"Drat," Jim intoned, "we just bought a ton of that medication last week. There is no chewable, and a liquid medication is not available yet."

"Sheldon Whistleton called, asking about a Saturday appointment. I, of course, told him you would be gone tomorrow and that we have been closed on Saturdays now for a year. He was shocked and said he always has come on Saturday. He says he has to drive 15 miles to get here, but works all week and can't come in any other time."

"Any other good news?" Jim asked with unmasked sarcasm.

Just then the phone rang and Jim retired to the back to look over the hospital patients.

"Springdale Animal Clinic," Kendra announced.

"Hello, this is Gladys Nelson (a moment of hesitation). Scruffy is vomiting and I would like to see Dr. Brooks immediately."

"I certainly understand your situation. Dr. Brooks is full this morning, but you can come in and we should be able to work you in within the next hour or so."

"I don't think this can possibly wait. Besides I have a hair appointment at 10:30. It was her only opening in the next three weeks and I had to take it."

"Would you like to drop Scruffy off and pick him up later this afternoon?" offered Kendra.

"Well, the problem with that is that after my hair appointment I am having lunch with the Red Hat Ladies. Then my husband is picking me up and we are leaving for Las Vegas," she sniffed.

"You could leave Scruffy here for the weekend." Kendra tendered.

"Oh, we want to take her with us to Las Vegas. We have a standing reservation with "Doggie Land Spa and Resort." It is sort of a condominium and we need to use up all our 'Doggie minutes'. Each condo run has a lotto number assigned to it. If your run shows up in the lobby TV when you return, you get a bazillion free 'doggie minutes' for the next trip."

Kendra had heard enough.

"I'm sorry but the doctor is full this morning."

Kendra heard a click on the other end. She stood and looked at the waiting room. It was rapidly filling.

She started wheeling clients into rooms, answering phones and processing pharmacy requests. It was going to be a busy day — for a change. Business had been very slow in recent months.

Meanwhile, Dr. Brooks was acting as both doctor and assistant both in and out of the exam room. Kendra did her best to fill the rest of the work duties as lunchtime neared.

Then more calls started to flood in.

They included:

• Gladys Nelson calling back, asking that her records be faxed to St. Elsewhere Animal Hospital.
• Wayne Battle wanted the "shot records" called over to St. Elsewhere, where he was told that an intern stayed overnight on weekends in the kennel ward.
• Sandra Bramlett left a message while Kendra was in an exam room. She said she had found a chewable heart medication on the Internet. It mentioned something about heartworms. She wanted to know if that would work instead. Could they call her back tomorrow (Saturday), since she would be out the rest of the day?
• Another caller asked, "Do you now have $4 prescriptions for amoxicillin like Wal-mart?" She wanted to bring her amoxicillin back from last year. The pharmacist had told her it was the same thing.