Friday Five — He’s My World

It’s Friday, so it must be time for The Friday Five writing prompt! Five different words each week to get the creative juices flowing. To visit the other participants, click here.
This week’s words are: X-ray, fire, style, fate, wire
This follows last week’s post here.

He’s My World

Three weeks earlier …
Carly sat just inside the door of the animal hospital, waiting for Fred to get his X-ray. His appetite had been off the past few days, which was not at all his style. The boy could and would eat his weight in food, especially the extra-special food she’d been trying to entice him with the past 24 hours. She had been trying to hold off until Monday morning, so she could go to her regular vet. The emergency vet cost three times as much and she certainly wasn’t made of money, not with the business she co-owned with Petra DeVos failing a little more each day. The last bank statement really lit a fire under her, and she’d started looking for another job when she had a moment. Which wasn’t often. But poor Fred was wasting away, and she was afraid to wait any longer.
The door to the examination room opened, and the veterinarian stepped out holding Fred gently in her palm. He wasn’t moving. Had he met his fate?
Panicked, Carly leaped up and reached out. “Is he okay?”
The vet dropped the supine rat into Carly’s outstretched hands. “He’s fine. We had to sedate him though. No only was he wiggling during the X-ray, but we needed to remove the culprit since you said to do whatever was needed to help him.”
“Culprit?”
The vet reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a tiny wire. “Does Fred like bread? Because this looks an awful lot like what’s left of a twist tie.”
“Oh, God. He does. He really does.” All the stress and worry she’d been feeling for the past few days bubbled to the surface and she burst into tears. “He’ll be okay?”
The vet patted her shoulder gently. “He’ll be just fine. He’s lucky to have someone like you watching out for him.”
Carly sniffled a bit and then pressed her lips into a weak smile. “I’d do anything for Fred. He’s my world.”