Furever Enchanted, page 5
“Yes.” Zuri held her hand out to take the coins, and the woman’s smile turned into a frown.
After waiting for what felt like a beat too long, she finally deposited them into Zuri’s hand.
“The tech said your dog. . .” She paused, clearly looking for a more elegant choice of words.
“She pooped them,” Zuri filled in.
“Right.” The woman nodded. “How long have you had this dog, and where did you get her?”
Before Zuri could answer, Dr. Rodriguez knocked and opened the door without waiting for an answer. Her expression went from neutral to troubled as soon as she laid eyes on the newcomer.
“Dr. Smith, what are you doing here?” she questioned, clearly confused. “I thought you would’ve gone home by now.”
“I was curious about where the coins came from, Claudia.” Dr. Smith stood and smiled with all her teeth, which looked very sharp and almost shark-like. The smile didn’t reach her eyes.
Claudia. Dr. Rodriguez’s first name didn’t escape Zuri’s notice. She looked like a Claudia, especially when her dark hair was down like it was now. It framed her face before curling in just above her shoulders. She pulled it behind her ear as she signed into the computer, revealing small gold hoop earrings.
“I didn’t know you were interested in coins.” Dr. Rodriguez raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. I am a collector actually, so I wanted to see where they came from.” Dr. Smith leaned against the exam table, looking anything but relaxed. Her smile turned into a line and her eyes flicked between Gigi, Zuri, and Dr. Rodriguez.
“I would like to discuss the results of the X-ray with my patient, Gigi, and her. . .” Dr. Rodrigues paused. “Her caretaker, Zuri, if you don’t mind.”
Dr. Rodriguez turned away from her computer and looked at Dr. Smith pointedly.
“I don’t mind,” Dr. Smith said, but she made no move to walk to the door.
“I meant you should go home, Dr. Smith,” Dr. Rodriguez stated, point blank.
“Right.” Dr. Smith straightened. “Well, it was nice to meet you Zuri, and Gigi.” She tried to reach down to pet Gigi, but Gigi barked and snapped at her hand, just missing it by a quarter inch.
Grabbing the harness a little tighter, she looked up at Dr. Smith, expecting her to be startled or scared. She certainly was. Not of Gigi, but of the just barely missed consequences of her dog biting someone.
Instead, the woman looked down at the dog with more scorn and disdain than Zuri thought possible. Normally, Gigi was adorable, especially now that she was cleaned up, in her matching pink floral collar and harness. How could anyone look at her with such pure hatred? Especially a veterinarian. To do this job day in and day out, you would have to love animals a lot, and at least be able to tolerate people. Didn’t this kind of thing occasionally happen to them? It shouldn’t have been a surprise to Dr. Smith that not every dog was going to want to be petted by a stranger.
Catching Zuri’s surprised face, Dr. Smith turned to her with a fake and semi-alarming grin.
“I’m sorry. She’s never done that before,” Zuri stammered.
“Don’t worry about it,” Dr. Smith’s sickeningly sweet voice chimed. “Happens all the time.” Finally, she left. As soon as the door closed behind her, Zuri could feel Gigi relax. She massaged Gigi’s shoulders.
“It’s okay, Gigi. The scary lady is gone now.”
Dr. Rodriguez coughed, and Zuri remembered she wasn’t alone.
“Sorry, I don’t know what that was. I’ve never seen her bark at anyone before. She’s been very chill with everyone else.” She would not apologize for calling Dr. Smith scary. That was an objective truth, the same as Dr. Rodriguez being pretty.
Dr. Rodriguez looked down at Gigi, who eyed the doctor suspiciously but with no hint of aggression.
“Yes, well, you’ll have to be careful when introducing her to new people. Some dogs are people, and dog selective. They get along great with some people and react poorly to others. It’s just something to be mindful of so that nobody gets hurt.” Dr. Rodriguez crossed the room and knelt in front of Gigi.
The Chow didn’t move, and Zuri didn’t feel her tense up under her fingertips, but she took hold of her harness handle again, just in case.
