Authors: RM Alexander
Chapter Seventeen
With Alex and Liz watching over the sanctuary, two new men coming later in the day to interview for security, and the rest of the team busy with building the towers, Cami was on her way out. She needed a break, even if it was only a couple hours. A chance to clear her head, allow an emotional break. Caring for the sanctuary felt like walking on the proverbial eggshells the last couple days, always looking over a shoulder, staggering out to check on the cats every morning almost before she woke to make sure they were healthy. Alive. Sometimes even during the night.
And then there was Paul. He’d been calling her every day, asked her out, asked about the sanctuary and the cats. The night before, he’d even asked if everything was okay. She’d been keeping her answers quick, light, dismissive, and knew she couldn’t put him off forever.
Two fingers rubbed hard against an eyebrow. “If only you’d come up with something, Tommy. Prove it was Paul. Or wasn’t.” She chewed a thumbnail. Wasn’t her suspicion enough to dismiss a relationship? She guessed it was. “But proof would be so nice.”
She pulled into the movie theatre parking lot. It’d been ages since she’d gone to a movie, and longer since she’d gone alone. Now it just sounded like a nice two hour retreat. No thoughts. No company. No worrying about who was wanting or feeling or wishing what. Cami smiled and stepped out of the car.
Ticket in hand, she stood in line for the popcorn and a pop, then headed for theatre B. Taking a seat in the balcony, she settled in, waiting for the lights to dim.
“Cami? I thought that was you.” Paul eased into the chair next to her, blond hair teasing an eyebrow, smile easy.
She sucked her lips over her teeth. “Hi, Paul. I’m surprised to see you. Following me?”
He laughed and nudged her shoulder. “No, but I’m glad I ran into you. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”
She popped a fluffed kernel in her mouth, eyes focused on the black screen at the front of the theater.
He leaned to the side of the chair. “Ouch. You have been. Did I say something?”
“No, you didn’t say anything. Just trying to figure out what you’re doing.” She scooted as far from him as the seat would allow. “I’m not sure what your intentions are.”
He smiled. “I thought that moment in your kitchen was pretty clear. Did I step over the line?”
The lights dimmed. “I think the movie is starting.”
“Yes, I think you’re right.” Paul leaned towards her. “But you didn’t answer my question.”
Another piece of popcorn.
Couldn’t the guy take a hint
? “No, you didn’t step over the line with the kiss. That’s not my concern.”
“Then what is, Cami?”
Previews lit up the theatre and she glanced at him through the peripherals. “We can talk later. I kind of came here for a break from everything.”
He paused, and Cami felt his eyes on her. “Is it okay if I sit here?”
She shrugged. “You can do whatever you like.”
“Ouch again.”
The long wave of previews bled into the feature. Cami stared at the screen, fighting the urge to look at Paul, feeling his attention shift between her and the movie. She wanted to scream at him, feel repulsed by him, smack him. Instead, the attraction nudged her, and she considered getting up and leaving. The slow tug of his fingers reaching for hers stalled her, and Cami turned to face Paul in the dimness.
“Whatever it is, I want you know, I don’t regret that kiss. I’d like to do it again. Do I have your permission?”Brows furrowed as she studied him, and she held frozen as he eased forward to brush his lips against hers. “You’re captivating.” He turned back to the movie, leaving her confused and uncertain.
Paul walked her across the dark parking lot to her car. Cami leaned against the cold metal as he stood, reaching to take her hands, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “Did you like the movie?”
“I did. More than I thought I would.”
“Did you mind the company?”
“Not as much as I thought I would.”
“Cami, what is it? What do you see when you look at me?”
She shrugged, pulling her hands away. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s the problem.”
“Can I tell you what I see?”
She tilted her head to one shoulder and waited.
He stepped forward, a hand pressing against the car frame, the other on her arm. “I see a women who knows her passion. One who is more than happy to be resigned to a life dedicated to animals that will keep her locked to this area. But I also see a woman who is afraid to feel that connection with people, even though she wants to find the right man.”
“Maybe.”
“I’d like to try to be that right man.”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure you are.”
He leaned down and claimed her mouth, harder than he had inside, more possessive. Cami backed away, staring at him hard. “Did you come to the sanctuary this week?”
Paul shook his head. “No, I would’ve come to the door if I did. Why do you ask?”
