Hart & Stocker

by Max Ellendale

  Like usual in public, I noted that Dax wore her badge around her neck. Her gun was a constant, but I didn't expect the badge. I was beginning to wonder if she wore it as a kind of shield separating her from average citizens.

  She didn't say much while we watched the parade and listened to the music of the marching bands. In the late-morning sun, Dax kept her sunglasses on and her stoic demeanor remained steadfast, save for the soft touches she offered me now and then. For the most part, she positioned me between her knees, with her arms draping from her knees in an almost protective cocoon.

  Street vendors came by to sell their goods from boxes like at a sporting event. First I bought popcorn and a soda after Dax shook her head in refusal, but by the time I snagged us a few hotdogs she'd given in to my urgings. I leaned against her while offering her a bite of my chili dog. She shared her mustard-covered one as well.

  "Good?" I grinned up at her and she smiled before giving me a rough kiss on the cheek.

  "Yes."

  "Want another one when he comes back?"

  Dax laughed, nodding now that I'd broken her out of the stasis. "I'm starving."

  "About time. I ate all that popcorn, this hotdog, and I'm still hungry."

  "Maybe a burger girl will appear next." She wagged her brows at me from over her sunglasses and I snickered.

  Cheerleaders from the local high school led the procession with their iconic chant, and behind them, the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts followed. To my surprise, all genders appeared to be a part of both groups. It made me smile.

  "Momma, I wanna be a scout," a familiar little voice called out to my right and I turned to see Sage approaching with Macie. "You get to do rope tricks," she announced.

  "We'll talk to Daddy about signing you up. Hi, Will." Sage stopped beside us and Macie nearly plowed us over.

  "Hi Auntie Will!" she shrieked.

  I caught her before she knocked into the people beside us. "Hey, squirt." Behind me, Dax tensed until I settled Macie in my lap.

  "Hi, Dax." Sage dropped down on the curb beside us. "You guys enjoying yourselves?"

  "Yeah. Waiting for more food to come our way," answered Dax to my surprise.

  "Hi, Dax. Can I wear your hat?" Macie wiggled her fingers at her.

  "Only if you promise to treat it nicely," she said, then plopped it on the kid's head.

  "I'm a cowgirl like Dax now." Macie's attention shifted to the street when a pretty float with flowers and greenery rolled by slowly. A kid's tune emanated from it, and Macie stared as if transfixed.

  "You're a cowgirl." I grinned up at Dax and she swatted my shoulder before running her fingers through her hair.

  Sage laughed then grinned at the two of us. "What have you eaten so far?"

  "Hotdogs, and popcorn. We need more sustenance," I said and Dax nodded.

  "Princesses." Macie pointed at the group of girls dolled up in fancy dresses with tiaras as they followed a float with even more princesses.

  "You wanna be a princess, Macie?" I asked, bouncing her on my knees. "With pretty hair and makeup?"

  "No." She made a face. "I wanna be a vet."

  "We're still on that career choice then. Goodie." I kissed her cheek and she giggled.

  "Here comes more food." Sage pointed at a man dressed in an Italian chef's outfit and rolling his cart in the opposite direction of the parade. He had a tween assistant with him handing out change for cash. "Sausage and pepper sandwiches."

  "Want that, honey?" I looked up at Dax and her smile lifted her glasses on her cheeks.

  "Yeah, babe. Thanks," she said, and my heart skipped a beat suddenly. Her term of endearment brought heat to my cheeks. She'd never said that before and in front of Sage to boot.

  My sister leaned her chin on her hand while grinning at the two of us.

  I waved down the sausage and pepper guy and he stopped to fulfill our wishes. Macie accepted hers like she hadn't eaten in a month, then the rest of us took the paper plates into our laps after I handed the man some cash.

  "Since when do you eat that?" Sage cocked a brow at Macie.

  "Since now." Macie chewed with vigor while watching a float with giant strawberries roll on by. I grabbed her messy hand when she made to touch Dax's hat.

  "Nope. No dirty kid fingers on the hat." I snatched it from her and plopped it back on Dax's head. "You can wear it again after."

  "Aw man." Macie pouted for a hot second then forgot about it when a dance troupe broke into a routine in front of her.

