Ramirez nodded. “This type of work is what I do best, Mr. Barbosa.”
Chapter Six
Mike visited Axe every afternoon. Slowly, day by day, as the week progressed, he noticed a change in the dog’s temperament. He’d gone from intermittently growling at Alison whenever she approached to allowing her to manipulate his injured leg with barely a whimper. By Thursday afternoon, Axe greeted Mike at the door of the recovery room with his lead in his mouth.
Alison gave him a smile. “He’s been ready for the last hour. I think he wants you to take him for a walk.”
Grinning, he took the lead from Axe’s mouth, then shot her a concerned look. “You sure he’s alright to walk outside?”
Stepping closer she placed her hand on his elbow. “Mike, Axe isn’t a child. He’s a dog. He’ll be fine.”
He smiled sheepishly. “I know, he’s also my best friend. Makes it easy to forget.” His eyes lingered on hers for a moment. Then she realized that she was holding his arm and blushed.
“You guys have fun.”
As he walked Axe down the corridor, to the exercise yard, the dog kept glancing back at Alison. “You really like her don’t you?” It wasn’t something he could ever say about Stacey. Axe and the former model had been standoffish from day one.
The dog paused at the door and looked back at the recovery room.
“Come on, we’ll see her again in a bit.”
Once in the yard they strolled along the fence. Axe responded well on the lead but still protected his wounded leg. Ernie’s Mom was right. Alison was a miracle worker. It had been barely two weeks since Axe had been shot and here he was walking.
After a few laps of the tennis court-sized yard Axe had warmed up and tentatively tried using his injured leg.
Remembering what Alison had said about leadership he began running him through the drills they used at work.
He started simple, walking backward with the dog staying by his side. Then he removed the lead and allowed Axe to wander the yard by himself.
“Axe, freeze.”
The dog stopped instantly.
“Axe, come.”
He limped to Mike and sat in front of him. He slapped his thigh and the dog walked clockwise around him and sat alongside his left leg.
“Good boy.” He bent, ruffled his ears, and fished in his pocket for a treat.
“You two work so well together,” said Alison from the back door of the clinic. “Coffee?” She held out a mug while sipping from another.
Mike turned and flashed a smile. “Um, what have you done to my dog?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s changed completely. He’s back to normal.”
Axe barked excitedly and walked toward the veterinarian.
Mike followed the dog and took the coffee that Alison offered him. “OK, so aside from being in love with you, he’s back to normal.”
She leant and tussled Axe’s ears. “It’s nice having the attention of a handsome man like you.”
Mike smiled as he sat next to her on the stairs. “So where to from here?”
“We’ve still got a bit of work to do. While his leg is healing well, the PTSD has a little way to go. Isn’t that right, handsome?”
Axe was looking up at her admiringly with his long tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth.
“Hey, cut that out. You’re going to give me a complex.” Mike took a toy from his pocket, squeezed it and threw it across the lawn.
They watched Axe limp after it.
He took a sip of the coffee and held the mug with both hands. “Hey look, I was a bit of a jerk earlier this week. I want to apologize for that.” He turned and looked at her.
“Don’t worry about it. I know I came across a little harsh.”
Their gaze locked over their mugs and Mike noted how pretty her green eyes were. There was a kindness about them that he hadn’t noticed before. His gaze dropped to her supple lips and he imagined kissing them. Then his eyes flicked back to hers. Her intensity confirmed a similar thought was on her mind.
Then, as he considered leaning across and kissing her, Axe dropped the now slobbery toy directly onto his groin. “Thanks, bud.” He laughed as he recovered the slimy ball. “As much as I hate to, I’ve got to get going.” He finished the coffee with a single gulp and climbed to his feet. “Do you want me to take him inside?”
She shook her head, tossing her long brown hair. “No, I’ll stay out here with him for a little longer. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
He patted the dog. “Be good, bud. I’ll see you later.” With a final nod and a smile he entered the clinic and made for the front door.
