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DARCIE FEELS NERVOUS AS IF SHE might melt. Parties were on her mind as that weekend was Rochelle's congratulations barbeque, so she had been working hard in making sure that it was perfect.
Now, however, Darcie has her first day with the local veterinary clinic.
"What if I'm not good enough?" Darcie whispers, turning in the car to face her boyfriend.
Callum laughs, shaking his head. "Darc, you adore animals, so of course you're good enough."
"Yeah, I know," says Darcie. "But seeing them sick..."
"They'll be in the best hands," Callum reassures her. "And the vet will know what's best for them."
Darcie doesn't doubt the doctor, but she's terrified at the thought of seeing animals in pain or worse. Maybe being a vet wasn't a good idea for Darcie, no matter how much she wants to help animals.
"Okay," Darcie whispers. "I've got this."
"You've got this," Callum agrees, grinning. "Then after we can go out, yeah?"
"Oh, I'm supposed to be heading to Embry's to meet the guys," Darcie tells him, catching the corners of his lips tug downwards. "Callum, I'm sorry. I forgot to say."
"It's cool," he forces a smile. "I'll take you out tomorrow instead to celebrate."
Darcie grins. "Sounds perfect."
Offering her boyfriend a sweet kiss, the two bid farewell with Callum wishing her luck once more. Then she walks up to the local veterinary clinic with the bell chiming as she opens the door. Inside, there's a couple of customers with their pets as their eyes fall on Darcie, but her attention turns to the lady behind the counter.
The lady smiles. "Yes, hi, Darcie. My names Claire. Hang on one second, okay?"
Darcie nods, watching as the receptionist disappears for a moment towards the back of the clinic. Her eyes flicker around the room, noticing the missing pets posters, but there's also hundreds of pictures of animals looking happy. Darcie finds herself calming at the happier pictures, realising that they have helped so many animals around the area.
"Darcie," a man appears as she turns to see him. "I'm Dr Patel, but call me Arjun. It's nice to finally meet you."
Darcie shakes his hand. "Hi, thank you so much for letting me volunteer."
"Of course," he tells her, and then gestures for her to follow him. "Just this way then. We'll give you a tour before providing you with uniform and then some training. Don't worry, we won't just throw you in."
"Sounds great," Darcie says as she walks behind him.
"I believe Bruno is a regular patient of my colleague, yes?"
