I grunted and tried to remember if they’d said anything to me about getting an animal.
“How old is he? He’s too big for a puppy.”
“He’s two. He was taken to the pound a few weeks ago.”
I looked at my parents and bit back the question about how they’d ended up with him. That was better asked at another time.
My dad hugged me tightly, pulling my attention from the dog and onto how frail he felt in my arms. I wanted to squeeze him tightly, but worried that it would hurt him. I’d never felt him this bony, and it was hard to reconcile this man with the larger than life one I remembered from my childhood and teen years. He released me, stepping back and squeezing my shoulders tightly before he brushed past me to go sit on the wicker couch that was underneath the ceiling fan on the porch.
My mother joined him, leaving me and Sam to stare after them.
“We didn’t realize you were getting home this early or we would have gone to get you,” my mom said, pouring my dad a glass of lemonade from the sweating pitcher on the coffee table in front of them. “Lemonade?” she asked, looking at me.
I nodded and stepped into the shade of the porch. I sank down to sit on the wooden planks and leaned against one column, accepting an already sweating glass of lemonade from my mom.
Sam flopped down next to me, letting out an enormous sigh as his body melted into relaxation.
“I could move my last day up and took it. I thought about letting you know, but I needed to get a rental car anyway and thought getting it from the airport was easier.”
My dad made a noise in his throat but said nothing. My mom and I both cut him a look before our eyes met.
“You know you can use our car,” Mom said.
I shook my head. “I know, but I have things I need to get done sooner rather than later. So, I need my own car. First thing on that list is buying a car so I can turn this rental in.”
“Jim will give you a good deal,” my dad said, joining the conversation.
I nodded, and we all lapsed into silence.
That silence was stifling. There was so much that I wanted to say, but I couldn’t find the words with which to say it.
I was home when I didn’t want to be.
My dad was sick when he didn’t want to be.
Our lives were changing, and we had no control over it.
It all just sucked.
“When do you start at the clinic?” My dad asked.
I blew out a breath, thankful for the distraction from my thoughts.
“Next week. I might start sooner. It’ll just depend on everything else. I’ll have to ride to the base to get some paperwork done and I want to get settled before starting.”
Both my parents nodded. “Dr. Lee is very excited to have you join him.”
I smiled at that. And it was genuine. Dr. Lee was the one that got me hooked on helping animals.
I would volunteer in the summer to help at the clinic. At first, it was just helping on the boarding side. I’d wash kennels, clean litter boxes, bathe pets, and take them on walks.
Eventually I got moved to reception. Then I was shadowing some of his techs. Then I was shadowing him and he was letting me help with certain things.
It cemented my love of animals and the need to help them. I owed so much of my life and career to him. So, I was very excited to have the chance to work with him in this capacity, and not just as a volunteer.
“I can’t wait to work with him either.”
My mom laughed and shook her head. “Every time we see him, he mentions you and how he can’t wait. I think he might be more excited than we are.”
The smile on my face froze. Was it wrong to be excited considering the circumstances?
Maybe. I needed to get over that, though.
I was home because my dad was sick and my parents needed help. They were allowed to be excited to have me home with them no matter the circumstances.
I finished my lemonade and stood. “I’m going to grab my bags and take them up to my room.”
My mom smiled. “Okay, honey. Let us know if you need anything. I’m making your favorite tonight.”
I smiled and my mouth watered at the thought of my mom’s spaghetti. It was the one thing that I would ask her to make when she visited. There was just something about how she made it that made it so amazing.
“Awesome.”
I took my glass inside and rinsed it before putting it in the dishwasher and trudging back to the front of the house.
I snagged my bags and slowly made my way upstairs, taking in everything as I went.
Much like downstairs, everything looked the same. The only thing that looked changed was my room. The trophies and other things I’d had in there were gone, as were the bright green walls.
Instead, it looked like the room had a fresh coat of paint and the furniture, though the same as when I grew up, had a new comforter. The room was nice and didn’t even hint at the girl I’d been when I’d stamped it as mine.
I dropped my bags inside the door and walked to the window that overlooked the street.
It was weird being in my childhood room after all this time. It was like stepping back in time and remembering what it was like to be a teenager living with my parents. But, at the same time… it was so different.
I was different.
I still didn’t love that I was home. I mean, what thirty-four-year-old wanted to live with their parents again?
But I couldn’t begrudge my parents telling me what was happening and asking that I help if I could.
And I could. I would never tell them no. They were the two most important people in my life. Of course, I was going to help them.
I just had to come to terms with my dreams and aspirations changing because of everything.
I turned from the window and grabbed my duffel, setting it on the bed and unzipping it. I started pulling clothing out, pausing when I pulled out my uniform top. I’d wear my uniform again, but it would be awhile before that happened since I was a reservist now.