  "Where's Mom, Sage?" I asked while leaning against Dax again while we all ate. She squeezed me with her knees and I grinned up at her.

  "Riding on the lavender float somewhere. The whole old-timer crew is on it. Their legacies or something," she explained.

  Macie stood up from my lap and returned to her mom when she finished half of her food. She handed it off, then dug around in Sage's bag for a giant water bottle. Without batting a lash, she opened it up, took a sip, then sat down on the bag like it was her own personal chair.

  Dax chuckled at her but turned her eyes back to the parade. "Interesting kid."

  "She is." Sage nodded.

  "Sagey." Marjorie's heels clicked on the pavement as she scuttled toward us, her daughter hurrying along beside her. Their friend Kellee followed, bringing up the rear

  "Hey, Mar. Come sit with us." Sage scooted Macie in front of her as the other women took up the empty space on the curb beside her.

  "Do you wanna be a princess?" Macie asked the little girl right away as the two of them burst into their typical kid conversations about horses and princesses.

  Behind me, Dax's posture tightened and she lowered the brim of her hat a bit after I gathered our empty plates in the pile beside the rest of our mess. I wrapped my arm around her calf and that seemed to settle her some.

  "You guys remember Kellee, right?" Marjorie gestured between all of us. I shook my head. "Remember Sage's sister, Willa, and um…" Marjorie stumbled over how to introduce Dax.

  "My girlfriend, Dax. Nice to see you again, Kellee." I offered her a cordial smile as always. The woman, with her finely crafted curls and bright smile, made her less off-putting than Marjorie was at times.

  "You, too." She smiled, then paused suddenly. "Dax, like Dax Stocker's Farm?" Kellee looked from me to Dax who glanced in her direction.

  "Just like my father, Kellee, yeah," said Dax. Her full answer surprised me.

  "Oh my God. Dakota?" Kellee's manicured brows lifted into her bangs. "Really?"

  "Nah. I'm a ghost." Dax shrugged and the group of us laughed at the exchange.

  "Dakota, you absolute jerk. I didn't recognize you!" Kellee rushed us and Dax's muscles tensed around me. I half expected her to clock the woman in the face when she grabbed her in a hug. Dax rolled with it, albeit briefly, then gave my shoulder a squeeze when Kellee leaned away.

  "S'been a while," was all Dax said.

  "A good decade at least." Kellee sat on the sidewalk between Sage and Dax. "Marjie, why didn't you tell me Dakota was back around?"

  "Slipped my mind?" Marjorie shrugged though Sage rolled her eyes.

  "Kellee's only been back a week visiting family," added Sage.

  "These two were your friends?" I muttered against Dax's cheek when she leaned her elbows on her knees again. She smirked, nodding as she nuzzled me with her chin.

  "Being here with you guys reminds me of when we marched in this parade as junior varsity cheerleaders," said Marjorie. "Remember?"

  "Can't forget that." Kellee grinned and nudged Dax with her elbow. "Dax made varsity after a year."

  "Left us in the dust sophomore year." Marjorie nodded and Sage laughed, though her gaze flickered tentatively toward Dax.

  "You were a cheerleader?" My mouth hung open a fraction as I gazed up at my girlfriend who was way too cool for school. Or at least I thought so.

  Dax ignored the question, opting to stare straight ahead so I patted her knee.

  "She was," answered Kellee, beaming wi
th her exposition.

  "What else don't I know about you?" I poked at Dax's hand and she finally chuckled, snatching my hand and holding it to her middle.

  "Willa, did she tell you about her girlhood crush on you?" Kellee swooned and Marjorie continued to chuckle. Sage appeared caught in the middle of joining and running away.

  "She did, but I didn't think she meant it…" I said, watching Dax as we talked about her. Her body wasn't as tense as before, and I wondered if at some point in her life she trusted these women.

  "She meant it. When you started walking around everywhere with that miniature pig, that was the end." Kellee shook her head. "But it was uncool for a sophomore to like a freshman. So she never did anything about it."

  "To be fair, I wasn't alert to my lesbian nature until a while later and I definitely wasn't cool," I said, lacing my fingers with Dax's. She gave my hand a squeeze and a small smile curved her lips.

  "I can attest to the uncool statement." My sister raised her hand as if we were in a court of law. Everyone chuckled but Dax remained stoically quiet.

