“What do you mean?” Kristen had worked hard to ignore the obnoxious man as she concentrated on her shooting.
“It’s the last station.”
“Yeah, so?”
“We can wager on the outcome.”
Kristin watched Rupert take another draft of his flask. “Why don’t you just finish your round?” She stepped a few extra steps away from the station.
Rupert loaded his gun and swayed slightly as he stepped to station eight. He positioned his over-and-under and called for the target. His swing was sloppy and his shot went behind the bird by a foot. “Fuck!”
Kristen stood back and kept an eye on him. She could hear his expletive even with her earplugs. He wasn’t falling down drunk, but gone were his smoothness and accuracy.
Rupert set his stance for the second target and got a piece of it as it whisked past.
Kristen finished her last station without missing and turned to walk back to the clubhouse.
“See ya next week.”
Kristen ignored his sneer and kept walking. She made a mental note to talk to Tim about this newcomer and pick a different day to shoot. She waved at Tim as she settled at one of the round tables.
“Hi, Kristen. Did you see Rupert out there?”
“I sure did. He’s a showoff. I’m not sure I trust the guy,” Kristen said. “There’s something really off about him.”
“Well, if you don’t trust him, I’m gonna keep my eye on him. Thanks.” Tim started to walk away from the table.
“Oh, Tim. I’m not sure if it’s anything, but you might want to ask him about a flask he carries in his vest,” Kristen said.
“A flask, huh? Thanks. I’ll check it out.” Tim waved and went in search of Rupert.
As she got ready to head home, a place that felt strangely lonely lately, Kristen’s thoughts turned back to Jaylin. How could she miss her already, and what was she going to do about it?
Chapter Thirteen
Jaylin pulled into the end parking spot of the cemetery and clipped the unnecessary leash on Railroad. She strolled to her brother’s grave and sat in front of his grave marker. “I feel as though I’m sitting in your lap, little brother.” Jaylin lay on the grass and pulled her dog close to her side. She imagined she could feel the security of her brother’s arm cradling her.
She wasn’t sure how long she was there until she noticed the lengthening shadows signaling the onset of sunset. “Guess we should go.” She didn’t move.
“Do you remember when we used to lie on the ground, and I’d make up stories about the clouds?” Jaylin watched the white swirls drift past across the early evening sky. “They were our secret refuge places. No one could touch us there.”
Jaylin rested her left hand on the grass as if trying to feel her brother’s presence. She and her brother had been shuffled from foster home to foster home and abused constantly. Plenty of horrors accompanied her childhood memories, so the ones she had of quiet moments with her brother, like watching the clouds, were extra special. Her past had shaped her relationships, and she’d chosen Sally and predictably slipped back into the victim role. But she wasn’t a victim anymore. Whatever direction her relationship with Kristen took, she needed to stand on her own two feet. She chastised herself for giving up without trying. She was an adult. She could try for friendship, and let things take their natural course from there. That’s what normal people did, right? She hoped Kristen would be willing to keep trying.
Jaylin stood and guided Railroad back to her car. It was time to stand tall.
*
“Good morning, Sarah. Am I booked for the day?”
“No, you have a few open spots. Your first appointment is coming in at ten o’clock.”
“Thanks. I’ll be in my office until then.”
“By the way, Jaylin, Bill wanted me to tell you that Kristen won’t be back. He has a couple of other technicians to help you if you need them.”
“Thank you. Shall I let you know if I need them?”
“Holler and I’ll send someone.” Sarah grinned and gestured with her hand as if she were waving a magic wand.
Jaylin laughed and squelched her disappointment. What did she think? She and Kristen had agreed it was best if they didn’t work together. She would have to live with her decision and figure out how to stifle her desire. She was halfway to her clinic when her cell phone chimed. The emergency number.
“Yes, this is Dr. Meyers…I see. Okay. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”
Jaylin grabbed her emergency pack and let Sarah know where she was headed as she flew out the front door.
