As was typical, as soon as he was scrubbed and gloved and in the surgical room, Gabe’s thoughts quieted, and he lost himself in the routines that had been instilled in him both in lectures and labs and during his internship. He liked the working relationship he was developing with some of the assistants and techs who assisted him in surgery, and today, Janice, a middle-aged vet tech who’d worked for Dr. Washington since she graduated from high school, was assisting him. She knew where to stand and what to pass and what to clip usually without Gabe having to ask. Unlike some of the less-experienced techs, she also knew not to ramble on. She was quiet and focused.

Once he’d cut through the lining of the abdomen and into the bladder, Gabe easily found and scooped out the stone that was causing the blockage and a few others that were bouncing around in the Yorkie’s bladder. If the Yorkie’s owner had waited until Monday to bring him in like she’d considered doing, there was a good chance the dog’s bladder would’ve burst. Thankfully, once the stone was removed and the dog was on a round of antibiotics, he’d be able to make a full recovery in a short time.

When Ms. Bonner picked him up tomorrow to take him home, Gabe would have a talk with her about some changes she could make in the dog’s diet to help prevent more stones from forming. Middle-aged and older Yorkies could be prone to kidney and bladder stones, and now that her dog was proven to develop them, the little guy was going to need to be monitored every six months from here on out.

By the time he had finished and the dog was in recovery, it was nearly half past six. Gabe stripped out of his surgical gown, mask, and gloves and headed to the adjoining scrub closet where he’d left his phone on a shelf. Olivia had texted back, but Yun hadn’t, and Gabe decided not to follow up with her. Hopefully, Olivia would be fine swinging by his place before they headed out to dinner.

Gabe opened up Olivia’s text to find that she’d replied with nothing more than a simple okay. Determined not to think anything of it, he dialed her number as he stepped out into the back hallway. He was more than a little surprised to hear her hello echo through the empty hall just before it rang out in the receiver.

“Hey, you’re here?” Suddenly the night seemed to be shining a lot brighter.

“I hope that’s okay.”