by Dale Mayer
“There’s no such thing as missing lunch. Just tell one of the chefs to get you something. There are probably tons of leftovers anyway.”
Brock nodded. The doctor was still studying his chart. He wanted to get up and walk to the door to find food, but he wasn’t sure he could do it without making a sound. The first couple of steps were likely to be as painful as hell. But he hadn’t been a SEAL for nothing. Gritting his teeth, he stood and slipped his foot into the slippers he wore at the center, only to realize he was nude. With sheer willpower, he dressed in shorts and a tank. Turning to the doctor, he said, “If you need to talk to me, come and have a coffee while I grab some food. But I need food right now.”
And he walked out, leaving stunned silence behind him.
When he was in the hallway, he took a couple of deep breaths. He was amazed that with all the work he’d done this morning, he wasn’t screaming in pain. He didn’t look to see if the doctor was following him but continued on in a slow, steady walk—under his own steam. And wasn’t that something?
He made it into the dining area in time to see the kitchen staff starting to put away the food. Tray in hand, he walked over to the buffet and served himself a large Caesar salad and fried chicken.
Dennis, who worked behind the counter, said, “If there is anything you need you can’t find, just let us know. We’re cleaning up and getting ready for dinner.”
“I’ll be fine with whatever’s here,” Brock said with a smile. “It looks great.” He made his way along the line and snagged a piece of apple pie. Finally, he added a coffee and turned to slowly look at the large room. There was a table between him and the hallway, and it was probably the easiest one for him to reach. He picked up the tray, and with careful, deliberate movements, he walked to the table and set the tray down. He could almost feel a sense of approval whisper throughout the room. He thought he was alone, but there were still a few stragglers.
As he sat down, a little too heavy, a little too hard for his own sense of comfort, he realized he’d actually made the trip on his own for the first time. No crutches or wheelchair. For many that would be nothing, but for him it was a huge accomplishment. He looked up, and his gaze landed on a group of his peers on the other side of the room, many of whom he knew at least by name. They smiled and nodded at him—he got a sense of approval all over again. It made him feel damned good, but embarrassed. He could feel the heat rising up his neck. He turned to stare down at the food in front of him, deliberately ignoring the discomfort. He didn’t want to make a spectacle of himself, and he certainly didn’t want to be on show, but if there was ever a time and place to put in a good effort, it’d been today.
Now, he was starved. He dove into his lunch and polished off the salad and chicken. By the time he got to the apple pie, he was starting to feel more human. Taking his time with the pie, coffee in hand, he stared out across the fields. In the weeks he’d been here, he had never yet made it to the animal center below. It seemed so weird when he first got here to think there was a full animal therapy center and veterinarian clinic below. It sounded very confusing to him. As he understood it, the hospital was in charge of transition for animals as well as humans. They were bringing in prosthetics for the animals and had opened up another surgery down there. They did a lot of rescue work for some of the local shelters. He was sure that was a never-ending job.
It would be nice to see the animals, though. He’d always loved dogs. Never been much of a cat person, but he hadn’t been around them enough to find out if that was something that could change. He knew he had done more than enough today, but he was hoping maybe he could do something about that this weekend. Maybe go down and visit. The doctors told him the animals were always in need of love and care, and anytime he wanted, he could go down and comfort the ones currently in residence.
He could see horses in the fields and beautiful green rolling hills. The countryside was stunning. He’d heard bits and pieces of the history of the place, and he knew there’d been a brochure when he moved in. Something about it originally having been a veterinarian school that the Major and his daughter had transformed. That in itself was a small miracle. That they kept the animals was just kind of an odd but wonderful touch.
At first, he’d wondered if it was even sanitary to have injured people and injured animals together in the same building, then he realized they were both animals and they both needed the same kind of clean and caring environment to heal. As a plus, both could benefit from being around the other.
He really wanted to see the animals. But it was going to be a bit much today. The weekend was possible, if he made it a goal. He considered the possibility and decided it was doable.
“What’s very doable?” his doctor asked, standing beside him, a fresh cup of coffee in his hands. With a smile, Brock motioned to the chair opposite.
“I didn’t realize I’d spoken aloud,” he said quietly. “I’m trying to set goals for while I’m here.”
“Goals are an excellent idea,” the doctor said, pulling a chair back and sitting down.
“I was looking for three to achieve in the next week.” Brock’s ideas weren’t big. In fact, they were very small. But they were something.
The doctor leaned forward. “Interesting. Tell me what they are.”
“They aren’t major,” Brock warned. “The first is to just make it to the dining room for three meals in one day on my own.” Considering how tired he was now, he didn’t think he would make it back today for dinner. In fact, getting back to his room was already starting to look like a daunting prospect, but he was glad he’d tried. Now he had a better idea of what he could do when he put his mind to it. He’d need days before he tried it again.
“The second goal isn’t much either,” he said. “I just want to put in as much effort as I did today again.”
“So today was a good day?” the doctor asked. “And putting in consistent effort is key to progress.”
