by Patricia Fry
“Uh, just came in for a cup of coffee,” he said.
“For Bud?”
“No. For me. Need something to keep me awake a while longer,” he explained.
“But, you just…”
“Okay if I have a piece of this pie?” he asked.
“Sure, I guess. Boy, you must be hungry and thirsty.”
The man looked at her, then walked into the hallway with the pie and coffee and disappeared.
“Well that was odd,” Margaret said when Savannah returned.
“What?”
“Michael came back for more coffee and pie. Don’t you feed him?”
“Oh,” Savannah said, laughing. Before she could say anything more, Michael approached the reception room again. “Savannah, do you want to see him?”
She sighed. “Yes,” more quietly, she added, “since it could be the last time.”
Once Michael and Savannah had left the room, someone else entered and sidled up to the reception counter. He looked around. “Is there any sugar?”
“Sugar? You don’t put sugar in your coffee, do you?”
“Yeah, I do. Just a little.”
“Oh, something new, huh?” Margaret said under her breath. “Wait, I may have a packet in my purse. Here,” she said, handing it to him.
“The pie’s good. Mind if I have another piece?”
Margaret frowned. “No, go ahead.” She watched him scoop a slice of the pie onto his paper plate and walk off down the hallway.
“Pitiful, pitiful,” Savannah said when she returned to the reception room only a few minutes later. Her voice was thick with emotion. “Gosh, I hope he’ll be okay. Oh, Auntie, he looks so sick. My poor Ragsie.”
As if she hadn’t heard a word Savannah said, Margaret asked, “Vannie, is there something wrong with your husband?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“He’s acting very strangely.”
“Well, he hasn’t had much sleep. I’m sure he’s tired.”
“Would that cause him to be so indecisive?” Margaret asked.
“I guess it might.”
“Well, okay, then,” Margaret said, taking a sip of her coffee. Suddenly she grabbed Savannah’s arm and shouted, “Oh, my God!”
When Savannah looked in the direction Margaret gaped, she broke out laughing. Both Michael and Keith had just stepped into the waiting room together, empty coffee cups in hand and deep in conversation.
“Vannie,” Margaret hissed, closing her eyes and clinging to her niece’s arm, “something’s wrong. I’m seeing double. Maybe I’m losing my mind. Take me to the emergency room, quick!” She looked at Savannah. “Why are you laughing? It could be a stroke. Vannie, why are you laughing?”
“Auntie,” Savannah said, helping her up and guiding her toward the two men, “I’d like you to meet Michael’s twin brother, Keith.”
“What?” she shrieked. She looked from one to the other. “Unbelievable,” she said, backing up. “Twin brother? When did this happen? Why wasn’t I told? And why are they both dressed in scrubs? Vannie, what’s going on?”
“Well, Michael and Keith just found each other,” Savannah explained. “And, would you believe that Keith is also a veterinarian? He’s working with Michael to…” She took a ragged breath. “…to save Rags.”
“Holy cow! You mean I’m not going crazy?” Margaret looked at both men again and asked, “Okay, who’s who?”
Smiling widely, Keith took one of Margaret’s hands in both of his and said, “Hello, I’m Keith. And you are Savannah’s aunt?”
“Uh…yes…I’m…uh…Maggie.”
“Nice to meet you,” Keith said.
Margaret looked from Keith to Michael again. “Unbelievable,” she repeated.
“Come on, Auntie,” Savannah urged, “they have work to do and we need to go back to bed.”
“So, no surgery?” Margaret asked. “The crisis is over?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Keith said solemnly. “But we’re hoping for the best. He’s resting comfortably now and seems to be…a…a little more stable.” He turned to Michael. “Can your associate relieve me for a few hours? I can crash on that rollaway I saw in there in case he needs anything.”
“Sure, I’ll call him.” Michael addressed Savannah, “You go get some rest. I’ll stay a little while longer.”
“Okay.” She turned to Keith. “Dinner at our house tonight, if you’re available. You two figure out what time and let me know.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Keith said.
Michael kissed her. “I’ll check in with you later, hon.”
