The Small Things [Elvis]

Chapter 4 - A Little Clinic Gets a Big Guest

"Mabel, Nickles is going to be okay."

The sixteen-year-old blonde girl who came in with her mother wiped tears from her eyes as we all stood in one of the little examining rooms in the back of my clinic. "Are you sure? She wasn't supposed to eat that dime. That's not even the right coin for her namesake!"

I chuckled. This girl had a sense of humor, even when she was scared. "I'm sure. I promise that this kitty will be fine."

My hand ran over her long, tan fur. She was a Persian cat, so her fur was a lot longer than the average shorthair. Mabel's mother said, "You can trust Dr. Comm, honey. She knows what she's talking about."

I only smiled at that, loving that that she had confidence in me. "Mabel ate the dime, so it'll just go through her system and come out the other end, okay? If she has any more problems, just come on back in."

Mabel nodded. "Okay. Thanks. I'm just worried."

"As every good pet parent should be."

Mabel took up her fluffy cat with a smooshed face and held her. "So, I saw your picture in the paper. I'm so, so jealous that you got to meet Elvis."

I grinned, recalling that. The paper came with a small story a couple days after I met Elvis. It had been about four days since then. "Yes, it was such a wonderful experience."

"I can't wait when that movie comes out. I'm going to point to you and say, 'There's my vet!'"

"It's going to be a surreal moment for sure. I still think that I dreamt it all up. But for my dog Lila's sake, I hope not. She was so taken with Elvis."

"Oh, golly!" Mabel whined. "What I would give to meet him. He's here in town, too!"

"Maybe you will, you never know," I said.

We exited the little room and went down a narrow hallway. This building looked small from the front, but it went back a ways, so when looking at the top of it, it was a long rectangle squashed in between two larger buildings. It could only fit a lobby, a small employee lounge and three exam rooms on the first floor. I lived on the second floor in a little apartment that was just my size. That was where Lila was.

Before we reached the door that led back into the lobby area where a few other people were waiting with their animals, we heard a girl scream out there. Mabel, her mother and I all exchanged concerned expressions. I quickly opened the door to see all the people in the clinic at the window.

"What on Earth is going on?" I asked, and Mabel went to the door window. She squealed. "It's Elvis! AH! Elvis is here!"

My eyes widened and jaw dropped open. "Elvis is what?"

Everyone, including my receptionist and other vet hands went to the window, and some others went outside. I stepped up to the window and saw Elvis outside of a black Cadillac as he stood on the sidewalk greeting everyone who saw him. Soon, I was the only one in the building. I was still trying to believe that this was actually happening.

Elvis started moving through the crowd of a couple dozen people, all while he was still signing autographs and as the men in black suits with him were guiding him through. He came to the door to this little building and opened it up, and I immediately heard the screams, cries and excited chatter of the people with him. The moment he saw me, he grinned.

"Hi-ya, Doc! Long time no see!"

Some of the people looked at me with shocked expressions, mainly the people who were my clients. One of them shouted over the ruckus, "Dr. Comm, you know Elvis?!"

"Indeed, she does," he said. "She had a part in my film that's currently in the works."

He had to walk more into the building near the front desk since people were cramming in the small lobby room, and that included people of the press that were in the area. Really, I expected them to come by at some point because of the little article in the paper, but not when Elvis himself was in my clinic, too!