The last thing she remembered thinking was, I’ll just give myself five minutes to relax before I have that awful, awkward conversation to try to explain.
But it was too late now. She’d missed her window. For a moment, she thought of calling him, anyway. Maybe he wouldn’t be that mad at her for waking him up. She really just wanted to hear his voice. Perhaps if they’d been on good terms, she might have done it, but the way he’d looked at her as she’d sat with Brad in the café still made her stomach churn and she knew it would likely not be that easy.
It would have to wait until the morning although she wasn’t crazy about leaving it sit with the status between them unknown. Sometimes the thought of it was worse than the real thing. At least, she hoped that was the case.
“Well, it’s too late now.” Karin sighed loudly as she pushed up off the couch to her still-aching feet and turned to Babs, who remained where she was, looking none too pleased at being disturbed. “Come on, little miss. Let’s go to bed. Tomorrow’s another day, isn’t it? Who said that? Oh, yes. The unforgettable Scarlett O’Hara. Another true southern belle. I guess the bright side is that maybe my drama isn’t as dire as hers was.”
16
Nick refused to continue thinking about what he’d seen in the café. Thinking about it wouldn’t change the fact that it had happened. Mulling it over continually wouldn’t stop the hurt that Karin was dating other men.
We never made things official, he reminded himself with a sigh as he opened the door of his patrol car to let Buzz out. She had the right to date as many other people as she chose. And so did he. They’d never defined the relationship. But, in all honesty, he hadn’t even felt the need to. He felt secure in what they had. And he’d trusted her to be honest because that’s what Christians did. Now, he obviously wasn’t so sure he’d put his trust in the right person.
He wished in hindsight he’d asked her sooner to be exclusive. He knew deep down that was what he wanted. More than anything he wanted her to be his and his alone. Perhaps it was too late for that now.
Knowing she was dating other people meant that she didn’t feel the same way about him as he felt about her, and that hurt even more than seeing it. He also questioned the kind of person she was. In reality, he didn’t want to be involved with someone who had a different set of values than his. He had thought she was different from the other women he’d dated but now he had doubts.
He couldn’t afford to think about any of that now. His head had to be straight for work. He’d been successful pushing this out of his mind for the last two days and today shouldn’t be any different. The job was most important right now. That was even more evident as a member of his patrol team rushed up to him in need of assistance. “We have several suspicious, unmarked pallets in the loading bay that need searching.”
“We’re on it,” Nick promised with a quick nod of his head before turning his attention to Buzz who stood calmly beside him. “Ready to go to work, bud?”
Buzz gave a simple nod of his head and followed Nick as he shut the patrol car door, locked the vehicle, and followed his colleague down to the loading bay of the airport.
The second they reached the pallets, Buzz set to work moving through the area, sniffing each inch carefully as he always did. Nick moved behind him, watching his partner meticulously inhale all the scents. Nick was aware of other officers moving through the area around them.
Everything seemed to be in order until Buzz suddenly stopped. His ears pricked up, his body grew completely still, and he began to whine, alerting Nick to something he’d found. Nick paused for a moment, lifted his arm and gave a quick wave to the nearest officer who made the same motion, alerting the other officers around them. Nick then gestured silently to the pallet that Buzz was still standing frozen next to. Cautiously, Nick stepped forward and began to examine the boxes that were on the pallet.
The sound of rustling inside the boxes caused Nick some concern. He placed his hand on the gun at his hip. Though he was used to unusual situations, he still found his heart thundering with anticipation. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had jumped out on him and Nick made sure he was ready for anything. As he reached forward and tapped the large wooden box, he was almost certain that it contained something live. He examined the box, carefully checking for any stickers that might indicate there should be something living inside. He found none.
“We need a crowbar up here,” Nick called out to the rest of the team, knowing that whatever was inside couldn’t endanger him until he opened it up.