  Kellee and Marjorie settled down when the next marching band came our way. I wasn't sure if it was due to the parade or Dax's lack of energy around the conversation. Eventually, Marjorie's husband found us with her kids, and their rambunctious chatter forced the volume around us to soar.

  In the ruckus, a strangled cry broke the frivolity. Dax shot to her feet, one hand on her gun, the other on my shoulder in a death grip. Sage immediately pulled Macie to her hip and everyone else gazed in the direction of the continued shouts. I stood up, despite Dax's protest, and looked out over the crowd. The parade carried on without disruption, but onlookers scattered from a scene a few yards away.

  "I saw her! She's here!" someone shouted.

  "Doctor Hart?" A man raced toward us and I imagined he needed my mother. Instead, he stopped in front of me. At that point, Dax drew her weapon but I held my arm out in front of her. "Doctor Hart, please!" He turned and bolted. My instincts forced me after him and we raced toward the scene with Dax on my heels.

  In the center of a group of people, a woman cried over a big wooly Siberian Husky panicking in the street while pawing at his nose. He collapsed just as we arrived and I fell to my knees beside them. The woman's hysterics continued and I gripped her shoulder, pushing her back from the dog.

  "Okay, let me see. Step back, Suzie." I remembered her name only after recognizing my patient. "Easy, Jackson. Good boy."

  The panicked scene around me faded from my awareness as I focused on the dog that was on his way to suffocating. I forced his mouth open, tugging his tongue aside. My fingers met something firm at the back of his throat.

  "What did he eat?" I asked anyone who would listen.

  No one answered, just more sobbing.

  Dax appeared in front of me holding a torn up foam football with half of it missing. I nodded and shoved nearly my whole hand down the dog's throat. My index finger wrapped around the squishy material and I pinched it against my thumb. The dog's eyes widened and it freaked out the second I dislodged the object. It went flying from his mouth and he coughed. His head recoiled, and he flailed while trying to stand. A yelp pierced the air and he snapped at me, biting down on my forearm so hard that it pulled me off balance. More shouts rang out but I forced myself to stay calm despite the teeth now lodged in my flesh.

  "Easy, boy. You're okay," I said out of pure habit. My eyes watered with the pain from the pressure of his jaw.

  "Jackson." Suzie gasped out his name and the dog released me as if he realized what was going on. He shook his head, and made a chuffing sound that turned into a sneeze.

  As if nothing happened, he stood up and shook himself off before returning to his crying owner. He licked her face while she kissed and pet him. I hid my arm behind my back as I rolled to my knees beside them. The dog remained relaxed while I pet him from head to swaying tail.

  "Good boy. You're okay." I checked his pulse with my hand on his chest and he turned to lick my elbow. It brought a smile to my lips and everyone finally calmed down. "You're welcome, buddy." I looked to Suzie and she sniffled while forcing a smile.

  "Thank you, Doctor. Is he okay?"

  "He's just fine now. No more football snacks for him." I stroked his head while he panted, his brow relaxing under it. "Let's get him some water and some shade. Okay?"

  "Okay." Suzie gripped his leash and moved with Jackson back toward the grass. A few people joined her and I watched the dog as he walked to make sure he was steady on his feet. I admired his resiliency, as I did with most pets. The bounce in his step left him unfazed by his experience for the time being. Suzie offered him a bottle of water and I pushed myself up to stand. A few people applauded the endeavor and I felt my cheeks heat to a flush as the awareness of the crowd returned. The parade carried on as if nothing occurred out of the norm.

  Dax caught me right away when I made for the sidewalk. "You're bleeding," she said, her hand on my back after I dropped my arm to my side. Blood trickled down my arm into my palm and I kept my face as cool as possible.

  "I know. Let's move away from here," I muttered.

  "Willa," Sage's voice burst into my awareness. She rushed us as we made our way toward the vacant gazebo under the giant oak tree. "Oh no," she said as soon as she saw my arm. Macie wasn't with her thankfully.

  Dax sat me down, crouching in front of me as she urged my arm across my lap. Sure enough, four puncture wounds accompanied an ugly bruise that already began to form. Despite the minimal skin damage, it bled a lot, which was typical in this situation.

