Escape for Christmas

Chapter Thirty

CHAPTER THIRTY

Sophie flew into the room. ‘Jingle, Belle!’

At the sound of her voice, they both stirred. Belle let out a pathetic miaow and Jingle tried to crawl off the bed, but then started retching. At least they were alive, though that was all that could be said about them. Sophie felt wobbly with shock.

‘Oh dear,’ Vee said. ‘I’m afraid they’ve been sick all over the carpet and – er – have upset tummies too.’

‘They must have eaten something bad. You poor, poor things,’ Sophie said, stroking Belle’s fur.

‘Have they eaten anything different?’ Vee asked.

‘I don’t think so, unless the guests have given them some treats.’ She felt like crying, but knew that wouldn’t help her cats now.

‘I’ll look around and see if I can find anything that might have upset them.’ Vee hurried to the other side of the bed. ‘They’ve been sick here as well – poor loves. Hang on a mo, there’s something under the bed.’ She pulled out a green sprig with white berries.

‘Mistletoe?’ Sophie cried in horror. ‘That’s toxic to cats!’

‘Shit, I’d no idea. How did it get in here?’

‘Una and Hugo must have brought it. They went to the garden centre yesterday and were joking about how the holiday had revived their love life.’ Sophie groaned.

Vee put her arm around Sophie. ‘Right, get on the phone to Brody now. Ask him what you can do.’

‘I don’t know if he’s in. He was meant to go to work today. Maybe I should call the surgery?’

‘Try him first. It’ll be quicker,’ Vee urged.

‘I hope he’s still at Felltop,’ Sophie said, uttering a silent prayer as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

The call rang out, while her pulse skyrocketed. What if Brody wasn’t there and she was too late by the time she reached the vet’s? What if she lost both of her cats?

‘Brody!’ she cried when he answered the phone just as she was about to give up and rush the cats to the surgery. ‘Thank God I’ve got you. The cats are really poorly! They’ve eaten some mistletoe that my guests left in a room, and they’ve been sick and worse – and now they’re lying on the bed, drooling.’

‘Mistletoe?’ Brody said, then the phone went silent for a couple of agonising seconds. ‘I’m at home, so I’ll come round as fast as I can. Get their carrier ready. We’ll need to take them into the surgery.’

Sophie wanted to sob, but pulled herself together and focused on finding their carrier and bringing it up to the bedroom. The cats were conscious, but still drooling. Belle was letting out pathetic miaows and Jingle had been sick on the bed again.

It seemed like an age before she heard Vee open the door to let Brody in and he rushed into the bedroom.

‘They look bad,’ she said, fighting back tears. ‘Can you save them?’

‘I need to get them to the surgery for some proper treatment,’ he replied. ‘Can you show me the plant, so I can see exactly what it is?’

Vee held up the innocent-looking green plant with its white berries.

‘Yep, mistletoe. Sorry, but I had to double-check. Do you know how much they’ve eaten?’ he asked, doing a quick examination of the cats.

‘No. I didn’t realise the cats had been in here. Una and Hugo stayed in here and must have left the mistletoe. We found it on the floor,’ Sophie said, rubbing her hands together.

Brody gently stroked Belle’s head. ‘Come on, you two. Let’s put you in your carrier, so we can look after you properly.’

Gently he helped Sophie place the cats in their carrier. They made no objection, which told Sophie how poorly they were. Plus, Brody hadn’t answered her question of whether they would survive.

He took the cats out of the door.

‘I’ll stay here and look after the house,’ Vee said to Sophie and patted her shoulder. ‘Jingle and Belle couldn’t be in better hands.’

Fighting back tears, Sophie carried Belle downstairs and out to Brody’s Defender. With both cats on the floor in the rear, she strapped herself into the passenger seat. She could hear faint miaows from the back, which at least meant the cats were conscious, but what if they didn’t make it to the surgery?

Brody drove swiftly out of the gates and down the steep lane that led to Bannerdale and the practice.

‘Can you do anything for them?’ she asked. ‘Please be honest.’

‘I’ve only treated one case of mistletoe poisoning before, and that was a small dog, which recovered well. Try not to worry; the cats may only have eaten a small amount, and you caught it quickly. The problem is that mistletoe contains all kinds of toxins that will irritate and upset their stomachs.’

‘Could it – be fatal?’ Sophie said, suppressing a shudder.

‘In the worst case, it can affect their breathing and could cause a cardiovascular collapse.’

