“I’ll be dipped in—”
Sarge barked once and the doc stopped again, turning.
“I’m sorry I doubted you, I can take the bag,” he said, petting Ophelia on the head.
Her tail wagged, and she put the bag down and licked his hand. He put it down and she took the opportunity to jump up and lick him on the face. He laughed in surprise and gently pushed her back.
“She likes you. She’s usually not affectionate to everyone, but she’s a pretty good judge of character.”
Both Opus and Ophelia chuffed, near simultaneously.
“Did they just…”
“Yeah, you get used to it. Where can I take these critters to water the lawn?”
“Oh yeah. Sorry, just over here,” he said, turning.
We followed him to a glass wall that seemed to be near the center of the hospital. It was a courtyard, surrounded by the walls of the hospital. There were benches and, in the center, a few trees with what looked like a patch of grass. It was raining cats and dogs outside, but when Doc opened the door, none of the dogs hesitated when I asked if they had to go.
Opus took off like a shot, and Sarge caught him halfway to the tree. Ophelia, as regal as ever, ran, but in a more dignified manner, making sure to look back and check on us. When they were done, they ran back to the door, shaking themselves off. Owen stirred, but I shushed him.
“You can put him down by me,” Tina said, her voice groggy.
“He’s sleeping,” I told her.
“I will be too. And you need to get some sleep.”
“Doc said—”
“That you can sleep in the pullout right here, with the dogs. Just… put a leash on them. We all know they don’t need them, but three furballs…”
I handed her Owen, who curled against her immediately. She sat back and sighed happily.
“Are you ok?” I asked her.
I’d heard what had happened after the detectives had talked to her. She was in and out of it, but he’d given me the basics. They’d forced her at gunpoint to take the pill and go with them. Actually, the one detective had said that the gun had been pointed at my baby boy when she’d left, before it was turned and pointed in the small of her back. About twenty minutes were a total blank for her, but she remembered fighting them both off, getting the gun, and pulling the trigger. Next thing she remembered was Javier staggering at her, only to be knocked down by three furry missiles. At least, that was what the cops said she could remember. They wanted to get as much as they could in case the memory loss from the pills kicked in.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Little hazy and sleepy,” she said, her hair mussed.
“I’m so glad you’re ok,” I told her, sitting on her side of the bed.
Opus immediately went to the built-in sofa and hopped up, claiming his spot, and the other two followed.
“Just a little bruised and probably going to have a nice shiner to go with the goose egg on the back of my head,” she said, her eyes barely open. “Did the man I shot…?”
“He’s alive. In surgery, but alive.” I wanted to say more, but seeing her eye half swollen and knowing what had almost happened made my heart hurt.
“Good, I didn’t want to do it,” she said, licking her lips.
She had an IV hooked up, but I could see that her lips were cracked. I grabbed a Styrofoam cup with the straw already in it and offered it to her. She took a sip and leaned back, her eyes closing softly.
“Is it bad that I’m glad he’s not dead?” she asked her eyes shut.
“It’s very… you,” I muttered softly.
“How bad is he?”
“You nicked something connected to his heart. From what I saw, you also got two shots into his stomach area. They are working on him.”
“Did Owen see…?”
Sarge got up and came over, putting his head under her right hand, rubbing the side of his muzzle against her until she cracked an eye. She smiled, and started petting him, her motions slow and deliberate.
“I carried him on my shoulder when I let the dogs loose to find you. He might have seen you when we first got there, but I don’t think he saw much of what else was going on. He was pretty upset to be in the rain and wanted you.”
“I didn’t want… I never would have left Owen—”
“It’s ok. You didn’t have any other sane choice. Besides, you were able to unleash your Kung-fu as soon as you had room and distance. You kept him safe.”
“It’s not Kung-fu, you nerd,” she said, grinning.
Sarge started licking her arm, and I saw Tina notice; she’d quit petting him, so she started again. He groaned in pleasure.
“Your Krav Maga or however it’s called. You kicked their asses. With a gun to your back, you took out two bad guys. You know there’s going to be no way to keep this out of the news, don’t you?”
“We can’t go anywhere in public any more.” Tina closed her eyes again.
“Doc says we’re stuck here for a day or three.”
“I already asked him… hey, it’s got to be almost morning. You need sleep.”
“You do too,” I told her.
26
Opus
Opus had slept off and on every chance he got since he’d had to stop the human who was trying to hurt his human Tina. He was proud that his son hadn’t hesitated and had joined him in the hunt and takedown. It was similar to the training Opus had received years ago but rarely was called on to use. Today it had paid off. Ophelia had done well. She’d found the human Tina’s scent before Opus did. She was leading them in her direction when Opus finally found it. He prided himself on being a good tracker, but she was light years ahead of him.
Afterwards, it was nice to get out of the rain for a while, but this big building with no carpet smelled like chemicals and sickness. The floors were cold and what limited areas to lay down and nap on were usually filled with his family. Still, he watched over them as they slept. He could nap again, but he wanted to make sure the evil squirrel ninja assassin hordes weren’t in this place. Plus, he could smell something rather interesting down the hallway, which made his stomach rumble.
