Chapter 3
An hour’s worth of pacing and worrying later, Tim was on the frazzled edge of his nerves. He whirled around when a familiar voice spoke behind him. “The surgery went well, Mr. Leilly,” Adrian Freemont told him, pulling his surgical mask down. “That cat is tough and strong. He’ll probably be right as rain in a few weeks.”
Tim sank down in a chair, exhausted by both worry and the sudden relief from that acute worry. “Oh, God, thank you,” he moaned.
Adrian Freemont paused, then said: “Do you want to see him? He’s in recovery right now, and he’ll still be under the anesthetic. But at least you can see that he’s okay.”
Tim felt gratitude fill him at this suggestion. “Thank you. I’d love to see him,” he said, rising to his feet.
Dr. Freemont nodded and made a motion with his hand. Tim followed him into the back where rows of cages lined the recovery room, and he saw half-a-dozen cats and dogs peering at him from out of the cages. “He’s down here,” Adrian Freemont said over his shoulder, leading the way down to a cage near the center of the row. Arriving at a certain cage, he stepped back so that Tim could look inside.
He saw Costello’s lean black form lying on a soft pad, with a large bandage pad covering the cat’s abdomen. An IV bag hung from the top of the cage, and a line went in under Costello’s foreleg and was taped in place. The animal’s sides were lifting slowly but evenly. “Cos,” he said mournfully, reaching out to touch the top of the black head lightly with his fingertips.
“He really will be fine, Mr. Leilly,” Adrian Freemont told him. “We’ll have to keep him here for at least a day for observation, but I might be able to let him go home with you after that.”
“Really?” Tim said eagerly, turning toward him.
He nodded. “Yes. We’ll see how he is tomorrow. Why don’t you come in during the afternoon and I’ll let you know.”
“I will. Thank you so much, Dr. Freemont. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Costello.”
The vet studied his face. “You really love him, don’t you?” he said, sounding a little puzzled.
Tim nodded. “He’s my baby. Him and Abbot,” he added. “Haven’t you ever had a pet that you really loved?” he asked.
Adrian Freemont frowned thoughtfully. “I did, yes,” he said. “A long time ago. A dog named Homer. He died when I was ten. He got hit by a car,” he went on, turning his head to look at Costello as he said this.
“I’m sorry,” Tim told him sincerely. “That’s terrible. It’s so hard to lose a beloved pet. It’s almost like losing your child, though not quite as bad.”
Adrian Freemont was studying his face again. “I suppose you’re right,” he conceded. “After Homer was killed, I never got another dog or wanted one, either. It hurt too much. Robert had a dog, but I never tried to get attached to him. I’d almost forgotten…deliberately, I think. Maybe that’s why I work with racehorses rather than have a small animal practice of my own,” he added thoughtfully.
Tim blinked. “Racehorses?” he repeated.
Adrian nodded. “I’m the official veterinarian at the racetrack. I haven’t worked with small animals since veterinary school.”
“Oh. That explains why you weren’t very good with my cats,” Tim said in understanding. “Your bedside manner, I mean. Your brother likes them and they know that, but they could tell that you don’t.”
“I suppose,” Adrian Freemont conceded. “I’m just glad that the surgery went well. I haven’t done surgery on anything smaller than a horse in a long time.”
Tim glanced into the cage. “Yes, I’m glad too,” he said gratefully.
Adrian looked at his watch. “I hate to hurry you along, Mr. Leilly, but the clinic closes at five-thirty. And I have a ton of paperwork to get done, as well as keeping an eye on all of my patients,” he glanced around the recovery room.
“Okay. I’ll come back tomorrow afternoon. And thank you again for saving Costello, Dr. Freemont.”
“It was my pleasure,” the vet replied easily. Tim blinked at him, but his face wore a small smile and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Tim drove home to his apartment complex, feeling worn-out. He walked up the sidewalk to his apartment, not looking forward to facing Abbot when he didn’t have Costello in his arms like normal. He sighed as he unlocked the door and pushed it open, hearing a meow of welcome as Abbot came strolling toward him from the direction of his tiny living room. The big calico wound himself blissfully around Tim’s legs, and he sighed and bent over to scoop the big creature up in his arms.
He scratched the top of Abbot’s head. “Sorry, buddy. Cos won’t be home tonight,” Tim murmured sadly. “But hopefully by tomorrow he’ll be back.”