Brody put his hand over hers. It felt so good on hers, warm and strong and comforting.

‘But we can treat them and we’ll soon be at the surgery. I’ve phoned ahead, so they know we’re coming. You’re lucky you caught me, because I was about to leave the house on my way down there.’

‘I’ve disrupted your life again,’ Sophie said.

‘You haven’t. This is my job. It’s what I spend my life doing.’

Twenty minutes later they were carrying the cats into the surgery. While Sophie helped Jingle out of his carrier, the vet nurse coaxed out Belle, who crawled out and flopped down on the treatment table. She made a pathetic attempt to bite Brody, then gave up.

‘I know you don’t want to tell me they’ll be OK. I understand.’ Sophie swallowed back her tears. ‘But what can you do to help?’

‘We’ll need to induce vomiting, then give them activated charcoal to help mop up the toxins. They should pass that through their digestive systems. Please try not to worry too much. You did the right thing to call me.’ He smiled reassuringly, but Sophie still felt sick to her stomach.

‘You are in a sorry state, mate,’ Brody said to Jingle. ‘But we’ll do our best to make you feel better. You won’t think that for a while, though.’ He turned to Sophie. ‘The first thing to do is make them sick up anything inside them. You might want to wait outside or go for a walk or something. There’s nothing we can do until they’ve vomited the full contents of their stomachs. I promise we’ll call you in when there’s anything you can do.’

Sophie nodded and stroked her cats, knowing it was best to give Brody and the nurse space to treat them. ‘Get well, you two. I can’t bear to be without you.’

Knowing she couldn’t sit still, she walked into the chilly streets of Bannerdale, hardly knowing where she was going. It was only as she’d said, ‘I can’t bear to be without you’ that she fully realised how much of a comfort her pets had been, after she’d split from Ben. Thank God he hadn’t wanted them. Sophie would have never let him, anyway. She’d have gone on the run rather than part with them!

Yet now she felt guilty for bringing them to a strange place with hordes of strange people coming in and out – and all the unpredictability of the guests bringing stuff into the house that might hurt them. She’d have to be so much more careful in future, making sure the cats were kept safely in her flat, out of harm’s way.

In the village the lights were shining and there were plenty of Christmas visitors in boots and coats, picking up supplies in the outdoor stores, queuing at the bakery and packing the tea shops. Life went on as normal for them, but all Sophie could think of was her poor pets feeling sick and in pain. She’d done a couple of circuits of the village and had somehow found her way back to the surgery. Despite Brody telling her not to worry, her heart rate rose as she approached the entrance, fearful of what she might find.

The nurse showed her into Brody’s room, where the cats were lying on heated mats on the exam table.

‘They’ve been sick again,’ he said, ‘and now we’re going to give them the charcoal. They aren’t going to be too keen on it, but the good news is that they’re conscious, so we can syringe it into their mouths rather than using a tube. After that, we might have to repeat it every four to eight hours, and I’m going to give them some intravenous fluids to make sure they aren’t dehydrated.’

‘I’m staying.’

‘There’s no need. They’ll just be resting in the pens, feeling sorry for themselves. I’ll let you know if there’s any news, but for now, I’m afraid, we have to let them recover. Please, go home and have a rest and some food. I promise I’ll stay here overnight with them.’

‘Are you actually on duty tonight?’ she asked, feeling relieved Brody would be keeping a close eye on them.

‘Not technically.’ He shrugged. ‘I was on evening late surgery anyway, and I want to stay. Now go … No arguments.’

‘OK, but please let me know how they are, and thank you. Again.’

‘You won’t thank me when your cats are doing black poos for a few days,’ he said.

Sophie nodded. ‘I think that’s the least of my worries.’

With the heaviest of hearts, she decided that Brody was right, although she was still astonished that he’d offered to stay at the surgery overnight. She phoned Vee, who insisted on collecting her from the village and taking her back to Sunnyside.

‘That’s a forty-minute round trip. I’ll get a taxi.’

‘You stay where you are. I’ll come for you. I won’t hear any arguments.’

‘Everyone is bossing me around today,’ Sophie said, with an attempt at humour.

‘Sometimes we all need bossing and to be looked after. Wait there and I’ll see you soon.’

When they arrived back at Sunnyside, they found a large cardboard box in the porch.

Sophie picked it up. ‘What’s this? I didn’t order anything?’

Vee opened the front door. ‘Dunno. It wasn’t here when I left.’

