Stolen Treasure

Chapter 6

The vet's was loud and busy, but for once I wasn't concerned about leaving as soon as possible. They'd taken Lola into the back, while I was in one of the little rooms. Every time I tried to get back there with her, Hudson blocked the door and shooed me back inside.

Finally, a baggy-coated man came in reading from the paper in his hands. He bobbed his head at Hudson, then looked down at me. "At least one hard full body impact, and unknown other causes of trauma, including a very swollen nuzzle. Is that right?"

Hudson nodded. "He was thrown from the hood of one moving vehicle onto another for starters."

The vet's eyebrows pulled together over his nose, and he dropped down and held his hand out to me. He had an easy energy, neutral and lazy, so I pulled in his scent. Soap, medicine, more soap and steak from two nights ago. I sneezed approvingly.

He felt very gently along my jaw, then up over my sore nose. I pulled back slightly, but managed not to whimper. "Nothing broken there, but I can give him something to bring down the swelling." He continued with the pat down and I couldn't quite contain a yelp when he pressed unexpectedly where the stick had poked my ribs.

Hudson made sympathy noises and the vet apologised and finished mauling me. "Neville appears to be one very lucky...er...dog. He's going to be stiff and sore for a few days, but nothing appears to be broken." He got back to his feet and picked up his paper. "Let me go and grab something for the swelling."

He opened the door and I made my move. I may have shoved the good doctor into the doorjamb as I pushed by him, but my Lola was on the other side of that door and she had some weird bulgy, shifting thing happening with her tummy and I needed to know my girl was going to be okay.

I could hear Hudson yell my name, but even through all the medically, ouchy, pokey scents of the vet's place, I could smell Lola and I was going to find her. I rooh roohed to let her know I was coming and zipped by tables and legs and kennels until I found her. She was tucked up inside one of kennels. The door was open and there was a bowl of water and some food by her head. The smell I'd noticed on her was stronger than before, but she was still my Lola.

And my Lola had teeth. Why she was showing them all to me, I wasn't quite sure, but I dropped to my belly anyway and inched my way forward with a questioning whine.

"Easy there, Neville." The newest pack member, Mal, was sitting on the tile just outside Lola's kennel. "Lola's a little nervous just now."

I tilted my head at him. He had good energy, like Mitch, and seeing the swirl and pulse of his made me look at Lola's more carefully. She was edgy. But why?

Mal held his hand out to Lola. She licked it enthusiastically and her tail thumped under the blanket.

"That's a girl, Lola. You're such a brave girl. The best girl I've ever met. Should we make some introductions?" The wagging and licking continued, so Mal slowly pulled away the blanket covering my girl. I saw the little wriggling worms of fur and the clinic went all swoopy around me.

Lola had babies. I sniffed the air that had been shifted by the movement of the blanket. Lola had my babies.

I looked at her and she glanced at me, then away, then back again. I guess she liked what she saw in my face and my energy 'cause she reached forward and started licking under my jaw. I washed her face, then Mal's, and then jumped to my feet and crashed against Hudson, standing a foot away.

He laughed as I danced around him. "Congratulations, Nev. You're a daddy."

I lifted my front paws to his shoulders and washed his face, too. Then I rooh rooh roohed and danced around the clinic some more.