It was weird, actually, to think that now I didn’t have my wardrobe dictated day in and day out. I could choose what I wanted to wear. If I wanted to wear sweats to work, I could. I wouldn’t because that was sloppy, but the option was there.
I pulled out the other pieces of my uniform and stared at it before forcing myself to put them all away.
Lingering over the past and my lost dreams wouldn’t solve anything. I needed to keep looking forward.
CHAPTER THREE
AUGUST
I WANTED to pull my hair out. I didn’t know why I let myself get roped into agreeing to plan the fundraiser and pet adoption drive that the National Honor Society was putting on.
Well, I knew why. The animals. No one could say no to their faces, which is what I was banking on when the actual event happened.
If the event happened.
I was currently at the head-banging phase because I hadn’t realized how much planning was required for an event like this.
I had to call the city commission to get permission.
I had to call the police and fire departments to see if they’d be willing to come out and barricade some streets.
I had to call the vet clinic to see if they could donate time for examinations.
The animal shelter. My boss. Vendors.
You name it, I’d talked to someone associated with it, I was sure. It was a lot.
I heard a thud and lifted my head from the pile of papers in front of me. I looked toward the front door and saw a duffel bag was now sitting there.
I sighed as I realized what that bag meant.
“Rich?” I called out, listening for the signs my brother had heard me.
Nothing.
I pushed my chair back and stood, stretching as I walked toward the entryway.
“Rich?” I called again, looking up the stairs and straining to see the top.
“Yeah,” Rich, my older brother, said as he came in from the
garage to my left, carrying the tent pack.
“Heading somewhere?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
He made a noise in his throat as he nodded. “Yeah.”
I just barely suppressed a sigh as I watched him check the tent pack and his bag before looking at me.
“What’s up?” I asked, hoping he would talk to me.
He shrugged. “Same old. I’ve got some time off, so I’m going to head to the woods for a little while.”
I ran a hand through my hair and stared at him. I looked at the bags under his eyes, the paleness to his skin, how his hair was sticking up, and how fidgety he seemed.
To anyone that didn’t know him, they might think he was on drugs. He wasn’t. He just had some inner demons that liked to play havoc with him from time to time.
And one of those times was right now, apparently.
This usually resulted in nightmares and insomnia for him and sleepless nights for me.
And inevitably he would leave the house in search of quiet in nature.
“How long?” I asked instead of what I really wanted to, which was what was bothering him. But I’d tried that before, and he’d shut me out so thoroughly I hadn’t seen him for close to a month after.
He shrugged. “A few days. Maybe a week.”
I nodded and ran a hand through my hair, trying to ignore the worry clawing at my gut. “You’ve got your sat phone?”
“Yep.”
“You getting groceries?”
“Yep. Stopping on the way out of town.”
“First aid kit?”
“Yes, Dad,” Rich muttered, shooting me a look.
I held my hands up. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I just want to make sure you’re ready. I know you like to go where there isn’t a lot of cell signal and that you’ll be alone. Sue me for worrying about a bear attack.”
Rich ran a hand over the back of his neck before his shoulders dropped. “Yeah, I know. Thanks for looking out. I’ll call you once I’ve pitched my tent to let you know I made it.”
I nodded and watched as he grabbed his things. I walked behind him and stood in the front doorway as he walked down the steps and to his car, loading everything into the back.
A few minutes later, he was throwing his hand in the air as he backed out before driving away.
I stood there for a few minutes more, trying not to worry about Rich going into the woods for a week. He could handle himself. That wasn’t the issue.
The issue was his mental state. He only went on trips like this when something was bothering him and he’d been going on more and more recently, which made me worry that one day, he just wouldn’t come back. Or that he was going to do something irreversible.
I shuddered at the thought and stepped back into my house, shutting and locking the door behind me. I pulled my phone from my pocket and shot a quick text to my parents to let them know Rich would be MIA for a few days before sitting back down at the table and staring at the papers in front of me again.
My phone buzzed—a confirmation about the text—and I was alone with my thoughts once more.
The drive was in a week, so I needed to make sure everything was together, but I couldn’t bring myself to concentrate on everything I needed to, not with thoughts of Rich swirling through my brain.
I pushed back from the table and went into the kitchen, filling a glass with water and chugging it before filling it again.
I slowly sipped the second glass as I walked into the living room, my gaze landing on the few things that Rich had hung in there that dealt with his military career.
Seeing them on the wall reminded me of my parents’ house and my dad’s things that had been proudly displayed on the wall.
They both had several plaques commending them on their service, along with a shadowbox with their uniforms. Rich had a few framed photos of some guys in his unit from deployments he’d been on.
I gazed at everything and tried not to think about how this wall was a commemoration to everything that Rich struggled with still to this day.
And because Rich struggled with it, I struggled with it.
It was hard looking at these things knowing that the military was the reason Rich disappeared for days at a time. For why he struggled for so long after they discharged him without the help that he was due as a veteran.
