“Thank you my dear.” She snapped the picture. “Now, lets leave the doctor to his work and go make a few fliers. I checked just a moment ago and we don’t have a Mist in our system.” Mrs. Vallenger started walking out of the surgery room.
Eva glanced at the kitten, but followed behind the nurse. There wouldn’t be anything more interesting there anyway.
“I’m sure someone out there is very worried about such an adorable cat,” Nurse Vallenger said, “I’ll make a few calls to some of the other vets in the area, see if any of them have heard of a Mr. Mist.
“If no one responds back in the positive, we’ll hang some fliers around town and maybe you can take a few to hang up in your school. That will be your job.” Nurse Vallenger rummaged through the front desk before turning back to Eva. “We’ll scan it in and put the picture on it, so leave a space.”
Eva nodded and accepted the large marker and sheet of computer paper.
Half an hour later, Nurse Vallenger finished contacting the other veterinarian offices and spoke to Eva, “No one has seen Mr. Mist. Not all that surprising in a cat so young. How is your poster coming?”
Eva held up her masterwork. “Just finished.”
Mrs. Vallenger nodded. “Good. We’ll scan it in, put the picture on, and print out a handful of copies to spread around town.” She took the paper, but hesitated, looking around the sheet. The hesitation passed and she slapped the paper down on the scanner.
A few clicks on the computer and the machine whirred to life. Eva moved around to get a better view while the nurse worked. Once she cropped the image of Mr. Mist onto the paper, the machine came to life once more and spat out copy after copy of the fliers.
Nurse Vallenger took a copy and checked for any errors. She hesitated again, her eyes flicking down to Eva, before biting her lip. Flipping the paper towards Eva, she said, “those circles around the edges… you’re not learning magic, are you?”
“I just thought they’d help catch the eye,” Eva said with a shrug, “no magic or anything.”
“Oh,” Mrs. Vallenger said, failing to hide the disappointment on her face. “I figured so, but couldn’t be sure.”
Eva gave another apologetic shrug. “I don’t suppose you have anything I could wear home? Walking around with a blood soaked shirt is going to draw all the wrong kind of attention, even if it is mostly dry by now.”
“Oh!” The nurse slapped her forehead. “You should have said something sooner. That can’t be sanitary.” She left the computer and headed to the employees only area.
Eva sat back in the computer chair and looked over her poster. The circles were definitely not magic, though the skills she gained by marking out rituals and runes over and over again definitely found their way into the eye-catching design.
The employee door opened and out walked Nurse Vallenger, shutting the door behind her. Draped over one arm was…
“A lab coat?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone here wear a lab coat.”
Mrs. Vallenger chuckled. “The doctor used to like them, years and years ago, until one day he decided scrubs were more comfortable. Now we have a closet full of them, just gathering dust. He hasn’t touched them since.
“Your shirt, I’m sorry to say, is probably ruined beyond recovery. If you would like, I can throw it in our incinerator?”
Eva nodded and began pulling her shirt over her head. A startled peep escaped from the nurse. Eva found the nurse facing the opposite direction once her shirt was out of the way. “We’re both women,” Eva said in her best chastising voice.
“We’re in the lobby, with big glass windows, in case you forgot. And the doctor could walk in.”
“The entrance doesn’t face the street. Besides, I checked, no one was coming. And you’re between the doctor and me, he’ll knock you over before seeing me.” Eva paused and lightly cleared her throat. The nurse timidly glanced over her shoulder. Eva held out her bloodied shirt. “If you’ll hand me the lab coat, I can have it on before someone actually does walk in.”
Nurse Vallenger hesitated for a moment longer before exchanging the shirt for the coat. She stood, almost guarding the employee door, while Eva casually buttoned up the lab coat. The lab coat’s design left a small v-neck, but not enough to show off anything. Not that she had anything to show off.
Just as Eva finished adjusting the coat, the door chime went off. Nurse Vallenger nearly jumped ten feet in the air.
Eva couldn’t help but giggle.
Nurse Vallenger shot a glare at Eva before turning all smiles to the visitor. “Ah, Mr. Williams. If you’ll head to exam room A, just down the hall,” she gestured away from the employee door, “I’ll get you and Bart signed in and will be with you in a moment.”
The man smiled, and headed down the hall with a smile. “Anything for you, Kattie.”
