Almost a Family

“I’m sorry, Aunt Molly.” The girl lifted honest brown eyes to Molly’s. “I wanted to see Uncle Jason and you’d say no.” Her little voice was clogged with tears.

“Why would you say that?” Molly’s voice was puzzled as she questioned Sara.

“You always fight. When Mommy’s home, we visit all the time!”

Kids had a way of seeing things clearly, Jason realized. He approached and knelt beside the couch, speaking sternly. “Look, kiddo, you knew you were doing wrong, because you lied to me about it. You told me your Aunt Molly said it was okay.”

“I’m sorry, Uncle Jason. I’ll ask first next time.”

“You’d better.” He tapped his cheek. “Give me some sugar.”

She placed a kiss on his cheek. He saw Molly try to hide a smile at his quick capitulation. He didn’t care. He knew Sara a whole lot better than she did. Sara was a good kid who’d been through a lot and had made a bad decision. She was also the kind of kid who r

arely needed tough discipline, a good talking-to was usually all that was required.

“I’ve got to go into the clinic,” Jason told them. “I could use a hand. There’s a hit-by-car coming in. The staff has already left for the day, and I’d hate to call one of them back.”

He wanted her to help at the clinic? “What about Sara?” Surely she should stay back and look after her niece. Molly thought about nursing a bloody animal and her stomach lurched.

“We can put her on the sofa in the compassion room. She’ll be fine. She’s right at home there. Aren’t you, muffin?”

Molly knew she wasn’t going to get out of it, and she’d look like a queasy coward if she refused. The way his eyes were imploring her right now made it difficult to say no to anything.

“All right. Let’s go, Sara.”

*

A beige sedan was already parked out front when they arrived. As Jason unlocked the clinic door and disengaged the alarm system, Molly held the door for the distraught young couple carrying the limp animal.

Molly asked Sara to show her the clinic while Jason got started. Sara led her through an open area with counters and stools and a refrigerator, past a tiny washroom and down the stairs to a small room decorated in calming cream and blue, complete with a low sofa, a chair, a large coffee table and a small TV and DVD player. It was the perfect place for a little downtime for both staff and clients.

“Can I watch a movie, Aunt Molly?”

“Sure, pumpkin.” Molly opened a small cabinet and perused a selection of kids’ movies. She picked an old Disney favorite. “You okay here by yourself for a while?”

Sara nodded. “I play here when Uncle Jason’s working. He has juice boxes.”

Molly kissed Sara’s head and smiled. Sometimes she could be so self-sufficient. It continually amazed Molly. “I’ll check on you later, okay?” But Sara already had her eyes glued to the screen.

Jason was in an exam room when Molly came back to the work area. He was bent over a limp and muddy brown dog, whose claws scratched on the stainless steel table with every disoriented movement.

“Grab a coat off the wall and a set of gloves,” he commanded, and silently Molly slipped into a white coat, buttoned it up and pulled her hands into stretchy latex gloves.

“Hold right here,” he said, and she gripped the dog’s leg as she was told, staring at the spot that he’d already shaved clean of hair.

Molly watched with fascination as the vein popped up beneath the V shape of her hand and Jason inserted the needle, hooking in an IV.

He rubbed the dog’s head affectionately, and Molly got a glimpse into Jason’s dedication and compassion. He’d been right to make this his profession. He wasn’t just competent, he was caring. Far more understanding than he could show to people sometimes.

“There you go, Casper. That’s a good boy.” He ruffled the dog’s ears lightly.

“What’s next?”

He carried Casper to the X-ray room. Molly slipped the heavy iron apron he gave her over her clothes and helped position Casper on the table. The dog cried out as she moved his left hip. When Jason looked at the films, he showed her where the break was in the dog’s leg. He left momentarily to talk to the owners, explaining Casper’s injuries and his course of treatment. Molly stayed in the exam room, patting Casper’s head. She had a look around, impressed. Jason had been out of school for only a few years, but it was obvious he’d worked very hard at setting up his own clinic. It was clean, orderly, complete with state of the art equipment, yet with a comfortable, homey touch for his patients’ owners.

He came back with the young couple behind him, their faces lined with worry. “He’s a bit out of it,” Jason explained, but smiled reassuringly. “But that’s because we’ve made him a little more comfortable. He’s going to be just fine. I promise.”

They patted Casper and whispered endearing words to him as he lay quietly, groggy with pain medication, his tongue hanging limply out of his mouth.