The food his human Rick had provided was good, but this smelled even better. Opus ignored the howling of the wind and what sounded like little rocks hitting the side of the building and focused on the smell, trying to figure out where it was.
“Knock knock,” a female human voice said, before opening the door.
Rick and Tina snored, but Opus saw both Ophelia and Sarge open their eyes. This was almost a routine and it wasn’t the first time he’d seen this human come and go. The others put their heads back down as the female human noted everyone sleeping. She held up a rectangular piece of plastic with paper on it and was scratching marks on the surface. Opus padded over to her, his leash dragging, and sniffed the baggy pants she wore, near her feet.
She lived near a place that had those trees that dropped the orange balls, was owned by another dog and—
She reached down and scratched behind his ears, making Opus stretch so she got the back of his neck and between the shoulders. He thought it felt amazing.
“You’re a troublemaker, I can tell,” she told him.
Opus sneezed at the human who laughed softly, “That’s ok. You’ve been pretty good,” she whispered, “you keep good care of these three.”
Opus chuffed and saw that the pup human Owen was still snuggled in Tina’s arm, the one without the plastic and metal going into it. She scratched on the board again and then walked out, leaving the door open a crack. Waiting until he could hear her move into another room, he walked over, and using his snout, pushed the door open further. No humans seemed surprised, though now it looked busier than it had earlier. Still, that smell was enticing.
The human in the white coat was at the end of the hallway, near where Opus could smell the food. He remembered how Ophelia had to carry the lazy human’s bag and how amusing it was. Humans always served their dog masters faithfully, though dogs a
ppreciated what they did. Still, the smell was tantalizing and he thought he could probably get the human to feed him again. He padded out into the hallway, dragging his leash.
The human was talking into a piece of plastic. He didn’t understand how the white thing he was talking into didn’t blow his ears out.
“I know, Detective,” he said, “as soon as we’re sure. We’re following concussion protocols.”
“How’s the woman he attacked?” the voice from the white handle said.
“She’s going to have a black eye. Might have some memory loss, but EMTs were able to confirm from your suspect that they used a roofie. We gave the antidote and pumped her full of fluids. Other than a bang to the head, those two got the worst of it.”
“Did the other man make it?”
“Yes, luckily we were able to stop the bleeding quickly and work on the rest of him. He’s lost a couple feet of his digestive tract, but he should make a full recovery in time.”
“I’m worried the hurricane will disrupt things for us when the first one is ready to be released,” the voice from the plastic handle said.
“We’ll work it out, Detective… oh,” he said, noticing Opus had sat down next to him and was smelling the garbage can. “What are you doing out?”
“What?” the voice said.
“Tina and Rick’s Shepherd came out into the hallway.”
“I heard about them. Three of them?”
“Yeah,” the human doctor said, “but this is the older guy. You can tell this one has seen some things.”
Opus leaned against the doctor as he started scratching between his ears. Humans were good to keep, he decided.
“I wish we had more of them on the force. Our K9 Units are going to be busy as all get out in a few hours.”
Opus pulled away and stuck his nose in the trash can. He knew right where it was. He could smell it. Right there! Behind a white container!
“Stay in touch, Detective. I need to make my rounds one more time before I go to bed.”
“I will. You there for the duration again like last time?”
“You know it. I’ll be staying here until after the governor sounds the all clear, depending on how busy we are.”
“Take care then. I’ll be in touch.”
The human doctor put the phone down after saying bye and noticed what Opus was doing.
“Here you go,” he said, pulling the container out and opening it up.
Inside were the things his humans, Tina and Rick, liked to give Owen. Fries? What he wanted though, was on a little round half of bread.
“After surgery tonight, I couldn’t eat it. Roast beef doesn’t always sound good when you’ve put someone back together.”
Opus didn’t know what that meant, but two wolf-sized bites and he was devouring the meat, trying not to drool all over. When it was gone, he checked to see if there was more. Not finding any, he sat down on his rear haunch and wagged his tail, staring at the human in the white coat.
“You want more?” he asked.
Opus wagged his tail harder, his entire body wanting to shake.
“Let me see if your people are awake. I have to check on Tina anyway.”
Opus stood and followed him into their room. The human Owen stirred, and Tina rolled over to face him and opened her eyes.
“Hey, buddy, you did good yesterday.”
Opus wagged his tail, happy to see his human awake. He walked over and sniffed her. The chemical smell that had been coming out of her skin seemed to have gone, which made him happier. The human in the white coat did the same things the young human lady did, checking on things, talking softly to his human.
“Other than a sore spot on the back of my head, I think I’m good.”
“From what we figure, you only had the Rohypnol in your system for forty-five minutes at the most. It was probably kicking in when your altercation happened.”
“I think so?” she asked, her words sounding like a question to Opus.
“Hangover effects aren’t uncommon with that. Actually, I’m surprised the knock to the head didn’t give you one on top of everything.
