by Suzy Shearer
“Bell, come on, let’s go see Winston.”
There was no movement. Kendra dropped to her knees beside the dog. She put her hands on her and there was no response.
“No!” she screamed. “No!”
She shook the dog but there was no reaction.
“No, not Bella!” She crumpled over the dog, sobbing. “Oh please no, not my Bella.”
Kendra had no idea how long she lay crying alongside the dog, she had no idea what to do. She was distraught.
Maybe she could take her to her vet’s?
Maybe he could save her?
She tried to lift the dog, but she was far too heavy for her. Kendra slumped down, her head on Bella. How was she going to get her there?
Suddenly she thought of the twins. They would know what to do, they would help. She got to her feet, found their card, and rang the number, praying they would be there.
“Hi, Gabe Rossi here.”
“She’s dead. Gabe, please.” She burst into a fresh round of sobs.
“Kendra, is that you? Who is dead? What has happened?”
“Bella.”
“Oh no. Marc and I will be right there. Okay? We should be there in fifteen minutes. Give me your address.”
“Please hurry.” She gave him her address and dropped the phone.
* * * *
He hung up the phone and went to get Marc. “Bella has died, Kendra is frantic. Come on, Marc, we have to go.”
Fifteen minutes later they pulled into her driveway. Kendra heard the car drive up and went to open the door. She could not help herself. As soon as they entered, she flung herself into the closest twin’s arms.
“Hush, baby, shh. It will be okay, we are here now.” He was stroking her head and holding her tight as she sobbed.
Gabe looked over her head to Marc, who closed the door and moved into the house. He walked down the hallway and looked into the rooms as he passed until he saw Bella on the floor. Walking to her, he checked and saw she was no longer breathing.
He could hear his brother and Kendra in the hall. Picking up Bella, he moved her toward the back door he had seen. Opening it, he carefully laid the dog on a table underneath a shelter then went back inside.
Gabe brought Kendra into the lounge room. Sitting on the couch, he had her in his arms while she cried. Marc knelt before her and wrapped his arms around her. They let her cry herself out, all the while making soothing comments and stroking her.
“I tried to pick her up. I thought if I took her to my vet, he could do something. I didn’t know what to do,” she said, sniffing. “I didn’t know.”
“Hush now. You did the right thing.”
“What am I going to do without her?” A fresh sob broke through.
“We will take care of you, sweetheart. Don’t worry.”
Kendra lay in Gabe’s arms. She felt protected from some of the pain as the brothers comforted her.
“Where is she?” she whispered.
“Outside. We will bury her for you. Somewhere in the yard?”
She nodded into Gabe’s chest. “Thank you.”
The boys had no idea how long they sat there, they just knew she was comforted by their presence. Later, Marc stood and left the room then a few minutes later he returned holding a tray with a mug of tea, milk, and sugar.
“Not sure if you like sugar and milk so I brought the lot.”
She sat up and gave a weak grin. “Milk and sugar please.”
He fixed the mug and handed it to her, then went out to bring back one for his brother and himself. He sat alongside her on the lounge and they drank their tea in silence.
“I didn’t know what to do. I just thought of you both.”
Marc took her hand and held it to his lips before replying, “You did the right thing. We are here to help any way we can, any way you want. Just ask.”
“Thank you, Marc.” She leant her head against his shoulder. Gabe lifted up her legs and laid them across his knees, rubbing her feet. She smiled so sweetly at him he thought his heart would break knowing her pain. No words were said. They just let her relax and get used to having them close to her.
About an hour went by when she whispered, “Will you really bury her for me?”
“Of course we will. Was there anywhere special she liked in the yard?”
“She loved to hide in the flowers near the back fence.”
“Is your shed unlocked?”
Kendra looked startled then realised what they wanted. She nodded.
“You sit here. We will come and get you when it is done.” Marc squeezed her shoulders as he stood. Gabe put her feet back on the couch as he stood, then he leant over and kissed her cheek.
“Sit there.”
The twins worked quietly together. Night was falling but the ground was soft in the garden and they were able to bury Bella quickly before it got too dark to see. Marc took the tools back into the shed while Gabe tidied the garden. He found some white stones that he placed around her grave. They walked back inside, washing their hands in the bathroom before returning to Kendra.
She looked up with fearful eyes as they entered the room.
“Is it done?”
Marc nodded. The twins sat beside her again. She had no idea what to say. She was devastated. The men let her sit there, and she gained comfort feeling them either side. They each held a hand.
“Will she be all right?”
“Do you want to see?”
Kendra’s eyes filled with tears again as she nodded and stood.
Each twin took a hand and walked her outside, Marc switching on the backyard light as they went through the door into the night. Kendra choked back a sob as she saw her beloved dog’s grave. She had no idea how she would live without her. She had been the one thing in her life that never judged, that loved her, the one constant. Now she was alone.
