✔Cupcakes to Kill For

24. Tough Decisions🧁

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the vet's office. Casey hoped they'd take a sudden walk-in client, as he hadn't thought ahead to call them. With Wyatt in tow, he carried the poor shaking puppy into the brick building and made his way up to the receptionist's desk.

People scattered out across the chairs in the waiting area with their pets. Some had their cats in carriers while some let their older, tired-looking dogs just lounge on the floor at their feet.

Before Casey could explain the situation, Wyatt spoke up for him, standing on his tip-toes in an attempt to glance over the desk. "The puppy's dying! You have to save him!"

A few folks in the waiting area glanced up at them, giving Casey empathetic smiles as they kept their pets close to them. The receptionist gasped at the sight of the little dog he carried in his arms, promising to inform one of the veterinarians in the back.

"I'll be right back. We'll get a room prepared for him soon."

"Thank you," Casey told her.

Soon enough, a vet assistant came out from the back, donned in light blue scrubs with paw prints. She had her long, blonde hair pinned back in a ponytail. On her chest, the little nametag had Everly printed on it.

"You can bring him back here," Everly said. "Just right down this hall."

Wyatt took the lead, following close behind Everly. As he walked, he'd glance back at Casey and the little puppy. Tears glistened in his brown eyes, but he fought them back and put on a brave face. Casey just wanted to hug him and promise everything would be okay. Even when he wasn't sure it would.

"We found him at the park," Casey explained. "Dunno what happened. Might've gotten attacked by something."

"Were there any more puppies around there?" Everly asked.

"No, not that we saw," Casey replied. "Just this guy here."

"Sometimes, we find a stray litter like that, where some other animal came and attacked them. I wonder if this little guy was dumped then since you saw no other puppies or the mamma." Everly examined the puppy he laid on the table.

"Not sure. Something got a hold of his leg. He's got a real bad cut there," Casey pointed out.

"Will he make it?" Wyatt asked.

"Once we get that leg of his patched up and get some water down him, he should be alright. We'll have to see how recovery goes. Taking care of an injured dog can be a lot of work though," Everly warned.

"Oh, we weren't planning on keeping him," Casey told her. "Don't you guys have someplace for him to stay?"

"Daddy, we can't leave him!" Wyatt tugged on his arm. "He has no family! No mamma!"

"Wyatt, taking care of a puppy is a lot of responsibility," Casey explained, his voice growing stern. "We've done what we could to help him. He's in good hands now. Everly here will make sure he's properly taken care of."

"You take care of him?" Wyatt asked, gazing up at Everly with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Sorry." Casey awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "He's really worried about that poor puppy."

"We're gonna do everything we can for him, okay?" Everly assured him, then turned her attention back to Casey. "I'll give you the vet's main phone number. Just in case you'd like to check up on him or change your mind about the puppy."

Casey nodded. "Alright, thank you."

After leaving the vet's office, Casey took Wyatt out for ice cream. Even during the coldest months, he enjoyed it. Ensconced in a booth in the middle section, overlooking the traffic, Casey stuffed a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.