Chapter Eleven

“I don’t know what happened, Megan. All of a sudden it started blinking at me and then it just died!” Jess wailed, pointing at the lifeless object.

Megan put a comforting arm around her receptionist’s shoulders and said, “It’s all right. Did you try calling someone?”

“Yes, and no one picked up at the emergency line. Maybe all of theirs died too!”

Tentatively, Megan reached out and shook it. It didn’t even flicker. She pressed her ear to it, listening for any signs of life. Nothing. She sighed and looked at Jess.

“Looks like we need a new computer,” she said.

Jess almost started crying. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to kill it. I even tried to get into yours and Curt’s and Ally’s computers, and the whole system is dead.”

“It wasn’t your fault. What were you doing when it happened?”

“I was updating medical files on this month’s patients.”

“Oh shit. It’s that time already?”

Jess nodded. “Yeah, I thought I’d get a head start on it for you.”

“Thanks so much. But I guess now it needs to be done by hand.” Megan smacked the dead computer monitor. “Stupid thing. Well, give the guys at the computer place another call, tell them we need a new system, pronto.”

“All right. But what about the files?”

“Well, we’ve got them on paper too, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll just write it all in tonight then.”

“That’s gonna take you forever! Do you want some help?”

Megan glanced at the calander on the wall, seeing the big red heart scrawled around today’s date. “Jess, I know today is your anniversary with Greg. There is no way in hell I’m letting you work tonight.”

Jess smiled. “You’re the best boss in the world!”

“Well thank you.” She gave the computer one last whack before turning towards her office. “Did anyone call while I was out?”

“Actually,” Jess said, reaching for a stack of phone messages. “A guy named Alex called, asking for you. He sounded sexy. Are you dating someone, Megan?”

“Oh, well, yeah,” she muttered.

“And you didn’t tell me? Come on, who is it? Someone I know?”

“You probably do,” Megan said, eyeing the Backstreet Boys pen sticking out of the pen cup. “But, the thing is, we kind of don’t want the public to know yet.”

Jess stared in shock. “Someone famous?!”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, okay. Tell me when you’re ready then.”

“I will.”

Megan stopped at the huge filing cabinet in the hallway leading to her office and took out a stack of multi-colored folders. The two other vetrinarians were away on a vacation, with each other, and wouldn’t be back until next week. But the medical histories of the animals needed updating now. She carried the folders to her office and closed the door. She had barely sat down when her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Megs, where have you been? I thought maybe we could have lunch together,” AJ said, sounding hurt.

“I was with Casey at the hospital. She really liked the basketball.”

“That’s good. Kev came banging on my door at 10am this morning. I could have killed him. I hope she could read my signature.”

“She could read it just fine. I’m sorry about lunch.”

“That’s okay, some other time then. Like, what about tonight? Are you busy?”

“You just saw me last night!”

“So? I want to see you again. Is that so wrong?”

Megan smiled broadly. “No, it’s not wrong. But tonight is really bad for me. Our main computer system died today and I need to work on some stuff tonight. I have a very expensive paperweight sitting on my desk right now.”

“All right. I won’t bother you then. How about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow, tomorrow...” She flipped through her appointment book. “I’m off work at five.”

“Great! I’ll take you out to dinner, then maybe dancing...”

AJ was off and running with plans for the next evening. Megan half listened as she began sorting through files. This was going to be one bitch of a job. AJ rambled on and then Megan thought she heard him say “Kevin.”

“What about Kevin?” she interrupted.

“Kevin? Nothing about Kevin. I said ‘heaven.’ The dessert at Pinkerman’s Restaurant is heaven.”

She gulped. “Sorry, having hearing problems I guess.”

“Okay. So, dinner tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sounds great.”

“All right. I’ll let you get back to your work then. Bye, Megan.”

“Bye, AJ.” She hung up and let her head hit the desk with a thud. “Owwww! Dammit!”

She rubbed her forehead and forced herself not to think about Kevin. Jess knocked on her door to inform her that her one o’ clock appointment was there.

“Good, I’ll be there in a minute,” she said.

A woman and a young girl were waiting for her. The girl held out a small black kitten.

“He’s sick,” she told Megan.

“Well, we’ll just have to make him better, won’t we? What’s his name?”

“Kevvy-Kev,” the little girl answered, stroking the kitten’s fur. “He’s named after my favorite Backstreet Boy.”