Dr. Rodriguez put her hand out for Gigi to sniff, but Gigi ignored it, snubbing her. Unfazed, the doctor pet the side of Gigi’s face, reaching to Gigi’s right and not over her head. The dog allowed it, her eyes softening.
“We didn’t see any additional obstructions or find anything that looked concerning. I don’t know why Gigi ate the coins, but aside from a little extra wear and tear on her digestive track, she should be okay.” Dr. Rodriguez stood.
“That’s a relief. I feel bad for not having the X-ray done when we were here before.” Zuri sighed.
“You didn’t know about the coins, and I advised you to wait. It’s hard. Animals are unpredictable and unfortunately, they can’t talk and tell us when something is wrong. Besides, if you had done the X-ray, Gigi would have had to go through surgery. Everything worked out in the end.” The corners of Dr. Rodriguez’s mouth curved up slightly. It was the closest thing to a smile that Zuri had seen cross the doctor’s face.
“Wow, I thought for sure you were going to scold me for being a bad dog owner again or tell me to take Gigi back to Tails.”
Dr. Rodriguez’s eyes darted back to Zuri, her mouth gaping.
“I never said you were a bad dog owner,” Dr. Rodriguez snapped, sounding more defensive than angry.
“You implied it. That I shouldn’t have been matched with Gigi.” Zuri wasn’t normally the confrontational type, but she also didn’t sugarcoat things or dance around them. She was direct and honest, sometimes to a fault.
“You’re right, I did. I’m sorry, I was wrong.”
Now Zuri was the one gaping.
“Look, we got off on the wrong foot. This is a tough job, and I see a lot of pet owners who shouldn’t have animals, and even worse are the ones who don’t come in when their animals are sick. You’ve done nothing but right by Gigi since you got her, and she clearly trusts you already. I misjudged you and I’m sorry.”
Zuri opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say. The doctor’s apology seemed to be sincere and not just to placate Zuri to avoid losing her business. Before she could think of something, the vet tech came back into the room.
“Ready to go home?” the tech chimed, her smile not reaching her eyes. It was time to let the staff clock out.
“Yes.” Zuri stood. Gigi followed her lead and started walking toward the door.
“Thanks again,” Zuri said to her shoes as she shuffled past Dr. Rodriguez to pay their bill.
Chapter 8
Tuesday
“You’re going to poke an eye out Gigi, and I really don’t want to go back to the vet,” Zuri scolded.
Although, if she was honest, she wouldn’t mind seeing the beautiful Dr. Claudia Rodriguez again. She was a little intimidating, but she was also honest, kind, and seemed to really care about the animals she looked after. Zuri shook her head like it was an Etch A Sketch to clear the images of the doctor away. Nope. The last thing she needed was a crush on her dog’s vet. That was a sure way to feed the anxiety monster living in her head every time she needed to make a vet appointment.
“Gigi.” She sighed as Gigi wriggled herself farther into a bush. It already enveloped most of her body. Zuri could only see her hindquarters sticking out, tail wagging, as she undoubtedly watched a lizard that was just out of reach.
The prey drive is strong with this one, she couldn’t help but think. Chasing rabbits and lizards was her favorite hobby. A couple of days ago, Zuri also learned this applied to chasing squeaky toys across the living room and in the backyard. Though Gigi never brought the toys back, her tail wagged in delight as she retrieved them. It was a side of Gigi that she hadn’t seen before. Adorable.
“Seriously Gigi, let’s go.” Zuri lightly tugged on the leash and Gigi finally pulled herself out of the bush.
They were visiting the nearby Riparian Preserve before she got stuck at her desk, bogged down with work. The path was sometimes dirt, sometimes paved. It twisted into dense areas of shrubs and then winded away to expansive open spaces with ponds. They still had water in them now, but in the high heat of the summer, they would quickly dry up.
For Gigi, it was an endless playground with things to chase. They’d passed a few other dogs, but Gigi had only been interested in a Cattle Dog, crying after its owner pulled it away.
“Do you want some steak when we get home?” She asked. Gigi looked up at her, ears popping up.
