Free Tightening the Knot by Amanda Hamm Page A

 

 
     
     
     
    ╣ Chapter 14 ╠
     
     
     
     
                “Do we have any peroxide?”
                “What!?”   Meredith answered a call from Greg while still walking up their driveway.   Jenna had just dropped her off from the shopping trip.
                “Hydrogen peroxide.   Do we have any?”
                “I think there’s some under the sink.   What are you doing?”
                “Under the sink?   This stupid dog!”
                Meredith was bewildered by this conversation she seemed to have joined in progress.   “Hang on, I’m right outside.”
                “Wait!   Don’t come in!”
                His urgency stunned her and she froze on the porch.   A few seconds later, Greg opened the door for her with his other hand firmly on Katie’s collar.   “I am not chasing her again.”
                When the door was closed, Greg let go of the dog and they put their phones away.   Meredith followed Greg into the kitchen and saw that he had found some peroxide and was now trying to stick a turkey baster into the bottle.
                “What are you doing?” she asked again.
                “That stupid dog.   Stupid, stupid dog.   She ate the batteries!”
                “Batteries?”
                Greg got down a bowl and poured some peroxide into it as he explained.   “I was changing the batteries in the remote and I put the old ones on the couch next to me while I was putting in the new ones and she ate them.”
                “The old ones or the new ones?”
                “The old ones.   Does it matter?”
                “I… I have no idea.   Is that dangerous?”
                “Well, it seemed like a bad thing to me so I found a vet in the yellow pages.   They told me to make her drink about a tablespoon of peroxide.   It’s supposed to make her vomit so we can retrieve the batteries.   They suggested a turkey baster to do it so…”   He gestured at his operation.
                “Okay.   Should I, like, try to hold her or something?”
                “I don’t know.   She might bite you if she doesn’t like it.”
                “You think so?”
                “What do I know about dogs?   I feed them batteries.   Let’s just see how this goes first.”
                Greg sucked just a bit of liquid into the baster and aimed it at Katie’s mouth.   She evidently thought this looked like a fun game of tug-o-war and immediately grabbed it.   Unfortunately, she grabbed it from the side so the end was not in her mouth.   Then she gave a good tug.   The baster separated, leaving Greg with just the bulb, while Katie dashed around the house with her prize.   She crouched into a playful bow, daring them to chase her.
                Greg looked at Meredith.   “Maybe we do need to hold her.”
                Meredith took a treat from the box on the counter and held it up where the dog could see it.   Katie dropped her new toy and ran to her.
                “Okay.”   Greg was planning the next attack.   “I’ll hold her and you try to squirt it in her mouth.”
                Meredith nodded and got ready.   But Katie would not stay still or open her mouth.   They tried offering treats, but the dog always managed to close her mouth too fast for Meredith and the floor was starting to get slippery.
                “This just isn’t working.”   Meredith put down the baster .
                “Do you think there’s any chance we could just put it in her dish?”
                “What do you mean?”
                “I mean, she eats washrags and batteries… maybe she’d willingly drink peroxide.”
                “I guess