by Kelly Utt
He stares at his computer for a minute before nodding, then turns around and walks through the swinging double doors into the back room. He doesn’t make eye contact. Liam and I glance at each other and shrug. He must be having a bad day already. Oh, well. We’ll get our Ladygirl and be on our way. At least the veterinarians we’ve talked to are more personable.
We’re watching cable news on the TV in the corner of the waiting room when the guy returns and places a white plastic box down on the counter in front of him. He removes a folded up paper from a sleeve on top and begins entering information from the document into his computer. Still no eye contact.
“What’s this?” I ask, feeling a little concerned. “Where’s Lady?”
“Right here,” he responds, setting a hand down on top of the box.
“What?” I ask in disbelief. “Are those… ashes?” I can hear my voice getting shaky. I can feel my body tensing and my hands curling into fists. Liam steps forward towards the counter and closer to me.
“Didn’t you get our voicemail?” the guy asks.
“What voicemail?” I reply. “I didn’t receive any voicemail.”
“We left you a voicemail, confirming cremation and stating the remains were ready for pickup. Isn’t that why you’re here?”
“I’m here to pick up my dog,” I say. “My living, breathing dog.”
Adrenaline is pumping now and the switch has been flipped on my anger. I’m furious.
“I don’t know what to tell you, sir,” the guy says sheepishly.
Wrong answer. How dare he? Something about his callous demeanor sends me into a rage. Before Liam can stop me, I leap over the counter and grab the guy up by the collar. He’s nearly a foot shorter than I am. Tossing him around is easy. My arms want to fling him and crush him like the little pissant he is. I throw him hard against the back wall, then lift him off the ground so his legs dangle. I grit my teeth and look him square in the eye. He’s terrified. He should be.
“Please,” he implores. “Let me down. I didn’t hurt your dog.”
A couple of employees from the back hear the commotion and come out to see what’s happening as Liam races around the counter to reach me.
“You people told me my dog was alive,” I yell at full volume. “I saw her the other day. She was hurt, but she was recovering. Now I show up to take her home and you bring me a box of ashes? Do you have any idea what this dog means to my family?”
I feel Liam’s hand on my shoulder. “George, look at me,” my uncle says.
A woman from the back wearing a lab coat steps forward and asks what’s going on. Several others follow her and a group of onlookers begins to gather. An older man, also in a lab coat, has his phone out and is dialing. The guy I’m holding in the air whines and cries, begging me to let him go. Time feels like it has slowed down again, just like the night of the break-in. Only this time I’m not hyperaware of my surroundings. Quite the opposite. The sounds in the room blur together as they drone on in a whirr. My heart is racing. I’m not processing normally. My breathing feels funny.
“George,” Liam says again, more sternly this time, his grip tightening on my shoulder. “Look at me. Right now.”
Fury boils to the top of my being and has to be released. I roar loudly in what feels like a primal scream. I use every bit of the air in my lungs to sustain it as long as I can while still holding the little man against the wall. When I’m finally done, I drop the man and slowly turn to face Liam.
“Good,” Liam says as he stands in front of me, extending his arms all the way and placing his hands on my shoulders. It’s a steadying hold. “Okay, George, keep looking at me. And breathe. Deep breaths.”
I follow his instructions. I can’t quite get a whole breath. I think this is what it feels like to hyperventilate. Liam turns his head to address the others in the room.
“No need to panic, folks. We have this under control. My nephew here has been through a lot recently,” Liam says. He keeps his hands firmly on my shoulders as he explains. “You may have heard about the break-in at his house last weekend. An intruder took George’s four-year-old son out of his bedroom window and almost got away. Now George arrives here thinking he’s picking up his dog who saved his son and is instead brought a box of ashes and told he should have received a voicemail with news of her death. Please, cut him some slack.”
“Oh, no,” the woman in the lab coat says quietly. “I’ll be right back.”
Liam guides me to a bench on the other side of the counter in the waiting area and sits me down. He secures one arm around my shoulders and tells me to put my head between my knees to catch my breath. I do as he says. What am I going to tell Ali and the boys? We need Lady. Losing her is too great a price to pay. Especially since we already thought she might have been gone and then were told she was out of the woods. I don’t know if I can take this right now. It’s too much at once. I think I’m failing my family.
“Dr. Hartmann?” the woman in the lab coat calls out from the double doorway.
“Yeah?” I muster.
“I have your Lady,” she says.
“What the hell?” Liam exclaims.
I look up and my eyes can hardly believe what they see. There is our Ladygirl, alive and well. She’s walking gingerly with the support of a large brace which wraps around her abdomen and under her shoulders. It has a handle on top. The woman in the lab coat is holding on in order to help Lady support her weight.
“What?” I ask. “She’s okay?”
“She is,” the woman responds. “There was a mistake. We had two girls named Lady with us this week. Your girl is right here. The other Lady didn’t make it. I’m terribly sorry for the confusion.”