****
“I hope you don’t mind that I invited some of our friends over to meet you, Keith,” Savannah said later that evening when he arrived at the Ivey home. “As you can imagine, you’re quite the novelty.”
He chuckled. “Novelty, huh? Are your friends that bored?”
“Heck no,” Iris said upon overhearing his comment. “It’s just that we’re accustomed to one Michael and now we learn there are two. We’re curious.”
“That they are,” Savannah said, closing the front door. “By the way, this is Iris…” Savannah looked around. When she spotted Craig, she called to him, “Craig, come meet…” she looked at Keith before continuing in a more reverent tone, “my brother-in-law.”
“Hello, Craig,” Keith said, shaking his hand. He bowed toward Iris. “Nice to meet you both.”
“Good to meet you, too,” Craig said. He glanced across the room at Michael, then back at Keith. “Incredible,” he mumbled. “Uncanny. Mind-blowing.”
Savannah chuckled at Craig’s response, then explained to Keith, “Craig’s a detective and Iris runs an exquisite bed-and-breakfast in an old turn-of-the-century home not far from here.”
“Hi,” Margaret said, as she and Max stepped into the living room. “So which one is this, Vannie?”
“This is Keith.” She said to Keith, “You met my aunt, Maggie. This is her husband, Max. They run a cat shelter next door.”
Keith raised his eyebrows. “Cool.”
Once Keith had met Colbi and Damon, Gladys, and Brianna, Helena stepped out of the kitchen and motioned for Savannah that their dinner was ready.
“Thank you, Helena,” she said. “She then announced, “Time to eat. Shall we be seated?”
“Who’s this?” Keith asked when Michael walked up carrying Lily.
“Your niece,” Savannah said, smiling.
When Michael stopped in front of his brother, Lily put her head on Michael’s shoulder and peered shyly at Keith. Suddenly, she raised up and looked at Keith, then looked at her daddy. She seemed to be a little confused by the resemblance and reached for Savannah, who carried her to the table and held her on her lap. Once everyone was seated, Savannah lifted the toddler into her high chair.
“So, you’re a veterinarian?” Damon asked Keith. When he nodded, Damon looked at Michael, then Keith, and asked, “Did you two go to the same veterinary school?”
Michael shook his head. “No. Keith entered school ahead of me in Colorado. I went to one in Connecticut a few years later.”
“Keith, do you pace when you’re nervous or upset?” Margaret asked, grinning.
“Huh?” He looked around at the others before responding. “Yeah, I guess I do. I didn’t notice I did that until my wife called me on it once.”
“Are you a carpenter, too?” Craig asked. When Keith looked bewildered, Craig grinned. “Michael is our fix-it, build-it man. He’s as handy with a hammer as he is with a scalpel.”
Keith shook his head. “Well, that’s not something we have in common. No, I’m afraid I’m a klutz when it comes to fixing things.” He chuckled. “My wife is the mechanical genius in our household. Just the other day she repaired a kitchen chair that was coming apart. She painted and decorated our daughters’ room. I’m no good with things like that. Mostly, I just stay out of her way.”
Colbi chuckled. “What are some of your hobbies, Keith?”
“I love the out-of-doors…camping, fishing, hiking…”
“So you have children?” Colbi asked.
He nodded. “Two little girls.” He gazed at Lily. “Bethany looks so much like Lily, it’s uncanny. She’s three.”
“Really?” Savannah said. “I can’t wait to meet your children and your wife.”
“How about if we do FaceTime after dinner?” Keith suggested.
“I’d love that. Yes, let’s do.” She glanced around at the others. “Keith, do you think we’ll all overwhelm your wife?”
“I doubt it,” he said.
After a few moments of silence around the table, Craig asked quietly, “How’s my partner?” When no one spoke, he looked from Michael to Keith. “Rags.”
The brothers glanced at each other and Keith said, “It’s hard to tell. It’s still touch-and-go.”
Craig grimaced, then smiled. “Oh, Michael, they caught up with his attacker.”
“They did?” Michael asked. “Is he in jail?”