‘It looks like a hamper,’ Sophie said, carrying the box inside. She was surprised when she opened it to find the parcel crammed with festive treats, such as mince pies, chutney, wine and a mini-fruitcake. She found a slip of paper on top and read it. ‘Oh, it’s from the Nowaks – a thank you. They needn’t have …’

‘Yet they wanted to.’ Vee delved inside. ‘It’s fantastic. Even if it is Christmassy.’

‘I gave up avoiding Christmas some time ago,’ Sophie mumbled. ‘And really this should be for Kev and the mountain-rescue team who hiked up here in the terrible weather.’

‘That’s his job. Kind of,’ Vee said. ‘He was pleased as punch to be able to help.’

‘Will you at least take this wine and the chocolates?’ Sophie suggested, putting a bottle and some chocs on the kitchen table. ‘And thank him from me.’ The kindness she’d been shown brought her to the brink of tears again, but she held them back.

‘If you insist,’ Vee said.

‘I do. And now I’m going to make us both some lunch. Sit down.’

Vee obeyed. ‘Yes, boss.’

After they’d eaten, Vee left for home and Sophie went upstairs to clean up the room where the cats had been ill. She found it pristine, and ready for letting again when the guest house reopened. Vee had done it while she’d been at the vet’s, which was beyond the call of duty.

Sophie sat down on the bed and finally the tears she’d been trying to hold in since that morning fell. After allowing herself an indulgent cry, she tried to keep busy, tidying the kitchen and doing some of her accounts, resisting the urge to glance at her phone every two minutes. Darkness fell not long after three-thirty, and so she lit the lamps in her flat and flicked through the TV, finding something easy to watch. Sunnyside seemed very big and lonely, and every creak and rattle of the boiler set her on edge.

She didn’t fancy any proper dinner, so she took some unused cold bits from the fridge, trying not to look at the empty cat bowls sitting side-by-side by the door. She was picking at half a pork pie when her phone rang.

‘Brody!’

‘It’s OK. They’re still resting quietly. I’m going to give them another dose of charcoal—’ He broke off and Sophie heard voices. ‘Sorry, have to go. Emergency. Not with your cats.’

The phone went dead.

Sophie’s heart went out to the owner whose pet was an emergency, but she was starting to feel more hopeful that Jingle and Belle were recovering as well as they could. Time ticked by and she flicked through the channels. It was now 8 p.m. and Brody’s evening surgery would be over. He’d be spending the night there, probably on the tatty sofa she’d seen in the staffroom.

It didn’t seem fair that he was watching over her cats while she was here. Surely she could do something?

Taking a plastic box, she went to the fridge and filled it with pork pies, cold sausages and quiche. She raided the hamper for mince pies, chutney and biscuits. She didn’t know if Brody had eaten, but it didn’t matter, and she figured the nursing team would enjoy the pies and biccies if he wasn’t hungry.

She jumped in the car and drove down the dark lanes to the village.

The lights were all on at the vet’s surgery, but there was only Brody’s Defender parked behind it, so she guessed he was the only member of staff on duty.

Should she be here? In the circumstances?

She felt ridiculous, and out of place. She was bringing supper to a man who was engaged to another woman. Brody hadn’t asked her to come – she was only a client. It felt desperate …

She glanced at the Tupperware box on the passenger seat and her shoulders slumped.

‘Sophie?’

A face loomed in her car window. It was Brody, in scrubs, with a look of astonishment that was hardly encouraging.

Sophie opened the window.

‘I shouldn’t be here, I know. I ought to go home, but I thought: you’re here all night because I let my cats eat something poisonous; and I was climbing the walls at home, so I thought I’d bring you some food in case you hadn’t had any dinner … But now I feel really stupid for doing it.’

‘You’re not stupid, and I haven’t had any dinner. I was about to order in a takeaway, but I’d much rather have what you’ve brought.’

‘You haven’t seen it yet.’ She was opening the door. ‘It’s only leftovers.’ Her pulse spiked. ‘How are the cats?’

‘Still sleeping it off. They’re off the drip and they’ve both had a drink of water. That’s a good sign.’

‘And your emergency? I’ve been thinking about that too.’

‘Spaniel hit by a car. Broken leg. He’s on the mend and he’s in here overnight too, so don’t feel too guilty at me staying.’

Brody smiled and Sophie’s heart did a double back-flip. Why, why, why had she fallen for a man who was taken by someone else?

‘You said you had food?’ he added.

‘I can leave it with you. I don’t want to get in the way.’

