Rehab Part II
Breathing a sigh of relief January watched as Kaylee. whispered her goodbyes to the little skunk and then let her mother lead her out of the room.
When they got outside, the woman who’d met them outside was standing there, “hey, look who it is. My rescue buddy.”
“Dr. Miles said he would put Henry on your social media page so I can watch him get better from home.” Kaylee had tears running down her cheeks as she kept looking over her shoulder at the building she’d just come from.
“Oh, I think it would be a wonderful idea, Kaylee. We will make sure this happens for you.”
“Thanks. Otherwise, I think she’d be taking hostages and forcing people to give her the skunk as a pet.”
“Sometimes skunks can be great pets, but they need to undergo operations to remove their scent glands. Personally, I don’t think it’s fair to an animal who is meant to live wild and free but if the critter is not able to 1/5
be rehabilitated and released, it’s often not the worst
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idea. Especially for ones who were hand reared and don’t fear humans much.”
January wanted to strangle her for even putting the idea into the child’s head, as Kaylee’s eyes rounded excitedly.
She looked at her mother hungrily, “really?”
“Not happening. The rehabilitation center needs to try to get him ready to live a life in the wild the way a skunk should but I’m sure he’ll always remember the sweet little girl who rescued him and saved his life.”
“Do you think so Mom?”
“I really do,” she reassured her child. She noted a public. bathroom, “why don’t you go for a quick pee and come back. It’s a long drive home.”
“Okay!” Kaylee took off running in the direction of the toilets like she was excited to use the bathroom in a foreign place.
“You know what? I’m sure we have a bunch of shampoo meant for sprays like this. I can gift you some. Why don’t Fo wait two minutes, and I’ll run inside and fill a bag for
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you? I mean it’s meant to go on dogs which get sprayed but I’m sure you could use it on yourself.” The facilitator spoke suddenly.
“Sure. I’d be grateful.”
Leaning against the trunk of the car she looked around the sanctuary and found it was really pretty. In the Vermont countryside, an hour outside of Burlington, of course in the opposite direction of where she lived an hour outside of Burlington, it was idyllic. Finding the place who would willingly accept the stinky mammal had been a challenge but having her daughter sobbing while the local ranger said it was likely best to euthanize him put them on this excursion.
Lost in her daydreams she almost missed the movement coming out of the main building. A tall and handsome man was coming out with a couple of other people, and she felt her stomach tighten involuntarily. She quickly moved to duck behind the car, taking deep breaths.
He was here. Why the fuck was he in Vermont with Ford Miles when his entire business was New York, London, and whatever part of Greece he was from? She
reptitiously snuck a glance as he laughed at something
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another volunteer was telling him and she nearly cried with the realization the last nearly eight years made him even more handsome, more rugged, more refined.
Would Ford tell him about the kid who looked like his son? She needed to get out of there and fast. When Gulliver ducked into the medical facility, his head barely clearing the opening, she was reminded he was a tall fucker at six feet four inches tall. She felt tears stinging her eyes as he disappeared from view.
Her daughter came out of the public toilets with a loud slamming of the door and January sent a glance heavenward thanking whoever was watching over them for the perfect timing.
“Go get in the car and we’ll get a move on.” January nearly gagged at the smell as her daughter opened the car door and the odor, which was trapped in it, baking in the springtime sun escaped with a vengeance. “Holy shit that stinks. I’m going to need to burn my car, aren’t I?”
She debated waiting for the shampoo but then decided against it. It wasn’t worth the risk. She climbed in behind the wheel and turned the engine on and backed down the driveway instead of circling around the road when would
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put them closer to the medical center. She needed to get the hell out of here and now.
“Mom? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, baby. I’m fine. Just ready to get home.”
“Me too. I really hope Henry is going to be okay.”
“Me too. We can check back tomorrow to see if he’s online yet.”
“I hope he has a happy ever after, Mom.”
As she contemplated the man she was leaving in the dust. again, she considered the critter had a far better chance at getting that than she ever did.
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