by Morgan Henry
“Thank you so much, sweetie. But I think you love that dog more than us,” said Dan wryly. He was a little worried that was true since Cailynn hadn’t actually said she loved them.
“Well, he is cuter,” Cailynn teased.
Dan laughed, “Okay, you’re right, he is cuter. And he does adore you. But Andrew and I definitely love you more.” This last part was said in a huskier voice.
There was a pause before Cailynn said, “I’m sorry, Dan. Someone else has come in, but I’ll see you soon. Don’t worry about Ranger. We’ll get him sorted out. Bye.”
Dan stared at the phone and sighed. He thought Cailynn loved them, but he couldn’t figure out why she wouldn’t say it. A bit of doubt was creeping into his mind. Maybe she didn’t say it because she didn’t love them the same way. He knew that Andrew didn’t have any doubts as yet, but he was always more patient than Dan.
Cailynn wasn’t at the desk when he dropped Ranger off, but she called him a couple of hours later.
“Everything will be fine,” she reassured him. “There’s a small cut in his main pad on the right front foot, but it doesn’t go very deep. It’s not even bleeding at all. Dr. Dunlop can’t suture it, but she says it will heal just fine by itself. Since it’s sore, she put him on some anti-inflammatory medicine to help with the pain. He’s feeling much better now that the medicine has kicked in.”
“Thank her for me,” said Dan gratefully. “And thank you, too, for getting him looked after and bringing him home tonight. Andrew says he’ll be done in time to make you a fabulous dinner. I should be home more or less the same time as you.”
“That sounds great. You guys are so good to me.” Cailynn hesitated just a second. “I’m so glad I moved here and met you two. You both treat me so well.”
“We love you, sweetie. You can’t imagine how glad we are that you came here. You’re the one for us, Cailynn. Forever.” Dan knew that over the phone while Cailynn was at work was not the best time to be declaring this, but sometimes it was best to seize the moment.
“I–You’re—” Cailynn couldn’t quite speak.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. Now isn’t the time for this, and you don’t have to say anything right now. Just know how Andrew and I feel,” Dan said softly. “I’ll see you after work. Thanks again for looking after Ranger.”
“Okay. I’ll see you both tonight,” Cailynn replied.
* * * *
When the clinic closed, Cailynn was grateful that the day had been busy. She hadn’t had time to dwell on Dan’s word “Forever.” That was what she wanted but could she trust them enough to be telling the truth? Well, why can’t I? They’ve never been less than honest with me.
She suddenly felt guilty that she had been less than honest with them. Oh, she hadn’t lied, but she had not told them about Martin. And she hadn’t told them she loved them.
“Why are you still here?” asked Sharon as she came into the lab area with her purse and lunch bag. It was shortly after five.
“I need to get all these results into the computer and the blood test from the last appointment isn’t quite done yet,” Cailynn responded.
“I thought I said I didn’t need the results until tomorrow,” Sharon gently admonished Cailynn. “The cat’s fine. It’s just routine monitoring.”
“I know, but I had to get this all into the computer anyway, so it may as well run.” Cailynn smiled at Sharon. “Really, it’s fine. You should go home. I won’t be long, and then I’ll collect Ranger and leave.”
“All right.” Sharon smiled, too. “I hope Dan’s doing something nice for you for looking after that big yellow cutie.”
“Andrew’s made us a nice dinner. Dan was in Port Seguin all day working, too.” Cailynn was looking forward to a dinner she didn’t have to cook when she got to their house.
“Sounds great! Have a nice evening, and don’t be too long.”
“I won’t. Promise.” Cailynn gave her boss a mock salute and went back to the computer.
She finished off the blood work and ensured the results were in the computer for Sharon to go over in the morning. It took a little longer than she anticipated and it was closer to six when she finished. She was shutting down all the equipment when she heard the chime of the side door opening.
Thinking that Sharon had returned for some reason, she poked her head around the corner and was shocked to see Martin standing in the hall.
