A faint mew reached Roberts ears. Glancing down, he spotted a tiny kitten, its mother fiercely shielding it from a snarling dog.
He stumbled on the slick autumn pavement, his legs unsteady, his mind hazy from the drink. His insides felt as bleak as the evening around himas if the lanterns in his soul had been snuffed out.
In his hand, he clutched a freshly opened bottle, ready to take another swig, hoping the alcohol might dull the suffocating grief within. The same question circled his thoughts: *Why me?* But he no longer had the strength to search for answers.
Robert had been a brilliant surgeon. His steady hands had saved countless lives, even in the most desperate cases. He worked himself to exhaustion, fighting for every patient as if they were his own. Each surgery was a battlefor health, for hope, for a future.
The newspapers wrote about him. The news featured him. The whole city knew his face. None of it mattered. He didnt want fameonly the chance to help. He turned down prestigious London hospital offers, refused hefty salarieschoosing instead to stay loyal to his hometown. His wife had despised him for it. Shed screamed, accused, blamed, but Robert never wavered.
Then came the day she learned hed rejected another position at a top London clinic. A phone call. Another argument. Shed shrieked that he was ruining their family. Their son had been in the car with her, but even his presence hadnt stopped her tirade. She hadnt seen the lorry pulling out.
The crash. The trial. The funeral. The emptiness.
Clutching the bottle, he nearly took another drinkbut a bark cut through the wind. Frowning, Robert scanned the dim street, searching for the source. The gusts stung his cheeks, but he spotted thema lanky teenager with a muscular bulldog, taunting a cornered tabby.
The cat hissed, back arched, shielding a tiny ball of fura kitten.
*”Get her!”* the boy goaded, grinning.
The dog lunged, snapping, enjoying the cruel game. But the cat, despite her terror, swiped a paw across its nose. Robert squinted. Something was off. Then he saw itthe kitten, trembling beneath her.
*”Are you mad?”* Robert roared, flinging the bottle aside. He slipped on wet pavement as he sprinted toward them.
The boy spun. Seeing the man charging, he yanked the leash and backed away. Robert scooped up the trembling cat, pressing her to his chest. She struggleduntil another tiny mew sounded at his feet. The kitten.
Gently, he lifted the little one and set it beside its mother. The tabby instantly stilled.
*”What were you thinking?”* Robert glared at the teen. *”If you were my son, youd be grounded for a month! Wheres your father? Did he teach you this?”*
The boy dropped his gaze, shuffling back.
*”Dont have one,”* he muttered.
Something in his voice made Robert pause. In the dim light, he caught the glint of a tear. Stepping closer, he softened his tone.
*”You know this was wrong, yeah?”*
The boy nodded, sniffing.
*”Mum got me Rex a few months back. Just wanted to see what commands he knew. Sorry. Wont happen again.”* He turned to leave.
*”Whats your name?”* Robert called.
*”Arthur,”* the boy answered, glancing back at the man cradling the cat and kitten.
*”Dont make mistakes like this again, Arthur. Understand?”*
A silent nod, then he vanished around the corner.
Shaking his head, Robert hurried homejust a few streets away. Still clutching the rescued pair, he climbed to his flat, stepped inside without bothering to remove his coat, and carefully settled them on the sofa.
The tabby had no visible wounds, but one paw hung awkwardly. Robert stroked her head. She leaned into his touch.
*”Youre a beauty. And sos this little one,”* he murmured, smiling.
From the fridge, he grabbed a tin of pâté, scooped it onto a saucer, and carried it to the sofa. The pair devoured it. Afterward, the mother began grooming her kitten, and Robert couldnt help but grin.
*”Youre a sweetheart Sweetie. Thats your name now.”*
Carefully transferring them into a sports bag, he threw on his coat and rushed to the 24-hour vet clinic down the road.
*”We need helpnow!”* he burst in, breathless.
*”Whats happened?”* A young woman hurried over.
*”Here!”* Robert set the bag on the counter, gently lifting Sweetie out. *”Her paws broken, looks displaced. Found her on the street with the kitten.”*
*”Lets take a look.”* The vet took the tabby. *”Well need X-rays and tests. Itll take a while. We can transfer her to a shelter afterward”*
*”Shelter? Over my dead body!”* Robert snapped. *”Shes mine. The kitten too.”*
*”Alright, alright.”* The vet smiled. *”Wait here, then.”*
She disappeared into the back. Moments later, an assistant whisked the kitten away for a checkup. Robert waited.
An hour later, the kitten was returned.
*”Hes healthy,”* the assistant said, handing him back. *”Just a bit of eye inflammationneeds drops for a few days. Thank you.”*
*”For what?”*
*”For not walking past. For saving them.”* She smiled warmly and left.
Two hours later, the vet returned with Sweetie.
*”Surgery went well. The fracture was complex, but weve pinned it.”* She studied Robert. *”You look familiar Waityoure Robert Alexander, the surgeon from St. Marys?”*
*”Will she recover?”* he asked anxiously.
*”Absolutely.”* The vet nodded. *”You saved her life.”*
*”How could I leave her? That boys dog nearly tore her apart, and she fought to protect her kitten,”* Robert muttered, stroking Sweeties head.
*”A boy?”* The vet paled. *”Was the dog a bulldog?”*
*”Yes You know him?”*
*”Hes my son.”* Her smile faded. *”Since his father died, hes fallen in with the wrong crowd”*
*”Im sorry,”* Robert said quietly. *”You got him the dog?”*
*”He begged for years. After my husband passed, I thought a puppy might help”* She shook her head. *”Forgive me. Come back tomorrow for a checkup. Andthank you. Youve brought a lucky calico into your life.”*
For the next fortnight, Robert doted on Sweetie: strict feeding schedules, vet visits. The kitten, now named Caesar, was a ball of energy. By the second night, both curled up beside him in bed. Robert started rushing home after shifts, sometimes picking up treats for his new companions.
Sweetie greeted him at the door with loud meows.
Colleagues soon noticed the changeRobert smiled more, no longer dreaded going home. He even showed off photos of Caesars antics.
Each vet visit became an excuse to chat with VeronicaSweeties doctor. Soon, formalities dropped. She was “Vera” now.
She confided in him: the struggles of raising a teen alone, working fourteen-hour shifts. Vera adored animals but could never have petsher late husband had been allergic.
Rex, the bulldog, had behavioural issues. Robert introduced a dog trainer he knew, and soon, Rex improved. Arthur started visiting Robert often, even tagging along to pick Vera up after work.
Weekends were spent at Roberts countryside cottage. Three months later, he proposed. She said yes.
They married at home, just family. Sweetie and Caesar eyed Rex warily at first, but the bulldog stayed calm, letting the kitten rub against him. Rex bared his teeththen simply sniffed Caesar, accepting him.
*”Caesars won him over,”* Vera laughed, beaming. *”You gave him a home, loveeverything.”*
*”No,”* Robert corrected, stroking Sweeties belly as she purred. *”They brought me back to life. Sweetie led me to you and now we have a family.”*
The tabby cracked one eye open, whiskers twitchingalmost as if smiling. Her job was done. Shed brought happiness home.