As he reached the waiting area, he heard, “Hey, Mike.”
“Yeah.” He turned to face Alison.
She looked as if she wanted to ask him a question but fumbled her words. “Umm, I just wanted to know what time to expect you?”
He smiled. “I’m hoping to finish up work early. If I can it will be around fifteen hundred.”
“That’s three, right?”
“Yeah, three.”
“See you then.”
As Mike left, Alison slapped her forehead with her palm. Feeling Axe push past her leg, she glanced down at him. “You didn’t see that, did you?”
He sat and stared at her.
“Oh, you did. Well that’s even more embarrassing. Come on. Let’s get you something to eat.”
***
Early the next morning, Mike joined his team-mates at a training facility. Located on the outskirts of San Diego and run by civilian contractors it was a state of the art shoot-house that allowed, low risk, and highly realistic indoor training.
He spotted TJ and the others standing behind one of the black minivans they used to transport equipment and personnel around town. The squad had almost finished gearing up for a session in the ‘house’. They wore protective chemical warfare suits and were now strapping on their combat vests. As he approached, TJ broke away from the van and headed toward him.
Mike gave him a nod. “Hey, Chief.”
“Morning, Mike, once you’re ready grab the clowns and I’ll see you inside.”
“Roger.” He continued across to the van where Rick and Ernie were preparing. “Good morning.” Grinning he retrieved his gear bag from the trunk.
Rick met his smile with a scowl. “What’s good about it? TJ’s got us running drills in gas masks and suits. Gonna be sweating our asses off for the next five hours.”
Mike pulled his protective clothing on over his T-shirt and shorts. “Yeah, but Rick it’s a beautiful day.”
“How’s our boy doing?” Ernie asked as he opened a weapons crate and took out his carbine.
“Great. He’s coming along well. Alison has done wonders with him.” He slung his armor on over the protective suit. As he reached for his weapon, he caught both Rick and Ernie grinning at him. “What?”
Rick shot him a broad smirking grin. “So its Alison now, is it? That’s why you’re so damn happy. You’re hitting that aren’t you, bud?”
Ernie’s eyes narrowed. “My brother said she was hot.”
“What? No. No, it’s not like that. She’s not my type.” Mike avoided eye contact with his friends as he attached his weapon to the clip on his rig. “You guys ready?”
Picking up his gas mask, he walked in the direction of the shoot-house.
Rick yelled after him. “I call bullshit. Why else would you be so damn happy? Only time I’m wearing a shit-eating grin like that is after a night of hot, sweaty sex. Oh shit, you’re not back with Stacey are you?”
Mike waved him off and pushed open the door into the training facility.
Already inside, TJ had his gas mask on and his weapon ready. “Game faces on boys. We’re running room clearance drills.”
Mike let his rifle hang and adjusted the straps on his mask. “Not everyone’s a sex-crazed maniac like you, Rick. Some of us are high on life.”
“You fuckers better mask up or yo
u’re gonna be high on tear gas,” yelled TJ as he hit the gas release button.
A rotating red light flashed. A hissing noise filled the air as they fitted their masks.
“You like her though, don’t you?” Rick wheezed through his respirator.
Mike inserted a magazine of paint cartridges into his weapon and cocked it. “She’s cooler than I initially thought.”
Gas was now visible inside the room.
“Just call me cupid,” Ernie said, using his carbine as if it were a bow.
“I’ll call you mother-fucking stupid,” added Rick. “Boy needs to tap that, not get into another relationship.”
“Wrong!” TJ bellowed through his mask. “You dimwits need to tap some goddamn targets otherwise I’m going to keep you in these suits all day.”
Ernie readied his weapon. “No need to be like that.”
“We’re just looking out for our boy, TJ. I mean, we don’t want to have to run a girlfriend selection course, just yet.”
“What the… Are you in love, Mike?” demanded TJ.