*
“Thank you for coming so quickly, Doctor. Trixie was so much better. She was eating normally, so I’ve been letting her go visiting again. I do keep a close eye on her though,” Doris said. “She started vomiting this morning and refused her breakfast. She’s been curled up in her bed since I had the nurses call you.”
Jaylin gently lifted the tiny dog and set her on Doris’s bed so she could examine her. “Did you happen to keep any of what she vomited?”
Doris thought for a moment and grinned. “I did. I’m not sure why. Something must have told me that it might be a good thing to do. But you can see for yourself. It’s in the bathroom.”
Jaylin followed Doris as she shuffled across the room.
“I cleaned it up with some paper towels and threw them in this basket.” Doris held up a small wastebasket filled with paper towels.
Jaylin didn’t need a lab report to tell her the contents of the little dog’s stomach included chocolate. “It looks like she got into some chocolate, Doris. Did you let all your neighbors know she’s never to have chocolate?”
“Oh, yes. I’m not sure Dr. Eckert understood me, though. He even forgets who I am sometimes.”
“I’ll go talk to him before I leave, but I’d like to take Trixie with me today to keep an eye on her. Now that I know that it’s chocolate, I’ll put her on IV fluids and give her some medicine. It will help keep her from getting any sicker.”
“Oh my.” Doris wrung her hands and walked around in circles.
“Do you want to come with me? I have a comfortable office where you could wait. I’ll be giving Trixie some activated charcoal every few hours. Her vomit looks as if she ate milk chocolate. That’s good. Dark chocolate is much worse for dogs.” Jaylin gently rested her hand on Doris’s shoulder. “I’ll take good care of Trixie.”
“Yes, Doctor, take her to the doggie hospital. We haven’t been separated since I got her as a puppy. She’s a purebred Pomeranian, you know. Will you bring her home tonight if she’s well?”
“I will if she’s well enough. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
“No. Thank you. I couldn’t stand to see my Trixie hooked up to whatever you have to hook her up to.”
“Do you have a little crate for her?”
“Yes. The nurses are kind enough to take her for her shots every year. They can give it to you.”
Jaylin packed her emergency kit and took one more look at the four-pound ball of fur intently staring at her. She regretted having to take her away from Doris, even for a few hours, but she was so tiny she couldn’t take a chance on leaving her. “I’ll be right back,” she said and left to get the crate.
She peeked around the open door of Kristen’s dad’s room, but he was sleeping peacefully, and she didn’t want to wake him. Maybe he’d be more lucid when Kristen came by to see him. She returned to Doris’s room, and once she got Trixie settled, though the dog hardly moved, she gave Doris a hug and more reassurance before heading out to the car. Just as she was putting the crate in the car, she heard a familiar voice.
“Here we are again.”
Jaylin set Trixie’s crate into her Volvo and turned to face Kristen. “I guess we are. I got a call this morning that Trixie was sick again. I’m taking her to the clinic for the day to keep an eye on her. It seems she got into some chocolate, and I don’t want to take any chances. S
he probably weighs all of about four pounds.”
“I quit bringing Dad Rolos, and I asked the nurses to keep an eye on him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if other residents had chocolate.” Kristen shook her head. “I’ll ask the nurses to post signs around the building to remind the residents to be careful.”
“Thanks. I’ve got to get back to the clinic. I have a ten o’clock appointment I might be able to keep.” Jaylin walked around to her driver’s door. “Say hello to your dad. I stopped in to see him, but he was sleeping.” Jaylin hesitated. “Are you okay?”
“What? Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine I…I miss you.” Jesus. What am I saying? It had only been a few days since she’d seen Jaylin.
“I miss you, too. Maybe we could have lunch one day. As friends. I mean, we’re both adults and neither of us wants to get involved.”
“I’d like that, but are you sure you’d be comfortable with it?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’d like to try if you will.” Jaylin glanced at her watch.
“Okay. Get Trixie out of here. Come out to the fairgrounds Saturday, and I’ll buy you lunch after my race.”
“I’ll plan on it. See you Saturday.” Jaylin got in her car and headed back to work.