She shifted her gaze down, thought for a moment. “No reason. Someone just thought they’d seen you.”
“No, if I had come there, I most certainly would have come to see you. I have no other reason to be there.”
She shook her head, pulling her hands away. “No, that’s true. You don’t.”
Chapter Eighteen
The morning rose with a cold stillness. Cami opened her eyes, and eased up in bed, an invisible, undefinable compression on her chest. She shuddered and pushed the blankets off. She sat still, listening. Something was wrong. The cats weren’t calling for breakfast in the familiar groans. Even Regellius was quiet.
With robe rippling as she pulled the fabric over bare shoulders, bare feet pounding against the floor, Cami flew down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the door. The weighted air felt thicker, the normal chuffing silent. Eyes darted to the soft morning sun rising above the horizon and covered her mouth. Morning roars should've been thrumming the sanctuary this time of morning.
Cami raced to Regellius’ pen. He was no where to be seen. “Regellius. Where are you at, boy?”
No answer, not a single moan. She edged along the perimeter of the pen, searching for signs of the cat she loved.
As she stood mid-cage, searching the shadows, minute movements in the darkest corner caught her attention. “Regellius? What is it, boy?”
The striped cat didn’t move towards her, and Cami’s heart sunk. Without thought, she hurried to the door and slid it open, stepping inside. Alarms sounded deep within her ears, and dismissed. She knew the risk and didn’t care. Something was wrong with Regellius, and she didn’t have the time to call for help.
Keeping her back against the wall, she stepped one foot in front of the other, slowly edging towards the cat. If Regellius knew she was there, and Cami guessed he did, he didn’t lift his head.
She stopped, listened. His breathing sounded shallow, raspy. She bit the inside bottom lip.
Something is really wrong
.
“Hey, boy. It’s me. What is it, boy?”
He shifted his head an inch, maybe two, against the floor, without raising it. She pulled out her phone and texted Jessica.
With Reggy. Need help. 911
Tucking the phone back in the drooping robe pocket, she sunk to the ground next to him, the cat too weak to acknowledge her presence. Slowly, Cami reached a hand out, hesitated, pulled the hand back, and then gently touched the cat’s head. A weak chuff sounded and silenced in the time it took Cami to pull in a breath.
She stroked his fur, soft and thick, legs stretched out as she settled against the straw and wood chips. "It's going to be okay. Help is coming, and I'm not leaving you."
The large pink tongue eased between his large mouth and disappeared. Regellius groaned, chuffed and fell silent.
“Cami, what in the world are you doing?”
The hushed voice meant nothing as she watched the cat’s breathing labor, the fur rising and falling in long, heart-breaking movements. Settling on impulse more than reason, she eased a hand down to the cat’s large pink nose. Dry.
“Cami? You shouldn’t be in there with him like that.”
She turned to face Jessica. “He’s really sick.”
“Yes, I see that. Even more reason for you not to be in there. He could attack, you
know.”
“No, he won’t.”
“I’d still feel better if you’d come out of there and let me take care of him.”
Cami rubbed his neck. “Okay boy, I’m going to leave you in Jessica’s care. She’ll take good care of you, and I won’t be far.”
She rose in slow motion to her feet, careful not to startle the tiger, sliding against the wall in the same way she came in.
Standing outside the door, she looked at Jessica. “Please, do whatever you can. It doesn’t look good.”
She nodded, voice gentle. “That’s why you hired me. But you being careless like that isn’t going to help Regellius, me, or the sanctuary. You can get yourself killed like that. You know better.”
“Just save him.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Jessica shot the tranquilizer at Regellius, and the cat echoed a plaintive roar as the dart drilled into the thick fur, hitting the mark. He didn’t stand, didn’t pace.
His eyes simply closed.
“Is he …?” Cami couldn’t finish, nausea hitting her in waves.
“No, but we have to act fast. I’m going to need some help. Please page Alyssa. Have you checked on the other cats?”
She shook her head as trembling fingers send a message to Alyssa. “No, but something’s wrong. I haven’t heard any of them this morning, and usually they’re waking me up to be fed.” She finished the text, and messaged Alex. Sliding the phone in the robe, she crossed her arms, staring as Jessica examined the tiger, the back of Cami’s throat constricting tight.
““Go check the other cats, Cami. I need to know if they are all sick.”
She stood steadfast for a moment, then turned away, knowing she could do nothing for Regellius. Utterly helpless.