“Negative, Chief!”
“Good, if that changes, let me know.” TJ racked his weapon. “Now, let’s put paint on paper. On me!”
***
Alison’s favorite café was an eclectic establishment only five minutes from her clinic. A converted garage, the Spanner Shop now housed a four-head espresso machine and the best sandwiches and muffins in a ten-mile radius.
As she pushed the door open, a bell clanged. The twenty-something barista glanced up from the machine and smiled from under his handlebar mustache.
“Hi, Simon.” Glancing around, she spotted her sister sitting at a table.
“The usual, Ali? Your sister has already ordered.”
“Thanks. That would be lovely.”
She wound her way through the rough-hewn benches and ambushed her sister with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Hello, beautiful lady”
“Beautiful?” Leonie returned the embrace. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a sixteen-wheeler.”
Alison sat on the bench opposite.
“Whatever you do,” continued Leonie, “don’t have children. Especially not daughters, and in the name of all things sane, do not volunteer to help out at a damn ballet camp.”
“Is that where the girls are?”
A waiter arrived with their coffees. “Here’s your quad and a latte.” He placed a gargantuan mug of coffee in front of Leonie. The smaller tumbler looked like a shot glass next to the bucket of caffeine.
“How many shots are in that?” Alison asked.
“Four,” replied the waiter. “Enjoy.”
“Leonie, you’re going to give yourself a heart attack.”
“Trust me when I say it will be welcomed.” She wrapped her hands around the mug and took a sip. “God I needed this. Now, tell me what’s been happening in your life?”
“Work, work and more work.”
“Any more hunky Navy SEALs been to visit?”
Alison shrugged as she sipped.
“Oh, he’s been back hasn’t he?”
“He kind of has to, Leonie, I’m treating his dog. He comes in every day to visit Axe.”
Her sister smirked. “I don’t think I could handle that. I would have torn those jeans off him by now and had my way with him on every horizontal surface in the clinic.”
Alison snorted coffee from her nose. “You’re out of control.” She reached for a napkin.
“No, you’re out of control. Big hunky man who looks like he’s straight off a Calvin Klein poster comes in and you do nothing. You have to hit him up for a date.”
“You want me to ask him out?”
“Um yeah, this is the teens. Or whatever the hell they call this decade. You know what I mean. We’re all empowered and shit now. You can ask any guy out if you want to. Hell if you want to bang him on the first date that’s completely up to you.”
As she wiped coffee from her chin, Alison caught the annoyed glance of another patron. “Shh, I want to come back here.” She giggled.
Leonie shrugged. “I’m just saying it’s OK for you to ask him out. Hell, bring him here and have a coffee. Or, are you still hung up on him being a jerk.”
“Well–”
“God, Ali, you don’t have to shag his personality just that rock solid body.”
“No, it isn’t that. He’s actually turned out be a decent guy. Yeah, he’s a little stubborn and full of himself. But the way he is with Axe is really very sweet. He’s so gentle and kind, yet also stern. The two of them work perfectly together, like a finely-tuned machine. He’s also a really good listener–”
“Wow, you’re already in love with the guy. You should just get down on one knee and SEAL the deal,” Leonie said between chuckles.
Alison blushed and lifted her coffee, hoping it hid her flushed cheeks.
“Don’t be shy, sis. If you like the guy, ask him out. Hell, make it about the dog if you want. Get to know him and then…” She made a circle with her fingers and inserted the opposite hand’s index finger. “Uh huh. Oh yeah.”
“You’re shocking.”
Leonie cocked her head to one side. “And you’re in need of a good lay.”
She checked her watch then downed the last of her coffee. “Sorry this was quick, but I’ve got to get back to the clinic. I’ve got a client coming in to check on a dog. Let’s do something together, real soon.” She jumped up and gave her sister another hug.
“You’re leaving me for him, aren’t you?”
She kissed her on the cheek and started for the door.