It took a matter of seconds for one of his colleagues to bring the tool he’d asked for and he watched carefully for any sign of danger as the other men stepped onto the pallet and began to pry the box open.
A muffled sound came from the box as it was popped open and Nick knew instantly that the sound came from something far bigger than a furry creature. His hand tightened on his gun as the lid of the box was suddenly thrown in the air by what could only be described as a human jack-in-the-box. Buzz instantly began to give off a warning growl as Nick’s colleague was flung backward.
Pulling his gun from its holster, Nick pointed it at the man who scrambled from the box. “Put your hands in the air and get on the ground!” Nick ordered, though he had no idea whether the man would do it. Though he would certainly know what the gun pointed at his chest meant, sometimes a man caught in a criminal act wouldn’t give in.
As soon as the man had solid footing on the ground, Nick hoped he would put his hands up and attempt to surrender, but he didn’t. When the man raised a single hand, Nick saw the glint of the knife before he even swung it with deadly intent. Choosing not to use his gun, Nick stepped up to take hold of the man’s wrist. They wrestled.
Before his colleagues could step in to help, he felt a knee jam into his back. He was shoved to the ground. Fear gripped him for a second as he wondered whether the knife would hit him. Instinct took over and he twisted to avoid the knife. He had on his vest and his vital organs were protected, but a knife wound could sideline him for a while. He didn’t want that. Just as he was about to flip his attacker over, he saw a flash of fur out of the corner of his eye.
In a split second he heard a howl of pain. He knew immediately that Buzz had taken a direct hit. He was more worried about his partner than he was himself. The knife has slashed into Buzz’s hindquarter. Nick fell onto his side, unable to get to his feet fast enough to help. He saw Buzz whip around grabbing the man’s bare arm in his teeth.
“Ach!” the attacker screamed and shook him off. Buzz wouldn’t give up and his jaws clamped shut on the man’s hand. Then Nick heard the clatter of the knife as it fell to the concrete floor. Buzz’s body weight pulled the attacker to his knees as he continued to grip hold of his hand. His other hand moved to wrap around Buzz’s neck even as the other members of Nick’s team piled onto him to drag him away from the dog.
Recovering quickly from being winded, Nick crawled over to Buzz as the attacker was pulled away and clapped in handcuffs. Buzz dropped onto his stomach then, whining quietly though Nick could tell he was in great pain.
Nick began to check him over and almost immediately found the gash. Though Nick couldn’t see the wound, an excessive amount of blood matted in his fur and had dripped onto the floor.
Without a second thought, Nick threw off his vest and unbuttoned his shirt. He quickly pulled it off and wrapped it around Buzz’s back leg where the blood was.
“I’ve got you, bud,” Nick promised, trying to push down the lump that had formed in his throat. The thought of losing his loyal partner made him feel sick and he fell back on his training to remain calm. “I’ve got you.”
He kept repeating that, murmuring the words to Buzz as he picked him up. “Can somebody give me a hand here?”
He was relieved when one of his coworkers rushed forward from the group attending to the attacker. Between the two of them they carefully picked up the injured Buzz.
“Help me get him to my car,�
� Nick told the younger officer, Harry, who nodded without a word and helped move Buzz to the patrol car. Nick felt his chest aching with anxiety as they placed Buzz as comfortably as possible on the backseat.
Harry took charge when they got to the car. “You get back there with him. I’ll drive.”
“Thanks, man. That’d be great.” Nick nodded and pulled his car keys from his pocket to throw them at his coworker. Harry made no more attempts at conversation. He just pulled open the driver’s seat door and clambered in. Nick slipped into the backseat and placed Buzz’s head on his knee, stroking one hand down his forehead gently to keep Buzz calm as he held the shirt in place with his other hand.
“Which vet are we going to, Nick?” Harry asked as he slammed the car door closed, clicked in his seatbelt, and pushed the key into the ignition.
“Bright Lights.”
Harry nodded as he put the car in drive and turned on the siren and lights.
