Sit, Stay, Love

by Debbie Burns

  Puppies two and three came out one right after the other. The second pup looked exactly like the first. The third pup was much smaller and showed patches of white on its body even while still in the sac.

  “She can’t clean them both at once.” Kurt handed Kelsey the nasal aspirator. “Want to suction the nose and mouth of the other one?”

  Even though she was a little hesitant to aspirate such a tiny thing, Kelsey knew it needed to be done. Puppies had only a matter of minutes to start breathing after being delivered, and they often needed help from their mom or a human to clear away the sac.

  Closer inspection showed the clear, membranous sac was already partially off and not covering the puppy’s face, so aspirating was easier than she’d expected. After a bit of suctioning, the brown-and-black puppy was breathing on her own. “This one’s a girl,” Kelsey said. “And she’s perfect.”

  The next several hours passed in a blur. Pepper rested between most of the deliveries, which gave the puppies a chance to nurse. Soon, there were four girls and two boys. Five of them looked like full-bred Rotts, and one, a little male, seemed to be part bluetick coonhound. He had a white underbody speckled with brown and the longest ears Kelsey had ever seen on a dog that was half Rott.

  “Looks like Pepper had a midnight rendezvous,” Kurt had said on seeing the little guy.

  It wasn’t uncommon in cats and dogs for a large litter to be comprised of offspring from two or three different fathers, especially if the mothers were allowed to roam. Since Pepper had been part of a fighting ring, it was unlikely she was intentionally bred to a hound.

  Kurt brewed a large pot of coffee around four in the morning while waiting for puppy number seven to come into the world. He carried up a tray of three steaming mugs of coffee, forks, and the cake they’d brought from the reception.

  “Thought the sugar and caffeine might get us through till dawn.” Kurt sat the tray on the old dresser and carried over the cake and forks. He took a seat on the rickety full-size featherbed that Pepper had napped on until she grew too large to get up and down from it easily.

  Kelsey continued standing, knowing if she sat on the cozy bed, she wouldn’t be able to get up. Tess collapsed into a straight-backed wooden chair that had been carried in from Kurt’s room. She yawned, rubbing her eyes and tucking her legs into a pretzel shape. She was only a year or two younger than Kelsey, but she had an innocence about her that made her seem younger than her midtwenties.

  The cake was perfect. Kelsey’s mouth watered at the hint of almond and the rich, creamy icing. It and the coffee were the pick-me-up she needed. By the time puppy number seven, another girl, had entered the world, Kelsey was ready to keep going until sunup.

  Kurt, however, had stretched back on the bed after finishing off a slice of cake and fallen asleep within seconds. He was dozing with his feet still touching the floor. His breathing was soft and even. His shirt had lifted, exposing his smooth, toned midriff, one that she intended to lose hours kissing someday very soon.

  Her blood pulsed faster at the thought. If Tess wasn’t here, Kelsey would have been tempted to wake him up for something that had nothing to do with the birth of Rottweiler puppies. Her thoughts brought to mind the last time she’d tried to touch him while he slept. Was he better now? Could he relax enough to fall asleep beside her when total exhaustion wasn’t pulling him under?

  Tess, who was squatting beside the laundry basket where they were keeping the delivered pups safe and warm, seemed to read Kelsey’s mind. Perhaps she’d caught the direction of Kelsey’s gaze. “Just like these little guys are going to be, he was a handful even before he went into the service. Dogs were the only thing that could slow him down when he was a teenager. Otherwise he was in hyperdrive. I think I knew him for two years before he willingly took the time to talk to me about anything other than a dog. And honestly, that first conversation was only because I was crying.”

  Kelsey had been gathering up soiled towels to take downstairs. She paused while they were still mounded on the floor. “What happened?”

  “I can’t remember, so I don’t think it was anything too traumatic. It was probably something one of my cousins did. All I remember is that Kurt bought me my own bag of Sour Patch Kids, and I wished that he could be my big brother and Rob, my dad.” She let out a little sigh. “I think I wished away my big, overbearing Italian family for more years than I should’ve.”

