The day had been crazy, and Mimi had only one thing left to do before she went home. Check their socials. When she pulled up their business account to check for any new messages that might need immediate attention, the numbers stunned her. It wasn't possible. There had been seventy-four comments since she'd last checked. Carl and Jen had already gone home. With a sigh, she began scrolling through and responding to people. She'd promised Jen she wouldn't leave all the social media stuff to her.
The front door rattled and startled Mimi out of her bubble. Carol stood outside on the welcome mat with her arms full of dog. Mimi got up and went to unlock the door.
"You're here late," Carol said as she shouldered her way past her. Toe tip to hip, Lucky's cast covered her entire leg. Her head lolled on Carol's arm and her tongue flopped out of her mouth.
"I lost track of time." Mimi gave the dog's head a gentle pet. "Poor thing."
"She is still pretty high."
"Carl set up a recovery spot for her in the back room, away from all the noise. I'll show you where. But there is one complication." Carl was a wiz and made spaces puppy-proof, even for the escape artists, but they'd had an unusual problem turn up.
"She can be with the puppies starting now, but let's limit her movement for a day or two." As the vet carried her down the hall, Lucky's slumping tail wagged.
Mimi opened the door for them. The puppies were waiting in a portable kennel large enough to hold them all. "The puppies have a volunteer guardian." She pointed to Tiny, who was watching them warily from the edge of the room, seated on a fluffy bed Carl had placed there for her. "Before Jen left for the day when she was gathering up the babies from their spot behind the desk, that stubborn creature refused to be left behind." Mimi crouched down and opened the crate. Careful not to wake the sleeping puppies, she moved them to the side to make way for Mom. With gentleness, the vet placed Lucky next to the pile of wiggling puppies. Even drunk on pain medicine, the momma dog sniffed and licked each puppy. Watching from the corner of the room, Tiny held still on her small dog bed, but she didn't cower.
Carol closed the Kennel door and looked over at the alert and wary guardian dog. "She looks a lot better than the last time I saw her." She bent forward and looked in at momma and puppies. "Has she decided she has a reason to live?"
"I'd call it more of a mission. Do you think it's safe to let Tiny stay in the room with them?"
"Sure, just set down some pee pads to see how Tiny does in this large space. Have you gotten her to go outside to walk yet?"
"No. We wear gloves when we carry her out so we don't get bitten. She panics when she leaves the ground."
"Carry a puppy next time you try and keep the leash loose. She might walk that way."
"I'll try it. Her family said she was housebroken."
For Tiny, they left water and food outside of the cage that held the mother and pups. Once the chihuahua was sure that the people had left the room, the little dog tiptoed closer. She settled herself protectively against the front of the kennel. With her back pressed against the bars, a puppy waddled over to lie close to her on the other side, and Lucky didn't complain at all.
"That looks promising." The vet bumped Mimi with her elbow as they watched through the room's window. "Maybe Tiny is going to be alright."
***
Early morning coffees in hand, Mimi and Carl sat together in their excuse for a kitchen/break room at the rescue. Carl sighed. "I sure wish I had one of those cupcakes."
Mimi licked her lips at the thought of it. "Do you think they put crack in the batter?"
With a snort, Carl said, "From how much I've been thinking about them as I drink this horror that you call coffee, it's likely." His knobby fingers cradled his cup.
"I wonder where he got them? He told me the name of the place, but I don't remember it now. We could look it up. He said they were close by."
"Or you could call him and find out how we can get some."
"I don't want to do that." Mimi added another packet of sugar to the bitter coffee in her cup. Next week, she would not buy the very cheapest kind. Carl was right. The stuff was awful.
"Text him."
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"What if he confuses me, wanting another cupcake as interest in him?"