Zuri tried to feed her gentler food that morning. Actual dog food and boiled chicken, but Gigi wasn’t having it. In the eight days since she’d brought the dog home, Gigi had only eaten three times, all small amounts of steak.
She was worried Gigi was going to lose weight. Zuri put chicken broth in her water bowl, hoping it would provide some more nutrients, but that was the best she could do. She could give Gigi food, but she could not make her eat.
Although steak wasn’t the best for Gigi’s digestive track or her cholesterol, if she would eat it, then Zuri would feed it to her. For now, at least.
After returning from the Riparian Preserve, Gigi laid at Zuri’s feet while she cooked two steaks, one for Gigi, and a breakfast steak for herself. Hash browns and a few eggs sizzled in another pan.
She plated everything, a fully loaded plate of mostly eggs with a little steak on top for Gigi, and a plate of eggs, hash browns, and steak for herself. Gigi gave her a little side eye before digging in, clearly wanting more steak on her plate, but she was finally eating a decent meal, which put Zuri at ease.
It was also nice to have someone to eat with. During her stays with her grandparents, she had eaten three meals a day at a table, but that had never really been her mom’s style. Growing up, she had mostly eaten on the couch in front of the TV or in her room. This was probably the first time she had even eaten at her kitchen island table, she realized. Taking care of Gigi might help her take better care of herself.
Chapter 9
Wednesday
Four more gold coins laid in the grass before Zuri, all covered with specks of blood. Gigi whimpered and laid in the grass, her purple tongue hanging out of her mouth. It was ludicrous. Impossible.
Like breakfast the previous day, Gigi accepted leftover steak with eggs for dinner, though this time she demanded more steak be added before she would touch it.
Now, twenty-four hours after eating, she finally made to go number two, and it was gold coins again. This was crazy. Nothing had shown up on the X-ray and Zuri didn’t have gold coins, or any coins at home. She was more of a card than a cash girl.
She picked up the coins with a dog poop bag and the duo slowly trudged the short distance home. They would get to the bottom of this. She wouldn't let Gigi down.
Friday
Zuri unlocked the door and let Gigi in ahead of her.
A second and then a third veterinary opinion cost her a ridiculous amount of money and Gigi an unfortunate amount of stress, all for no answers. There were no gold coins hiding in Gigi’s digestive track, but there had been none on Dr. Rodriguez’s tests either, and Gigi had still pooped more coins. The only explanation was that Gigi was making the coins herself, but that was impossible.
Zuri paced the living room, Gigi watching her listlessly from her memory foam bed in the corner. She needed more information. Had the previous owner known about this? Is that why they had given the dog up? Although it was difficult to imagine someone willing to give away a dog who literally pooped gold. That would be like chopping down a tree that grew money or cooking a goose that laid gold eggs.
Why hadn’t she asked Julianna more questions before taking Gigi home? Gotten some history? If she went back to Tails, would Julianna give her more information? Maybe she could even contact the previous owners and ask them about it. No, she didn’t want that. They might try to take Gigi back. Could they? Or would the shelter want her back? Shelters were always short on money, and they had given away a dog that pooped gold in exchange for steak.
She looked at the weary Gigi resting in the corner. If anyone had information on why this was happening and how to make it stop, she had to at least try, didn’t she? For Gigi. Although the vets all assured her the dog was fine, this was not normal. Clearly, it was not fine. Even after finally eating, she had lost a couple of pounds since her vet visit with Dr. Rodriguez.
That was it. That was why Gigi didn’t want to eat. She knew this would happen. Even if the coins weren’t hurting her, the not eating would. If Zuri didn’t make this stop, Gigi would starve herself to death.
Closing the gap between her and Gigi, she knelt to pet her. Gigi remained stoic, but Zuri could see her relaxing a little, her paws moving slightly away from her body as she allowed herself to unfurl from a tight, protective ball.
“Don’t worry, Gigi. We’ll figure this out,” she whispered.
Chapter 10
Saturday
“Welcome to Tails Animal Shelter where—” Julianna stopped mid-sentence as recognition set in. Her eyes narrowed, and she searched around Zuri for signs she’d brought Gigi back with her.