Abbot butted his head under Tim’s chin affectionately, then looked around at the floor under their feet. He looked back up at his owner, then meowed in question. “Oh, Abbot, I’m sorry,” Tim repeated, feeling helpless. “But Cos has to spend the night at Dr. Freemont’s clinic. He got hurt, but he’ll be better soon.”
The large creature only blinked at him, then looked around once more. He meowed again, more insistently, obviously trying to find his playmate and companion. Tim felt pity lance through him. “Let me get you some kitty treats,” he said, carrying Abbot into the kitchen. “Best I can do right now.”
Abbot looked interested, because he knew what the words ‘kitty treats’ meant. He watched complacently as Tim used his free hand to open a drawer near the sink, and pull out the bag of kitty treats he kept there for Abbot and Costello. He opened the bag one-handed, then lifted a treat on his palm toward Abbot. The cat stretched out his neck and daintily ate the treat off of Tim’s palm, then butted his hand as though to say: “Give me more, Dad!”
Tim fed him half-a-dozen, more than he’d normally give him. But right now he didn’t feel too bad about diverting Abbot’s attention with food, since he couldn’t actually produce Costello at the moment.
The cat seemed happier for a few minutes, but then he started to struggle in Tim’s arms. When he put the beast down, Abbot ran off toward the door(or wobbled off, anyway, with his big belly jiggling), and stood there mewing loudly. Clearly he wanted to go outside and look for Costello. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” Tim said above his head, his eyes filling with tears. “Cos isn’t coming home right now. But he’ll be better soon, I promise!”
Abbot didn’t care about his owner’s words. He continued to meow at the door, and began to scratch at it as well. Tim didn’t know what to do. Nothing he said was going to make a difference; Abbot wouldn’t understand. All he knew was that his playmate was missing. Hopefully he’d settle down soon.
Some hope. Tim lay in his bed and wanted to scream. Abbot had refused to leave the door, and every time Tim had carried him away he’d struggled furiously. if he tried to lock the cat in another room, Abbot yowled until he let him out. Then he ran back to the door and scratched at it, meowing loudly. Tim had finally given up and had brought him some food and water for his eternal vigil. It had been bad enough all evening, but when he’d tried to get some sleep it became much worse. He hadn’t gotten a lick of sleep all night because of Abbot’s cries. He was so tired now that he wanted to cry himself. He dragged himself out of bed wearily and started to get ready for work, moving like a zombie. Today was not going to be a good day…
He left the still angrily protesting Abbot behind, shutting the door with a feeling of acute relief. Watching and hearing his pet freak out about his friend had been getting on his nerves, especially since he knew that Costello was going to be okay but couldn’t get Abbot to understand that. He staggered of to his car and drove to work, hoping that he didn’t get in any accidents. It was going to be a long day.
And so it was. Tim went through the day at work in a daze, barely registering half of what was said to him. He was glad to leave and drive to the clinic, hoping desperately that he could take Costello home today to relieve Abbot’s worries. Judy gave him a compassionate look for the dark circles under his eyes when he walked in. “Hey, Tim. You look terrible,” she said bluntly.
He yawned, “I feel terrible, too,” he told her wearily. “Abbot kept me up all night meowing, because he wants Cos back.”
“Oh, dear. I’m sorry to hear that,” she said commiserating. “Just let me get Dr. Freemont,” she rose and bustled away, leaving him standing there by the desk slightly swaying with total weariness.
Adrian Fremont merged from the back, looking him over. “Hi. How’s Cos? Can I take him home?” Tim asked hopefully.
The vet sighed. “Actually, no,” he replied, making Tim’s heart sink. “I want to keep him for one more day as a precaution, to make sure the incision doesn’t get infected. Sorry.”
“Oh, that’s okay I guess,” Tim said mournfully. “I just hoped…” he trailed off, his shoulders slumping. “But whatever’s best for Cos is fine with me,” he added tiredly.
“Come back and see him,” Adrian Freemont remarked, leading the way into the recovery room. Tim followed eagerly, wanting to see his pet.
Costello was sitting up in his cage alertly, and he let forth a rusty meow when he saw Tim appear. “Oh, Cos, it’s so good to see you awake,” Tim said, putting out his fingers so that Costello could sniff them.
“Let me get something; I’ll be back,” Dr. Freemont remarked, departing.
