by Kayt Miller
“You got a name?”
Weird question. “Alison.”
The guy laughs. “No, woman. The name of the vet’s office.”
“Oh?” Duh. “Let me check.” I grab my phone as he pulls away from the curb. Doing a quick search of veterinarians nearby, I find it. “Ingram Animal Hospital.”
“Oh, right. I know the place. I took my mom’s cat there once. Poor thing…”
I hear him talking up front, but I’m not listening. My mind is on what just happened. Ben, his arms, the bicycle….
The guy drives like a bat out of hell, but we’re in front of the animal hospital in fifteen minutes. After paying with my card, I slide out of the vehicle and make my way inside.
Chapter Seventeen
Ben
“Sky,” I whisper in her ear. I’m not sure she can even hear me. Her eyes are open, but she’s panting and whimpering so much I don’t think she even knows I’m here. “Baby girl.” A tear slides down my cheek. She’s not moving except for the panting she’s doing.
I didn’t see it happen, but one of the other people at the scene said the bike hit her on her side and she flew into the air about six feet. When she landed, she didn’t move. The thought makes me cry harder. “Sweet angel,” I whisper. “I love you so much, Sky. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.” And it’s true. She is. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” I was so busy trying to keep Alison from getting hit that I totally forgot Sky was on her leash standing next to me. “How could I forget you were right in the line of fire?”
A sob hits me and I can’t—no, I won’t stop it. She means everything to me.
“We’re here, man.”
I can’t figure out how to get my wallet out because I’ve got Sky in both my arms. I’m afraid to move her too much because something is definitely making it impossible for her to move.
I make eye contact with the driver in his rearview mirror. “Hang on. Let me take her in and I’ll come back to pay you.”
“Nah, man. Just get her in there. I got you.”
“No—”
“I’ve got a dog. I get it. Now go.”
“Right.” I look at the door handle and then back up at the guy. He jumps out of his cab and opens my door enough for me to slip out. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
He smiled, then looks down at Sky. “Just get her in there.”
I jog up to the door, which opens for me automatically. Inside the door, I look left, then right and spot a reception desk. “Hey!” I say loudly. “We need help!” I’m frantic now that I’m finally here. “Please.”
A man behind the desk snaps, “Sir….” Then he gets one look at Sky and me and his tune changes. “Right back here.” He stands and points to his left. I follow him down a short hallway to a small room with an exam table. “What’s your dog’s name?” he asks as he takes something from a drawer. I watch as he unfolds a paper cover and spreads it over the table.
I clear my throat because it’s dry and I don’t think I can speak if I don’t. “Sky. Her name is Sky.”
“I’m Dr. Pamel.” I watch him slip on some rubber gloves. “What happened?”
“Hit by a bike.” I clear my throat again. “She’s not moving. Her eyes are open and she’s shivering. She keeps panting and whimp—” I do what I can to keep more tears from falling. “—whimpering.”
“Can you set her down gently?” he asks before adding, “I’ll be right back.”
I nod even though I’m not sure I can, or that I want to. I’d rather hold her, but I know that won’t get her the help she needs. Leaning down, I rest my arms on the table first. Then, as slow as possible, I slide one arm out as I use my hand to transition her to the table without much movement. I do the same with the other arm. I keep one hand on her at all times so she knows I’m with her, like she’s always with me.
“God.” I bite my lip to keep from crying. “Sky, girl. I’m so, so sorry.”
When the guy walks back into the room, he’s not alone. Alison is with him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask amid my surprise.
“I followed you.”
Why would she follow me? I know she was pissed that I grabbed her so she wouldn’t get rammed by the bike. I guess I don’t blame her, especially since I didn’t get the chance to explain. Not that that would make a difference after the heel incident.
“I thought you’d be angry with me again.”
“I was. Before I realized you were pulling me out of the path of a bike.”
I nod and look down at my sweet pup. “This is Sky.”
