Becca nodded emphatically. “I definitely do. Remember when the monkeys threw poo at Jasmine?” She started cackling with laughter at the memory. A whole army of capuchins somehow took great offense at Jaz’s being there.
All the ladies laughed, except for Jaz who pretended to scowl until finally breaking out into laughter along with them. “It’s only because I didn’t look like they did. Don’t endorse their prejudices.”
They strolled along, looking at the animals in the Asia exhibit. Becca peeled off and bought some Dippin’ Dots from a vender. Then she noticed with amusement that she was followed by a squirrel who wanted to try her frozen treat. “Aww, all of your friends are in cages and here you are, free to roam, and all you want is some ice cream.” She smiled down at the squirrel. She wished that she’d ordered fries instead, if only to share a tidbit with the rodent. Chocolate ice cream was bad for animals. She of all people would know that.
“Do you think squirrels ever roam into the wrong exhibit and end up a tiger’s lunch or something?” Erin asked.
“Oh sure,” Teri replied. “It has to have happened sometimes.”
Becca nodded. “But then they learn their mistake and pass it on, I bet. Animals are smarter than people give them credit for.”
She’d never seen a squirrel in a big cat’s cage. All she’d ever seen going in places like that was a few very brave birds. I’d hate to be here the day the tiger catches something, squirrel or otherwise. The circle of life and all that, but she still got squeamish about it.
“Have you ever thought about being a vet at the zoo?” Erin asked her. “It seems like something that would be right up your alley. Don’t cats and dogs get boring?”
Becca gave her a thoughtful look. “I wouldn’t say they get boring. I also see rabbits and chinchillas sometimes, too. And ferrets. But yeah, it would certainly be a change of pace…” She looked out at the rhino they were standing in front of. She couldn’t really imagine the kinds of things she’d have to do in order to check an animal like that for illnesses. “I studied farm animal care in college,” she explained. “So I guess I could care for the zebras and the antelopes here.” She laughed a little.
They moved on from the zoo after a few hours and went to the air and space museum. They had the option to see a Broncos game while they were there, but Becca didn’t really care about football. She didn’t much care about air and space stuff either, but at least she did appreciate museums. After the museum, they went to dinner at an organic and locally-sourced place called Root Down. Becca got the veggie burger sliders and she was very pleased.
“Nothing against Meridian, but I do think I should get out of town and travel more,” she told her friends. “Thank you guys for coming on this little adventure with me.”
Her friends smiled and raised their glasses. She clinked glasses with them, taking a sip of her pomegranate juice.
After a great dinner there, the ladies went back to their hotel room to hang out a bit before bed. Becca was sleepy with satisfaction. She changed into her pajamas and sat on the bed, listening as her friends continued to gossip and chatter away, occasionally laughing along with them. She was grateful that at least they hadn’t moved away and left her there. Most of the people she knew hadn’t gone away. People in Meridian were by and large dependable.
“Has Becca shared her news yet?” Jaz wondered out loud, smiling at her. She was clearly hoping to lead her into discussing her news that wasn’t really news.
Erin and Teri ate it up, of course. “Oh? What news?” Erin asked, looking searchingly at Becca instead of at Jaz.
“What’s up?” Teri asked, nudging one of Becca’s outstretched legs.
Becca blushed. She hadn’t meant to keep anything from her friends, but she didn’t think it was important. Obviously, if anything actually came of it, she would share… but now that she’d been pressed to tell them, she wasn’t going to lie and say that nothing happened. She narrowed her eyes a bit at Jaz, which only made her friend giggle.
“It’s not really a big deal, but Ashton Miller showed up at the animal hospital the other day,” she informed her friends.
“What?!” Erin asked, her jaw dropping. “That is a big deal.”
“That’s a very big deal,” Teri added. “I mean, don’t you think so? You liked him so much when we were younger.”
Liked was putting it mildly. Becca hadn’t thought she was going to marry him or anything; they’d been so young. But she’d definitely liked him enough to want to see what might happen as they got older. To have him just end things before she could find out was so hurtful. She shrugged. “It was nice to see him again, and I hope to see him again this coming week, but I don’t think anything is going to come of it.”
Her friends laughed softly.
“Well, it’s probably better to think of him that way,” Erin said. “A blast from the past, not someone to give to much attention to. Why was he at the animal hospital?”
Becca thought the answer was pretty obvious. “His dog is really sick,” she replied. “Ashton thinks he’s dying and I’m hoping it’s not that serious. I should have the test results back as soon as I get home. I’ve been trying not to think about it, but of course, it hasn’t been easy.”
Her friends’ expressions changed from amusement to sympathy. “Oh wow,” Teri said. “That’s a bummer.”
“Yeah,” Becca said. “So you can understand why I’m not leaping to talk to him about what we had in the past. It doesn’t really matter. I just hope he knows he can be open and trust me with his feelings. You should have seen his face when he came into my exam room. I don’t think I’d ever seen him look so sad.”
As the words left her lips, she realized their relationship hadn’t actually been as deep as it had felt back when they were young. Now that she was an adult, she knew that real love sometimes meant going through difficult times together and sometimes seeing each other cry. Becca knew that they’d grown and changed a lot since then, and she wasn’t going to assume that he’d want anything to do with her now just because of their history.