  “Well, if it helps, I have two older brothers, and I wished for a sister every birthday until I turned thirteen.”

  Tess was opening her mouth to say more when Pepper let out a bark-whine that signaled she was ready to deliver again. Tess had exactly enough time to scoop the eighth puppy from alongside her before Pepper unexpectedly stood and began to pace the whelping box.

  “Poor girl. She’s probably exhausted.”

  Kurt bolted into a sitting position, his thighs and arms visibly knotting with tension as he cleared his throat.

  “She’s about to deliver again,” Tess said.

  As quickly as she stood up, Pepper dropped to the middle of the floor and began to bite at her haunches.

  “Something’s not right.” Kurt swiped the sleep from his eyes and stepped into the whelping box. He sank beside Pepper, running a soothing hand along her side. She whined and reached up to lick his chin.

  “I can see something poking out,” Tess said, straining for a closer look. “But it doesn’t look like the others. There’s something long and, oh, it’s a tail.”

  Alarm washed over Kelsey. None of the others had been breech.

  Kurt frowned. “They can’t always deliver breech puppies on their own. Plus, she’s getting tired. Kels, want to keep her calm while I try to get it out?”

  Kelsey sank beside Pepper and stroked the top of her head. Kurt dashed to the bathroom to scrub and wasted only a few seconds finishing getting ready. Tess took the towel from him, gnawing on her lower lip as she watched.

  “Are you going to try to turn it around like in the video we watched, or just help it out?”

  Kurt gave a stiff, one-shoulder shrug. “I won’t know till I get in there. Tess, can you hold a flashlight for me?”

  Kelsey forced a few deep, calming breaths and stroked Pepper’s head and neck while Kurt worked, occasionally directing Tess to swivel the flashlight in a new direction. “This guy is a giant. So much bigger than the others. And he’s coming out backward. No wonder he’s stuck.”

  “Is there room to turn him?”

  “No, but I’ve got him halfway out now.”

  Pepper whined loudly. Minutes dragged by like hours. Kurt mumbled something about the front legs being more difficult than the back.

  If they tried to call a vet now, would he even arrive in time?

  “I’ve got one elbow free. If I can get the other one before the next contraction, I think he could be home free. And I should tell you now, he’s incredibly still.”

  Kelsey fought back tears. Not only might this puppy be stillborn, but Pepper could get hurt in the process of delivering him. “Come on, girl,” she whispered over and over. “Push that little guy the hell outta there.”

  A silence heavier than a thick fog lingered in the room, disturbed only by Pepper’s periodic licking of her mouth. Then the exhausted momma gave a grunt and tensed.

  “I’ve got him.” Kurt sank back against his heels, a slimy mess in his hands. “Grab a towel.”

  Tess was already lurching for one. She tossed it over, and Kurt began to wipe the gelatinous sac from the puppy’s face. Pepper watched, panting heavily. As soon as the sac was clear, Kelsey suctioned out the puppy’s nose and mouth. Unlike the others, there was no twitching or grunting. The puppy was still, lifeless.

  Kurt had told her he’d been trained in CPR for dogs in addition to people, but Kelsey was surprised at the confidence with which he went about trying to revive the puppy. Ea
ch second that passed was harrowing. The only sounds were Kurt’s revival attempts and Pepper, panting as she watched. Kurt went from vigorously rubbing and stimulating circulation to actual CPR. As he switched from blowing air into the puppy’s tiny nostrils to chest compressions, Pepper whined. He alternated, back and forth, back and forth, and Kelsey’s heart sank.

  Then there was the faintest, almost inaudible sneeze, and Kurt began to laugh. He dragged his mouth across his shirtsleeve and then let his head fall back, letting out a giant exhale. “Ladies, he’s a she, and she’s breathing.”

  Tess squealed, and Kelsey threw her arms around him. Later, when it was over and everything quieted down, she’d find time to tell Kurt that he was the sexiest and most amazing man she’d ever met. For now, they had a puppy to introduce to its mother.