She steps closer until she’s right next to me. Reaching out, she barely touches Sky’s silky coat. “Hi, Sky. I’m sorry you’re hurt.”
She looks up at me with glistening eyes. “Is she going to be okay?”
“We’re going to do our best,” says the vet. “We’ll need to get an X-ray to see what’s happening. I’d like to do some blood work as well.”
“Whatever you need to do, do it.”
“Right.” He leans down to look into Sky’s eyes. “Hey, Sky,” he says softly. “We’re going to take good care of you, okay?”
I stand frozen in place as the table she’s on is wheeled out of the room for X-rays. I feel a warm hand on my arm and look down at Alison. “She’ll be okay,” she whispers.
How does she know that? I don’t say it; instead, I merely nod.
I feel a tug on my arm and let her lead me to one of the two chairs in the exam room. I sit and watch as she sits next to me. “How long have you had Sky?” she asks.
“A year.”
“Is she a rescue dog?”
I let a single laugh escape me. “You could say that.”
Her brows furrow, and then she asks, “What do you mean?”
I’ve told the story about Sky to several people. None of them believed me. I should just make something up, but I feel like Sky deserves to have her story told. “I was walking to the subway one day after work.” I look over at Alison. I want to see her face when she hears this. “I heard a weird sound. At first I thought it was something like wind hitting thin metal, but then I realized it was something more.”
She’s listening intently, staring right into my eyes.
“I looked around me but didn’t see anything. Then, as the sound got closer, it was more of a yipping noise.”
This is where most people start to raise a brow at the story. But Alison doesn’t. Not yet.
“I looked up and saw something falling.”
“From the sky?” she asks softly.
“From the sky.” I nod. “I reached out and had to lunge to catch her.”
“Did she jump from a balcony or something?”
I shake my head. “No balconies in sight. She could have fallen out of a window or something, but even after I put signs up and informed both building managers about the dog, no one ever claimed her.”
“Wow.” She chuckles softly. “That’s amazing.”
“It is.”
“Sky is the perfect name for her.”
“She’s the perfect dog.”
Alison reaches out and touches my hand. I’d love to tell you I felt nothing, but I can’t. “She’s going to be okay. I just know it.”
I look down at her hand on top of mine and place mine on top of hers. “Thanks for being here.” And I mean it.
She gives me a small smile, but it seems genuine. “You’re welcome.”
“The good news is she’s got no internal bleeding. I was concerned she’d have pneumothorax—”
“What’s that?” Alison asks before I can.
“Punctured lung.”
“She doesn’t have that?”
“No. But what she does appear to have is swelling in her spine. Good news, the spine doesn’t show signs of a fracture.”
I nod.
“Meaning what?” Alison takes over. I’m thankful since I’m unable to put two thoughts together. She seems to be a good person to have around right now.
“M
y guess is she’s got a ruptured intervertebral disc. It’s also why she’s not able to move.”
She looks first at the doc, then at me, her voice shocked when she says, “She can’t move?”
I knew she wasn’t moving, but I just figured she was in shock or she had a broken leg. “Her spine?” My voice is much higher than normal. I can’t control it.
“The rupture can cause spinal inflammation and paralysis. She’ll need emergency surgery.”
“Surgery?” I squeak. “When?”
“Now.”
“Can you do that here?”
He nods. “We need to do a myelogram to locate the exact disc. While we do that, you’ll need to fill out some paperwork about Sky, and then we’ll get her prepped for surgery.”
“Of course. Whatever she needs.”
I don’t care if I have to sell one of my own kidneys to pay for this. My sweet Sky is going to make it through this.
Chapter Eighteen
Alison
Sky’s been in surgery for nearly two hours. The longer we wait, the more Ben’s foot seems to tap nervously on the floor. And when he’s not doing that, he’s pacing. I wish I knew what to say to ease his worry, but I’ve never been in this situation. I’ve lost pets before, but they were at the end of their little lives. Sky, well, I don’t know how old she is, but I’m sure she’s not at that age yet. Maybe I just need to try talking to Ben again.