Nick held his breath, growing more and more anxious the longer it took to get to the clinic. There seemed to be more traffic than usual and Harry was dodging cars right and left. It felt like a lifetime had passed before they finally pulled up in the parking lot of the clinic. As soon as they pulled up, Nick realized his mistake. He should’ve called ahead to let them know there was an emergency coming in.
“I’ll run inside for some help,” Harry offered, and before Nick could say anything, he’d jumped out and dashed towards the clinic. Nick appreciated the man’s effort to move quickly. Every second counted right now. Nick pushed open his own door and slipped out, ready to take Buzz out of the backseat as soon as he had some assistance.
Within seconds, people rushed from the clinic. One of them brought a surgical looking blanket which they laid on the floor beside the car and spread it out, preparing to carry the injured dog inside.
“Let’s get him onto the blanket and carry him inside that way,” one of the techs told them, as Harry helped Nick to pull Buzz out of the car. They laid him down on the blanket and Nick took up one end of the blanket. Harry did not even need to be asked to take up the other end, and together, they carried their furry coworker into the clinic.
One of the techs pulled a notepad from her pocket and took notes from what she could see of the dog’s injury as she walked beside them.
The minute they stepped into the clinic, Karin was there. Nick’s gaze connected with hers for a moment, but she gave nothing away. Her expression was professional as she took charge. “Let’s take him straight into the exam room.”
17
We need to get him hooked up to some fluids and get this wound rinsed with saline,” Karin ordered her techs, instructing them in tense but calm words. Nick and Harry laid the blanket with Buzz on the stainless steel table.
“Looks like you were ready for us, Doc,” Harry observed, as Nick was looking at the way Karin held her hands high. He realized that she didn’t want to touch anything until one of the tech’s helped her into a pair of surgical gloves. “Are you psychic or something?”
“I was ready for a routine operation when you guys turned up,” Karin said, flicking Harry a quick but impersonal smile. “This seems more important, don’t you think?”
“It sure does,” Harry nodded. “Do you think you’ll be able to save the poor guy?”
Nick knew they were the questions he should have been asking, but he was too speechless to say anything.
“I’ll do the best I can,” Karin assured them both, and again their eyes connected for a moment before she turned her attention back to Buzz. “Now, you’ll need to leave so we have room to work. Go back to the waiting room and we’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as we can. Oh, and if you could work on finding Officer Cardwell something to cover up with that would be great. I don’t want him scaring off the other patients with his bare chest.”
Nick blushed as he suddenly realized he was still bare-chested from taking off his shirt to staunch Buzz’s bleeding. He didn’t have the time to explain before one of the tech’s ushered them out, though he was sure that Karin could work it out simply by seeing the name tag on the shirt that was still wrapped around Buzz’s bleeding body.
There was nothing he could do but go and wait in the waiting room. Unable to sit still, the adrenaline-fueled anxiety thundering through his body, he paced back and forth while Harry sat in one of the empty seats close by.
“Try to calm down, Nick,” Harry said gently. “You don’t want to scare the kids.”
When Harry nodded his head toward some children sitting across the waiting room with their mother and the puppy perched on her knee, Nick suddenly realized how frightening he must look. He was a man almost out of his wits with worry, pacing up and down as though somebody was dying, and for all he knew his best friend was dying in the room next door. He felt more nauseous than when his grandma had fallen ill two years ago. But she had pulled through and he prayed Buzz would do the same.
18
Karin worked for over an hour. After pumping painkillers and a mild sedative through a needle directly into Buzz’s bloodstream, she shaved the fur away from the wound until she could see the clear gash that had obviously been made by a knife on the dog’s hind leg. She examined it quickly between dabs of gauze to keep the blood at bay.
“I think stitches will take care of this,” she told the tech who stood close by, waiting for instructions. The tech needed no additional orders, grabbing the equipment Karin would need for stitching the wound up, and soon she was working away with the needle and surgical thread. Buzz remained completely still, the sedative doing its job and keeping him sedated as she worked.