“The nurse said that’s why you’re pumping me full of fluids,” Tina said, giving him the smile Opus knew was meant to disarm the male humans.
“This is true. I need to do one last set of rounds before I head to sleep. Since none of us here are leaving during the evacuation, I’ll be close by if you need me. I can take the dogs out for you if you’d like.”
“That would be great. Little man will be up soon, and I didn’t want to wake my husband.”
“You know Opus is a certified therapy dog?” Rick asked, not opening his eyes.
“I thought you were asleep,” Tina asked him.
Opus followed the conversation, his head moving side to side, then back up at the doctor.
“I will be again. Couch is sort of cold.”
Ophelia decided to jump up on the couch at that point, stretching out, putting her back against Rick’s.
“I didn’t know that. So he’s used to being in hospitals?” Doc asked.
“Last couple of years, yes. Trying to find him a quiet hobby to retire with.”
Rick started snoring softly, and Opus was amused at how fast he’d fallen asleep again.
After the human had let them run and mark territory in the only grass in the middle of this block of a building, the other two had gone back to watch over the humans. Opus had decided that none of the humans were to be out of sight of one of the pack from now on. Trouble happened when they weren’t right there to watch over them. The run the night before had made him sore, but the more he moved the less it pained him.
He was following the human in the white coat who’d talked to his Tina. He’d insisted on having the leash off, so it was in a pocket of the white coat. This morning, they were visiting humans. Opus liked visiting humans early in the day. They often gave him treats and food the humans he owned rarely shared. The salty and fatty bacon that Rick loved, a sausage... real sausage not the snack that was supposed to taste like it… and all he had to do was smell them and be nice. He was good at being nice except when he walked past a room.
He stopped, his fur standing up. He knew that smell. He growled softly, becoming wrath, trembling with anticipated violence.
“Hey,” the human in the white coat said, startling Opus with a hand to his collar, “you don’t want to go in there. That’s the guy you chewed on.”
Opus stood there, staring at the door, knowing one of the people who’d hurt his pack was inside there.
“Don’t worry, when this storm passes, he’s getting locked up for a long time. I guess he fits some sort of profile the local PD down here has been looking for. If it’s him, you did a real good job. Not everyone walked away when he went after them.”
Opus’s low growl changed and he went silent, looking up at the human with the white coat.
“I promise you, he’s going to be stuck in there until the cops come and put him in a cage.”
Opus looked between the closed door and the human and sat down, growling softly again. He knew the smell of the human. He wasn’t going to budge, not until he was sure the human was locked up. The human doctor sighed and pulled the leash out of his pocket. Opus wondered if he actually thought he was going to use that to drag him away? Opus would let him put the leash on, but he wasn’t going to be dragged. He’d chew his face off first.
“I’m going to put this on you, then open the door. That way you can see he’s not going anywhere, ok?” the human doctor said, clipping the leash to his collar.
“Everything ok, Doctor?” a human woman in a blue baggy outfit said walking past, her eyes going from Opus to the man in the white coat.
“Yeah, fine. Sorry. This guy named Opus here understands most of what I’m saying. He’s been doing my final rounds with me before I head to bed.”
Opus watched the lady look at him and grin out the side of her mouth. She nodded and started walking away. He t
urned his attention back to the door with the man who tried to hurt his human when she heard the woman mutter “…been on shift too long.”
Opus got up and pulled to the end of the leash, wanting to see the human.
“Hold on,” the doc said, “don’t get impatient—”
There was a loud crashing sound and the both of them turned around. Not seeing anything or seeing alerts, Doc turned back to the door he was in front of, writing the sound off as the hurricane having blown something against the wall somewhere. He pushed the latch and door open slowly then let out a gasp. Opus pushed forward, opening the door with his head and neck, pulling the human. An unconscious woman in blue clothing lay on the floor. Opus could see her chest rising and falling, but the side of her face was purple. On the side of the bed was a handcuff, one side open, the other linked around the bed rail.
“Oh shit,” the doc said quietly to Opus, who’d suddenly gone still.
27
Rick
“I think we’ve turned our doc into a dog guy,” I told Tina with an amused grin.
“I think so too. Hey, you want to get me some breakfast from the cafeteria? The whole skipping lunch and dinner thing I’m now regretting.”
“You don’t want to wait for when they bring you breakfast?” I asked, yawning and sitting up.
“Dayee go bye bye?” Owen asked.
“You hungry too, little man?” I asked.
“Ungee,” Owen agreed, “…lisciousness”
“Deliciousness?” Tina asked me.
“I think so? I need coffee anyway. Hopefully enough to peel my eyes back awake.”
“I’ll be out of here soon,” Tina told me, putting Owen on the ground.
He toddled over to the couch where I was, and I pulled him up. I reached for the diaper bag as he tugged at my shirt.
“What’s up, buddy?” I asked him.
“Oppy?”
“Opus went with the doctor. He’s got a little girl who’s a patient. He called her Miss Dakota.”
One Man's Opus (Book 3): Opus Adventure Page 16