The twins each had an arm around her waist. She had no idea what she would have done without them. Standing there, she felt comforted by their quiet strength. Slowly she turned and they walked back into the house. They let her guide them back into the same room. An unspoken communication passed between the brothers. They would let her make any move she wanted. They would just be there for her in whatever way she wanted.
They sat back down and she immediately laid her head on one shoulder, Gabe’s this time. He had his arm across her back. Marc picked up her hand and held it, admiring how tiny it looked compared to his own. He moved it to measure it against his, and heard a soft giggle. He looked up and saw Kendra smiling at him.
“I really don’t know how to thank you both.”
Gabe gave her shoulders a squeeze. Marc bought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. She stifled a yawn. The shock of losing her beloved Bella was too much and tears began to fall again.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Marc insisted. “I think you would be better in bed. You have had a terrible shock. Get some rest.”
He stood and held out his hands to her. She placed them in his and he pulled her to her feet.
“Do you have any paracetamol? Something to help you sleep?” Gabe asked.
“In the kitchen, in the cupboard above the fridge.”
Gabe walked into the kitchen to find them and get a glass of water while Marc walked her into her bedroom. Gabe returned and held out his hand with two tablets and the glass. She took the tablets with the water then he took the glass off her.
“Go into the bathroom, wash your face and change, sweetheart,” Gabe said to her.
* * * *
It felt surreal. Last night she had fantasized about these two men, tonight they were in her bedroom. But this was no fantasy. Instead, it was a horror story. She washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were swollen and her face blotchy. She looked terrible. She stripped off and changed into her nightie. Thank goodness it was a long one and not a tiny baby-doll. Shyly, she walked back into the room. The boys had turned down her bed and closed the blinds.
“Into bed, sw
eetheart.”
She climbed in gratefully and felt very pampered when Marc pulled the covers over her.
“Would you like us to stay until you fall asleep or would you rather we go?” Gabe asked.
Would it be too much to ask them to stay? She really did not want to be alone. Marc must have guessed her thoughts because he climbed on one side of her bed, signalling Gabe to take the other. They got comfortable and the three of them lay quietly. So many thoughts rushed in and out. Kendra wanted to cry, she wanted to sleep, she wanted to talk.
Marc started talking softly, talking about how funny it had been when Bella had stolen the drink bottle. He and Gabe whispered about the day, talked about how beautiful Bella was and what a great dog. Kendra fell asleep listening to the two men talk about her lovely darling dog.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, when Kendra woke, she remembered what had happened. Tears threatened to fall again. She got up and showered, spending most of the time crying. She remembered how wonderful the twins had been.
What would she have done without them?
They had made something so terrible a little bearable with their understanding and comfort. She dressed and went into the kitchen. There was a note on the table. It was from the twins.
Hope you slept okay. We will come and visit you tonight.
Kendra got a warm feeling when she read it. She tried to work but the house felt so empty. She spent most of the day staring into space. Around three the phone rang. When she answered she was surprised to hear Gabe, and for a moment she thought he was ringing to say they had changed their mind and would not be coming over.
“Hi, sweetheart, it’s Gabe. How would you feel if we brought Winston over? If you would rather we didn’t that is fine.”
Kendra thought about it and decided she would like to see him. He would remind her of Bella, and they were good memories.
“I would like to see him, Gabe.”
“Great, we will be there in about half an hour.”
Kendra was nervous. This was different. Before she had met the twins at the dog park, now it was almost like a date. She did not know how to act. She changed into a pair of jeans and a loose blouse. She looked at herself in the mirror. At least her face was no longer swollen and red from crying. Just then, the doorbell rang. She tensed as she went to open it to let them inside.
She burst out laughing. Winston had a big bow around his neck and somehow the boys had tied a bunch of flowers to it and him. He looked ridiculous but it broke the ice. She tried to give him back some of his dignity by untying the flowers before standing aside to let him waddle past.
Marc walked in first and kissed her cheek, followed by Gabe who went one better and kissed her lightly on the lips. She closed the door behind them then led them down the hall and into the lounge room, only to find that Winston had commandeered the couch.
“No you don’t, buster, you can have the floor.” Gabe wrestled him off with a grin. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry, Bella used to sit on all the furniture, so he is fine.” Winston jumped up on an armchair and he gave Gabe a look as if to say, “Make me move.”
Kendra thanked them both and told them to sit down while she put the flowers in water. When she returned, placed the vase on the sideboard, the boys were still standing.
“Sit down, please.”
“You first,” Gabe said. So she dropped into the couch. The twins immediately sat, one either side of her. Marc laid his arm across her shoulder while Gabe picked up one hand.
“How are you?”
“Okay. It just feels so strange. The house is so empty without her. I still can’t believe she has gone.” Suddenly Winston started snoring, loudly. Kendra was so surprised at the noise that she burst out laughing.
“Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, our dog has a little snoring problem.” Marc winked at her when she looked at him.
“A little problem? Heck I will probably get complaints from the neighbours.”
