#zinniarhee

Indy was safe! Thank the moon, Indy was safe. Layla could breathe a sigh of relief. If anything had happened to him, she didn’t know what she would have done. The Lyft she had called for couldn’t get her there fast enough. And when they were in the parking lot, she nearly jumped out of the car, before it had stopped, “I’ll be back out shortly.”

With a hurried pace, she headed into the building. It looked as though the vet’s office had just closed, “Hello?” Scanning the empty room, Layla found her way to the counter and waited anxiously. Was Indy okay? Had something happened to him? As she stood quietly, trying to be patient, she could feel her leg shaking in anticipation. She had just wanted to see the small dog and make sure he was, indeed, safe.

It wasn’t uncommon for Zinnia to find the occasional stray pet. Whether or not she let those who lost their animals waltz in and take them out was different, though. The dog that she had found looked to be as happy as could be, just a bit lost. She wouldn’t know until she saw the owner, however. The clinic was now closed, for which was grateful-- the last thing she needed was for others to see the way in which she interrogated the owner of the pup. 

The sound of the bell rang throughout the office, an indication that the woman had arrived. Zinnia carried the dog in her arms out into the lobby. The girl looked anxious, as she should have been. Zinnia knelt to let the dog down, and immediately, he scampered her way. Loud yips and yaps left him as he looked at her excitedly and Zinnia felt herself ease. “He’s cute,” she said as she watched him. “I gave him a bath, too. He was a bit dirty.” Zinnia leaned against the desk as she rounded the corner.

Her wolf hearing had allowed her the opportunity to hear someone coming, but it didn’t ease her nerves. However, when she laid eyes on Indy, a wave of relief washed over her. He was safe, and he looked as happy as he could be. It was when the small tan and white pup came racing towards her, is when Layla had felt the most at ease. They had been through a lot together. Not having him in her life had worried her to death, and if there had been the chance that she had lost him too, during everything else, she never would have forgiven herself.

“Indy!” Kneeling, she watched as he ran and jumped into her arms. Falling back on her butt, she laughed as he licked away her tears and worries, “You smell so good, Buddy!” Layla let her eyes move to the woman standing against the desk, while Indy continued to give her kisses, “Thank you so so so much! What do I owe you for the bath and for keeping her safe?” She hoped it wouldn’t be too much, but she’d be sure to pay back every bit of it, whatever it was.

Zinnia preferred it this way. She liked it when the animal was happy to see its owner. This was much better than watching them cower in fear behind her, helpless. Zinnia turned to look over the receptionist’s desk. Her calendar was free for now. She glanced back over to the redhead as she showered Indy with affection. “You don’t need to worry about payment,” Zinnia smiled at her. “How did he get out, if I might ask?” Zinnia still had to be cautious. People were generally good liars. 

Zinnia knew that she couldn’t let the woman leave with her dog, not without asking a few questions. “I didn’t see him in my records, when were his last shots?” She asked as she crossed the distance between them, leaning down to give Indy a good scratch behind his ear. “We just like to take precautions, and I couldn’t be sure what he had run into before he ended up here.”

She understood being questioned. Layla knew Zinnia was just doing her job, and while it felt like she was on trial, she would answer anything the woman needed to know, “Wow, um. Thank you so much. And, as ridiculous as this sounds, he got out when it was raining dog toys. I opened the door and he squeezed past me. I ran out looking for him, but I can tell you, it’s hard to get anything done when you’re getting pelted in the head by squeaky toys every 5 seconds.” She looked down to the dog, “Don’t worry, Indy. I saved some for you.” Whether that was a bad idea or not would come out later.

Layla watched as the woman leaned down and gave him a few scratches, but something felt off...no, smelled off. She had noticed it when she walked in but didn’t think anything of it. However, now with Zinnia in her face, she could tell this woman wasn’t human. “Uh, they gave him all his puppy shots at animal control a few months ago. Does he need more? Kaden Langley would know, and I have his paperwork at home.” 

The dog toys. Of course, a dog would take advantage of such a situation. “That’s fair,” Zinnia said after a moment. She couldn’t say that she would be capable of doing much with such a distraction, either. Especially if she were concerned with her missing dog. It’d be hard to ignore everything going on in the background. What mattered here, however, was that the dog had been found, and that he was safe. She could see the relief on the woman’s face, and that made Zinnia feel slightly better about the situation at hand. 

“Animal control?” Zinnia asked curiously. She straightened up and looked at Layla, “Have you taken him to the vet?” She knew there was another office in town, and she had done her research. So far, they seemed… capable. Animal control could only do so much, and it was important to provide thorough care for a pet once it was adopted. “If not,” Zinnia crossed to the receptionist desk and grabbed a pamphlet, “I have openings for new patients.” If she had the time, she’d take on all the animals in White Crest. Just to be sure. 

“Yeah, that’s where I adopted him from. But no, I don’t guess I have. This is my first time owning a dog.” Layla was embarrassed, so much so that she could feel her cheeks turning red. She didn’t want Zinnia or Kaden or anyone to have a reason to take him away from her. He was everything to her. Her family, and the only one that was at her side no matter what. She looked up to see the woman walking to the receptionist desk, “I’d like one. I want one. What days do you have available?” She looked down to Indy and back to Zinnia. If she was going to have Indy in her life, she was going to make sure he was well taken care of. He was her responsibility after all.

“A first-time owner?” It made sense, then. Why Indy wouldn’t listen to Layla to come back. Still, Zinnia wanted to offer her the intel of puppy training classes. “For right now, Wednesdays. That doesn’t mean there aren’t cancellations, or that I won’t be able to take you on another day if you can’t make your appointment, but I need at least 48 hours’ notice on all cancellations.” She handed over the pamphlet, as well as one on puppy training classes that her clinic held on the first and third Saturday of every month. “You can take a look at this, too. It might be good for you since you’re a new owner.” Zinnia offered the young woman a smile before she glanced back down to the dog. “Behave, okay?”