Tim stroked Costello’s head with his fingertips lovingly. The black cat lifted his chin so that Tim could rub the glands, his eyes going slitted in that way that told Tim he was feeling contented. Except for the bandages around his abdomen, he looked completely healthy. “I wish you could come home with me, boy,” Tim told him sadly. “Abbot is really missing you.”
Costello purred, clearly not caring about what Tim was saying. Adrian Freemont returned, carrying a bottle. “here,” he said, handing it to a surprised Tim.
“What is it?” he asked, turning the bottle around to look at it.
“A mild sedative. For your other cat. Judy told me you didn’t get any sleep last night because he was upset about Costello being here. This will at least help you to sleep tonight. Give him two wrapped up in some meat, and both he and you can get some sleep tonight.”
Gratitude roared through him. He clutched the bottle to him, feeling relief making him weak. “Thank you,” he said fervently. “I didn’t know what I was going to do if I had to endure another night of Abbot meowing at the door.”
Adrian Freemont nodded. “You should be able to take him home tomorrow, barring complications. You’ll have to bring him in for check-ups after that, and change the bandage until I can take the stitches out. And you’ll have to give him a course of antibiotics and some other meds. Will that be a problem?”
“No,” Tim replied. “I’ve gotten pretty good at finding sneaky ways to give Cos medication. Abbot doesn’t care as long as he gets food, but Cos hates pills and will spit them back out if I’m not clever.”
“I’ll leave that to you,” he said. He paused, then went on: “I know this probably isn’t a great time to ask you again, but could I take you out to dinner sometime?”
Surprised, Tim stared at him. Seeing his expression, Adrian Freemont shrugged ruefully. “I think that I’d just like some companionship,” he told Tim. “I won’t be here long enough to form any friendships or deep relationships, so it might be nice to have another gay guy to hang out with. So would you?”
Tim eyed him warily, but at last he nodded. ’I’ll go to dinner with you,” he said. “As long as you understand that we won’t be sleeping together afterward.”
“That’s fine,” Adrian replied. “Would Saturday be all right?”
“Sure,” Tim said. Sadly, this was the closest thing he’d had to a real date in several months! He really needed to get out more…
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An hour’s worth of pacing and worrying later, Tim was on the frazzled edge of his nerves. He whirled around when a familiar voice spoke behind him. “The surgery went well, Mr. Leilly,” Adrian Freemont told him, pulling his surgical mask down. “That cat is tough and strong. He’ll probably be right as rain in a few weeks.”
Tim sank down in a chair, exhausted by both worry and the sudden relief from that acute worry. “Oh, God, thank you,” he moaned.
Adrian Freemont paused, then said: “Do you want to see him? He’s in recovery right now, and he’ll still be under the anesthetic. But at least you can see that he’s okay.”
Tim felt gratitude fill him at this suggestion. “Thank you. I’d love to see him,” he said, rising to his feet.
Dr. Freemont nodded and made a motion with his hand. Tim followed him into the back where rows of cages lined the recovery room, and he saw half-a-dozen cats and dogs peering at him from out of the cages. “He’s down here,” Adrian Freemont said over his shoulder, leading the way down to a cage near the center of the row. Arriving at a certain cage, he stepped back so that Tim could look inside.
He saw Costello’s lean black form lying on a soft pad, with a large bandage pad covering the cat’s abdomen. An IV bag hung from the top of the cage, and a line went in under Costello’s foreleg and was taped in place. The animal’s sides were lifting slowly but evenly. “Cos,” he said mournfully, reaching out to touch the top of the black head lightly with his fingertips.
“He really will be fine, Mr. Leilly,” Adrian Freemont told him. “We’ll have to keep him here for at least a day for observation, but I might be able to let him go home with you after that.”
“Really?” Tim said eagerly, turning toward him.
He nodded. “Yes. We’ll see how he is tomorrow. Why don’t you come in during the afternoon and I’ll let you know.”
“I will. Thank you so much, Dr. Freemont. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Costello.”
The vet studied his face. “You really love him, don’t you?” he said, sounding a little puzzled.
Tim nodded. “He’s my baby. Him and Abbot,” he added. “Haven’t you ever had a pet that you really loved?” he asked.
Adrian Freemont frowned thoughtfully. “I did, yes,” he said. “A long time ago. A dog named Homer. He died when I was ten. He got hit by a car,” he went on, turning his head to look at Costello as he said this.
