Part 28 (2/2)
Impatient, she strapped herself in, then held out her arms again. Paul helped her settle Thomas on her lap. Kendra swal owed a sob as she studied his wounds. Too many scratches to count. Blood had turned his fur black. Seeing him like this again hurt even more than the first time.
Probably because he'd come to mean so much to her.
Would he recover this time? He had to.
”Oh, Tom. Hold on, baby. Hold on.”
Paul reversed out of her driveway and broke the speed limit to the clinic. When Kendra wasn't giving him directions, she was crooning to Thomas.
Paul pul ed up to the clinic's entrance. He jumped out of the car and hurried to help Kendra from the pa.s.senger seat with the fragile bundle in her arms.
Kendra walked quickly but careful y to the receptionist's desk. ”Please. My cat's been badly hurt in a fight.”
One look at her bruised and bloodied companion, and the medical staff rushed into action. They took Thomas from her but wouldn't let her fol ow them to surgery. Instead, Kendra remained behind to give the receptionist her information so they could pul Thomas's chart.
”What's going on?”
Kendra turned at the low, smoky voice. She hadn't expected Paul to join her. Then she saw her purse in his fist.
”Oh, thank you.” She shrugged it onto her shoulder. Her mind wandered as she waited for his good-bye.
What cat had attacked her poor Thomas? Was he the same cat from two months ago? Why was he after Thomas?
”What's going on?” As he repeated himself, Paul guided her toward the waiting room chairs. His touch was warm on her cold skin.
Kendra was confused by his behavior until she saw the concern in his eyes. Concern for her cat. He touched a piece of her heart with that look.
”Tom's in surgery.” Her voice broke on the final word.
”For how long?” He helped her into one of the cus.h.i.+oned seats.
”I don't know.” She was grateful that Paul settled into the chair beside her. She didn't want to be alone.
”He'l be OK.”
He seemed to be rea.s.suring both of them. Kendra lowered her head to blink away tears and noticed his afghan in her arms. She shuddered at the sight of Thomas's blood and fur on the yarn.
”Thank you for helping Tom. I'l wash your afghan before I give it back to you.”
”Don't worry about it.” Paul took the blanket back, folding it so neither of them could see the evidence of Thomas's wounds.
”It's beautiful.”
”Thanks. My mother made it.”
And he'd wrapped her bleeding cat in it. ”How did you find Tom?”
”He came to me. He knocked on my door. I don't know how he knew where I lived.”
It took mere moments for Kendra to figure it out. ”Tom took a walk right after you left yesterday. He must have fol owed you home.”
”Why?”
She gazed into his brown eyes. He had such kind eyes.
”He must have sensed something in you that he liked.”
A corner of his ful lips curved upward. ”Unlike the way he feels about your boyfriend?”
Kendra nodded. ”And he's right. Harvey wouldn't have wrapped Tom in paper towels much less an afghan his mother had made for him. And he wouldn't be sitting here beside me waiting for news on Tom's recovery.”
”I'm sorry to hear that.”
”So am I. That's why we're not together anymore.”
Paul arched a brow. ”Real y?”
”Real y. I owe that to Tom as wel .”
”Smart cat.”
Kendra smiled. ”That he is. Have you ever had a pet?”
”My family had cats and dogs. And goldfish.”
Kendra's smile grew. ”A menagerie. We didn't have pets. Tom is my first.”
”Where did you get him?”
”I found him in our complex a couple of blocks from my town house. He'd been pretty badly beaten. I wonder if it was the same cat he fought with today?”
”What made you keep him?”
Kendra shrugged. ”I don't know. I guess it's because he had nowhere else to go.” She huffed a breath and crossed her arms. ”Why does he have to roam the streets and get into fights? Why can't he just sit in the window and look cute?”
Paul gave a surprised bark of laughter. ”Then he wouldn't be a cat. He'd be an ornament.”
Kendra blinked at him, then she laughed, too. ”I guess you're right.”
They talked about nothing. The act of making conversation kept her nerves at bay. More than an hour pa.s.sed. Paul offered to get some lunch, but neither of them was hungry.
Final y, Thomas's doctor entered the waiting room. The pet.i.te, curvy redhead approached them. The paper booties covering her shoes crunched against the tiled floor.
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