“No, we get it,” Jaz said with a sad look on her face. Becca wondered if she felt guilty for bringing it up now. She didn’t want her to. It wasn’t that big of a problem or anything. It was just a sad story more than a cheerful one. That didn’t mean that it was without hope, though. Ashton hadn’t pushed her away or anything. Initially, she wondered if he had recognized her, but when she asked him if his number was still the same, he’d told her to use his parents’ number. He was likely just exercising the same restraint that she was; after all, he was going through a rough time so he wasn’t going to be hitting on her or reminiscing about their times when they were teens.
“Well, never say never,” Teri said. “Maybe when you see him later and can give him some good news, he’ll be so happy that he’ll ask you out.” She winked at her, giving her a small smile of encouragement.
That wasn’t a terrible thing to think about. Becca just wanted to keep an open mind and try not to push it too much. She wanted him to trust her, so she didn’t wish to make a fool of herself if she could avoid it.
“He didn’t have a ring on his finger,” she pointed out. “That’s all I’ll say about it.” She smirked a little.
Her friends appeared gleeful about that, and then they let it go. They weren’t going to fill her with false hope. They’d seemingly learned their lesson after they’d pressured her into her brief foray back into online dating. Becca was a girl who couldn’t be pushed. She made things happen on her own if they were things that she thought were worth her time and attention.
And for the moment, this mini-vacay was all she wanted to focus on.
Chapter Seven
It was surprisingly good news from the vet. He’d halfway expected to be picking out an urn, but instead Ashton had his old pal back in the seat beside him just like old times.
His parents were equally surprised when he showed up back at the house with the dog in his arms. H
e smiled. “Look who’s back,” he told them. “The vet took some blood and is running some tests to see what’s going on.” The beagle wasn’t completely in the clear yet, but Ashton was feeling much more optimistic than before.
He’d recognized Becca of course. It helped that his friends had already clued him in that she worked there. He wondered if his parents knew that as well. It seemed that people had been holding out on him. “Also, guess who his vet was.”
His parents looked at each other. “Who, honey?” his mom asked.
“Becca Chapman,” he replied. He even smiled a little. It didn’t really surprise him that she was a veterinarian. She’d wanted to be one ever since she was a kid. I guess we’ve both achieved our dreams. I’m happy for her.
His parents appeared interested but they were less surprised to find that out than he was. “Oh, yeah,” his dad said. “I think I remember seeing her there before. Good for her. Didn’t she always like that sort of thing?”
Ashton nodded. “Yeah. She wanted to study it after getting her bachelor’s degree, and I guess she did.” He wondered what school she’d gone to. There were plenty of good schools in Colorado. “Anyway, she told me that she’d call here sometime soon to give us Skipper’s test results and that we could go from there. She sounded optimistic.”
“That’s wonderful news!” his mom said with a big smile. “I thought we were going to be saying our last goodbyes, but maybe he’s got a few more years left in him.” She bit her lip a little and Ashton knew that she was still quite scared that the poor little dog wasn’t going to make it, though. It pained her to see him so sick, in any case.
“That’s what I’m hoping,” Ashton agreed. “It was a relief to hear her say that they could test for a few things instead of just suggesting…” He cleared his throat, not wanting to think about it anymore, just in case things didn’t go well.
A few days later, the phone rang. Even though it was no longer his house, Ashton still rushed to answer the phone, having a pretty good feeling that the call was for him anyway. It had been a long time since he’d used his parents’ landline. “Hello?”
“Hi, Mr. Miller?” the familiar voice of Becca asked. He had a feeling, based on her voice, that she knew it was him speaking and she was just being polite and professional.
“Hi,” he replied. “This is him. How’s my dog?”
“We got the test results back and it looks like Skipper has diabetes. If you could bring him in again, we can set him up with medication and a new health plan.” There was a smile in her voice as she said these things, but Ashton didn’t exactly feel like smiling.
Diabetes was a big deal. Wasn’t he going to need to be given shots all of the time now? Ashton wondered if his parents would be able to keep up that kind of routine for the dog. They mostly spoiled him and let him laze about the house… That’s probably the main reason he got diabetes, he thought. He’d never suggest such a thing out loud to them, though.
“That’s great news!” he said, smiling and letting out a relieved sigh. It didn’t mean that Skipper was by any means healthy or like his old self, but with any luck, the treatment plan would lead to him being like he was in the old days soon enough. “Sure, I can bring him back. Is there availability tomorrow afternoon?”
He set up the appointment, with a receptionist confirming it all for him, and then he hung up the phone. “He’s going to be okay. He’s got diabetes, but she’s going to tell me how to take care of him and what you guys should do to keep him healthy and comfortable.”
“Shouldn’t we go tomorrow, too?” his mom asked, but then his dad nudged her gently with an elbow and surreptitiously shook his head at her. She looked at him, startled and confused, but then she understood. “Oh, you can learn from her and then let us know what to do.”