Brock nodded. “A hard day but one I feel good about.” He knew from experience, that a great effort on one day was almost impossible to repeat on the second day. Even though he went in with the right attitude mentally, it just wasn’t possible. His body needed a break afterward, and it needed to slowly build up to that level of achievement again.
“And the third?”
“The third goal was to make it down to the animal hospital every day.” He smiled. “To find a dog or two to pat or even a horse. Maybe even a cat. Something with fur. Something that could use a bit of love and gives back unconditionally.”
As he considered the three goals, he added a fourth. This one was harder, but it was something he needed to do. Be more social. He needed to get out and visit with the other men. There were also a few women here, but the gender divide landed close to ninety percent on the men.
He just needed to get out of his shell and return to life. He’d spent a lot of time locked away inside his own walls, holding the entire world responsible for his issues. Or maybe holding himself responsible for the issues and then not feeling like he could reach out to others. As if everyone would know about his guilt and therefore not reach back.
He didn’t know—and he was too damned tired to work his way through it right now. The bottom line was that either way it didn’t matter. Change had to happen. He had done nothing but hide since the accident, and it was time for that to stop.
Chapter 4
It was odd being at Hathaway House again. Sidney had done this back-and-forth dance between working and school for a few years now. Normally, she adjusted fairly quickly, but the last school session had been a bit rougher, thanks to John. Now, being back here again, she felt freer—more alive. It was a sobering thought how much a relationship could pull her down—make her less than she had been.
Dani had been to hell and back with her relationship before this Aaron guy showed up. Sidney was a little worried about that, to be truthful. But she hadn’t been here for any of the courtship, so she wasn’t sure how the guy had com
e across. It was always a danger to fall in love with a patient. Sometimes their situations were just so tear-jerking your heart literally went out to them. That wasn’t good for them, or for you. She had always been very wary of something like that. She knew several others that had managed to pull it off and have relationships that lasted many decades afterward, and all the more power to them. But personally, she wasn’t sure she could separate her professional life from her personal life in that instance.
It was almost dinnertime when she walked downstairs to see Stan. She’d hoped he was still there. He was a mainstay of the center, too. She pushed open the double doors of the veterinary clinic to still see several patients of all furry natures in the waiting room. He must have had a hell of a day if he was this backed up. As she walked across the reception area the assistant looked up and frowned at her. The name tag said Rebecca.
“Hi. Is there something we can do for you?”
Rebecca’s voice was full of dread. Sidney smiled reassuringly and said, “Nope. I’m one of the therapists from upstairs. I just came down to see how you guys were doing. Actually, I’ve been away for nine months, and I wanted to say hi to Stan.”
“Oh.” Relief washed over the young woman’s face. “It’s been a heck of a day. He’s having quite the time.” She motioned with her head toward the full waiting room. “He’s behind at the moment.”
Just then the door opened, and Stan walked out, talking with a woman holding a small dog. As the woman left, Stan looked at the waiting room and shook his head. He turned, his gaze landing on Sidney. His face lit up, and he opened his arms. She gave him a big hug.
Sidney stepped back and said, “As much as I’d love to sit and chat, apparently you’re really bogged down. Do you want me to give you a hand?”
“You so can. My assistant had to leave early today, so we’re running behind.”
She didn’t know the ins and outs of the veterinary world, but she’d helped Stan before in the past. Between the two of them, they managed to get through the full waiting room in the next hour. When they were done, Stan slung an arm across her shoulder and hugged her close.
“Talk about good timing. I was afraid we’d never get through this day.”
He walked over to one of the waiting-room couches and sat down. Sidney studied his face, hating the fatigue in his expression. She didn’t know how old Stan was but thought he appeared to have aged ten years while she’d been gone. “Sounds like you’ve had a rough year.”
He laughed. “Rough day, yes. A rough year? No, it’s been pretty decent.” He looked around the room and said, “All the animal patients and their owners are gone at least, but I still have several animals that are staying overnight I have to attend to. Can you spare another half hour, then maybe we could go have dinner together?”
“I’d like that,” she said with a smile. “Come on, let’s get the work done first.”
The first patient was a rabbit with a bad slice to its ear, which he’d had to stitch closed. While she watched, he took off the old covering on the wound and re-bandaged it. The rabbit didn’t appreciate the attention it was getting, so it was Sidney’s job to help keep it quiet. He was obviously a well-cared-for and beloved bunny, and quite a character. Next was a tomcat that’d had his mind changed and wasn’t appreciating his new status.
“Do you actually keep these here overnight?” she asked.
“This one’s a rescue. They were supposed to pick him up but asked if I could keep him overnight because they didn’t have a volunteer to do the drive.”
She nodded. “Makes sense.”
By the time they got to the little filly outside in the fenced yard, she was immersed in the joy of being surrounded by animals. The filly walked right up to Stan and nudged him with her hand. He laughed and pulled out chunks of carrot from his pockets. He fed her a couple of smaller ones and then walked over to the older mare standing a little farther back. While Stan fed Maggie the older mare the rest of the carrots, he quickly checked over the little filly. He explained what the problem had been to Sidney. “It’s a case of when people don’t understand the difference between house pets and farm animals.”
