was a wasted gesture. The dog snarled at him, its dark eyes blazing and top lip curling. But Noah was way too used to angry, frightened animals to be intimidated.
“Is that all the thanks I get?”
He looked at the woman himself. The nasty laceration on her left cheek was void of blood, a telling sign that her body was in shock. She needed warmth and medical help. This nightmare wasn’t over. In just the short time they had been here, the river had risen dramatically, and it was already lapping at his boots. If they didn’t move now, they’d be stuck in a tree for the duration.
Get her to Mitch, get her back into town. Over and over the words resounded in his head as he dragged his fatigued body to a standing position. But one look at the river and Noah knew that option was now closed to him. And unless he got the hell out of here now, they wouldn’t even make it back to the clinic.
It was all the motivation he needed. Noah scooped her up into his arms and carried her along the muddy riverbank toward his van. After sliding her limp body into the passenger seat, he flew around the other side as her faithful dog jumped in beside her. Once in the driver’s seat, Noah rested her head in his lap and started the engine, ignoring the snarls of the dog. Driving at break-neck speed was too dangerous in these treacherous conditions, but hell, Noah would give it a try.
There was now no chance of getting back to town.
In his rearview mirror he could see the roads disappearing behind him. They looked like treacherous glass as the river engulfed them, but Noah’s only thought was to get her home, to get her to relative safety.
When they reached their destination, Noah left thedoors to the van open and hauled her into his arms. He ran the final steps to his house as the animals rather more gleefully made their own way out. Kicking the front door open with a stockinged foot as her dog nipped at his other ankle, he carried her through to the lounge, then laid her gently on the couch, rolling her onto her side before dashing off to the clinic to gather blankets, portable oxygen…everything he thought he might need.
Only Georgina refused to cooperate. She curled her lip and whinnied in outrage as Noah tried to force her into a cage she clearly thought was beneath her.
“I haven’t got time to argue, Georgina,” Noah shouted, but the horse refused to budge, planting her miniature but overweight butt on the tiled floor and showing too many yellow teeth for Noah’s liking. He relented. “You can come to the house, if you behave.” Noah didn’t have time to argue, and a stray horse, even if she was pint-size, could wreak havoc if left unattended in the clinic.
But even though she was stubborn, Georgina, along with Madge and the little black dog, seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation. Standing at a respectable distance in the lounge doorway, they watched with worried expressions as Noah quickly made his way back to his human patient.
She was seriously cold, Noah realized, his fingers brushing her icy flesh as he placed the temperature probe in her ear. Its reading confirming his diagnosis. She needed to get out of those wet clothes and beneath a space blanket to conserve her body heat. He pulled offher heavy boots and wrestled with the sodden woolen socks, which were obviously designed for a man. Noah blinked in confusion at the delicate feet that peeped out, the coral-tinted toenails, the soft underside of her soles. They didn’t quite fit the regulation work boots.
“I’m helping her,” Noah shouted as the woman’s dog started to growl. “I’m not attacking her, I’m helping her.”
Yanking at her pants, he tugged them off, rummaging through the pockets for ID, a MedicAlert card. Perhaps she was epileptic or diabetic…. He pulled a glucose monitor from his medical bag, and pricked her finger, willing the sixty seconds it took to get a reading to pass. He should have thought of this before. She could
“Is that all the thanks I get?”
He looked at the woman himself. The nasty laceration on her left cheek was void of blood, a telling sign that her body was in shock. She needed warmth and medical help. This nightmare wasn’t over. In just the short time they had been here, the river had risen dramatically, and it was already lapping at his boots. If they didn’t move now, they’d be stuck in a tree for the duration.
Get her to Mitch, get her back into town. Over and over the words resounded in his head as he dragged his fatigued body to a standing position. But one look at the river and Noah knew that option was now closed to him. And unless he got the hell out of here now, they wouldn’t even make it back to the clinic.
It was all the motivation he needed. Noah scooped her up into his arms and carried her along the muddy riverbank toward his van. After sliding her limp body into the passenger seat, he flew around the other side as her faithful dog jumped in beside her. Once in the driver’s seat, Noah rested her head in his lap and started the engine, ignoring the snarls of the dog. Driving at break-neck speed was too dangerous in these treacherous conditions, but hell, Noah would give it a try.
There was now no chance of getting back to town.
In his rearview mirror he could see the roads disappearing behind him. They looked like treacherous glass as the river engulfed them, but Noah’s only thought was to get her home, to get her to relative safety.
When they reached their destination, Noah left thedoors to the van open and hauled her into his arms. He ran the final steps to his house as the animals rather more gleefully made their own way out. Kicking the front door open with a stockinged foot as her dog nipped at his other ankle, he carried her through to the lounge, then laid her gently on the couch, rolling her onto her side before dashing off to the clinic to gather blankets, portable oxygen…everything he thought he might need.
Only Georgina refused to cooperate. She curled her lip and whinnied in outrage as Noah tried to force her into a cage she clearly thought was beneath her.
“I haven’t got time to argue, Georgina,” Noah shouted, but the horse refused to budge, planting her miniature but overweight butt on the tiled floor and showing too many yellow teeth for Noah’s liking. He relented. “You can come to the house, if you behave.” Noah didn’t have time to argue, and a stray horse, even if she was pint-size, could wreak havoc if left unattended in the clinic.
But even though she was stubborn, Georgina, along with Madge and the little black dog, seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation. Standing at a respectable distance in the lounge doorway, they watched with worried expressions as Noah quickly made his way back to his human patient.
She was seriously cold, Noah realized, his fingers brushing her icy flesh as he placed the temperature probe in her ear. Its reading confirming his diagnosis. She needed to get out of those wet clothes and beneath a space blanket to conserve her body heat. He pulled offher heavy boots and wrestled with the sodden woolen socks, which were obviously designed for a man. Noah blinked in confusion at the delicate feet that peeped out, the coral-tinted toenails, the soft underside of her soles. They didn’t quite fit the regulation work boots.
“I’m helping her,” Noah shouted as the woman’s dog started to growl. “I’m not attacking her, I’m helping her.”
Yanking at her pants, he tugged them off, rummaging through the pockets for ID, a MedicAlert card. Perhaps she was epileptic or diabetic…. He pulled a glucose monitor from his medical bag, and pricked her finger, willing the sixty seconds it took to get a reading to pass. He should have thought of this before. She could
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