Dog Tags for Christmas

by Lindsay McKenna

  “That kid was out there again.”

  Willow blinked. “The kid on the corner?”

  Flynn nodded. “Sitting under the tree.”

  Willow moved to the window and looked toward the spot. Yup. There he was. With the scrawny white dog and a bedraggled back pack beside him. “What do you think his deal is?”

  “Not sure,” Flynn admitted, “but I’m tempted to stop over and check him out.”

  “I’m not sure that would be a good idea. Maybe he’s just watching for someone. Or maybe he’s just meeting a friend after school.”

  “Mm… He’s probably a drug lookout.”

  Willow swung around. “Just because he’s Hispanic and in a not so pristine neighborhood it doesn’t mean he’s into drugs, Sunshine. You know he just got out of school.”

  Flynn chuckled. “You get so cute when you’re aggravated.”

  Willow couldn’t stay mad at him. Flynn came from a hard life she could only imagine. He’d seen and done things she couldn’t even dream of. It was ingrained and trained in him to look for danger.

  “Whatever,” she muttered, smiling. “When will I see you next?”

  “I have to work afternoon shift today. Duncan said something about covering for Roger in the morning. Not definite yet, though. I’ll send you a text later.”

  Reaching up she cupped his bearded cheek. “Okay. Be safe, babe. I love you.”

  His eyes softened and he leaned down to press his lips to hers. “Always. I love you, too.”

  Willow watched him walk out of the exam room. Moving to the window she had to laugh. Maya dogged his heels like she’d been there for years. She was such a good service animal for him.

  Her gaze drifted to the kid on the corner. Not very big and he probably wasn’t very old. The little dog with him was on a rope leash. The animal seemed hungry and scared, with his rear end curled under. Was he hoping she would help him with the animal?

  Willow thought about the boy all through the day. When six o’clock rolled around and the cases were finally done, she locked up the office behind Nicky and Sue and headed to her own house. For curiosity’s sake she went to the far corner of the yard and peered around the corner, but the boy was gone. There was a bare spot under that tree where he’d been hanging out so much.

  Guinness, her golden lab mix, greeted her like a long lost friend, then promptly disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve his empty food bowl to drop at her feet.

  “Really, dude? No, ‘how was your day, Willow’ or ‘hey, you smell good’. Just ‘give me food’? You have no subtlety, Guinness.” She shook her head at the dog. “You can at least wait until I’ve had a shower and washed the puppy pee off myself. Then I’m going to see my girl.”

  “Debbie,” she called. “I’ll be in in a few minutes.”

  “Okay.”

  Guinness gave Willow a heartbroken look as she walked into the bedroom, dropping clothes as she went. She turned the knob for the water in the shower, adjusting the temperature, then turned to look at herself in the mirror.

  She’d always been lush, if not a little chunky, but the pregnancy had left a nice roundness to her hips. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. Flynn seemed to love her shape. They still made love almost every night, and just before he cuddled into sleep he would pull her tight.

  The nightly ritual was so endearing to her that it sometimes made her cry. There was a wonder in his voice that was so real, so passionate. She knew Flynn cherished their time together. And when they brought Raven into the bed with them, it was almost surreal how happy it made her to spend time with them. The little girl recognized and loved her father passionately. Yes, Mom gave her food but Dad was everything that was big and bold and fascinating in the world.

  Willow’s pregnancy had been exceptionally easy. There had been a few hiccups as Flynn had gotten used to her being under medical care. The first time they’d gone in for the ultrasound, Willow had requested special permission to come after hours so that they could bring Maya. The dog hadn’t completed her service dog training at that time, but Willow had a feeling Flynn would need her in that medical environment.

  And he had.

  As soon as he’d walked in and been assaulted by the smells, he’d gotten that look in his eyes that meant flashback. He’d reached to his right side, and she knew he was reaching for Mace, his old war dog. Willow had talked to him, but it had been Maya’s paws on his chest that brought him back to the present.