“I can certainly see the attraction to keeping this little one close,” Sidney admitted. But it was obviously short-term thinking. She reached up and stroked the mare’s long forehead. “There are more horses now, too. As usual, Dani’s been busy.”
“Not only are there a couple of new horses, we also have a couple of new dogs and a goat,” Stan said. “I just worry she’s biting off more than she can chew.”
“Then it’s our job to make sure she doesn’t. And to help support her and this place in any way we can.”
Stan laughed. “It’s good to have you back, kiddo.”
“Good enough that you’ll feed me, now?” she asked in a teasing voice.
He reached out an elbow and she hooked her arm through his. “Shall we adjourn upstairs?” he asked with mock courtesy.
She chuckled. “Why don’t we have dinner on the deck?”
They walked around the center to the back where the pool was and climbed the large stairs on that side of the center. Once again, she marveled at how much Dani had managed to do here. Not only did they have top-of-the-line equipment, but that pool really made a huge difference to the care and treatment the patients received.
The kitchen was a busy place, and the dining room was also full. At least the worst of the lineup had finished by the time they were in line. There was a large buffet, but there was always someone on the other side of the counter to help serve if needed. She chose a platter of roast beef and vegetables. She waited until Stan had pulled out a selection almost twice as large as hers, and then they carried it over to the end of the patio, down to the pool level. They listened to people splashing happily in the water, as it was open and free for everybody once therapy had finished at four o’clock. She glanced over at Stan’s full plate.
“How come you never get fat?”
He chuckled. “I work too hard.”
“So not nice. If I ease up on my own workouts, then all this food will go straight to my hips.”
“You could use a few pounds,” he said comfortably. “Besides, you’re gorgeous—I wouldn’t worry about it.”
She wasn’t sure if he was joking or not, but inside, it was nice to hear.
“Rumor says you and your boyfriend broke up already.”
“Rumors.” She shook her head. “I forgot what the grapevine was like here.”
“Actually, I think I heard about it at the time it happened, nine months ago,” he said with a wry laugh. “Sorry to hear about it, though. Any pain like that is hard to get through.”
“Especially when I had such high hopes he was the one.” She bent her head and focused on her full plate.
After a few minutes he said, “How’s Brock doing?”
She lifted her head and looked at him silently for a few seconds. “Have you met him?”
He shook his head. “I know he’s got some bigger issues than some of the guys here, but he hasn’t been down to see the animals. I was kind of thinking I might be able to take Helga upstairs and pop in to say hi, but I haven’t had time yet.”
She sat back and stared at him. “Who is she?”
He grinned. “You can thank Aaron for that. He’s been instrumental in house-training a few of the rescues—like Helga. I tell you, that dog. We’re constantly building her new legs. But since Dani sprang for a 3-D printer for the center, it’s actually been a lot easier than we thought it would be. Helga is a Newfoundland cross, and a huge hit with the patients. Aaron’s been the one taking her around as much as he can to meet everybody.”
“I don’t think I’ve met Helga,” she said.
“There’s just something very appealing about her,” Stan said. “Of course, there’s always Chickie.”
“Is Chickie still here? When I left, his owners hadn’t come by to pick him up, but they said they’d be in the next day.”
“They never did show up.” Stan’s voice was deliberately neutral.
She understood the pain. He did a lot of work for injured animals, and when the families just gave up on the animals, he was hard-pressed to find new homes for them. Sometimes it just broke his heart because the animals went into such distress and depression after they were deserted by those who had once loved them.
“Chickie is so tiny, he’s perfect for carrying around to the patients as well.”
“I remember him.”
Stan smiled. Then he looked behind her and raised an eyebrow in question. “Hello. We haven’t met.” He stood and reached out a hand.
She didn’t need to turn around to know who was behind her. She watched quietly as Stan and Brock exchanged handshakes. Nice and crisp—maybe a bit of measuring. There was nothing between her and Stan. They had never been anything other than kindred spirits who seemed to be hooked on the center and everything that went on around inside. She motioned toward the spare chair at the table. “Join us, Brock.”
“If I may?” Brock looked over at Stan.
“Sit down.” Stan resumed eating, but he kept an eye on the two of them.
Sidney made the introductions. “Anytime you want to do any work or visit with the animals, it’s Stan’s world down here,” she said with a smile. “What that really means is, he wants you to come down and help out anytime you have a moment.”
“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Stan protested. “It was just bad today because my assistant had to leave early.”
“How many animals do you have down there?” Brock asked curiously.
“A bunny, a Maine Coon, a couple of dogs, and a snake that might end up being permanent additions, and of course Molly is out in the fields with Maggie.” Stan motioned toward the pair of horses.
“Do you keep other pets here, year-round?” Brock asked, his gaze going from Stan to Sidney.
“There are several that live here all year round. Dani keeps a certain number temporarily, until we can find homes, and when they can’t find homes for them, she often ends up keeping them.”