“Dr. Springer, your two o’clock is here.”
Liz stopped writing in the chart and raised her eyebrow at Mary. “Two o’clock? I didn’t think I had another patient until two-thirty.”
“It was a last-minute appointment.”
Liz stifled a sigh. “Very well. Exam Room 2.”
Mary handed her a chart. Liz flipped it open and was surprised to see “Brutus Richards,” plus that he was an eight-year-old Great Dane. She didn’t think it was coincidence that she was seeing this particular patient.
Rex, one of the clinic’s technicians, met her at the door that led into the exam room.
“Let me go in first to talk to the client,” she told him.
“I saw where it’s a Great Dane. You sure you don’t need help lifting him onto the table?”
“I’ll call you in when I need you.”
“Whatever you say, Dr. Springer.”
Liz schooled her expression before opening the door. Michelle had her back to the door. Brutus, a tan-colored, gorgeous Great Dane, was busy sniffing the floor. Michelle turned.
“Michelle, hello. I assume this beautiful, big guy is Brutus.”
Michelle patted Brutus’s side. “Yes.”
Liz set the chart on the exam table and opened it. “And what is Brutus here for today?” She had a feeling it had nothing to do with Brutus, but she wanted to hear Michelle’s answer.
Michelle kept her head lowered. “Really, um, he’s okay. He has a small rash on his right hind leg. I have pills from his vet in Atlanta that help with his scratching. I wanted to get those refilled. And...”
“And?”
Michelle blushed. “And I couldn’t get you to answer my calls, so this was kind of a last-ditch effort on my part to talk to you.”
Liz closed the chart and crossed her arms. “Michelle, please don’t take this the wrong way.”
“Uh-oh. It’s never good when someone starts a sentence like that.”
Liz smiled. “I enjoyed our date a few weeks ago.”
“But?”
“But I’m not in a good space right now.” God, how many clichés can I use in one afternoon?
“It was the woman at Carl’s Cavern, wasn’t it?”
Liz’s stomach clenched, but she didn’t answer.
“Dani something?”
“Dani Roberts.”
“Right, Dani Roberts. There seemed to be a connection between you two.”
“No.” Not that I don’t want there to be, Liz thought.
“But you wish there could be?”
Liz let the question hang between them.
“I thought she was with C.J. James, from what I could tell.”
Liz wasn’t about to get into that discussion with Michelle. Even though she might be interested in Dani, she was being truthful with her in the car. Dani needed time to sort things out.
“Michelle, like I said. I did enjoy the date. Thank you for taking me to the concert.”
“That sounds pretty final. Like I won’t get a second chance.”
“I’m sorry.”
Michelle leaned down and scratched Brutus’s head. “I am, too. But I get it.”
Liz motioned to Brutus. “Would you like me to at least check out his rash?”
“Sure.”
Liz let Brutus sniff her hand before she knelt down and examined his hind leg. The rash was healing nicely. Probably one more round of the allergy medication should do it.
Liz glanced up at Michelle. “Looks good. I’ll get that refill for you.” Liz rose to her feet and was almost to the door when Michelle spoke.
“I wish you the best, Liz.”
Liz glanced over her shoulder. “Thank you. I wish you only the best, too.” As she left for the pills, she wondered how Dani was doing.
* * *
“And that’s all she could say? ‘Dani. You’re here’?” Tina asked.
It was the Thursday night after Dani’s accident. She still felt a little banged up, but she’d recovered enough that she agreed to go out with Tina to Carl’s Cavern.
“Then she said she hadn’t been expecting me so soon.” Dani swirled the ice in her glass of Coke. They sat at the bar while Barb worked.
Tina snorted. “Fucking bitch. Like she had to prepare for you to be there.” Tina took a sip of her beer. “I blame her for your accident, too.”
Dani squeezed Tina’s arm. “That wasn’t her fault, Tina. That was from an idiot driver who was flying like a bat out of hell to pass a semi—in a freaking monsoon.”