Something was going on between his parents. Ashton didn’t know quite what to make of what they were doing, but he didn’t want to spend too much time trying to figure them out. They were set in their ways and it often confused him to try and understand what they were talking about. It was as if they had their own language. He had to wonder if it would be like that for him someday, when he decided to settle down and get married.
“I don’t think it will be that difficult,” he said. “If it was, she wouldn’t be having us handle it and you’d just have to bring him in all the time for the vets to do it.” That didn’t seem very feasible, though. Doesn’t he need a shot every day? Ashton didn’t know that much about diabetes, but he knew that extra daily care was required. They were going to have to closely monitor Skipper’s blood sugar and caloric intake and all of that fun stuff.
“It can’t be that difficult,” his dad agreed. “Kids with diabetes have to give themselves insulin shots. I’m just grateful that he’s not too sick to be taken care of.”
Ashton smiled and nodded his head. They could agree on that.
He brought Skipper back into the vet at the scheduled time and he waited patiently for Becca to call him to the back like last time. I wonder if it will be her again, he thought. He’d kind of just assumed, but he had a feeling based on the way she’d been talking to him about it that she was going to be the vet to see this through.
She came out and called Skipper’s name about fifteen minutes after Ashton arrived. He stood up and carried the old dog in his arms again as she led the way back and into an exam room. He placed the dog on the metal exam table like last time.
“Thank you,” Becca said to him with a smile. She ran her hands over the old beagle again, feeling for anything she could have missed last time, checking to make sure there wasn’t anything new that was concerning. “Well, there are going to be a few things that you and your parents should do for Mr. Skipper here from now on. This isn’t a one time cure, you understand. He’s going to need insulin injections every day, and he’s going to need a change in diet and exercise. He’s going to need more walks. My guess is that he hasn’t been walking much lately. Is that right?”
Ashton was so embarrassed. He nodded his head sheepishly. “Yeah, I get that feeling, too. And my parents have been feeding him table scraps. They admitted that much.”
“Overeating, especially eating too many things that a dog really has no business eating, is one cause of insulin resistance,” Becca explained. “So he’s going to need to eat the kibbles that I’m going to prescribe. We sell it in-house. And then I’ll also give you one month’s worth of insulin shots.”
There was so much information for Ashton to remember, especially because he was going to need to pass it all on to his parents, so he whipped out his cell phone and took down notes so he wouldn’t forget anything.
Becca noticed and smiled. “I can make sure to print out some information for your parents, too. And some detailed instructions about the insulin. That can be nerve-wracking at first, I know.”
He was so glad that she was the vet that he was working with and he wasn’t getting all of this news and information from some stranger. So many people in town were strangers to him now, but not Becca Chapman. He hoped that she would never be a stranger to him.
He decided to do something that was a bit gutsy. The opportunity was just right there, staring him in the face, and he didn’t want to miss it and never get the chance again. “Do you want to grab a coffee with me one of these days while I’m still in town?” he asked her. “It looks like I’m actually going to be in town for a while longer than expected. I want to see this through and make sure that Skipper is doing better before I take off again.”
Becca looked at him, surprise in her blue eyes. She clearly hadn’t been expecting that. Did he detect a blush on her cheeks? He smiled even more at the possibility.
“Um,” she said awkwardly. “I’ll have to think about it. I’m very busy right now.”
He nodded his head. “Sure, that’s okay. That makes sense.” He couldn’t blame her for being busy, but he also wondered if she just didn’t want to go out with him. It had been such a long time. Ashton didn’t b
elieve that he was very different from the guy he used to be, apart from being older and wiser. He had a feeling that Becca was the same way. She sure seemed like the same sweet girl he so fondly remembered.
But there were of course other things for him to think about at the moment. They didn’t need to rush into seeing each other just because he was in town. They could start getting to know each other again at any point via the internet, too.
I wonder if she’s seeing anyone. Maybe I should’ve started with that question. But wouldn’t she have cut me off and told me that right away?
Ashton felt silly for even bringing up that sort of question now. He was going to be visiting the vet a few more times, to make sure that Skipper was improving and everything was going smoothly. He could easily ask her out during any of those later appointments.
Becca clearly felt the same way. She cleared her throat and averted her eyes a bit, but then she looked at him. “I’ll just go get the insulin shots and meet you out front at the counter.”
“Right, thank you,” Ashton replied. He carefully lifted Skipper into his arms and carried him back out to the waiting area. He was going to need to pay for the appointment, plus the insulin and the new kind of food. He didn’t mind covering such costs, as long as the dog was being taken care of. He just hoped that his parents knew that they were going to get a lecture if they didn’t do better with the dog.
Becca came back out behind the counter with a medium white bag of dog kibble and a plastic bag full of vials and needles.
Fun, Ashton thought, hating the idea that now, his old friend was going to have to be stuck with needles every day. He loved the life he had built for himself in New York, but he felt terrible about not being there for his dog. If he had been there, maybe Skipper wouldn’t now be in such bad shape…
“Good luck,” Becca said to him with a comforting smile before handing him some paperwork as well. “You got all of that?” she asked him then, realizing that he did have a lot to carry by himself.
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