animals involved in road traffic accidents. All four paws scraped, and the nose too, from landing hard on the tarmac. The shock of the impact often causes the diaphragm to rupture, and the lungs to collapse, which is what we have here.”

“Poor Bryan. Can you help him?”

“Bryan?” He turned to look at her again.

Same response as before, she met his eyes then dropped her gaze before answering. “I sort of started to think of him as Bryan. It’s a nice name, for a badger.”

Daniel shrugged. “I suppose so. What’s your name, Miss…?”

“Jones. Summer Jones. Can you do anything for him?”

She was starting to wring her hands, clearly agitated, and he thought she might be about to cry. Tears didn’t bother him unduly, whether in a client or a submissive. In either case it was good to express emotions.

“He needs a chest drain. I can do that inside, in our hospital. Problem is it usually takes two people and the rest of the staff have left. Still, I daresay I’ll manage.”

“Will he be all right then? After you’ve done that?”

Daniel spared the woman a reassuring smile. The badger was in a bad way, in his professional opinion, but not beyond hope. “It’ll definitely improve matters. A lot. Then we’ll need X-rays to know if there’s anything else broken. Stabilizing the breathing is the priority now though. I’ll carry him inside, if you wouldn’t mind bringing my bag, please.”

“What if he bites you?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time a patient has failed to properly appreciate my efforts. An occupational hazard, sadly.” Daniel looked again at the badger, still deeply unconscious. “I doubt I’m in much danger from this guy, even if he does come round. I don’t want to sedate him in this condition, his breathing might just stop altogether. I’ll have to risk it.”

“Oh, right. Of course. And, maybe I could help. If there’s no one else I mean. I feel responsible.”

“Do you have veterinary training, Miss Jones?” Daniel tossed the question over his shoulder as he reached into the back of the car to haul the badger into his arms.

“No, but I could…”

He grinned as the delectable Miss Jones’ words again died away. Standing now, with the badger securely cradled in his arms, he leveled a brilliant smile at her. “Can you follow instructions, Miss Jones?”

“Yes. Of course. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

Oh, baby, if you only knew the half of what I’d like to instruct you to do.

Daniel merely nodded, then set off across the car park in the direction of the pedestrian gate, which he’d left still standing open. His grin widened as he listened to the sounds of the car doors closing, the clunk of the locking mechanism and the brisk tap of Miss Jones’ dainty feet following him across the asphalt.

Daniel was huffing a bit himself by the time he’d carted the dead weight of the badger the five minutes’ walk to the zoo’s compact veterinary hospital. The place might be small, but it was well-equipped. He had a range of modern equipment at his disposal so he had no doubt that, provided the badger had no further significant injuries, the chances of recovery were fairly good. It was hard to tell, though, especially with wild animals. They rarely responded well to human contact and could deteriorate rapidly. He needed to get that chest drain in. Fast.

Daniel was conscious of the lighter footsteps following him into the hospital, but his attention was, for now, focused on the injured animal. He deposited the badger on the steel examination table and unwrapped the blanket covering it. The creature’s breathing was, if anything, even more shallow, coming in short bursts, then stopping for a few seconds, before the animal dragged in the next rasping breath.

Time was of the essence now. Daniel collected the apparatus he needed from a cupboard on the wall. He handed Summer a length of transparent plastic tubing.

“Keep that handy and stand beside me. I’ll tell you what to do.”

“Yes, sir. Of course. Her voice was low, a soft whisper as she answered him.

Where the Hell did that come from? The woman at the gate may have called the vet sir on the phone, but he has no authority over me.

I try to concentrate on the drama in front of me, as Daniel Riche attempts to save my badger’s life. This locum vet might be handsome as sin with his dark, short hair, athletic build, sexy dark brown eyes, but that’s no reason at all to get silly. He’s just a man. Admittedly he’s kind, and seems to be good at his job. But he’s a man, and I don’t trust them. I don’t trust any of them

Nevertheless, I find myself standing silently, obediently. My eyes are riveted on Daniel Riche’s hands as he probes Bryan’s heaving chest. I wait for the next instruction he might hurl my way. I flinch as he makes a swift incision with a scalpel.

“Summer. Listen to me I need you to push the end of that tube into the hole I just made. Do it now, please.” His tone is low, even, laced with steel.

My stomach lurches at the thought of what he’s asking me to do, but it never occurs to me to disobey or to delay. I step forward and place the end of the tube as directed.

“Push it in. You’ll need to be firm.”

I do as I’m told. No fuss, no questions, I just do it. As soon as the tube is in place Daniel releases the clamp he was using to hold the incision open and does something with the protruding end. He directs it downwards, and as if by magic a sudden gush of slightly blood-stained, straw-colored liquid pours from the tube into a bucket below the table.

The effect on Bryan is more or less instantaneous. His breathing slows, steadies. The awful rasping noise just stops as his lungs re-inflate, and at last he is able to draw in the precious oxygen he needs.

I look at Mr Riche and smile. He smiles back at me, the expression lighting up the room.

“Nice work, Miss Jones.”

“I— Thank you. And I’m sure Bryan’s grateful too.

“Maybe. I guess we’ll never know.” He walks over to the sink and washes his hands.

I’m not sure if I should do the same.

“Will Bryan, I mean, the badger…will he be all right now?”

“His chances just improved by about five hundred percent. Tomorrow I’ll X-ray him and see if there’s any more damage we need to fix. If not, though, we’ll just hang on to him for a couple of days to keep an eye on him, make sure that lung isn’t going to collapse again, then let him go. Badgers are territorial creatures so if you could tell me exactly where you picked him up I’ll try to get him back to the same place.”

“It was on the road from Kirkby, heading toward Ulverston.” I pause, then ask the question that’s been bothering me. “Will he know what happened to him?”

Daniel Roche glances sharply at me. “I shouldn’t think so. Why?”

“It’s just, I feel so guilty. So responsible. Poor Bryan, I almost killed him.”

Daniel quirks one eyebrow. The expression is compelling. And stern. “Were you speeding?”

“No. I never do.” I writhe in self-conscious defensiveness. I hate that he might think that of me.