“I’m sorry,” Tim told him sincerely. “That’s terrible. It’s so hard to lose a beloved pet. It’s almost like losing your child, though not quite as bad.”
Adrian Freemont was studying his face again. “I suppose you’re right,” he conceded. “After Homer was killed, I never got another dog or wanted one, either. It hurt too much. Robert had a dog, but I never tried to get attached to him. I’d almost forgotten…deliberately, I think. Maybe that’s why I work with racehorses rather than have a small animal practice of my own,” he added thoughtfully.
Tim blinked. “Racehorses?” he repeated.
Adrian nodded. “I’m the official veterinarian at the racetrack. I haven’t worked with small animals since veterinary school.”
“Oh. That explains why you weren’t very good with my cats,” Tim said in understanding. “Your bedside manner, I mean. Your brother likes them and they know that, but they could tell that you don’t.”
“I suppose,” Adrian Freemont conceded. “I’m just glad that the surgery went well. I haven’t done surgery on anything smaller than a horse in a long time.”
Tim glanced into the cage. “Yes, I’m glad too,” he said gratefully.
Adrian looked at his watch. “I hate to hurry you along, Mr. Leilly, but the clinic closes at five-thirty. And I have a ton of paperwork to get done, as well as keeping an eye on all of my patients,” he glanced around the recovery room.
“Okay. I’ll come back tomorrow afternoon. And thank you again for saving Costello, Dr. Freemont.”
“It was my pleasure,” the vet replied easily. Tim blinked at him, but his face wore a small smile and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Tim drove home to his apartment complex, feeling worn-out. He walked up the sidewalk to his apartment, not looking forward to facing Abbot when he didn’t have Costello in his arms like normal. He sighed as he unlocked the door and pushed it open, hearing a meow of welcome as Abbot came strolling toward him from the direction of his tiny living room. The big calico wound himself blissfully around Tim’s legs, and he sighed and bent over to scoop the big creature up in his arms.
He scratched the top of Abbot’s head. “Sorry, buddy. Cos won’t be home tonight,” Tim murmured sadly. “But hopefully by tomorrow he’ll be back.”
Abbot butted his head under Tim’s chin affectionately, then looked around at the floor under their feet. He looked back up at his owner, then meowed in question. “Oh, Abbot, I’m sorry,” Tim repeated, feeling helpless. “But Cos has to spend the night at Dr. Freemont’s clinic. He got hurt, but he’ll be better soon.”
The large creature only blinked at him, then looked around once more. He meowed again, more insistently, obviously trying to find his playmate and companion. Tim felt pity lance through him. “Let me get you some kitty treats,” he said, carrying Abbot into the kitchen. “Best I can do right now.”
Abbot looked interested, because he knew what the words ‘kitty treats’ meant. He watched complacently as Tim used his free hand to open a drawer near the sink, and pull out the bag of kitty treats he kept there for Abbot and Costello. He opened the bag one-handed, then lifted a treat on his palm toward Abbot. The cat stretched out his neck and daintily ate the treat off of Tim’s palm, then butted his hand as though to say: “Give me more, Dad!”
Tim fed him half-a-dozen, more than he’d normally give him. But right now he didn’t feel too bad about diverting Abbot’s attention with food, since he couldn’t actually produce Costello at the moment.
The cat seemed happier for a few minutes, but then he started to struggle in Tim’s arms. When he put the beast down, Abbot ran off toward the door(or wobbled off, anyway, with his big belly jiggling), and stood there mewing loudly. Clearly he wanted to go outside and look for Costello. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” Tim said above his head, his eyes filling with tears. “Cos isn’t coming home right now. But he’ll be better soon, I promise!”
Abbot didn’t care about his owner’s words. He continued to meow at the door, and began to scratch at it as well. Tim didn’t know what to do. Nothing he said was going to make a difference; Abbot wouldn’t understand. All he knew was that his playmate was missing. Hopefully he’d settle down soon.