“Let’s move him now,” she told the tech as she pushed another needle into his vein. “I’d like to get him into a kennel before he wakes up. We’ll keep him overnight.”
As soon as the tech nodded, she turned, pulled off her operating gear, and headed out into the waiting room to tell Nick the good news. When she stepped out into the room, Nick jumped to his feet and his officer friend followed suit.
“How is he?” Nick asked before she had the chance to say anything.
“He’s going to be okay.” Karin smiled weakly and nodded. “He’s going to be perfectly fine. We’ll keep him here overnight to make sure he’s in the right place if he has a setback. There’s still a risk of infection and he has lost a lot of blood. He will need to stay on an IV tonight, but he should be well enough to go home in a day or so.”
“Can I see him?” Nick asked and the hopeful look in his eye made Karin’s heart ache for how sweet he was on his pet.
“Sure. Follow me and I’ll take you to him.” She turned and looked at him with a tilt of her head. “Just a few minutes, though, okay? And just to warn you, he’s still out of it. I gave him another dose to keep him comfortable and able to sleep. He won’t even know you’re here.”
“Can’t I stay with him? I’d like to be here when he wakes up.”
“No, you can’t do that, Nick. But I promise he’ll be fine. We’ll take great care of him.”
* * *
After Nick had the chance to see Buzz, Karin walked Nick back out to his car, using the opportunity to talk to him. “Look, Nick, this may not be the best time, but I guess I have a few things I want to tell you. I meant to call you about the other morning, but I was here late and fell asleep when I got home. And, well, I guess all that doesn’t really matter. Sorry, I’m butchering this. All I really want to say is that it wasn’t what it looked like. The morning at the café.”
Nick lifted his hand up to stop her and shook his head, “You’re right. Now’s not the best time for this conversation. I can’t talk about this right now. My head is banging and it’s been a rotten day. I have to go to the station and fill out a mountain of paperwork and all I really want to do is go home and get to bed since I can’t stay here.”
“Please, Nick, let me explain,” Karin pleaded softly as she reached out to touch his arm. He pulled away quickly before she could touch him. He
knew once she touched him, he’d lose any semblance of control. Not just after Buzz, but just from the tension between them. He missed her. He missed their connection. But he wasn’t ready to talk about it quite yet.
Nick looked at her briefly then looked away. He shook his head and pulled the front door of his car open. Relieved Harry had already called one of the other officers to pick him up, he slid behind the wheel. Once they found out Buzz was going to be alright, his colleague must have decided to get back to work. Grateful for that, he sighed since he wouldn’t have wanted his coworker to witness this.
He forced himself to ignore the pleading look on Karin’s beautiful face as he shoved the key into the ignition. Dropping the car into drive, he pulled away without looking back.
19
Nick had been hoping that Karin wouldn’t be there when he got to Bright Lights the next morning, but he wasn’t going to be able to escape. The moment he saw her beautiful face he felt his heart speed up. She was so undeniably beautiful he couldn’t ignore his attraction to her.
“Follow me,” Karin told him, her tone all business-like as soon as she saw him.
“How’s he doing?” Nick was almost afraid to hear the answer, especially when she’d seemed so formal.
“He’s doing really well.” She nodded and pursed her lips and he breathed a sigh of relief. “There was at least one tech keeping an eye on him all night and he improved remarkably well. I checked on him as soon as I came in and several times since, and I’m really pleased with his progress. I’m pretty sure with a few weeks rest, he’ll be ready for duty again soon with no ill effects.”
The minute Nick stepped into the exam room where one of the techs was waiting with Buzz, the dog wagged his tail and pull on the leash she had him on.
“Alright boy,” Nick told him, understanding the sheer joy that Buzz must’ve been feeling. It wasn’t unlike his own. “Time to calm down.”
All About Trust: K-9 Unit (Hero Hearts: Contemporary) Page 6