Him

*There is sensitive material pertaining to the medical abuse of animals*

Him

His reputation made him well known in all of America and Europe, bringing in those who did not call our city home. His nickname is the healer, for no animal who came across his practice has left without there being a miracle to their recovery. Despite his years and experience shown in the slight furrow of his brows and salt n’ peppered hair, my cat continued to perplex him.

“Ms. Clark, are you sure your cat is receiving proper care at home and taking her medication?” He sighed. I can see why his frustration was getting to the best of him-- this was my third cat I had brought to him exhibiting the same symptoms as the others before passing.

“Dr. Adams, I can assure you I’m doing my best,” I frowned. “I swear she has never been outside or into anything toxic. I don’t even have any plants!” I cried. He eyed me suspiciously then sighed once more. Alex purred in my lap, paying no mind the current exchange.

“Ms. Clark-”

“Emily” I cut him off. I had been here more than enough for us to not be on a first name basis.

“Emily…” He trailed off, as if working on what he should say next. “I’m available to do a home inspection tomorrow afternoon. I’m quite concerned for the well being of your cat and would like to solve this as soon as possible.” He looked away from me and turned towards the monitor. “In the meantime, please give this to your cat tonight.” He moved back enough to open a drawer filled with pouches of specialized cat food. After inspecting them, he gave me the green one.

“Dr. Adams, are you sure this will work?” I felt my voice rising. “This is my third cat. I can’t lose her as well. How can you not find a solution!” My fury palpable.

“I’m aware Ms. Clark-”

“Emily.” I stated coldly.

“I’m aware, Emily. You think I appreciate this any more than you do.” He seethed. Suddenly, I felt a pang of guilt string through me. I didn’t mean to make him feel bad. After all, he isn’t the one intentionally making my cat sick. My eyes drifted to his lips. I wonder what his kisses are like.

“I apologize, Dr. Adams. It was not my intention to blame you.” I lowered my head, blinking away the tears that wanted to spill.

The man’s shoulders slumped in an instant. Not only did he have a cat on the brink of dying given the previous cats’ track record, but now he had a woman sniffling in a chair while clinging to said cat.

“Emily. Take the medicine, free of charge. I will arrange to be at your home no later than 1 PM. I would stop by tonight to ease my frustrations, but my wife and I are celebrating our anniversary and I cannot miss our dinner.” Dr. Adams held the door open for me to leave. I placed my cat, Alex, into her carrier and collected my belongings before meeting him at the entry way.

“Where are you celebrating?” I asked.

“At the Italian diner in Ridgetown,” He refused to meet my gaze. I nodded and made my way to my car. My first stop was home, the next was Ridgetown.

The city of Ridgetown was quaint and serene. I had once thought of moving my residence here, but I did not want to be out of reach of Dr. Adams. When I’m alone, I speak his name in whispers, Dr. Emerson Adams. I had seen his name and photo in an online article that coined him “The Healer”. Despite it being years ago, his appearance had only grown to be more lovely. It was a shame I only interacted with him when my situations turned dire. I had only moved to Brook Springs in hopes to see him; never would I have imagined the various vet visits I would have to make to his private clinic.

The Italian diner came into view quite quickly. It was a forty minute drive from my home which only reaffirmed that it was best to not move in case of pet emergencies. I pulled into the lot and adjusted the Amazon-purchased wig on my head. I was only interested in seeing his wife. That was it. He had always been a private person to the media, but since we are well acquainted, it would make the most sense to see who he spends time with.

The hostess sat me away from the couple. They held each other’s hands and shared loving looks with each other. A small wave of nausea washed over me. I turned away and gulped my complimentary water. I stared back at Emerson’s wife. Her silk auburn hair was wrapped into a glimmering hair clip. She wore a long green dress that dipped enough to expose part of her back. I could not see her face, but I could only imagine what she looked like to be with a man like Dr. Adams. Why couldn’t he smile at me like that?

The dinner went by rather quickly. I let myself leave once their dessert was ordered and pasta barely touched. The ride home was uneventful, and the rest of the night was a blur as I ran through the motions of catering to my cat, the laundry, and ending my night with a shower. When morning arrived, I felt refreshed. I spent the morning floating around my home, cleaning and repositioning things. My cat laid sickly on her bed, her eyes void of emotion.

Once he’s here, everything will be better. As 1 PM approached, I straightened up my bedroom and took my cat to my bed. She cuddled up against my pillow, and I felt bad. She won’t be in pain much longer though, I’m sure of it. I prepared wet food and placed remnants of crushed medicine into it. After I watched her eat everything, I removed the bowl and cuddled her one last time before heading to the kitchen to clean up the sink.

A few sharp knocks disrupted my chore. I quickly started the dishwasher and wandered to the door. There stood Dr. Emerson Adams, impeccably dressed and tired. I didn’t say anything as I moved out of the way to let him in.

“Ms. Cla-” He caught himself. “Emily. How is Alex?” his expression slightly grim.

“She’s on my bed, and she doesn’t look well. I checked on her a few minutes ago before I started the dishes. She ate all of her wet food before you arrived, so surely that’s a good sign?” my voice squeaked slightly. Any apprehensiveness Dr. Adams felt must have fled because he looked relaxed. He only nodded at me and took in my home. It was spotless, of course. He wandered into each room. Chemicals were placed in high cabinet spaces, and true to my word, no plants were on display.

“May I check on Alex myself?” He asked me.

“Of course. Please do what you need to do,” I stayed on the couch. As he let himself into my room, I heard a gasp of anguish. I jumped up and barreled through the door.

Dr. Adams was knelt beside my cat, who was now lifeless against my pillow. Tears flowed and bile rose. I barely made it to the bathroom before puking. Emerson followed me in, his face pale. I briefly glanced at him before spitting out more bile in the toilet.

“Emily..” His voice wavered. “I’d like to take Alex and do another blood test.” I heard him choke on his words as he bit back his own tears.

“Yes, of course,” I found myself saying automatically. “I don’t think I can do this again, Dr. Adams.” I finally sobbed. I felt his arms wrap around me. I leaned into his embrace, feeling the most calm I have had in a while.

When we finally departed and I kissed my cat goodbye, I found myself behind the wheel of my car. As if on auto-pilot, I drove to the shelter. There were so many fur babies to choose from. So sweet and loving. A pure white prince came into view, drawing my attention. Somewhere in the background, a worker said his name was Flurry.

It didn’t take long for papers to be signed and for him to accompany me home. He followed me around the kitchen as I pulled out wet food. His tail wrapped around me as his purrs became louder. “So sweet” I whispered as I pulled out my iron pills and crushed them. The white powder reminded me of his pristine fur. The spoon I used to scoop the food was used to mix in the medicine.

Flurry greedily ate everything out of the bowl once it was placed in front of him. I crouched down and showered him with pets.

“I won’t have much time with Dr. Adams once the blood test comes back clean, Flurry. Maybe he’ll figure out what’s wrong quicker this time” I told to my new companion. Flurry pressed himself into me more, and I happily accepted his affection.