Chapter 14
Seeing Martin caused a shard of panic to slice through her body. She suppressed the feeling and spoke sharply to Martin. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you. You owe me money and I want it,” Martin demanded.
“Are you kidding me? I told you, I don’t owe you anything,” Cailynn said sharply.
“Yes you do, you bitch. I lived with you for two years and you just fucked off to the middle of nowhere one day. You left me homeless!” Martin raised his voice.
“I hardly left you homeless,” Cailynn said coldly. “You are not allowed to be here at the clinic. You will leave now.” Her hands were shaking as she tried to stand up to Martin in an effort to get him to leave.
Martin shot forward and grabbed her arm hard enough to leave a bruise. He shoved her against the wall. “You will give me the money I need,” he said, his voice deep and threatening and an ugly twist to his mouth.
Cailynn gasped as she hit the wall. She became angry as she guessed what had happened to Martin. “Oh, now it’s the money you need. The truth comes out. You’re in debt I’ll bet. Gambling too much again?”
“Shut up and get your purse. You’re going to get me my money.” Martin’s face was red with anger.
“Well good luck with that,” Cailynn shot back. “I barely have any money in my purse and my bank account isn’t much better. I used up what savings I had to move here.”
“Then get the money the clinic has in the safe. I was going to take it anyway.” Martin dragged her toward the office as he spoke.
“There isn’t much there. Most people pay with debit or credit,” Cailynn informed him. She had been told when she started that if anyone tried to rob the clinic, the staff was to give them the money. Dr. Webb had told her money was replaceable but people were not. Cailynn understood this, but she did not want to be of any help to Martin as he robbed the clinic. She had come to love this place and would not participate in harming it.
“Open the safe, you stupid cow. I’ll take whatever is there,” he said as he pushed her at the large grey metal box.
“No!” Cailynn shouted at him. She started toward the door of the office.
Martin pulled out a knife and showed it to her. “You’ll open the safe, or lose a finger,” he grated and stepped menacingly toward her.
Cailynn gasped. Martin was bigger and stronger than her, and when she looked at his face, she believed he would harm her. The man she liked when she started dating him two years ago was truly gone. Then, it would never have occurred to her that he would harm her. Now, there was no doubt that if he didn’t get what he wanted she would pay. She realized that he had always been like this but in the beginning he made the effort to cover it up. Temporarily defeated, she leaned over and opened the safe. She took out the cash box and handed it to Martin, who quickly rifled through it and took out the money.
“Fuck!” Martin exclaimed. He threw the box against the wall with a loud crash and started pacing. “Not enough,” he muttered
Cailynn was worried. He really looked desperate. She thought he must be deeply in debt to be so frantic. She tried to think of a plan to get away and call the police.
“All right, all right,” he continued to mutter. “There must be another way.” He stopped abruptly and looked intently at her. “Where’s the drugs? I can sell them.”
“No!” Cailynn was horrified at the thought of Martin getting his hands on the drugs in the clinic. There were some that were truly dangerous if used inappropriately. She started to back away but hit the wall of the office.
Ma
rtin reached out and grabbed her again. “What about an eye? Do you want to lose an eye?” Martin’s voice was deceptively soft as he moved the knife toward her face. “Where are the drugs? I’m losing my patience.” The knife moved closer.
Cailynn was almost in tears with frustration that she wasn’t able to stop him. She led him to the cabinet where the drugs were locked away. Martin snarled as he broke the lock on the door and started to pull out the medications. He had her backed into a corner beside him as he shoved the medications into an empty cardboard box he pulled out of the nearby recycle bin.
Cailynn kept trying to come up with a plan. She thought he might just leave the clinic when he got what he wanted but realized there was no way he wanted any witnesses left. It occurred to her that he might actually kill her. Fear tried to take over her brain, but she fought it back. She was not going to roll over and give in to Martin. She had left him once to get herself a better life, and damned if she was going to let him take that away.