Looking smug, Craig said, “As we speak. He’s been arrested for abusing animals before. Your description really helped—our officers didn’t have to look far to find him. He has a reputation among the homeless and those with pets were happy to turn him in.”
“You know, Bud and I treated dogs with what looked like knife scars at the clinic on Sunday.” Michael scowled and shook his head. “The work of that creep, I imagine.” He looked at Craig. “If they need me to testify, I’ll do it in a hot minute.”
“Thanks, Michael. I’m sure they will, since you actually saw the attack.”
“The meal is wonderful,” Keith said after a few moments. “Thank you, Savannah.”
Savannah glanced at their housekeeper. “Helena gets the credit tonight.”
“And Ms. Gladys,” Helena said, smiling in her direction. “We worked together.”
“Yes, we did,” Gladys said, reaching out and squeezing Helena’s hand.
He nodded toward both women. “Well, it’s very good.” He added, “I’m sorry Bud is missing out.”
“Someone had to stay with Rags,” Michael reminded him.
“Yeah, and I’m taking Bud a plate in a few minutes,” Brianna said. “I’ll sit with him and Rags for a while.”
****
“Hello, sister-in-law,” Savannah said a little later, after being introduced to Keith’s wife, Holly, during FaceTime on Keith’s cell phone. “It’s so nice to know that you and Keith exist.”
“Yes, and we’re happy to have finally found Keith’s other half and…” she giggled, “…to meet Michael’s other half. Savannah, I can’t believe how much your little Lily looks like our Bethany.” Holly walked across the room in her Colorado home with her phone. “Come on,” she said into the phone, “and meet your nieces.” She moved toward the children and held the phone in front of them so both could be seen. “This is Cassie.”
“Hi,” the six-year-old said, waving.
“And this is Bethany. Say hi, Bethany.”
“Hi,” the three-year-old said before racing off. She returned with a doll and held it up to the phone camera.
“Oh, she sure does look like her cousin,” Savannah said.
Gladys and Margaret moved closer, saying, “Let me see.”
“Oh gosh,” Margaret said, “it’s Lily in another year, isn’t it? She’s darling.”
“She sure is,” Gladys agreed. “Can’t wait to meet you all in person.”
“Yes, when can we do that? Soon, I hope,” Holly said.
Michael looked at his brother. “Yes, very soon. We definitely have a lot of catching up to do.”
****
Once everyone had left, Michael had showed Keith to his room in their home, then joined Savannah in their bedroom. He put his arms around her, and whispered, “Thank you, honey.”
“For what?”
“You know for what. I think I’m really going to like having a brother and even some nieces.” He broke away. “I can’t wait for them to meet Adam.”
“I know. It’s all just so exciting.” Savannah’s demeanor changed when she asked,
“Have you heard from Bud tonight, Michael?”
He nodded solemnly. “No change.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” she asked cautiously.
He took a deep breath, avoided making eye contact, and said, “I wish I knew.” He looked at his watch. “I’d better get some shut-eye; I’m relieving Bud in another few hours.”
****
“Savannah,” Michael said into the phone around six thirty the next morning, “are you up?”
“Yes, making pancakes for Lily. She’s an early bird this morning.” When he didn’t respond, she said, “Michael?”
“Hon…um…I want you to come down here to the clinic. There’s something…something’s not right with Rags. I don’t know if…honey, I think you should come.”
“Oh no, Michael. Oh no,” she said, choking up. “I’ll be right there.”
“Wait,” he said, “I’m going to call your aunt and have her pick you up.”
“Oh,” she said weakly. “Okay, that’s fine. I’ll go wake up Mom. Is Keith with you?”
“Yes,” Michael said. “Hurry, will you?”
“What is it, Vannie?” Gladys asked when Savannah roused her.
“It’s Rags. I need to go to the clinic. Can you take over here, please?”
“Of course, honey,” she said, pulling the blankets back and sitting up in the bed. “You go on.”
“Gammy!” Lily shouted from her high chair, when Gladys stepped into the kitchen. “Gammy, pancake,” she said, holding a bite of her pancake on her fork and waving it around in front of her.