She rushed from cage to cage, heart heavy as each cat lie hidden in corners and darkness, unwilling to come to her, all without response.
At Cato’s cage, Cami stopped, dropping to her knees, no longer able to hold back the tears. The fiercest of the cats, the one cat no one was able to approach. The Bengal lie next to the fence, still. She stared, knowing life vacated him sometime in the night, the stench of death curling her nose, the contents of last night’s dinner emptied in his bowel and vomit.
She poked a finger through the fencing, doing what she’d been unable to do when Cato lived, and stroked a lifeless ear.
“Cami?”
“He may have been mean, but he was still part of the family here. He came from one of the worst environments, fought through it, came here to live out his life.”
Alex stooped next to her, arm around her waist. “You did good by him.”
“Did you stop by Regellius’ pen? Is Alyssa here yet?”
“Yes.”
“Is Regellius …”
“He’s still alive. They’re working on him. What about the other tigers?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Xena, Bianca, they all are not responding. Shikar came to the fencing, but she looked dazed. Whatever happened to Cato,” she paused, stroked his ear again, and turned away. “They all seem sick with it.”
“Some kind of bug?”
Cami allowed Alex to help her stand, hands tucked in back pockets, head hung. “I don’t know. This isn’t my thing, you know. But I can’t think of where they would have caught a bug that would have left them all sick in such a short amount of time.”
“Something they ate? Bad meat?”
“It's delivered fresh daily, and carefully prepared with all the nutritional supplements. We use it too quickly for it to go bad.” She dug her toes into the earth, the soles sore from Regellius cage and running from cage to cage.
Alex's eyes trailed down her body. "You're not dressed to be traisping around the sanctuary. You're feet okay?"
She frowned, shook her head.
He nodded. "We’ll have to wait, then, I guess. Did Shakir eat the same thing as the others?”
“They all eat the same thing. None of them are on a special diet.”
Alex took off his hat, whapped it against a leg, and sighed. “Okay, well, we’ll leave that to Tommy. Are you going back to Regellius?”
She nodded.
“Okay. I’ll go check on the others, see if any are like Cato.” He said the words and fiddled with his hat, fingers playing alongside the rim. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nodded again, staring at Cato’s body. “I’m made of tough stuff, remember?”
“Yeah, but that’s just your outer shell. You can’t hide it from me, Cam.”
“I know.”
She turned away, certain Alex would remove Cato from the pen and scrub out the enclosure. Leaving him to such a gruesome job was wrong, but she didn't want to do it. Couldn't do it. She'd failed the Bengal.
Regellius’ pen was a flurry of action as Cami approached, Jessica and Alyssa both huddled over his body. The quickness of their movements and hurried whispers no more than a series of hisses and muffled hums spoke volumes.
He’s not dead yet
.
She trotted to the fence, peered in to see Regellius still unconscious. “How’s it going?”
“He’s in bad shape, but he’s fighting, and so are we. We’re going to rush him over to the clinic now, give him some support. What about the other cats?” Jessica asked without looking up from her patient.
Cami watched as the women, along with a couple of volunteers, hoisted the cat on a cart. “Cato is dead. Alex is checking on the others again, but they all seem sick, all except Shakir. She seems to be okay.”
“Well, that’s something.” Jessica nodded to the men. “Thanks, guys. Can you please go touch base with Alex, see where we are.” The men grunted and rushed off, Jessica turned to Cami. “We’re going to need more help here. We’re only two people, and we’ve got seven or eight very sick cats, one dead.”
She nodded, yanked out her phone and started dialing. “I’ll contact everyone I know. I’ll get you as much help as possible.”
Jessica nodded. “We’ll save him, Cami. I’ll do everything I can, and pray the rest of the way through.”
She nodded, and turned away as the other end of the phone was answered. Running towards the house, she talked as fast as she could, hung up, dialed another number as she flung open the front door and bounded up the staircase. With two more nearby vets already on the way, Cami tore a shirt from the hanger, opened and slammed dresser drawers to retrieve whatever clothes trembling fingers clasped onto. Shoulder propping phone to ear, she talked and hopped into a pair of rugged jeans. Two more volunteers on the way. Cami laid the phone on the bed, speaker turned on, pulled a shirt on and hopped into a pair of work boots. One more vet, three more volunteers.
She tore down the steps.