Kristen stood outside her father’s door for a few minutes, collecting her thoughts. She’d made a date with Jaylin “as friends.” What if she wanted to kiss her again? We’re not sixteen. Surely we can manage our hormones. Her feelings for Jaylin weren’t diminishing, but the fact that Jaylin felt similarly made it clear they shouldn’t work together. Jaylin was willing to try for friendship without any romantic involvement. She could, too. She shook off her wandering thoughts and turned her attention to her dad.
She found him in his usual position, asleep in front of the soundless TV. She covered him with his quilt and sat beside him for a while, contemplating the complexity of emotions. She’d begun losing him years ago after she’d lost her mother, and she’d discovered working with Jaylin fulfilled a need to be productive that she hadn’t known she had. She was losing that now, too. She shuttered her mind to negative thoughts in an attempt to protect her heart from the invading loneliness.
*
“I’ll be out at the backyard table if you need me,” Jaylin told Sarah before pouring a cup of coffee, retrieving her laptop, and heading out the back door. She needed a moment to regroup after the last particularly difficult case. A seventeen-year-old high school boy had brought his sixteen-year-old shepherd mix in for possible euthanasia. Jaylin believed in exhausting every possibility for sick animals, but sometimes her efforts weren’t enough. This was one of those times. The dog had lived past his life expectancy, even for a mixed breed. She wasn’t sure how she’d managed not to break down as the young man cried for five minutes on her shoulder. After he’d composed himself, she’d asked him if his parents or someone had come with him. He’d said no, that, “Rocket had been his dog since he was a kid and this was his responsibility.” The high school senior had taken on the duty, alone, to be with his lifelong friend at the end of his life. Jaylin relaxed into the plastic chair, and shook off the sadness. She’d never be able to do her job if she let every tough case get to her. She concentrated on Trixie.
Trixie had responded well to treatment, and she planned to take her to Doris after her last appointment. She looked at her watch and went back inside.
“Good afternoon. My name’s Dr. Meyers. This must be Bailey.”
The short, heavyset woman set a medium sized crate on the exam table and unlatched the door. “It’s nice to meet you. Yep, this is Bailey and I’m Jill. I’m not sure what’s wrong with him. He was fine this morning and after I got the kids off to school, I noticed he didn’t seem quite his normal self. He’s only a year and a half and usually wants to run around the backyard most of the day. Today he didn’t even want his morning doggie treat. He’s just not himself.”
Jaylin reached into the crate to urge Bailey out. His tail thumped against the floor of the crate, but he didn’t budge. “See if he’ll come out for you,” she said.
Jill tipped the crate and a listless small beagle tumbled out.
“Let’s take a look at you.” Jaylin listened to his heart, gently palpated his belly, and took his temperature. “Is he up-to-date on his vaccinations?” she asked.
“Oh, yes. He had all his puppy shots and his rabies six months ago.” Jill ran her hand over Bailey’s back and scratched his ears.
“He doesn’t have a fever, but he sure seems subdued. His belly looks a little bloated. Did you change his diet recently or did he get into anything that you’re aware of?”
“No, nothing I know about. He’s been a healthy, happy puppy since we got him at twelve weeks old.” Jill looked worried.
Jaylin checked Bailey’s mouth, nose, and ears. “Has he had a bowel movement today?”
“No. He didn’t even want to go outside to pee this morning. Is he all right? My kids will be devastated if something happens to him.” Jill hugged Bailey and frowned.
“I think I’d like to take a couple of x-rays. You can wait in the waiting room. It won’t take me long.” Jaylin reached for Bailey and Jill stopped her.
“Can I stay here?”
“If you want to, but I’m sure you’d be more comfortable in the waiting room.”
“Please. I’d rather stay.” Jill was pleading.
“Of course. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
Jaylin returned within twenty minutes to where Jill was anxiously waiting.
“It looks as though Bailey got a hold of someone’s sock.” She held up the x-ray for Jill to see. “This spot here”—Jaylin pointed—“I think is a small sock.”
Jill tilted her head and touched the film with her finger. “Wow. Will it pass through?”