  "This one needs a stitch or two," I said, pointing out one of the punctures that had a bit of a drag to it. "Sage, can you find a first aid kit?" Dax looked on, her sunglasses and hat long gone, while she held my arm as if it was about to break off.

  "Oh my God." Sage nearly panicked as she covered her mouth.

  "Sage, I'm fine. It's part of the job description." I met her gaze and she calmed only a fraction.

  "I'm getting Mom." She bolted before I could even protest.

  Dax's hands trembled as she stared at my arm that she held, one hand on my elbow, the other on my wrist. "It looks bad, Willa."

  "I'm okay, really. I do need to clean it up. Let's head back to the house. My bag is in the truck," I said, making to stand.

  Dax placed her hand on my shoulder. "Stay here. Sage is getting your mom."

  "But—"

  "Willa, look at me," she said, her voice firm. I met her gaze and the concern in her eyes brought worry to my chest. "Please wait for your mom."

  "Okay." I placed my hand on her cheek as a swell of emotion tightened my throat. "I'm really okay though."

  "I know, but a big wolf dog just bit you and it looked really scary for a minute." Now it was her energy that calmed and for the first time, I saw the law enforcement side of her emerge. Everything about her said, "breathe, calm, and trust," as I leaned into her caretaking.

  "He didn't mean to bite me. Jackson is very docile," I defended the nature of the dog.

  "I understand that. However, you're bleeding pretty bad and should probably go to the hospital or urgent care at least."

  "Let's um…let's see what Mom says first."

  "Alright." Dax conceded for the moment only because Sage and my mom hurried over. Mom carried a red and white first aid kit grasped in her fist.

  "Oh goodness. What've we got here?" Mom's chipper sing-song doctor voice echoed under the gazebo.

  "A dog bit her and she's bleeding a lot." Dax's quick answer surprised me. She moved over when Mom came to sit beside me on the bench.

  "What've I told you about wrestling alligators, little girl?" Mom didn't waste a second pouring some antiseptic wash over my arm, then applying pressure with some gauze to the bleed that kept on going. Dax leaned back on her heels and Sage joined her. The two of them looked on with a matching set of worried eyes.

  "You said keep it in the backyard?" I laughed a bit while I watched her fix
me up. She pulled my arm across the lap of her lilac pants, a thick blue towel covering them, and kept up the pressure.

  "Correct." She perked up, chuckling as she smooched my forehead. "You hide your pain well."

  "I try." I smirked, looking down at the way her hands wrapped my arm. Her fingers, slightly crooked at the tips with purple nail polish, appeared to capture her nature in a perfect symbiosis. Only when she moved my arm did I realize how bloody my jeans looked. One of my thighs had a huge round stain, and drops of blood coated the other. "Shit."

  "Exactly," said Dax, giving my knee a squeeze before coming to sit beside me. She wrapped her arm around my middle and looked to my mom. "Does she need to go to the hospital?"

  "I think we're in good shape." Mom lifted the gauze and peeked at the wounds. "Let's clean this up a bit."

  I leaned against Dax while Mom doctored my arm. She poured more antiseptic on it, cleaned away the blood with some sterile pads, then swiped my skin with an alcohol pad. After, she applied a zip stitch bandage over the wound and pulled the fasteners to close it. Some antibiotic ointment and a protective covering later, and all was done. For the rest of the wounds, she wrapped my entire forearm in a clean bandage, then cracked the disposable ice pack to ready it. She placed it over my arm, and nudged my other hand to hold it.

  "How's that for momming?" she asked, smiling at me with her usual cheeky attitude.

  I laughed and dropped my head against Dax's. "Good. Thanks, Mom. Sage, you can breathe now."

  "I'm so worried." Sage laughed softly then came to sit beside Mom.

  "Will she need medication?" asked Dax, her eyes on my mom while she held me.

  "Not at the moment. Willa has a habit of getting herself bit. Or kicked. Sometimes thrown." Mom tapped her lip. "What else, little girl? Nibbled? Pinched?"

  I laughed at her and nudged her with my foot. "Do not."

  "Yes you do," Mom and Sage said at the same time.

  Dax tossed them a half-smile and gave me a squeeze. I turned my head to brush my lips over the firm curve of her chin. "I need tacos tonight."