I don’t know whether to stay angry or to kiss this woman. I’m appalled by the little man’s incompetence. But my relief at seeing Lady takes over and I can feel my strength returning. My body begins to relax. I can take a full breath again. I look over at Liam and he gives me a pat on the back as if to tell me to go ahead and embrace our girl. I drop to my knees on the floor of the waiting room and open my arms wide as Lady toddles over and leans into me. I pull her close and stroke the top of her head. I feel like crying, but tears won’t come. I guess I’m still in the tearless portion of this emotional rollercoaster I’m riding.
“Oh, Ladygirl,” I say, “I’m so happy to see you. You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”
Liam takes a step towards the woman in the lab coat.
“Ma’am, are we all good here?” he asks softly. What he’s really asking is whether or not they’ve called the police. Whether or not they intend to press charges.
“We are all good,” she replies as she hands him post-op instructions for Lady’s care. “I’ll handle things here. We’ll send an invoice for the outstanding balance, so no need to worry about that today. Take your nephew home. Call us if you have any questions.”
I manage a nod at the woman as Liam helps me to my feet. He puts one arm around my shoulders and holds onto Lady’s brace with the other as the three of us walk out of the animal hospital. I should say something on my way out to the guy I roughed up. But I don’t. Some of his co-workers appear to be consoling him. I’ll have to deal with that another time. We load Lady into the back seat gently and fasten a seatbelt around her midsection. She whimpers a little every time she changes position. Poor girl. We help her adjust until she seems comfortable enough for the ride home. I drove on the way here, but Liam knows I won’t be driving right now. I’ve got to collect myself first. He goes directly to the driver side of the vehicle without mentioning it. I walk around to the passenger seat and get in.
“You’re okay, George,” he says once we’re both seated. “I’m right here.”
Upon hearing those few quiet words, the tears are unlocked. I half-smile and nod at my uncle as wetness streams down my face. I sit in silence. I’m not sure what to say, but I know with Liam I don’t have to say anything at all. He takes a few detours in order to give me time
to compose myself before we get back to the house and I have to face the others. We ride around Ithaca for nearly an hour, out past the horse farms and John Wendell’s old house on Ellis Hollow Road, over near the swimming hole at Robert H. Treman State Park, and up Trumansburg Road to Taughannock Falls. Lady dozes peacefully in the back seat. It’s nice, riding like this. I have quite a day left ahead of me. I’ll need all of my strength to get through it.
“Liam?” I ask.
“Yeah, buddy, what is it?” he replies.
“Will you stick with me today?” I ask.
“Of course, I will,” he says. “What are we doing?”
“Well, Taye first,” I begin.
“Right,” Liam says.
“And our big dining table is being delivered, although Marjorie and Roddy can probably run point on that,” I say. “Ali is getting so far along in her pregnancy that I don’t want to assume she’ll have energy.”
“Okay,” he affirms. “And?”
“And then I have to go to another therapy appointment with Dr. Epstein this afternoon. It was pretty intense yesterday. Would you like to meet him?” I ask.
“Sure,” Liam replies. “I have a book on my e-reader that is just getting good. I’m happy to meet him and then plow through that in the waiting room while you and Dr. Epstein do your thing.”
“That’s really kind. Thank you,” I say.
“I’m glad to do it,” he returns. “No problem at all. You think Marjorie and Roddy can handle watching over Lady as well? They’ll already have the boys to take care of.”
“Probably. After Dr. Epstein’s, I told Mom I’d stop by to check on John Wendell,” I add.
“Right,” Liam says. “We’ll do that together, okay?”
“Good,” I say. “That will be very good. Thank you, Uncle Liam.”
“I told you, you don’t have to thank me,” he replies. I nod and ride a while longer before speaking again.
“Liam?” I ask.
“Yeah?” he answers.
“How am I going to live here in Ithaca when you’re still living down there in D.C.?”
“That’s not something we have to worry about today,” Liam responds. “I have plenty of leave and plan to stay awhile, if you’ll have me.”
“I’d love that,” I reply. “I know Ali and the boys would, too. As long as you don’t mind Marjorie and Roddy also being around. I think they’re planning to stay a while as well. They’re especially good with the boys, you know?”
“I do know,” Liam affirms. “I love those two. I like it when we’re all together. As long as you don’t feel like your house is too crowded and we’re infringing on time that should be reserved for you, Ali, and the boys to be by yourselves.”
“Not at all. We need you now. Being there for us like this means the world,” I say. Then after a pause, “Liam, are you and Estella having trouble? You haven’t talked about her like you normally do.”
“Ah, George, you don’t need to worry yourself about that,” he replies.
“Well, I do. I can be there for you, too, you know? Just because my world is crazy and turned upside down doesn’t mean I have nothing to give,” I say. “I want you to tell me.”
“I appreciate that,” my uncle says. “If you must know, we are considering a separation. It’s been a long time coming. Being up here now is good timing, really.”
“I’m real sorry to hear,” I offer. “I had no idea before you came into town.”
“Yeah, it’s a long story. There’s nothing dramatic happening. No cheating. No fighting. We still love and respect each other very much. We’ve just sort of come to what may be a natural end to things. If that’s the way it is, I’m okay with it,” he explains.
“I’m glad you feel that way about it,” I say. “If you and Estella do part ways, you could always move up here and go into business with me.”
