A faint mew reached Roberts ears. Glancing down, he spotted a tiny kitten, its mother desperately shielding it from a snarling dog. His feet slipped on the rain-slicked pavement, his legs unsteady, his mind clouded by the drink still heavy in his system. Inside, he felt as bleak as the evening around himas if someone had shattered every light inside his soul.
Clutching the freshly opened bottle in his hand, he raised it, hoping the alcohol might drown even a fraction of the pain choking him. The same question clawed at him again: *Why me?* But he no longer had the strength to search for answers.
Robert had once been a brilliant surgeon. His steady hands had saved countless lives, even in the most hopeless cases. He worked himself to exhaustion, fighting for every patient as if their survival were his own responsibility. Each surgery was a battlefor health, for fate, for hope.
Newspapers praised him; the telly featured him; the city knew his face. None of it mattered. He didnt want famejust the chance to help. Hed turned down prestigious London clinics, refused exorbitant fees, stayed loyal to his hometown. His wife had hated him for it. Shed screamed, accused, berated him, but Robert wouldnt budge.
Then came the day she learned hed rejected another offerthis time from a top Harley Street practice. A shouting match erupted over the phone. Shed raged 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.
Impact. Skidding tyres. A trial. A funeral. Emptiness.
He tightened his grip on the bottle, nearly taking another swiguntil a sharp bark broke through his haze. Frowning, Robert scanned the dim street, the wind whipping at his face. Then he saw ita lad with a bulldog, goading it toward a cat cowering under an archway.
The tabby hissed, arching its back, shielding something small behind her. The boy jeered, *”Get ‘er, Rex!”*
The dog lunged, barking, saliva flyingclearly relishing the cruel game. But the cat, trembling as she was, lashed out, swiping its nose. Robert narrowed his eyes. Something wasnt right Then he saw itthe tiny bundle she was guarding. A kitten.
*”Have you lost your damn mind?”* Robert roared, hurling the bottle aside and splashing through puddles toward them.
The boy spun around. Seeing the furious man charging at him, he yanked the leash and stumbled back. Robert scooped up the shivering cat, pressing her to his chest. She struggleduntil a feeble mew sounded at his feet. The kitten.
Gently, he lifted the little one and set it beside its mother. Instantly, she stilled.
*”What the hell were you thinking? Sickin your dog on a helpless cat with a kitten?”* Robert glared at the lad. *”If you were mine, youd get the thrashing of your life. Wheres your father? This how he taught you to act?”*
The boys gaze dropped. *”Aint got one,”* he muttered.
Robert stilled. There was something raw in his voice. In the dim light, he caught the glint of a tear on the boys cheek. Softening, he stepped closer. *”You know what you did was wrong, yeah?”*
The lad nodded, sniffing. *”Mum just got Rex. I just wanted to see what commands he knew. Wont happen again.”* He turned to leave.
*”Whats your name?”* Robert called after him.
*”Arthur,”* the boy answered, pausing to glance back at the man cradling the cat and kitten.
*”Dont make mistakes like this again, Arthur. Understood?”*
A silent nod, and the boy vanished around the corner.
Shaking his head, Robert hurried homejust minutes away. Clutching his rescued pair, he climbed to his third-floor flat, strode straight to the sofa, and carefully settled them down. The cat had no visible wounds, but one paw hung limp. Robert stroked her head. She leaned into his touch.
*”Youre a beauty. And this little one takes after you,”* he murmured, smiling for the first time in months.
He rummaged through the fridge, found a tin of chicken pâté, and set it out on a saucer. The pair devoured it. Afterward, the mother began grooming her kitten, and Robert chuckled.
*”Youre a proper sweetheart Sweetie. Thats what Ill call you.”*
Carefully bundling them into a sports bag, he pulled on his coat and rushed to the 24-hour vet clinic down the road.
*”We need a vet, now!”* he burst in, breathless.
A young woman hurried over. *”Whats happened?”*
*”This,”* Robert set the bag on the counter, lifting Sweetie out. *”Think her paws brokenmaybe displaced. Found her defending her kitten outside.”*
*”Lets have a look,”* the vet took the cat, examining her. *”Well need an X-ray and bloodwork. You can wait here.”*
*”A shelter? Youre not taking Sweetie!”* Robert snapped. *”Shes mine. The kitten too.”*
The vet nodded. *”Very well. Take a seat.”*
An hour later, a nurse returned the kitten. *”Hes healthyjust a bit of eye inflammation. Drops for a few days should clear it.”* She handed him over. *”Thank you.”*
*”For what?”*
*”For not walking past. For saving them.”* Her warm smile lingered before she left.
Two hours later, the vet reappeared with Sweetie. *”Surgery went wellshes still groggy. The fracture was complex, but its set now.”* She studied Robert. *”You look familiar Ah! Youre Robert Alexanderthe surgeon from St. Marys.”*
*”Will she recover?”* he asked, eyeing Sweetie anxiously.
*”Without a doubt,”* the vet assured. *”You saved her life.”*
*”Couldnt just leave her. That lads dog nearly tore her apart, and she still fought for her baby,”* Robert muttered, stroking Sweeties head.
The vet paled. *”A lad? With a bulldog?”*
*”Yeah. You know him?”*
*”Hes my son,”* she admitted, her smile fading. *”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 husbands accident, I thought it might help him grieve Forgive meI shouldnt burden you. Come back tomorrow for a check-up. Youve got a proper calicotheyre lucky, you know.”* Her smile was sad as she left.
Over the next fortnight, Robert doted on Sweetie: strict feeding schedules, vet visits. The kittena boyearned the regal name *Caesar*. They settled in quickly, soon curling up beside him at night. Robert started hurrying home after shifts, sometimes bringing treats.
Sweetie greeted him at the door with loud meows.
Colleagues noticed the changehe smiled more, no longer dreaded going home. Hed come alive. He even showed off photos of Caesars antics.
Each vet visit became an excuse to chat with VeronicaSweeties doctor. Soon, *”Dr. Hart”* became *”Nicky.”*
She confided in him: the struggles of raising a teen alone, working gruelling shifts. Nicky adored animals, but her late husbands allergies had barred themuntil Arthur finally got his bulldog, Rex.
Rexs behaviour was a problem, though. Robert introduced a dog trainer, and soon, Rex improved. Arthur started visiting Robert, even joining him to pick Nicky up from work. They took weekend trips to Roberts cottage.
Three months later, he proposed. She said yes.
They married at home, a small gathering. Sweetie and Caesar eyed Rex warily at first, but the dog stayed calm, letting Caesar nuzzle his flank. Rex bared his teeththen simply sniffed the kitten. Caesar purred, curling up beside him.
*”Caesars charmed him,”* Nicky laughed, radiant. *”Youve given him a home.”*
*”No,”* Robert corrected, stroking Sweetie. *”They brought me back to life.”*
The cat rolled onto her back, rumbling with contentment.
*”Sweetie led me to you Now weve got a proper family.”*
One eye cracked open, her whiskers twitchingas if smiling. Her job was done. Shed brought happiness to this house.
*Sometimes, the