Some hope. Tim lay in his bed and wanted to scream. Abbot had refused to leave the door, and every time Tim had carried him away he’d struggled furiously. if he tried to lock the cat in another room, Abbot yowled until he let him out. Then he ran back to the door and scratched at it, meowing loudly. Tim had finally given up and had brought him some food and water for his eternal vigil. It had been bad enough all evening, but when he’d tried to get some sleep it became much worse. He hadn’t gotten a lick of sleep all night because of Abbot’s cries. He was so tired now that he wanted to cry himself. He dragged himself out of bed wearily and started to get ready for work, moving like a zombie. Today was not going to be a good day…
He left the still angrily protesting Abbot behind, shutting the door with a feeling of acute relief. Watching and hearing his pet freak out about his friend had been getting on his nerves, especially since he knew that Costello was going to be okay but couldn’t get Abbot to understand that. He staggered of to his car and drove to work, hoping that he didn’t get in any accidents. It was going to be a long day.
And so it was. Tim went through the day at work in a daze, barely registering half of what was said to him. He was glad to leave and drive to the clinic, hoping desperately that he could take Costello home today to relieve Abbot’s worries. Judy gave him a compassionate look for the dark circles under his eyes when he walked in. “Hey, Tim. You look terrible,” she said bluntly.
He yawned, “I feel terrible, too,” he told her wearily. “Abbot kept me up all night meowing, because he wants Cos back.”
“Oh, dear. I’m sorry to hear that,” she said commiserating. “Just let me get Dr. Freemont,” she rose and bustled away, leaving him standing there by the desk slightly swaying with total weariness.
Adrian Fremont merged from the back, looking him over. “Hi. How’s Cos? Can I take him home?” Tim asked hopefully.
The vet sighed. “Actually, no,” he replied, making Tim’s heart sink. “I want to keep him for one more day as a precaution, to make sure the incision doesn’t get infected. Sorry.”
“Oh, that’s okay I guess,” Tim said mournfully. “I just hoped…” he trailed off, his shoulders slumping. “But whatever’s best for Cos is fine with me,” he added tiredly.
“Come back and see him,” Adrian Freemont remarked, leading the way into the recovery room. Tim followed eagerly, wanting to see his pet.
Costello was sitting up in his cage alertly, and he let forth a rusty meow when he saw Tim appear. “Oh, Cos, it’s so good to see you awake,” Tim said, putting out his fingers so that Costello could sniff them.
“Let me get something; I’ll be back,” Dr. Freemont remarked, departing.
Tim stroked Costello’s head with his fingertips lovingly. The black cat lifted his chin so that Tim could rub the glands, his eyes going slitted in that way that told Tim he was feeling contented. Except for the bandages around his abdomen, he looked completely healthy. “I wish you could come home with me, boy,” Tim told him sadly. “Abbot is really missing you.”
Costello purred, clearly not caring about what Tim was saying. Adrian Freemont returned, carrying a bottle. “here,” he said, handing it to a surprised Tim.
“What is it?” he asked, turning the bottle around to look at it.
“A mild sedative. For your other cat. Judy told me you didn’t get any sleep last night because he was upset about Costello being here. This will at least help you to sleep tonight. Give him two wrapped up in some meat, and both he and you can get some sleep tonight.”
Gratitude roared through him. He clutched the bottle to him, feeling relief making him weak. “Thank you,” he said fervently. “I didn’t know what I was going to do if I had to endure another night of Abbot meowing at the door.”
Adrian Freemont nodded. “You should be able to take him home tomorrow, barring complications. You’ll have to bring him in for check-ups after that, and change the bandage until I can take the stitches out. And you’ll have to give him a course of antibiotics and some other meds. Will that be a problem?”
“No,” Tim replied. “I’ve gotten pretty good at finding sneaky ways to give Cos medication. Abbot doesn’t care as long as he gets food, but Cos hates pills and will spit them back out if I’m not clever.”
“I’ll leave that to you,” he said. He paused, then went on: “I know this probably isn’t a great time to ask you again, but could I take you out to dinner sometime?”
Surprised, Tim stared at him. Seeing his expression, Adrian Freemont shrugged ruefully. “I think that I’d just like some companionship,” he told Tim. “I won’t be here long enough to form any friendships or deep relationships, so it might be nice to have another gay guy to hang out with. So would you?”
Tim eyed him warily, but at last he nodded. ’I’ll go to dinner with you,” he said. “As long as you understand that we won’t be sleeping together afterward.”
“That’s fine,” Adrian replied. “Would Saturday be all right?”
“Sure,” Tim said. Sadly, this was the closest thing he’d had to a real date in several months! He really needed to get out more…
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