“Hi sweetie. Yes, I see you have pancakes there. Grammy will have pancakes, too.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Savannah said, rushing to her bedroom to get dressed. When she returned, she looked out the window. “Auntie’s here. Gotta go. Bye.” Before leaving, she turned. “Mom, say a prayer for him, will you?”
“What happened, do you know?” Margaret asked when Savannah slid into the passenger seat of her car.
Savannah shook her head and dabbed at her eyes.
Margaret glanced at her niece a couple of times while driving, then said, “Did you see the article in the paper about Rags’s attacker? It said he could get a pretty hefty sentence for what he’s been doing to animals. I hope he hangs,” she snarled.
Savannah shook her head. “No. I haven’t looked at the paper. Too much going on.”
Margaret continued, “There was quite a nice write-up about Rags.” She smiled. “Damon wrote it. Should be good publicity for our books. He mentioned our children’s books in the story and some of the things Rags has done to help the sheriff’s office find people and nail criminals and stuff.”
All Savannah could manage was a feeble, “That’s nice.” Once they arrived at the clinic, she instructed, “Go ahead and park in front. I brought a key. Scarlett doesn’t get here until eight—in a little over an hour.”
The two women walked in and found the reception room empty. But when Savannah peered down the hallway, she spotted Michael taking his usual long strides toward her. “Michael, how is he?”
Before he could respond, Margaret tugged on Savannah’s jacket sleeve. “How do you know that’s your husband? Do you mean you can tell them apart?”
Savannah glanced at her aunt, then focused on Michael.
“We’re going back in,” he said quietly. Bud made a run to the blood bank. He should be on his way back now.” Just then, Michael’s phone rang and he put it up to his ear. “Bud, where are you?” he asked anxiously.
When Savannah saw her husband’s shoulders slump, she felt her knees begin to buckle and she grasped his arm. “What’s wrong, Michael?”
He grimaced and said into the phone, “Okay, we’ll see what we can figure out on this end.”
“What?” she asked. “What
’s wrong?”
“Bud’s stuck in traffic; evidently a big rig jackknifed and traffic is stopped out on the highway. He can’t get back here with the blood until that truck is moved.” He ran his hand through his hair. “…and we all know how long that could take.”
“Can we get a chopper?” Savannah asked, hopefully.
Michael shook his head slowly. “I doubt that, Savannah.” He called out to Keith.
“What’s up, Michael?” Keith asked, walking toward the waiting room.
“Bud’s stuck in traffic with the blood. As I see it, we have only one option—to operate and hope he doesn’t need that blood.”
Keith shook his head, his tone ominous. “I wouldn’t do it. Too risky.”
“He’ll most likely die without the surgery,” Michael persisted. He saw the anguish on Savannah’s face and embraced her. When he felt her body relax a little, he pulled back, lifted her chin, and looked into her eyes. “It’s up to you. What do you want us to do? Wait, on the off chance we can get the blood here in time—try to keep him alive until then—or should we go ahead and do the surgery?”
She took a deep breath. “We can’t get a helicopter?”
“I doubt it.”
“Can you tell me what his chances are—I mean, in either scenario? You said he’d die without the surgery.” She looked at Keith. “And you said the surgery is too risky without the blood.” She stepped away, walked toward the window, and stood quietly, contemplating the options. Suddenly, she turned and faced the veterinarians. With renewed energy, she asked, “Where is Bud, Michael?”
“I don’t know; somewhere on the freeway. Why?”
“Call him and find out,” she instructed. Once Michael had placed the call, Savannah took the phone and said, “Bud, this is Savannah. Where are you; I mean exactly?”
“Um, let’s see. Just east of the Dawson Ranch. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes. Yes, I do. Bud, I’m going to call a friend of mine who lives behind the Dawsons a ways and see if she’ll come over and pick up the blood from you.”
“Just how’s she going to get here, Savannah?” he insisted. “There’s no way. Lanes are closed in both directions.”
“By horseback, Bud. That’s how. Stay on the line; I’m going to call her right now.” She handed Michael’s phone to him.