“How old is Sky?”
“Huh?” Ben stops walking in front of me. “I’m sorry. What did you say?” He really is distracted.
“I asked you how old Sky was.”
“Oh.” He smiles. “Well, they thought she was about one and a half when I found her, so two and a half.”
“She’s young.” I smile up at him. “That’s good.”
“Is it?”
I pat the seat next to me, hoping he’ll take the hint and sit back down. His pacing is making me nervous. When he does, I reach out and touch his hand. “It’s good. She’s young. She’ll bounce back quicker that way.”
“If she makes it.”
“She’ll make it.”
He turns to face me, his expression a combination of worry and hope. “Do you really think so?”
“I do.” When his hand slides out from beneath mine and flips over, I watch as he moves it back until our fingers are intertwined.
“Thank you for being here, Alison. I’d be half out of my mind without someone here.”
Someone? Anyone?
Why do I want him to say he’s glad I’m here, not just anyone?
I’m seeing a different side to Ben Schilling. This one is sweet, compassionate, and, best of all, an animal lover. The last one is the most important because it says a lot about a person—more than all the work gossip in the world can convey. But now that I think about it, everyone I’ve talked to about Ben has all said the same thing: “He’s a good guy.”
Well, now I’ve seen it for myself. Ben Schilling is a good guy. No, scratch that. He’s a great guy.
“Mr. and Mrs. Schilling?”
I look up as a young woman steps out from a set of doors that lead to the back where the surgery’s taking place. I had to think about what she just said for a second. Mr. and Mrs. Schilling. I start to laugh, but when I feel Ben’s hand take mine and squeeze hard, I know this isn’t a joke, nor is it about me.
“Yes?” Ben says, leaning forward in his chair.
She steps closer to where we’re sitting. “Hello. I’m Dr. Ackerman.”
“Hi,” Ben says quickly. “How is she?”
“We’re just finishing up.”
Ben’s practically falling forward he’s leaning in so much. “And?”
“And”—the young woman smiles—“Sky did great.”
Ben quickly looks over at me, then back to the woman. My glimpse at him was quick, but I still noticed his glossy eyes.
“She did?” he squeaks. “Is she going to be okay? Will she be able to walk?”
Dr. Ackerman chuckles. “She will. Not right away, of course. We don’t want her up and around just yet. The spinal cord recovers slowly, so we’d like her to lie low for six to eight weeks. We’d also like to keep her here tonight for observation and to make sure she doesn’t move a great deal. Will that be all right with you two?” We both nod, but neither of us speaks. “When she does start to become more mobile, extra care must be taken not to allow running, jumping, stairs, playing with other dogs, or hopping on or off furniture. If you’d like, physical therapy can be started next week to help regain strength.”
“Physical therapy?” I want to laugh at the notion of dog physical therapy, but this doctor was totally serious. “Who does animal physical therapy?” I’ve never heard of such a thing.
“Oh, there are twenty or thirty places in the city for animal rehab. There are several that use pools.”
“Swimming pools?” Why do I sound so incredulous?
The doctor merely nods while Ben says, “I’ll research that tonight, Dr. Ackerman. Can I see her?”
“She’s still sedated, but yes, you can see her before you leave.”
Ben’s talking rapidly like he’s full of nervous energy. “Can I stop by early tomorrow. Before work?”
“We open our doors to the public again at seven. You can stop in any time after that.”
“Good.” He nods. “Great.”
Standing, he releases my hand, and I’m not going to lie, I miss it. When he turns to me, his face has changed from worried to something much happier. He’s got a wonderful smile. “Thank you for coming and for staying with me, Alison.”
I smile, but I don’t feel it. I wish I could stay with him, see Sky, and then leave with him.
What the hell am I saying? “No problem. I’m glad she’s going to be okay.”
“Me too.” He smiles brightly, and it makes me feel warm all over. My God, the man is gorgeous.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Sure.” He starts to walk toward the back, but he stops. Turning to me, he adds, “Wait. It’s late. Are you going to be okay getting home alone?
