Chapter Text
Miguel Hernandez, D.V.M. thanked the desk clerk at the hotel where the annual Veterinary conference was being held. Miguel had been to Chicago before and was looking forward to revisiting some of his favorite eateries in his spare time.
Waiting by the elevator, he was mentally going over his schedule for the next two days when he heard a voice he hadn’t heard in a very long time.
“Hey!” He turned to see his old vet school rival, Ted Mullins. “Miguel! It’s pawsitivity great to see you.”
“Ted,” Miguel said, as he extended his hand. “How are you?”
“Couldn’t be better,” Ted answered, shaking the other mans hand. “My clinic is thriving.”
“Glad to hear it. You’re still in Schitt’s Creek, right?” Miguel made a point to keep up with his classmates professional lives.
The elevator dinged. They wheeled their luggage into the lift. “I am,” Ted said with a huge smile. “You’re still with Dr. Moody?”
They each pushed buttons to their respective floors. “Yeah,” Miguel answered. He wasn’t ready to share the news that he was taking over a practice in Elmdale in a few months. There were still a few details to be worked out.
The doors opened to Miguel’s floor and he was glad to exit. “See you at the opening speeches tonight?” Ted asked before the doors closed.
“Maybe,” Miguel replied, and headed towards his room. After unpacking and hanging his clothes in the closet, he sat on the bed.
He should have known Ted would be at the conference. They were the top two students in their class. Both were highly recommended for any assignment after graduation. Their competition continued well into their professional lives. Miguel may have been valedictorian, but between the two of them, Ted was first to set up an individual practice.
***
They were busy during most of the conference until midway through day two. Ted caught up with Miguel and stopped him as he was entering the hotel restaurant for lunch.
“Hey, Miguel,” Ted called.
“Ted. How has the weekend been going for you?” Miguel asked.
Ted looked nervous. “Fine.” He shifted on his feet. “But I have a huge favor to ask and I know I can trust you to do it.”
Oh, really, Miguel thought. This was the last thing he expected to hear. He was skeptical, but also wanted to know what this was about.
“Can you take my last seminar this afternoon? It’s the Feline Dental Disease session. I have a…er…family emergency.”
Miguel pursed his lips so as not to blurt out anything he’d regret. He didn’t believe Ted for a minute - but sure, he’d take the session for him. His schedule was open - he was going to walked around the city, but a few more CPEs was always a good thing.
“I’ll be sure to cancel my registration and let them know you will be taking the spot.”
“Okay, sure,” Miguel conceded.
Ted was practically beaming. “Thanks, Miguel. I really appreciate this. I owe you one.” He clapped Miguel on the back and turned away.
“Owe me one, huh?” Miguel joked. “I’ll remember that.” But Ted was already gone.
***
After weeks of preparation, Miguel was ready to take over the practice at the Elmdale Vet Clinic. Carly the Vet Tech and Alex the office manager/receptionist were excellent employees, and they would remain on board. He hoped the patients (and their owners) would stay with the practice. Dr. Stevens had a good rapport with everyone and Miguel had been easing his way in with them for the past six weeks.
The week before Dr. Stevens official retirement, Miguel received an email at the office from Ted. “Good Luck at EVC. May it not be a cat-as-trophy!” Ted and those ridiculous puns. He thought about not replying for a brief moment, but quickly decided otherwise. “Thanks,” he simply wrote. Even though Miguel knew the offices were far enough from each other that the clientele wouldn’t overlap, he knew Ted reached out simply to carry on the competition between them. Truthfully, he was ready to end it, but he supposed it never would.
***
The steady stream of business at EVC was satisfying, but Miguel thought a little bit of advertising couldn’t hurt. He was casually dating the advertising manager of the Elmdale Chronicle, and Sophie promised him a discounted rate. A photographer came to the clinic and took some photos of him and some of the animals (whose owners gave their permission). Over the next three weeks, these ads would appear in the newspaper. He was pleased with the first two, but the third and final ad threw him for a loop. What appeared on the page was a photo that Sophie took of him, shirtless, with his two puppies, Jasper and Cody. And then there was the misplaced comma.
Miguel went straight to the Chronicle offices and then directly to Sophie’s office. “What the hell is this?” he demanded, dropping the paper on her desk.
Sophie casually looked at the ad, and simply stated “The final ad for your clinic.”
“I didn’t approve this! How and why was it printed? This is a personal photo.”
“But it’s great! It will help your business.” She defended her work.
Miguel was livid. “This is so unprofessional. I’m going to take any future advertising elsewhere.”
“But…,” Sophie began.
“No buts, Sophie,” he said. “And we’re through.” He turned and left the office. Things between them hadn’t been working for quite some time, and this was the last straw.
Walking back to the clinic, he received a few long stares, and ignored them. He wasn’t going to let this control his thoughts any longer than necessary.
Still, he knew he had overreacted at the Chronicle offices. Sophie had no right to change what he’d agreed to be used in the advertising. Would this really affect his business? To his personal reputation? When he returned to the clinic, he headed straight towards his office and shut the door. He needed to calm down.
He’d been complimented on his looks his entire life. It was actually tiring. He couldn’t help the way he looked - that was simple genetics. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. “Come in,” he called.
The door slowly opened and Carly peeked in. “Your 3:00 is here.”
Miguel drew in a breath. “Thanks.” Exhaling, he slowly stood.
“Are you okay?” Carly asked. “I saw the ad in the paper. Told a few clients over the phone that it isn’t a reflection on the service we provide here at EVC.”
Small towns, he thought. Doesn’t take long for anything out of the ordinary to spread. He smiled. “I appreciate that. I’ll get this all sorted out. I know Adam, the managing editor - I’ll ask him to publish a notice that it was printed in error.”
“Sure that will work? Isn’t your girlfriend the advertising manager?”
“I may have told her we’re through.”
Carly’s eyes widened. “Wow.”
Miguel ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, that may have been a little impulsive. But we weren’t serious anyway. Whatever we had had run its course. This just made it a little easier for me to end things.”
“Sorry,” Carly said, and Miguel could tell she really meant it. Miguel came around the desk and Carly moved so he could exit. “You know Alex and I will support you know matter what happens.”
Miguel squeezed her arm. “I know. That means a lot.”
***
Penny was his last patient of the day, and her owner either hadn’t seen the paper, or simply didn’t say anything. He hoped it was the latter. Although, in this digital age, who still read a printed newspaper anyway?
The next week proved to him that most people were decent - he wasn’t treated any differently. Some folks commented on how cute the puppies were. The Chronicle did print a retraction stating the ad was printed in error and they were looking for a new advertising manager. Adam let Miguel know that since Sophie hadn’t adhered to the customers contracted advertising campaign, she was let go. She hadn’t gotten in touch with him, which was a relief.
***
A few weeks later, Carly and Miguel were cleaning up the exam room at the end of the day. “Do you need me to stay or can I head out?” she asked.
Miguel grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and dried his hands. “No thanks, Carly. I’ve just got some paperwork to finish.”
“Okay, don’t stay too late,” she joked. “You’ve been putting in some long hours lately. I worry about you.”
Miguel couldn’t argue with that. Since the advertisement fiasco and the breakup with Sophie, he had been focusing solely on his work. Miguel ran a hand through his hair. “I appreciate your concern. I’ll be fine. You have a good night.”
“Oh, I will. Andy and I are going to the new escape room.”