“Fine, run off after your handsome Navy SEAL and leave me to cry into my bucket of coffee,” Leonie yelled across the café.
“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” Alison told the barista. “Please, put it all on my account and I’ll fix it up when I’m next in.”
“Good luck,” he said winking.
She paused. “I’m going back to work.”
“Sure you are.”
***
Alison’s assistant glanced up from her computer as she entered the clinic. “He’s already out back with Axe. He’s been here for the last hour.” She pointed to a bright bunch of flowers on the counter. “And he brought these in for us.”
“Really?”
“Alright, they might only be for you.”
Alison suppressed her smile until she entered the corridor, then it burst free. She gathered herself, before stepping outside. In the exercise yard Mike and Axe were playing ball. She watched them for a few throws and noted the dog was still guarding his injured leg. Catching Mike’s eye she called out, “He’s definitely improved, but he still has a long way to go.”
He flashed her a smile.
Alison caught herself staring. Mike was wearing a tight T-shirt that did little to hide his muscular build. His biceps strained at the thin fabric sending a shiver up her spine. Her sister was right. The tall, blonde haired SEAL looked like he had stepped straight from a Calvin Klein shoot onto her lawn. The driver’s license he’d used to open his account said he was 28. However, his slate grey eyes told a different story. They’d seen more than their fair share of pain and suffering.
He smiled, revealing a dimple, and she knew he’d caught her ogling, probably almost drooling.
“The improvements are all because of you. Two weeks ago the Army vet told me he might never walk again and couldn’t be trusted around people. Now, look at him.”
Axe lay on the grass, the ball still in his mouth as he watched them.
“Hey, what can I say? He’s a special dog.” Alison stepped closer, drawn in by his smile.
“You’re an amazing vet, Alison, I’m so glad we found you and I don’t think either of us will ever be able to thank you enough.”
“Please, call me Ali, and the beautiful flowers are a great start.”
He glanced down at his feet. “I… I just wanted to say thanks for taking such good care of my best friend.”
Her heart lurched at hi
s shyness.
They sat together on the rear deck.
Mike stared out into the distance. “He saved my life you know.”
Glancing sideways at him, she spotted a tear in his eye as he watched the dog chew the ball.
“Guy got the drop on me, would’ve killed me. Axe took the bullet.” He turned to face her. “That’s not something you can ever repay. That’s just one reason why I couldn’t let them put him down.”
She reached over, grasped his hand and squeezed it gently. “No one’s going to hurt him now, Mike. He’s safe here.”
Sensing his distress, Axe abandoned his ball, walked across, and put his head on Mike’s knee.
“See, there isn’t a person in the world he trusts more than you.”
He scratched behind Axe’s floppy ear. “Even after everything I’ve put him through?”
“You guys are definitely a team.”
“Yeah, well this team-mate has to get going.” He gave her a heart-melting smile. “Thanks again, Ali. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“I look forward to it.”
He gave the dog one last pat, rose, and made for the door.
“Mike!”
He turned. “Yeah?”
She took a deep breath. “Tomorrow, after you visit Axe, would you like to grab a coffee or something?”
The corners of his mouth curved in an easy smile. “I’d like that. I’ll be here around two. Does that work for you?”
“Don’t you mean fourteen hundred?”
“It’s a date.” He disappeared through the door.
The dog looked up at her with intelligent eyes.
“You heard him,” she gushed. “It’s a date.”
Chapter Seven
Ali’s gaze met Mike’s over their coffees. The pair had spent the past hour exercising Axe, then left him in the care of her assistant. Now they sat in her favorite coffee haunt, the Spanner Shop. She traced her finger around the lip of her cup. “So, why a SEAL?”
Mike shrugged. “My dad was a Navy guy. Always said it was the best time of his life. So when I left college, I decided to enlist. The recruiter was a team guy, and well, the rest is history. What about you, why a vet?”
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