She tried to keep him talking and distract him as she tried to think. “So, how much do you owe, Martin? And who was stupid enough to lend you money? Obviously they didn’t know your employment track record. Or your gambling talent.” She put as much derision into her voice as she could.
It was not the greatest idea to taunt Martin, as it turned out. He moved faster than she expected as he backhanded her. It felt like her cheek exploded as she fell to the floor. She saw stars for a moment, then Martin’s boots as he stood over her.
“Get the fuck up,” he snarled.
When Cailynn had trouble getting up, he reached down for her arm and dragged her upright. He didn’t speak again as he dragged her out the door and toward his car.
Shit, he’s going to take me with him, Cailynn thought. The tiny voice in the back of her head whispered that he was probably going to kill her. No one would know where she had gone. They would assume she had helped him rob the clinic and taken off with the spoils. She felt incredibly sad about this. She would never see her friends at the clinic again. She would never get to tell Andrew and Dan that she loved them. That thought particularly pained her. There wouldn’t be any more hikes with them and Ranger.
Ranger! She had forgotten he was in the outside runs. The fences around them were tall, but the top was open. Could he get out and help her? Only one way to find out.
“Ranger, vite!” she screamed as loud as she could. “Vite! Vite! Vite!”
“Shut up! What the hell are you screaming?” asked Martin angrily.
She heard Ranger bark excitedly, then the chain link fence rattled and the dog came barreling around the corner of the clinic. Ranger looked at Martin and started to growl as he raced toward the man.
“Fuck!” Martin exclaimed again. He shoved Cailynn to the ground, dropped the box of drugs, and brandished his knife.
Cailynn panicked as she saw him bring up the weapon. She had not thought about Martin harming Ranger. She had only wanted the dog to distract him so she could run. She couldn’t bear it if Ranger was hurt trying to help her. She kicked out with her legs and tripped Martin. As he fell, he dropped the knife. Ranger was on him too fast for Martin to collect it. The dog stood over Martin, snarling in his face and snapping at him.
At the same time a large black pickup truck roared into the drive, followed by a police car. Both vehicles slid to a halt in front of her. Andrew and Dan exited the truck at top speed, as did the two police officers from their vehicle. Andrew grabbed her and pulled her to the truck while Dan called off Ranger. The two officers made short work of immobilizing Martin and making sure he had no other weapons.
Ranger and Dan immediately headed to Andrew and Cailynn. She had collapsed into Andrew’s arms and was starting to shake. Dan put his arms around her as well, unable to speak. Ranger butted his head into her side as well, seeming to want to make sure she was okay, too. They all stayed like that for a few moments.
Cailynn started to speak, her voice shaky. “How did you know to come? I didn’t know he was coming to the clinic. I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry. I—”
“Shh,” Andrew quieted her by placing a finger over her mouth. “It’s okay, love. We’ll explain it all later. You’ll have to tell what happened to the police once we get you checked over for injuries.”
“I’m not hurt.” Cailynn tried to speak again.
“I can see the bruising on your face already, damn it!” Dan said gruffly. “You’re hurt and you need to be cared for. No arguments.”
Cailynn could see that Dan was so upset he was shaking. Andrew was little better. She decided not to argue but had to speak again. “Is Ranger okay? I don’t think he was hurt, but you should let me check him over.”
“No,” said Dan. “Sharon is headed over. We called her when you hadn’t shown up at our place. She can look at Ranger while we get you taken care of. He doesn’t seem to be hurt anyway.”
Andrew reluctantly released her to speak briefly to one of the officers and get into the driver’s seat in the truck. Dan placed her in the vehicle and got in beside her, keeping an arm around her shoulders all the way to the hospital.
Chapter 15
The ER at the small Hardwick Bay Hospital wasn’t busy. Cailynn was checked over in short order and pronounced to have minor injuries. In her opinion, her face didn’t feel “minor.” In fact, it hurt a lot. The bruises and scrapes on her arms and legs hurt, too, but not quite as much as her face. She was grateful for the painkillers at the hospital as she waited for them to finish with her paperwork to let her go home. The police had come and taken her statement while she was at the hospital, as well as some photos for evidence. Given that Martin had been caught in the act, it wasn’t likely his case would wind up going to trial. He would likely plead guilty to something and go directly to jail.