“But if she hadn’t been screwing around with that chick in the dressing room, you would have stayed the weekend and you wouldn’t have even been on that road Saturday.”
Dani shook her head. “It happened when it was supposed to happen.”
She felt Tina looking at her. Dani glanced her way. “What?”
“You, my friend. You truly amaze me sometimes.”
“That doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt.” Dani took a drink from her Coke. “Whatever. It’s over.”
“What about Liz?”
“I don’t know,” Dani murmured.
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“She’s sorry for what happened with C.J. I guess she went through something similar with her ex. She wants me to take time to figure things out, but I think she’s still interested in me.”
“Duh.” Tina motioned Barb to their end of the bar. She jabbed her thumb at Dani. “Dani said she thinks the doctor’s still interested in her.”
Barb rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you call her?”
Dani shook her head. No. She was going to give Liz time, and she’d take Liz’s advice and give herself time.
A customer called Barb away.
“You stubborn lesbian,” Tina said with a smirk. “Don’t wait too long. Liz is a keeper, just as you are.” She held her bottle up in the air. “To you and the doc.”
Dani clinked her Coke glass against the bottle. “I’ll drink to that.”
* * *
Music blared from the bowling alley speakers. Two weeks had passed, and for two days, Dani had been gathering her courage to contact Liz. Tonight, Dani was filling in for someone on Barb and Tina’s bowling team. She wasn’t a great bowler. She told them that repeatedly. She even tried to use the excuse of her sprained wrist, although she was no longer in pain. They reminded her that she bowled right-handed and still insisted she join them. Dani suspected it was because they wanted to get her out of the house.
“Nice pickup, hon,” Barb shouted to Tina as Tina walked back to her chair.
She leaned over and gave Barb a quick kiss. “Why thank you, my love.”
“Okay, Dani, you’re up after Fran,” Barb said.
Dani checked the scores on the overhead screen. She was bowling an eighty-seven in the eighth frame. I suck, she thought miserably. Why had she agreed to do this?
Fran from the other team bowled a strike. Of course. Her team cheered as Fran joined them and accepted their high fives.
Barb pointed at Dani. “Okay, chief, no pressure. None whatsoever.” Dani detected the teasing tone in Barb’s voice. Dani wasn’t amused.
She approached the lane and picked up her bowling ball. She toed the arrow where she liked to stand and started her motion. Just as she was about to release the ball, the DJ’s voice crackled over the speaker.
“Now, here’s an early release from C.J. James’s upcoming debut album—‘Dani’s Eyes.’”
Dani promptly dropped the ball which landed in a loud thud and slowly—painstakingly so—rolled into the left gutter.
“Fuck!” Dani exclaimed. When she whirled around, she saw Barb and Tina’s shocked expressions. The women from the other team stared at her with their mouths gaped open. Dani retrieved the ball that had rolled back from its slow trip down the lane.
She toed the same spot again. She first tried to block out C.J.’s voice as she concentrated on the ten pins at the end of the lane. Then she let the music seep
into her brain. It was pissing her off. Maybe this was a good thing.
Dani approached the line and flung the ball out hard. It rolled at a fast clip down the lane and slammed into the pins, knocking them all down.
As she took her seat beside Tina, Tina patted her on the back. Dani bowled out of her mind after that. A 173 for the second game. And 189 for the final one. The best she’d ever bowled was a 132, and that had been years ago.
The night ended with Barb and Tina’s team on top. Dani hadn’t been a detriment like she’d feared.
As they walked to their cars, Tina spoke. “You okay, Dani?”
“Yeah. At least I think I’m on the way to being okay.”
“You want to come back to our place for a beer?” Barb put their bowling balls in the back of the Explorer.
“I’m going to head home, but thanks for having me join you. You were right. It was what I needed.” Dani gave them each a hug.
Barb slapped her on the back. “Go home and get some rest, okay? You’ve been through a lot lately.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at work, Tina.”
Tina waved at her as they drove away.