‘You’re not. You wouldn’t be. Come in and have a coffee with me, at least. I could do with a break. It’s been a very long day.’

After collecting the food, Sophie followed him into the staffroom. The sofa had a sleeping bag on it.

‘Do you want to see Jingle and Belle and then we’ll have a coffee?’ he offered.

‘Yes, please.’

Brody smiled. ‘Come on then.’

He took her to the ward, where the two cats had cages set well away from the unfortunate spaniel. They were each lying down on soft blankets, with a bowl of water and the cat toys Sophie kept in their cages. Seeing them behind bars in such a clinical environment made her feel guilty again, but they both miaowed loudly as she approached.

‘They look brighter,’ she said, wanting to scoop them up and cuddle them, despite the fact that neither would enjoy such fuss, even if they were one hundred per cent well.

‘I think so too,’ Brody agreed. ‘If they keep improving, they can probably go home tomorrow.’

‘Oh, that’s brilliant news.’

He opened the door, so that she could stroke them. Jingle licked her fingers and Belle started purring.

‘I know they’re only cats,’ Sophie said as he closed the doors again. ‘But I’ve been so worried.’

‘They’re not only cats. They’re your friends.’

She smiled. ‘I’m sure they don’t think I’m their friend. I’m merely the human who provides the food and catnip.’

‘They rely on you for a warm and loving home,’ Brody said. ‘And, I can assure you, I’ve seen plenty of cats who don’t have that.’

He put the kettle on while Sophie washed her hands and decanted the food onto plates bearing the logo of a cat-flu vaccine.

‘I hope you like pork pies,’ she said.

‘I love them. This looks great.’

Sophie’s stomach rumbled. Now that she’d been reassured her cats were on the mend, her appetite had returned.

They sat down on the sofa with plates on their laps.

‘I was so sad for Una and Hugo when they spoke about losing their dog. I know my cats will have to go some day, but I’d hoped that was a way off, after they’d lived long and happy lives. To go in this way – in some horrible freak accident – is just too horrible to contemplate. You said you understood how bad it feels?’

‘Vets are as heartbroken as anyone when we lose our own pets. We even – and don’t tell anyone – feel very upset when it’s the end for someone else’s pet. Maybe we don’t show it in front of the patient and owners, although we’re allowed to express some emotion, especially if we’ve known the animal a long time or it’s a very traumatic death.’

Sophie felt strangely comforted by the genuine sadness in his expression. It meant that the animal – and the owner – really did matter to Brody.

‘So many times I, or a colleague, have held it together with patients, then gone to the staffroom and had a big snotty blub. Why do you think we keep such a large supply of tea, biscuits and tissues?’

Sophie smiled, then said, ‘We spend so much time holding back our real emotions. It takes its toll. The things I hear from guests – funny stuff, outrageous secrets and some heart-rending tales. Like Agatha told me how lonely she’d felt after Ron died, and that helping with the baby had given her a new sense of purpose.’

He paused. ‘What about Nico?’

‘Nico?’ Sophie hadn’t expected Brody to bring him up. ‘He … is an unusual character,’ she said. ‘I hope he doesn’t book again, to be honest.’

‘Why?’

She suddenly wished she hadn’t said anything about Nico. ‘Various reasons.’

Brody pressed his lips together. ‘I thought he was a bit of a tool, to be honest.’

She burst out laughing, then realised she should probably be a bit quieter, with the sick animals recuperating next door. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. It’s the relief.’

‘Don’t apologise. I like to see you laughing again.’ He put his plate on the floor. He looked at her so tenderly that it sparked a ray of hope in her heart that Brody genuinely cared about her. It was a ray that she had to extinguish quickly.

‘Thank you for staying here, but I have to go home,’ Sophie said.

‘Of course. I have work to do too. Thanks for the food. Very thoughtful of you.’

‘You’re welcome. Bye.’

Sophie hurriedly grabbed her coat and rushed out of the vet’s to the safety of her car. She never wanted to be the ‘other woman’. Even if she hadn’t kissed or slept with Brody, she’d wanted to – she wanted Tegan not to be his fiancée, and that was wrong. It was exactly what had been done to her, and she could never inflict that kind of pain and humiliation on Tegan, no matter how much she herself would love to be with Brody.

From now on, she would resist all and every temptation to interact with him, beyond that of vet and client. In fact once the cats were fully recovered, it might be for the best to find another vet. However difficult it might prove, with them being neighbours, the more distance she put between her and Brody, the better.