  Everything had changed once Willow had gotten onto the examination table. His attention had focused to laser precision as he watched the female doctor run the wand over Willow’s exposed tummy. When the rapid-fire heartbeat had pounded through the speakers, their gazes had connected and held. It had suddenly hit them both that there actually was another life burgeoning between them. Willow had cried as Flynn held her tight against him. When the doctor asked if they wanted to know the sex, their gazes connected again.

  “No,” they said simultaneously.

  The doctor hadn’t said a word to change their minds, merely printed off two pictures of the white on black profile from the ultrasound. Willow knew Flynn carried his in his wallet now.

  Her gaze drifted to the corner of the mirror where she had taped her copy. What a special moment it had been. Baby James was typed into the upper right hand corner, but even that had change in the months since they’d had little Raven. She was a Flynn, now. As soon as they’d had a chance to catch their breaths they’d eloped to Vail, Colorado the following weekend. She’d called Kendall on the way out, hoping that her friend would be available to stand up as a bridesmaid. Shannon had been her maid of honor, and John had been Flynn’s best man. All of the free Lost and Found employees at the time had been present, then they’d gone out to a special, quiet restaurant Kendall had booked to celebrate.

  As she stepped beneath the steaming water, Willow hoped that Flynn didn’t have to work late. This was the most precious time of her day—when they could be together as a family.

  As soon as she walked into the room, Raven’s bright eyes locked onto her. Even though she was surrounded by her favorite toys, she immediately held her arms up to Willow to be picked up. Debbie sat in the rocker recliner a few feet away, watching her play.

  Willow felt exceptionally lucky she’d found the woman. It had been a fluke, really. Debbie had brought in her cat, and been worried about the cost of the bill. She’d said she’d lost her job recently and money had gotten tight. When Willow asked her what she had done, she’d replied with a broad smile that she’d been a nanny to two beautiful little girls that had outgrown her. For some reason, Willow had been overcome by a sense of things being predestined to happen—everything falling into place.

  Debbie had been a long-time client, conscientious about the care of her cat Princess, and Willow had enjoyed talking to her. She’d asked Debbie to come for an interview the next day, when she could talk to Flynn. They had all hit it off, Debbie seeming to be aware that Flynn required space and directness, and Maya the exact opposite. Within an hour, Debbie had been hired. Until the baby came, she could do housework or cooking, if she wanted to. Or if she wanted to take a break, that was fine as well.

  Debbie had chosen to work, and as Willow had gotten into the final stages of her pregnancy, she’d loved having the older woman’s help in the house. Coming home to a home-cooked meal had appealed to both she and Flynn, and Debbie made sure to leave in time to let them have personal time. She never lingered.

  Then after the delivery she’d been everything parents could want in a caregiver. She’d had three kids of her own, long grown now, and had buckets of experience that Willow had found invaluable.

  And now as they were nearing Raven’s graduation to formula and soft foods, Debbie had been setting up a weaning plan suitable for mother and child. Two teeth were about to erupt through Raven’s lower gums, so it was time. Willow had gotten used to pumping her milk in the mornings so that Raven could have it throughout the
day in case the emergencies piled up and she couldn’t make it home at lunch for their little rendezvous.

  As she picked up her healthy girl child, Willow wondered what on earth she had done to deserve such happiness. She’d had an average, nice life before last year, but it had suddenly gone stellar.

  Big ice gray eyes blinked up at her, and the little sweetheart smiled, little dimples creasing her chubby cheeks. Raven had the round-cheeked fullness of a baby fed on mother’s milk, as well as the pudgy little belly, but Willow loved every inch of her miraculous little body. She was dressed in a pale green Onesie decorated with dancing elephants, and even though the color intimated boy, there was no mistaking her daughter’s fine features. She was definitely all girl, from her thick black hair to her flirty little smile.

  She gasped and jogged her arms in excitement and Willow sat down on the couch to play with her. Guinness wandered in, food bowl in his mouth.

  “Oh, dog, you already had your dinner,” Debbie told him sternly. “Don’t you beg from Willow.”