  * * *

  Shining low in the sky, the October sun gleamed inside the windows, filling the house with cozy warmth. The three of them had finished showering and were on the main floor washing towels, finishing off a second pot of coffee, and grabbing quick, standing breakfasts when Patrick and Megan walked in. Kurt suppressed a smile at the squeals and hugs Kelsey and Megan exchanged. Patrick, who didn’t look to be one for physical touch, tucked his hands, palms out, into his back pockets and seemed to lose a beat or two looking at Tess.

  Megan glanced Kurt’s way as she and Kelsey pulled apart. “Kels said one of the puppies wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for you.”

  “We got lucky with her” was all Kurt said.

  “You get naming rights,” Patrick added. “We’ll hold a contest with the rest of the litter, but you should think of a name for her.”

  Kurt gave a nod. “I wouldn’t mind doing that, but I’ll let Kelsey and Tess weigh in.”

  “I keep a list of the animals we’ve named since I started. There are eight hundred and forty-seven animals on it, and seventy-six of the names have been used more than once.”

  When Patrick said things like this, Kurt wondered what sort of stuff he did when he wasn’t at work. He also wondered how many of those names Patrick could recite off the top of his head. He suspected quite a few.

  The group headed upstairs, and Kurt couldn’t help but chuckle over how Kelsey and Tess got just as melty at the whimpers and coos of the pups as they had an hour ago. Patrick took pictures for the shelter’s social media accounts, and Megan happy cried as she snuggled the pup with coon-dog ears against the top of her swollen belly.

  The big pup, the girl who’d almost been stillborn, showed no sign of her iffy start. She wriggled about with more strength than most of them, and Kurt didn’t disagree when Patrick suggested she might be part Saint Bernard or Bernese mountain dog.

  Almost as soon as they were done, Megan headed back to the shelter, while Patrick stayed behind to work with Devil. Shortly after he started, the first two volunteers arrived to assist with the morning feeding and training routine. From the tremendous reactions the puppies had already received on the shelter’s social media accounts, Kurt suspected there wouldn’t be a moment of privacy here today.

  Tonight though, come hell or high water, he’d send everyone away. He had a romantic night to make up to Kelsey. And after inspecting the room at the inn that would’ve been theirs had Pepper not gone into labor, Kurt knew just what to do.

  And it involved a quick trip out this afternoon.

  Thankfully, with volunteer help and Tess still here—she didn’t have a car, so Rob was coming back for her at lunch—they made good time feeding and working the dogs. Kelsey didn’t start yawning until the morning routine was finished. When she started, she couldn’t stop. She looked exhausted. She’d been awake since dawn the previous morning. Tess, who’d dozed for an hour after the ninth and last puppy was born, was holding strong.

  It took a bit of cajoling, but Kelsey finally curled up on a couch in the main front room after the morning volunteers headed out. She was asleep in minutes, and Kurt figured it was as good a time as any to run a few errands.

  He nodded to Tess as he grabbed his keys. “Call me if you need anything. William should be here soon. He usually comes earlier in the day, but I told him I wouldn’t be here this morning. He’ll be happy to see you, even if he won’t show it.”

  Tess grinned. “I’ll be happy to see him too, and I won’t be afraid to let him know it.” She stepped out on the porch after Kurt as he headed out. “Since you won’t ask, I’m just going to say it. I like her. A lot. I can see her being good for you.”

  He paused midway down the steps but didn’t turn around. “Things slow down around her. Everything gets clearer. Like with the dogs.”

  Tess crossed over to the railing, locking her arms over her chest as she studied the house across the street. Several painters were there this morning, as well as an electrician’s van.

  “That pretty much says it all.” Her smile faltered enough to let him know there was something she wasn’t telling him. Something she was hiding behind that bright-as-the-sun demeanor of hers. He wondered if it was tied to why she’d run off to Europe for a year.