“Hey, he isn’t that bad,” Gabe said, then Winston gave a very loud snore. “Well, maybe he is.” They all burst out laughing, waking him up. He looked over at the three of them as if to say, “You woke me,” and then went back to sleep.
Gabe was doing lovely things with his thumb on the back of her hand and then she felt Marc feathering his fingers on the back of her neck.
“Um…thank you for the flowers.”
“You thanked us already.” Marc grinned as if he knew what his fingers were doing to her. Meanwhile, Gabe had begun running his fingers up and down her arm. She had no idea what to do.
“So you liked the flowers?” Gabe asked her.
“Yes. They are beautiful, they smell lovely.”
Marc leaned in close. “You smell lovely.”
Gabe looked at her and said, “And you are beautiful, like the flowers.”
She did not know what to say. She was completely out of her depth. She opened her mouth then closed it again. Gabe leaned forward and kissed her lips very softly.
“Oh,” she whispered.
The fingers on her neck began rubbing and touching her ear lobe. Marc moved forward and she felt his mouth replace his fingers. Subconsciously she tilted her neck for him. He immediately took advantage and began feathering kisses up and down her neck and ear.
Gabe changed his position on the lounge so he could kiss her properly. Her eyes widened as his face came closer to hers. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips touch hers. Tentatively she put her hands on his chest. He pushed his mouth against her, deepening the kiss. She felt his tongue pushing between her lips. She opened her mouth slightly, as his tongue danced across her teeth. It was so much better than in her dream and she moaned as she leant into the kiss. When Gabe broke the kiss, her heart was racing a little.
“Sweetheart, we don’t want to do anything you don’t want. If you ask us to stop, I promise we will.”
Kendra could only nod. She felt she had lost the ability to speak.
“You do know we like you. In fact we like you a lot,” Marc whispered in her ear. “But we would never force you to do anything you are uncomfortable with. If you want us to leave we will.”
Both men stopped what they were doing, giving her a chance to catch her breath.
Gabe picked up her hand again. “Kendra, we…look, we really do like you. Honestly, you are all we think about. But this is completely up to you. Do you understand? You are in charge of whatever happens.”
Kendra licked her lips and nodded. She whispered, “I like you both too.”
Marc whispered in her ear again, “Would you like us to go? Should we stop?”
This was it. It was up to her. She could ask them to leave and they would, or, she could see what would happen. Already she felt herself aroused. Neither man pressured her. They were content to wait for as long as she needed to make up her mind.
“I would like you to stay,” she whispered hesitantly.
Both men beamed at her as if she had given them a wonderful gift.
“Would you rather us just sit and talk?” Gabe asked. “Although I have to admit is it hard to keep our hands off you. You are so beautiful.”
“But we will if you ask us to,” Marc said.
Feeling very brave, but shy at the same time, Kendra turned her head and kissed Marc on the lips before turning back and doing the same to Gabe.
“Oh, Kendra, you make us so happy! You have no idea.”
Gabe was just about to lean in to kiss Kendra when she could smell something horrid.
“What’s that smell?” She turned up her nose.
Both men shouted at once. “Winston!”
“I told you not to give him broccoli.”
“He likes it.”
“Yeah but he stinks. Next time I say don’t give it to him, don’t.”
“What about you giving him curry, eh!”
Kendra was looking from one brother to the other as they argued. She could not hold it back. She leapt to he
r feet and raced into the kitchen.
“Great, now you’ve done it.”
“Me? It was you.”
They followed her out. Her back was to them and they could see her shoulders shaking.
Marc put his arms around her, “Oh, we are sorry, Kendra. Please, sweetheart.”
That was the final straw. Kendra burst into hysterical laughter, tears pouring down her face. The brothers looked at each other puzzled and watched her laugh. She tried to stop and explain.
“You two…” She kept laughing. “It was funny. Blaming each other for the dog. It was like listening to two little boys.”
She looked at their stunned faces and it started her off again. The twins watched her then started to laugh as well.
Strangely, for Kendra, it became cleansing laughter. The sadness of losing Bella, the past few weeks of counselling, the past six months at The Club, the past twenty-five years of isolating herself, and finally the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her father. The laughter, mixed with her tears, felt as if she was washing away all her grief, all her pain. The loss of Bella was still fresh and still hurt, but she would bear this pain for it was in honour of her lost love.
However, all her other pain she freely released.
Slowly, she got herself under control. She looked at the two men in front of her and realised they were part of her release. She went to tell them she was sorry for laughing when Winston came out, dragging the smell with him, and that started them all laughing again. Kendra tried to shoo him out through the dog door. Winston thought she wanted to pat him so he rolled over and the twins tried to pick him up and open the door at the same time.
Finally, they got Winston through the door, but when they closed it, he stuck his head through the dog door, walked back inside, looked at the three of them, then turned and walked back out through the dog door.
That set the three of them off once more. Kendra was leaning weakly against Marc. She actually felt sick from all her laughing. He put his arm around her waist and walked her back into the lounge room, Gabe following. The three almost fell onto the couch. They sat there finally, all laughed out.
