I take a look at them. Safer than having them up on the table for now.”
June nodded and retrieved them from her pocket one at a time, cringing as they squeaked in protest at the brief separation. “Do you think…” She swallowed. “Will they be all right?”
“It’s hard to know until I can look them over,” he said, wrapping the towel around the puppies. “But I will say this.” He looked up at her. “You’ve done a great job here, keeping them warm and bringing them in. From what I can see so far, I think they have a good chance, all because of you.”
June’s insides melted a little at his compliments, but she wouldn’t feel better until she knew the puppies would be okay.
After a few moments, Dr. Singh pulled the towel to one side and very gently moved one puppy closer to him, stroking it softly behind the ears with one hand as he ran his fingers over each tiny limb, probably feeling for broken bones. He then felt the pup’s adorable pink tummy, almost grinning when the little guy—she could see plainly now that the term was accurate—closed his eyes.
June placed her nervous hands into the pouch of her hoodie, crossing her fingers.
“It’s a good sign that they don’t mind being held,” Ethan said, using a thumb to gently pry the animal’s mouth open, examining its tiny teeth before listening to its heart with the stethoscope that circled his neck. “Their friendliness toward humans will certainly make it easier to place them in homes when the time comes,” he pointed out matter-of-factly. “Where did you say you found them?”
June cleared her throat, surprised at how much she disliked talk of giving the puppies away, even though she had no intention of keeping them for herself. “Behind the pizza shop, where I work.”
The doctor winced, then looked up and met her eyes, listening intently as she spoke.
“We were done for the day, and I went out to toss the garbage. That’s when I found them behind a Dumpster.” Her throat threatened to close up as she thought again of someone leaving two little dogs in the icy alley.
“Any idea how long they were there?”
June shook her head. “No. I wish I had more to tell you, but unfortunately, that’s it. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Well, you did precisely the right thing, though it would appear you endangered yourself attempting to make it here. These are quite the lucky little guys, having been discovered by someone like you. Their fate might have been much worse, as I’m sure I don’t have to tell you.” An unmistakable wave of sadness crossed over the veterinarian’s face.
“I wasn’t thinking about that. I just wanted them to be okay…still do.”
Ethan nodded and set down the first pup, picking up the other—a girl—to go through the same exam. “There’s a good chance they will, thanks to you.” Finished, he tucked the brother and sister back into their towel and folded his hands together in his lap.
“So, how’s it look?” she asked, nails digging into her palms.
Ethan stared at her, his eyes warmer now, perhaps resigned to the outcome of his evening. She hadn’t even considered that he might have plans…perhaps a wife at home waiting for him. Then again, he wasn’t wearing a ring and he hadn’t texted or called anyone upon her arrival, or once he’d realized that he would be at work for a bit longer.
“Well, I’ll have to do some blood work within the next few days to get a full picture, but from what I can tell at this point, it seems they’ll be okay.”
Relief flooded through her at the optimistic statement.
“They’re about three and a half weeks old, give or take. No broken bones, healthy lungs and hearts, and their teeth are coming in, which is great news.”
“So they can eat solid food? We won’t have to feed them with a bottle?” June had to admit she was a little disappointed. The idea of holding the tiny puppies and feeding them sounded…nice. She had always wanted children, anyway, but after her experience with Clayton, she wasn’t sure she could trust anyone enough ever again to even think about building a life with another person. Another person who had the potential to break her heart. Maybe someday, if she ever had the time and energy to spare, she could have a little puppy just like these to care for. Maybe she could try letting herself love something again…one day…but it would take time, far more than she could spare with her life the way it was, working sixty-hour weeks at the pizza parlor just to pay her rent and keep her car in working shape. She hoped things wouldn’t be that way forever; it was a sobering thought.
“Yes, they can eat solid food, but we’ll need to mix it with some canine milk replacer that’s specially formulated for puppies. Cow’s or any other kind of milk would upset their tummies.”
For some reason, June grinned at the word, so much more fatherly and sweet than the more technical stomachs.
“Do you have that here?”
“Sure do. We’ve got plenty, and I can have my receptionist, Sadie, order more in the morning if need be.” He lifted a corner of the towel and glanced in at the puppies. “For now, we need to get them some water and get a little food in them. We won’t give them too much yet, as I don’t know what or how much they’ve been eating and I don’t want them to get bloated.”
June nodded as he stood and held out a hand to help her do the same, then knelt to pick up the squeaky bundle. He led her to the back area and into a room lined with shelves of food and medicine, handing over the puppies so he could scan the stock for what they needed.
“Ah, here we are,” he said, lifting a small bag from a top shelf.
He opened a cabinet and pulled out two shallow bowls, then headed to the back room, stopping at a sink to fill one with water. Into the other, he poured a small amount of pebble-size kibble. He grabbed a bottle from a nearby refrigerator and poured thin, white liquid on top, like milk on cereal. Placing the bowls on the floor in a corner, Ethan motioned for June to set down the towel. At the scent of the food, two little black noses began to wriggle and both humans laughed quietly.
“The little stinkers are cute, aren’t they?”
Ethan looked up at her as he spoke and this time his smile reached those gorgeous, mahogany eyes. She felt his gaze all the way down into her middle, as warm and comforting as the towel he’d so recently wrapped around her shoulders.
“Very,” she replied, her voice little more than the squeaky sound the puppies made.
Dr. Singh helped her to guide the puppies over to the bowls, and they watched with bated breath, waiting to see if the little ones would eat. Finally, both pups sniffed at the bowl of food and buried their faces in the kibble, and the sound of Ethan’s and June’s sighs of relief were audible.
As the dogs worked on their dinner, Ethan disappeared into the supply closet and returned holding what looked like a baby gate and paper towels. He set to work in the corner of the room, spreading out what June now saw were puppy pads, which he surrounded with the gate, creating a little pen. “All right. We’ll settle them in here for a bit, give them a little time and see if they’ll do their business, then we can put them to bed.”
He looked up at June. “If I’m correct on their age, they should be able to go to the bathroom on their own.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if they’re too young, they’ll need a little help to go, but I’m hoping they’re old enough.” He winked at her. “Time will tell.”
“Ah.” June had never been around such young animals before; once again, she was thankful to have an ally who knew far more than she about this unexpected development in her evening.
“In the meantime, is there anything I can get you?”
Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t yet eaten and it was almost nine o’clock, but she