He’s right. It’s well after eleven now. I want to laugh at his question because I’ve been getting home “alone” for years. But it’s sweet, really, so I just say, “I’ll catch a cab. I’m good.”
“Okay.” Looking back at the doctor, he nods. “Can I see her now?”
“Follow me.”
I watch them both disappear behind the doors that will lead him back to his dog. I sigh to myself, wondering what it’d be like to have a man like Ben Schilling care about me like he cares about Sky. Ben is all in with her. He loves her, and he doesn’t care who knows.
Ha! Like I’ll ever know.
Chapter Nineteen
Ben
Sleep’s eluding me. How can I sleep when my Sky is all alone at that animal hospital? Sure, I know she’s not technically alone—they assured me they had staff there all night to monitor her and to make sure she doesn’t try to get up and walk around just yet—but she’s probably lonely. I’ll be there first thing in the morning to see her.
Rolling onto my side, I rest my head on my arm and think about another girl. This one is named Alison. And she is beautiful. Gorgeous actually. Tonight, she was wearing a pair of dark blue wide-legged pants. Not gonna lie, I missed seeing her legs, but it didn’t take away from her in any way. Maybe it was the spiky heels she wore that made it sexy. The jacket matched her pants, and she wore a plain modest blouse in white. If anyone else were wearing that outfit, I probably wouldn’t have noticed, but there’s just something about her that makes me stop and stare. She reminds me of a film star from the ’50s—classically pretty.
And the way she showed up at the vet’s office….
I place my hand over my chest when I feel it skip a beat. This may surprise you, but I don’t have a lot of friends. Nope, I left my family and friends back home, and I haven’t taken the time to meet new ones here. Focusing on my career was job one. So tonight, w
hen Alison showed up at the animal hospital and sat with me for over two hours, well, that meant something to me. Never mind the fact that I find her the most compelling woman I’ve met in months. Maybe years. Those damn curves of hers….
Shit, just the thought of her body makes my mind take off in a new direction. One that makes my dick harden. Sure, I could take care of that, but for some reason, it feels wrong. Instead, I growl and decide to give up on sleep.
Looking at the clock next to my bed, I mumble, “Three.” I roll out of bed and make my way to my kitchen. I might as well get up. I wish I could go hang with Sky at the animal hospital, but I’ll just have to bide my time until they reopen.
Grabbing a water bottle, I fill it up, adding a couple ice cubes. I use the john, brush my teeth, and then get a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My hair is getting long. So long that right now, I look a bit like a dark-haired Albert Einstein. “Alison probably thinks I look like a crazy person.” Better get in to get it cut.
Wetting a brush under the water, I run it through my hair. When it does no good, I decide a baseball cap is the way to go this morning. Next, I search for something I can jog in. After the whole stair debacle this week, it’s obvious I’m not doing enough cardio. I might as well start working on that today.
I locate a pair of sweats and a Morgan Financial Holdings tee that I got for free last year and get dressed, then find a pair of socks and slip them on. Grabbing a zip-up hoodie from the back of my one and only dining chair, I put it on as I make my way back to the kitchen and grab my water.
Sliding on my tennis shoes that were sitting near the front door, I reach for the knob and a sense of sadness hits me hard in the chest. “Sky,” I say softly. If she were here, she’d be going with me, but instead of a jog, it’d be a nice walk through the park. “Damn.” I wipe the tear from my eye. No. I’m not going to be sad. She’ll be home soon.
Wait. She’ll be home soon, and I’ll be at work. Who’ll take care of her? They don’t want her walking around. Hell, I’ll need to carry her out to potty. She won’t be able to do her business without my help. I’m frozen at the door, my mind racing. “I need to be here.” Shaking my head, I tell myself I’ll figure it out. And I will. Right now, running is the best thing for me. It’ll exhaust me and help take my mind off all of my worries. Worries about Sky, and my job, and Alison.