Firefighter Tanner Hall is used to running into burning buildings and risking his life to save others. It's just another day of work for the father of two. But when he gets a call from the San Diego zoo about an animal attack, he has no idea what he...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"I'm getting fired, aren't I?" There is no use in beating around the bush. I know that's why Michael called me in here, and I'm prepared for it. In the split second I had to make my choice, I figured this could be a possibility. Obviously, it isn't ideal, but I'd do it ten times over again if it means keeping Miko safe.
Michael leans back, and his leather office chair creaks. It's brand new, like everything in this office. He's only been the zoo curator for a year, eager to prove himself and as straitlaced as they come. But, unlike most in his position, Michael likes to get his hands dirty. On a typical day, you can find him walking the zoo, interacting with both the animals and the guests. Even though he's in charge of all the official, boring zoo business, he spends next to no time in his office and only has meetings here when it's something serious. Like someone is about to lose their job.
We've always had a good relationship, and a small part of me feels bad for him. When I first started at City Park Zoo, he was in the assistant curator's job, and he was the one who recruited me. And when I told him I wouldn't come unless they adopted Miko, he got the deal done within the week. He really is one of the good guys in the industry, and I hate that he's in this position. No one wants their career to be defined by something like this, but it's almost unavoidable for Michael now, with the media swarming like sharks with blood in the water.
All the good work that zoos do gets erased when thing like this happen. No one cares about all the animals you've saved or the conservation efforts you've got or the rehabilitation center you started. They'll want to know what went wrong, where the cracks are, how in the world a man was able to jump into the enclosure in the first place. Everything will be scrutinized and torn apart and the focus will shift. And that will be Michael's legacy here, all because he was in charge when some asshole decided he wanted to play with the lions.
Michael lets out a heavy sigh, and I'm suddenly reminded of what it felt like to face disappointed parents as a child. My chest tightens, and even though I've accepted what's coming, tears threaten to fall from my eyes.
"No one is getting fired, Zoe. You can relax." When Michael finally breaks the tension, I'm positive I misheard him.
"Wh-what?" I stutter, my mind somewhere between relief and confusion.
"Do you remember when I hired you?" His eyebrow raises, and he leans forward on the desk. "I asked you the number one reason you wanted to be a zookeeper."
I nodded. Honestly, that conversation was fuzzy for me. My life was completely falling apart at the seams when we had it, and I felt like I was just floating through the motions.
"And you told me you didn't want to be a zookeeper. All you wanted was to save every single lion on the face of the earth." A smile pulls at the corners of Michael's lips, and his eyes soften.
I let out a sharp laugh as my cheeks color with embarrassment. Now that was ringing a bell. God, what I would give to go back to that idealistic girl and shake her. I was twenty-four, had been back in the United States for eighteen hours, and I'd just left my lying, sack-of-shit fiancé in Africa. And I had just enough jet lag, coffee, and optimism to still think anything was possible. It was only a year ago, but it feels like another lifetime.