Dani got into her new MINI Cooper. Her other one had been totaled in the crash. She’d debated about getting a different car but decided she still deserved to have some fun.
When Dani made it home, she took Frodo for a long walk. Taking a deep breath, she tried to enjoy the neighbors’ flowers and lilac bushes along the way. She waved at Mrs. Dickinson who watered her petunias in front of her house.
She thought about Liz and how right Liz had been when she told Dani to take some time. It allowed her to step back and let her heart take a break. Even though she wanted very much to look up Liz’s home number and give her a call, she didn’t. A part of her wished she would run into Liz walking Melanie, but the other part of her was glad for the solitude.
“Come on, Frodo, let’s go home and get you food.”
His ears perked up at the word “food.”
Dani laughed. “Sometimes, you’re just too damn smart.”
When they got to the house, Dani unlocked the door and let Frodo go. He flew into the kitchen and pranced by his bowl.
“I know, I know. Mommy promised.” She dropped a cup of his food in his dish and hung his leash on the hook. She rubbed the back of her neck. “Man, I think I pulled something on that spare I fired down the lane,” she mumbled.
A hot shower sounded like heaven. After the shower, the pain subsided. She toweled off and padded naked into her bedroom. She put on a pair of boxer shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt. She had left the kitchen light on for Frodo, but she was too tired to go down to turn it off. As she lay back on the cool sheets, Frodo’s collar jingled as he came up the stairs. She felt him hop up lightly onto the bed. He gave her his customary good-night lick on the side of her face, went into his circling routine, and settled down with a sigh.
Maybe she’d contact Liz tomorrow.
Chapter 20
It was morning. Aware that someone was staring at her, Dani blinked her eyes open. Frodo was within inches of her face. As soon as she could focus, he licked her cheek.
“Frodo, I get the hint. You have to go potty.”
Dani got out of bed and took a quick trip to the bathroom. She headed down the stairs with Frodo flying in front of her. After letting him out back, she turned on the Keurig machine. She peered at the clock. Eight-fifteen. Shit! Eight-fifteen! Dani never overslept. When she let Frodo out, she hadn’t noticed the sky had lightened.
Dani ran to shower. She threw on a pair of jeans and one of her “Dani’s Den of Book’s” short-sleeved cotton shirts. After pulling on her sneakers, she hurried back downstairs.
She searched for Frodo in the backyard. “Come on, boy!” Preoccupied with barking at something in the front of the house, Frodo ignored her. “Frodo, come on. I’ve got to get to work.”
He trotted into the house and waited for his morning food. Dani dropped a cup into the dish and filled his water bowl with fresh water. She grabbed her shoulder bag on the way to the door. When she opened the screen door to leave, she didn’t think she had to be careful because she thought Frodo was still in the kitchen. She felt him brush against her leg as he dashed out the door. She saw a flash of gray as a cat zipped through the neighbor’s front yard across the street.
“Frodo. No!”
He’d already started for the front porch steps and attempted to leap from the second step to the ground below. Just as Dani had a horrible image of him running into the street, he yelped and came to an abrupt halt at the base of the stairs. He held up his left hind leg and continued yelping.
“Shit.” Dani threw her bag aside and sprinted down the stairs. He stood still while she touched his back leg, fearful that he’d broken something. He flinched and tried to put his weight on it but yelped again. “Frodo, what did you do?”
Despite her wrist brace, Dani scooped him into her arms, taking care not to press into that leg. She set him on the living room floor. He sat down and stared at her, as if begging her for help. Dani grabbed the portable phone and made a call to the vet’s office. Dr. Patterson wasn’t in, but Liz was. Mary said she’d let Liz know Dani would be bringing him in. Dani hung up from that call and phoned to Tina.
“Hey, boss. You usually beat me into the office.”
“Tina, Frodo’s hurt his back leg. I need to take him to see Liz. Can you handle opening up?”
“Absolutely. Call me when you find out something.”