When she was released, the Harris brothers took her to their house. Going to her apartment was not an option, according to them. Sharon met them at the Harris’s with Ranger.
“He’s fine,” she told Dan. “I’m glad he was there. I can’t think of what might have happened otherwise. Tell Cailynn that I don’t want to see her face at work until next week. She needs some time to recover.”
They settled Cailynn on the couch, along with Ranger. The dog was being treated like a hero and allowed up with her. Then Andrew and Dan filled her in on how they wound up at the clinic at the right moment. Dan had arrived home, expecting Cailynn to already be there. When he checked with Andrew and neither had heard from her, they wondered what had gone on. When she didn’t return their texts, they got worried and called Sharon. Sharon told them about Cailynn staying late to run the blood tests but had figured she should have been home before six. They all couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t return their texts. Of course, her phone was in her purse and Cailynn couldn’t get to it with Martin there. Andrew and Dan were really worried by then and called their friend who was a police officer to meet them at the clinic, just in case.
Dan was perched on the ottoman, looking at Cailynn intently. “Damn it, Cailynn, why didn’t you tell us about Martin’s calls?” Dan was on edge, his fear of losing her and anger that she had been hurt barely contained.
“I didn’t want to worry you. I–I didn’t think that he would actually come here.” Cailynn’s voice was still a little shaky.
“Cailynn, neither one of those statements even comes close to an excuse for why you didn’t tell us.” Andrew felt the same fear and anger as Dan but was able to reign himself in more effectively. “Even if you didn’t think he would come here, isn’t him bothering you enough to share with us? We love you. Why would we not want to know that you were being harassed?”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know how to explain.”
“Try,” said Dan shortly.
“I think I was trying to convince myself a bit, too, you know? If I didn’t tell you, then I could believe that he wouldn’t come for me. I honestly didn’t think he would be so violent, though. At worst,
I thought he would show up and make a big scene.” Cailynn sighed.
“That’s not all, though, is it?” Andrew asked.
“No.” Cailynn paused and she stroked Ranger, needing to feel the comfort of his soft fur. “I felt like I needed to handle stuff like this myself, because, in the end, I would always be the only one I could count on.”
Dan jumped up. “How can you say that?” he practically shouted. “You can count on us. Haven’t we made that clear to you? If you don’t believe that, maybe we should just part ways now.” He turned his back to stare out the window, clearly hurting.
“Dan,” Andrew said slowly, “we’re both not happy to hear this, but we need to talk it through. I know neither you nor I are willing to quit just yet.” He turned to Cailynn and took a deep breath. His voice wasn’t completely steady. “You said you felt like you needed to handle it yourself. That was past tense. Have things changed?”
Tears slipped down Cailynn’s face. “Yes,” she said softly. “I realized when Martin was dragging me to the car, he might kill me, and I would never get to tell you how much I loved you both. I felt so ashamed that I hadn’t been able to tell you. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” Her voice rose in pitch as she went on. “I still have a little trouble truly believing this will last. Every relationship I’ve ever known hasn’t been strong enough to be permanent, but it’s different with you two. I have more hope and trust with you than I ever had with anyone else.”
Dan had turned to face them, his arms crossed over his chest. His voice was still a bit harsh. “There’s no guarantees in life, sweetie. We all know that. But Andrew and I want forever with you. We’re prepared to work through troubles and be honest and open with each other. That’s the only way any relationship can work.”
“I’m getting that. I guess I’m just a bit slow.” Cailynn gave them a half smile. “Please believe me when I say I’ve loved you from the start. I was so afraid of getting hurt. I thought if I didn’t say it to you, it wouldn’t hurt so much when we broke up. I realize now that the worst thing would be if you never heard it from me at all.”