I didn’t see how he could stand to look at these things and not get angry.
Though, I guess I got angry enough for the two of us. It was irrational; I knew that. But it didn’t make it dissipate.
I blew out a breath and forced myself to look away from everything and instead looked out the front window.
I narrowed my eyes as I noticed the car parked in the driveway of the house across the street. I didn’t recognize it. It was a small compact and the people across the street owned a truck and a sedan. Visitors parked on the street.
I stared at the car, trying to figure out who it was when someone came bounding out of the house.
From this distance, I couldn’t tell who it was. I knew it wasn’t the couple that lived there, though. This person was younger. I briefly toyed with the idea that it was their daughter, but quickly dismissed it. She hadn’t been home in years, and I didn’t see her changing that anytime soon.
I watched as the woman got in the car and backed out before driving away.
I stared after the car for a few moments before mentally shaking myself. What the hell was my problem?
Had I really let living in a small town infiltrate my thoughts that much that I was now acting like I was a part of the neighborhood watch? What was next? Walkies with the guy down the street and binoculars?
I blew out a breath and shook my head. I needed to get it together and finish what I was working on, not spy on my neighbors. Who cared if someone that I didn’t recognize was at their house? It wasn’t any of my business.
I forced myself to turn away from the window and pushed the mystery person from my mind.
I had work to do.
CHAPTER FOUR
BRITAIN
“THANK you again for agreeing to come today,” Dr. Lee stated.
“It’s not a problem,” I told him as I checked that we had everything we needed for the examinations we’d be doing. “I’m excited to get going and this is a great way to go on and see everyone. Get my feet wet, so to speak.”
He chuckled. “That’s true.”
I knew that word of my being home had likely spread and that the citizens of Sunnyville would want to see me. Instead of having to come to the clinic and make an appointment, now they could instead come to the shelter’s fundraiser and adoption drive to see me. Much easier.
This was great for a few reasons, the biggest of which was I wouldn’t have to deal with people clogging the clinic up with inane appointments just for the chance to chat with me.
I felt pompous thinking that people would want to see me that badly, but the few times I’d left my parents’ house to do errands, almost everyone I saw stopped me to chat. It was tiring.
I was sure I would spend my day fighting off the gossipers, answering questions about what I’d been up to, and many things that I really didn’t want to deal with. But it was par for the course for coming back to Sunnyville after so long.
I was thankful I’d been able to hide out at my parent’s house, only seeing people the few times I’d ventured into Sunnyville to do a few things like buy my car. Otherwise, I had seen nothing.
But that time was over. The people wanted to see me and today was their chance.
“Well, it looks like we’re ready,” Dr. Lee said, pulling me from my thoughts.
I nodded as I closed the drawer I was rifling through and turned to face him. “I agree.”
“Remember to smile, dear,” Dr. Lee said as he chuckled and walked to the door of the small RV we were in.
I frowned before realizing I was already frowning; I opened my mouth a few times, working out the tension I felt around it before pasting a
smile on my face, hoping it would stick around. That was easier said than done once I got a look at the crowd that was outside the door.
People were everywhere. I forgot how everyone liked to turn out for town events. It was an oddity when someone didn’t come to something that was happening.
Dr. Lee stepped out of the RV and waved to a few people while I followed him down, trying to ignore the prickling of stares I could already feel trained on me.
“We won’t start doing exams for another hour if you want to walk around,” he said to me.
I nodded and turned to survey the crowd, still trying to ignore the eyes that I could feel on me like a physical caress. I caught several people looking at me and tried to act like it didn’t bother me even though it did.
Being back in Sunnyville was a little like being in a fishbowl. I just had to remember to give them their few minutes, and I’d be fine and they’d move on. Hopefully.
I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly before straightening my spine and reminding myself that I had been an active duty member of the military and I’d deployed to several war-torn regions and survived. Sunnyville was nothing compared to those places, so I’d be fine.
Fine.
I started forward and nodded to people that greeted me. I could skirt the worst of the talkers by continuing to move forward, even when they tried to stop me to talk.
I couldn’t help but get pulled into the area set up with the animals up for adoption. When all else failed, animals were a sure bet to get me to relax. Maybe some puppy cuddles would help with my anxiety about today.
I surveyed the areas for adoptions, taking in the crates scattered around. I was surprised by how many animals there were considering the size of Sunnyville.
They had everything from cats and dogs to pigs and ducks. I gave the last two the side eye, curious to know how the shelter ended up with them in their midst.
“Aren’t they just too cute?” An older woman asked as I reached down to rub the soft fur of a golden retriever puppy.
“They are,” I agreed, reveling in their fur’s softness.
“As you know, they are up for adoption…” She trailed off at the end and I chuckled as I turned to look at her.
Vetted: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World) Page 2