“Are you serious?” Liam asks.
“Yes, completely,” I say. “I’m beginning to think Cornell isn’t the right place for me. It’s odd how things are happening to delay my start date. I’m toying with the idea of taking some significant time off from work altogether. I might like to travel some with the family and to spend time exploring business ideas.”
“Wow, George,” Liam says. “We’ve talked about going into business together, but it always seemed so far off. You think it’s time?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “But I doubt I would have actually considered moving to Ithaca without the job offer from Cornell, so what if its purpose was just to get us here? I feel like a completely different person than I was two weeks ago and I have an inkling more changes are coming.”
“I hear you,” Liam affirms.
“I agree with what you said about needing to be home more while the boys are little, so the military isn’t the right place for me anymore. But you know how I’ve been concerned about not having a large enough impact from my role at Cornell? What if I could have a big impact and be there for my family at the same time? A new business venture might check both of those boxes,” I explain.
“Are you talking national security?” Liam asks.
“Maybe,” I say. “Probably. Or private security. That’s been weighing heavily on me since the break-in. Maybe national and private security.”
“Aerospace?” he queries.
“Yeah, of course. It’s what we know,” I say.
“Aerospace for private security?” Liam asks, sounding skeptical but intrigued.
“I realize it’s a little out there— pun intended,” I say with a chuckle. “But what if we put our minds together to see what we can come up with?”
“Go on,” he prompts.
“I’ve been thinking about that getaway driver in the van who is still on the loose. The surveillance cameras on our house were too far away to pick up a plate number, so the police don’t have much to go on. He didn’t get out of the vehicle at any point. They may never find him.”
“Okay,” Liam replies, furrowing his brow as he thinks. “More cameras can be added and they can be positioned to cover multiple angles. I’m sure Taye will go over all of those logistics with us.”
“Sure,” I answer. “And that will help tremendously. But what when there aren’t any plates? Or when plate numbers and other identifying info are intentionally obscured? What then? It makes me sick to think about Ethan having been almost taken away. I’m motivated to solve this problem.”
“Wait,” Liam says. “Are you talking about utilizing satellites?”
“Maybe, yes. Or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,” I say. “What if, instead of losing track of the van, we create a way to have it followed and monitored?”
“Not bad,” he replies. “Has that been done in the private sector?”
“I’m not sure, but even if it has we may be able to create a better mousetrap,” I answer. “I’m not aware of UAVs being used over American soil for anything other than military and government purposes.”
“What, you can’t call them drones like us old geezers?” Liam jokes. Most people in the career field prefer the term Unmanned Aerial Vehicles since drones make it sound like they’re robots without human pilots. UAVs have human pilots, just not in the cockpits.
“Something like that,” I reply with a smile.
“Those military and government purposes you speak of are highly controversial. You know what I’m talking about,” Liam says. “We’ve seen that firsthand.”
“I do,” I say. “My role at Cornell was going to put me in that hornet’s nest anyway. Might as well take it on my own.”
“Not on your own,” Uncle Liam adds. “I couldn’t stand by and let you do all of this on your own.”
“Okay, hopefully not on my own then,” I say.
“Huh,” Liam muses.
“I think the applications and possibilities are endless,” I say. “And I think it’s only a matter of time before someone implements some variation on this idea if they haven’t already. Might as well be us. The world is
changing and aerospace technology will remain at the forefront.”
“Sure, it will,” he replies.
“We could even weaponize the UAVs, technically,” I say.
“Over American soil?” Liam asks. “That’s playing with fire, George.”
“I’m aware,” I respond. “But what if a UAV had been monitoring my property the night of the break-in and could have immobilized the intruder before he ever had a chance to breach the window and take Ethan out? I mean, we are talking about protection here.”
“You want to tangle with the Federal Aviation Administration?” Liam asks. “And the Department of Defense? And probably Congress sooner or later? And God only knows who else? We’re talking groundbreaking stuff here. Progress in terms of legalization will not come easy.”
“Maybe it’s something worth fighting for,” I say. “I believe keeping my family safe is worth fighting for. I trust others will feel the same way.”
“Wow,” Liam says with a look of awe on his face. “You’ve really given this some thought, haven’t you?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but what if it’s not? What if it’s exactly what we’re supposed to be doing?” I ask. “I’ve heard people talk about how life sometimes shakes you up in order to place you where you’re supposed to be. I don’t know if I believe that or not, but a change is happening inside of me. I can’t go back to who I was before we arrived here last week. I’m not sure I’d want to.”
“This means I’d have to separate from the Air Force, too, of course,” Liam says. “Retiring has been in the back of my mind for a while now, but damn. I didn’t think an opportunity would materialize so soon. I’ll need some time to wrap things up. And Estella...”
“Understood,” I confirm. “I need time myself. I’d love to spend at least a few months after Will is born doing nothing but enjoying my family.”
“I’d love to see you do that,” Liam agrees.
“As for business, I figure we’ll need to allow a significant amount of time for research and development,” I say. “Months, for sure. Maybe a year.”
“Or more,” Liam adds. “You’re talking about a massive undertaking. And it will be expensive.”