Jaylin set the image on the counter and prodded Bailey’s abdomen. “I’ve seen larger dogs pass several socks within a day. I can give him a mild laxative and see if that works, but if it doesn’t come out in his stool by tomorrow, we may need to consider surgery.”
Jill’s smile turned into snickering and then full-blown laughter. “He ate a sock? Oh my goodness.”
Jaylin smiled with her. “Puppies are notorious for eating clothing. I can keep him here and monitor him. If he expels the sock by morning you can come and pick him up.”
Jill stroked Bailey’s head and Jaylin could see her struggling with the decision. “Do you want to call someone? Your husband?”
“No. He would just tell me to do what I think is best. What’s the danger of me taking him home?”
“If you keep a close eye on him and make sure he has a bowel movement, he won’t be in any danger. But it needs to be within the next twenty-four hours.”
“Give him the laxative, and I’ll bring him back tomorrow night if he hasn’t passed the sock. Will that be okay?”
“Sure. Let me know how he does.”
Jaylin cringed as the memory of Kristen’s angry outburst reminded her of the dangers of delayed treatment for an impacted bowel. She wrote a note as a reminder to follow up on the young dog.
Jaylin walked Jill to the waiting room and let Sarah know she was taking Trixie home. She couldn’t help but hope she’d run into Kristen.
Chapter Fourteen
Kristen watched Debby and Shadow as they maneuvered through the muddy keyhole track. The day had been rainy and chilly, so she’d decided not to work Zigzag. She had a week before the Memorial Day parade, and her only plans were to ride him down Main Street and show him off.
“Good job, Deb. You and Shadow are doing well.” Kristen grabbed Shadow’s bridle as Debby hopped off and splashed down in the mud.
“Thanks, but he’s the star. Are you not riding today?”
“No. I thought I’d give Zig a break. I have plans to ride him in the Memorial Day parade. Are you going to ride in it?”
“I wouldn’t miss it. Shadow loves to show off his parade saddle.”
“Cool. I have a special treat p
lanned for Zig. Do you want to come over this afternoon and see it? I’ll grill some burgers.”
“I’m not going to turn down an offer for your grilled burgers. I need to hose off Shadow and brush him down first.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you in an hour or so.”
An hour later, Kristen carefully positioned the handmade beef burgers on the grill.
“You’re pretty good at that.” Debby pointed to the grill with the bottom of her beer bottle.
“Thanks. Dad taught me everything he knew. These won’t take long, and then I’ll show you my surprise.”
“A surprise, huh? What’s it about?”
“You’ll see. I have something special planned for the parade this year.”
“Speaking of special, what happened to you introducing me to the sexy doctor?”
“I don’t work with her anymore. I told you that. She showed up at the stump race, but it was the week you weren’t there.” Kristen carefully flipped the sizzling burgers and stepped away from the smoke.
“So? Does that mean you can’t introduce me?”
“No. I can, Deb. I haven’t seen her for a while. Last time we talked, she was clear that she wasn’t interested in getting involved with anyone, though.”
“Did you ask her out or something?”
“No. We were just talking, and she said that.” Kristen wasn’t going to admit to kissing Jaylin to Debby.
“Will she be at the Memorial Day parade?”
“I don’t know. Probably. I think she said something about being there with her dog.”
“Geez. Did you two have a fight or something? Don’t you talk to her at all?”
“I haven’t talked to her lately, okay?” Kristen waved her spatula in the air in frustration.
“Okay, okay. So, would you go to the club with me Saturday night? I’m tired of going alone. You don’t have to do anything but keep me company. I want to do some dancing. What do you think?”
“No, thanks. I’m riding in the stump race Saturday. I think I’ll just rest up for Memorial Day after that.” Kristen didn’t want to tell Debby about meeting Jaylin Saturday. What if she didn’t show up? And why do I hang on to the irrational feeling that we could have more than friendship? If Jaylin wanted to go out with Debby, that was her decision. It wasn’t up to Kristen to make the choice for her. She shook off her musing and pulled one of Jaylin’s business cards out of her wallet. “Here.” She handed it to Debby and turned to the grill.
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