Frodo hadn’t moved from his spot on the floor, which told Dani how much pain he was in. She gingerly lifted him and took him out to the car. She set him in the backseat and returned to the porch to lock up and grab her bag. On the drive to the vet’s office, Frodo whimpered when she hit a bump.
“I’m sorry, little guy. I’m trying to miss them.”
She pulled into the parking lot. They must have been on the lookout for her. Jake met her at the car and carried Frodo inside directly to an exam room. He set him on the exam table and stood on one side while Dani stood on the other. She kept petting Frodo while they waited for Liz.
As she stood there worrying, she was transported back in time when Frodo was a puppy and she brought him home for the first night. He was so frightened of his new surroundings. She stayed up with him that night and held him as he trembled on her chest while she sat in her overstuffed chair. He’d inch his way up to her neck the instant she fell asleep. She’d push him back down so she could breathe a little easier only to wake up to find his face against hers again.
The other door opened, and Liz entered the room.
“Dani, what happened?”
Dani explained how Frodo had gotten past her to chase a cat but had hit the ground hard. “He lifted his left back leg. I thought he broke it at first, but I couldn’t see anything wrong. It seems loose, though, if that makes sense.”
Jake held Frodo in place while Liz maneuvered his back leg. Frodo jerked.
“No, it makes sense.”
Dani watched Liz’s expression for any answer to how serious the injury was.
“It feels really loose, like you said. I’m pretty sure he’s torn his ACL.”
“ACL?” Dani didn’t even know dogs had ACLs, let alone could tear one.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
A sudden cold fear shot through Dani’s body. Her eyes filled with tears. “He’s going to be okay, isn’t he? You don’t have to... have to...”
Liz must have noticed her panicked expression. “Oh, no. It’s serious, yes, but not serious in the way you’re interpreting it. He’ll probably need surgery.”
Dani almost collapsed with relief. “You’ll do that?”
“No, but I can give you recommendations for some surgeons who specialize in joint repair.” Liz nodded at Jake who left the room. “Jake will bring you a sheet with the names and locations of the surgeons. You can make the decision.”
“I’ll go with whomever you recommend.”
“Okay. Sure. I’ll call him right away.” Dani’s lower lip trembled, and she swiped away a tear rolling down her cheek.
“Jake, could you give us a minute?”
He left the room again.
Dani kept her head lowered while she continued to pet Frodo. She stopped her petting when Liz placed her hand on top of hers. She raised her head.
“Dani, I won’t lie to you. It’s a serious injury, just like it would be to a human. But just like humans, we have surgeons who can fix it.” As Liz spoke, she stroked the back of Dani’s hand with her thumb. “It’s expensive—”
“I don’t care,” Dani said forcefully. “I don’t care what it costs.”
Liz smiled. “I know that about you.”
Dani stared down at their joined hands and then met Liz’s eyes. Liz didn’t say anything, but in that moment, Dani sensed this was about much more than Frodo.
“How have you been these past few weeks?” Liz asked softly.
“Better. Thank you for suggesting I take the time to work things out.”
“And did you?”
“Yes.” They were both petting Frodo as if using him as a buffer. Even in his pain, Frodo seemed to sense there was something more going on. He licked Liz’s hand then Dani’s.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep in touch to see how Frodo is doing.” Liz hesitated for a moment. “And you.”
“The clinic has my home number. Let me give you my cell.”
Liz pulled out her cell phone and typed in Dani’s number. “I’ll text you mine.”
Dani’s phone dinged in her pocket. “Got it.” They stared at each other for a long moment until Dani cleared her throat. “I guess I should take Frodo home.”
Liz shook her head as if to clear it. “Right. Sorry. Let me get you some pain medication that should tide him over until you get in to see the surgeon. It’ll also help keep him quiet until his appointment. I’ll have Jake come back in to help you with Frodo to your car.” Liz leaned over and scratched Frodo’s ears. “I’ll be thinking about you, Frodo. Dr. Stanton will make you good as new.” She started for the door.
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