  He closed his hand around the metal banister. “Tess, if you ever need to talk…”

  She gave a playful wave of her hand, and her smile returned. “If I need to talk, I’ll grab Kelsey or someone else with an inherent gift at two-way conversation. Now go, get your butt out of here to do whatever it is you need to do. The day’s a-wasting, as they say.”

  Kurt smiled and tapped the banister with his thumb. As a kid, he’d wished Tess and Rob were family. The older he got, the more he understood it didn’t take being a blood relation to make someone that. “Yeah, yeah,” he said aloud because the bluff was easier than speaking the truth. “If you’re not here when I get back, I’ll be seeing you. Rob says you’re thinking about sticking around.”

  She gave a single-shoulder shrug. “Yeah, maybe. I didn’t come home with that intention, but you know how it is, family’s family.”

  He headed out, thinking how unexpected it was that everything he could possibly need was all congregating in one city, and most of it was right here, occupying a couple thousand square yards of land. A little over a month ago, as he boarded the first flight home, if anyone had told him that a life he could care deeply about was within easy and short reach, he’d never have believed them.

  Chapter 26

  It was getting harder to put Zeus and several of the others into their kennels for the night now that Kelsey knew the dogs so well. The animals wanted companionship as much as they did the playtime, care, and training they were given each day.

  Earlier this week, Rob had confirmed that the trial was being expedited, which meant good news for many of these guys. Even when they were deemed ready to enter the shelter’s adoption program, the dogs couldn’t leave the house until the seven people suspected to be integral in the elaborate fighting ring had been tried in court for the felony crimes of dogfighting and animal cruelty.

  Kelsey hoped the evidence would be heard quickly and the case wouldn’t drag on. Kurt had confirmed that four of the dogs—Zeus and three others like him who were young enough and lucky enough not to have seen much, if any, time in the ring—could head to the shelter when the go-ahead was given.

  As the evening wore on and it was time for the last shift of volunteers to head out, Kelsey’s palms began to sweat in anticipation. How would things change now? At Kelsey’s initial request, she and Kurt had held off on taking their relationship that final step. She’d wanted time and a special occasion.

  Although the special occasion had turned into an even more extraordinary one, it hadn’t resulted in any magical fireworks below the belt. She’d seen the miraculous birth of nine adorable puppies, and Kurt had saved one puppy’s life, so she regretted none of it. But how would Kurt want to move forward from here?

  In case his answer was in line with hers, she quickly rummaged through her overnight bag for
a toothbrush and deodorant after seeing the volunteers out. Kurt had been upstairs the last fifteen minutes, and she was hoping he’d stay up there long enough for her to have a quick refresher. Just in case.

  Sorting through the bag, she bumped against something hard and cool. Her fishing float. In all the commotion, she’d forgotten about it. Taking it out along with her toiletries, she dropped it off on the kitchen windowsill before making a dash for the bathroom. For some reason, the idea of getting caught with a necessities bag containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant in her hands felt akin to getting caught shoplifting.

  Earlier in the day, she’d showered and changed into a fresh, cute pair of underwear that wasn’t quite as sexy as last night’s. Whatever happened tonight, at least she wasn’t going into it in day-old panties.

  A few minutes later, toiletry bag in hand, she headed out of the bathroom for the front room where she’d left the rest of her stuff. Dusk was setting in, and a movement in the semidarkened parlor across the hall made her jump. It was Kurt. He’d been looking out one of the front windows.

  “You scared me. I thought you were upstairs.” She dropped the clutch into her overnight bag and locked her hands over her hips.

  He’d changed while he was up there. He was in a fresh pair of jeans and a snug-fitting black T-shirt. “I was. Now I’m down here.”

  Because that’s everyday conversation for you.

  He closed the distance between them while Kelsey mashed her lips together. There was no reason this had to feel awkward. She’d been alone with him countless times since this rehab started. She’d told him she loved him. He’d admitted to coming here for her—that still rocked her brain whenever she thought about it. And in some phenomenal make-out sessions, they’d done about everything under the sun. Just about.