The clinic was a blur of fluorescent lights and shouting. As they burst through the doors, a team of technicians met them with a gurney. John and Fiona were ushered into the small, sterile waiting room, the heavy double doors of the ER swinging shut behind the kittens. The silence that followed was deafening. They sat on plastic chairs, coats dripping meltwater onto the floor, staring at the clock on the wall.