“Don’t worry, I’m not here to return Gigi.” She completed the short journey from the door to the information desk. “I just have some questions. You kind of rushed me out of here the other day.”
Julianna’s long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and it swished back and forth as she looked around. Unlike Zuri’s last visit, the rude volunteer wasn’t alone this time. One of the staff was cleaning the floors while another talked to potential adopters near the kennel windows.
“I’m about to go on break. Let’s go talk about this somewhere quieter.” She stepped around the information counter and grabbed Zuri’s arm, pulling her back out the door.
“Carol!” she called to the woman by the kennels. When who Zuri assumed was Carol turned to them, Julianna yelled, “Going on break.”
She pulled Zuri out the door without waiting for a response.
“Where are we going?” Zuri questioned, trying to keep up with Julianna’s quick pace.
“There’s a coffee shop down the street. We can talk there.” Julianna continued to pull her away from the shelter. Between Julianna’s quick pace and nervous glances back at the shelter, it was almost like she was running from something.
“I know how to walk without you pulling my arm,” Zuri said. The words came out more annoyed than she had intended, but she was a little out of breath. It was actually supposed to be a joke, a play on a line from Star Wars, but Julianna didn’t seem to catch the reference. She immediately stopped in her tracks and released her grip.
“Sorry!” she blurted, before continuing forward at a slower pace.
They quickly arrived at a coffee shop just down the street called Hallowed Grounds. The scent of freshly ground coffee hit them before they even opened the doors. It was obvious the building had been zoned as a home in its past life. While the outside could still be mistaken for a house, the interior was entirely cozy cafe vibes. The register and kitchen were up front near the entrance. Unlike more modern coffee shops with open layouts, Hallowed Grounds divided the seating into multiple small rooms on both the first and second floor. Some rooms had large plush armchairs and shelves of books. Others held tables and chairs, with board games stacked in the corner.
Zuri ordered a small flat white. Julianna sheepishly admitted she forgot her wallet on the rush out and Zuri ended up paying for her caramel macchiato too. They waited in silence for their drinks and then Julianna led her to a small, comfy sitting area upstairs.
The coffeehouse was mostly empty to begin with, but the second floor was deserted. Although Hallowed Grounds blasted the air conditioning, keeping the indoor temperature frigid, the second floor was still noticeably warmer. She preferred it since she hadn’t brought a sweater.
“So, you’re not returning Gigi, right?” Julianna’s dark brown eyes searched her face intensely.
“No, no, of course not.” Zuri shook her head. “You were right. We get along really well.” She didn’t owe the rude volunteer the reassurance, but despite Gigi’s mysterious ailment, Zuri did really like the dog. Even if she had basically been forced to adopt her.
Julianna smiled smugly before sipping her coffee. Zuri inwardly rolled her eyes, a little annoyed. Julianna had nothing to be smug about. The adoption could have ended badly. What if Zuri hadn’t had the money for all those tests and exams? What if she’d had to either return Gigi or put her down? What if she just hadn’t liked the stubborn floof ball?
“I mean, she has cost me a lot of money, though. A few thousand dollars actually.” Zuri looked at Julianna pointedly.
“I’m guessing you found out about the gold, then.” Julianna leaned back in her chair.
“So, you knew about it? That she poops gold coins?” Zuri leaned forward in her seat.
“She made four coins the day she was dropped off. That was about a week before you took her home. They did some tests and found nothing. The vets assumed she must have eaten them before she was brought in and just got lucky. Then she refused to eat, so I tried feeding her some hot dogs and chicken, but she wouldn’t eat any of it. I brought in some hamburgers, and she finally ate, so I brought her some more. The morning you took her, she made another four coins.” Julianna pulled a coin out of her pocket.
It was the same half-dollar sized gold coin, with a wheel imprint on it that Zuri had several of at home. Four at a time.
“You should have warned me before sending her home with me. I put her through three different exams and rounds of tests for the coins alone, not even counting her initial vet visit.” Zuri sighed.