  Willow laughed at the too-smart dog. “You’re going to lose a few pounds buddy, whether you want to or not. If you want to keep doing the search and rescue work, you have to be able to make it up the mountains.”

  He sprawled on the carpet with a huff.

  Debbie shook her head at him, but there was a glint in her eyes that told Willow she wasn’t as hard-hearted as she pretended to be. Raven had already figured out how to work the older woman.

  “How many steps did you get in today?” Willow asked her.

  Debbie shook her gray head, frowning. “That girl of yours is spoiled. I got twelve-thousand steps in today, most of it standing in place rocking her.”

  Willow giggled and Raven smiled when their eyes connected. “You are a bad girl. Why won’t you go down like other babies? Hm?”

  Raven had the disposition of an inquisitive, stubborn badger. Though she should be taking a couple of naps a day, she refused to give up. There was too much going on in the world that she needed to see. Or at least she thought so. The only way to effectively get her to sleep was to walk her to sleep, cradled in your arms.

  But she was also like her dad in that the slightest noise woke her. Then she was up, sometimes for hours, until she got so grumpy that she just passed out with baby exhaustion. It was a fascinating process to watch, made even more so by her father’s inability to let her cry. Though he worked a full-time job, Flynn very often came home to walk with Raven for hours, even though his hip ached him the longer he did it. He claimed he didn’t mind, but they were both so tired in the mornings. They needed something more reliable that would get her to sleep.

  “There’s some grilled chicken and vegetables on the back burner of the stove. Just microwave what you want.” She pushed up from the chair. “I’m going to finish that load of laundry before I head out.”

  Chapter Two

  Flynn cursed at the traffic in front of him, wondering why people couldn’t see green lights and drive like normal people. The line eventually took off, but it wasn’t fast enough for Flynn. This was eating into his cuddle time with his girl and his baby.

  Shaking his head at the crazy thought, he maneuvered around a slow-moving car. A year ago, he’d thought he was borderline crazy. Truly. Mace, the military war dog that he had lost in Afghanistan, haunted him. Well, not necessarily haunted. The apparition of his old partner was there any time he had been stressed, which had been a lot of the time. Flynn had had counseling and medication, but Mace had continued to be a constant companion. Until he’d rescued Maya.

  He looked down at the dog lying beside him on the passenger seat of the truck. She’d been skin and bones when he’d found her, with a cable secured so tightly around her neck that it had grown into the skin. Pregnancy had rounded her emaciated frame until it looked like she’d swallowed a basketball. No, she’d been smaller than that.

  Something about the dog had triggered a response in him. Her intelligent brown eyes followed every move he made as he took her to Willow’s to be cared for. She didn’t snap or cry, as some of the animals he rescued did. She seemed to know that he only wanted the best for her.

  Willow had seemed to sense her spirit as well, because she did everything she could to care for the dog.

  Flynn didn’t like leaving the dog at Willow’s office, but at the time he’d been kind of a train wreck. He’d been out of the SEALs for three years, but still felt like he lived in a war zone.

  A week after he’d found her he went back to check on the emaciated dog. She’d been ecstatic to see him and a tiny little crack had quaked through his heart. Then, a few weeks later, she’d escaped Willow’s care to track him down.

  Maya had been a part of his life ever since.

  As if sensing his regard, she blinked up at him. Flynn rubbed her head, moving down her ears. The dark gold hair had grown over her neck scar, but he could still feel the ridges beneath his fingers.

  They were two blocks from Willow’s house when he spotted something suspicious in an alleyway. Pulling the truck over, he slid out of the cab, Maya right behind him. She seemed to sense something too, because she took off like a shot. Flynn was glad the traffic had eased because she moved quicker than he could have caught her.

  Jogging across the street, ignoring the pain in his hip, he followed his dog. These days she found as many stray animals as he did, so he knew she was on the track of something. And as soon as he turned the corner into the alley, he saw it.

  The animal was a dog, he could tell that much, but there was so much blood he couldn’t tell anything else, other than it was letting out a low, hissing whimper. “Oh, hell.”

  Snatching his cell-phone from his pocket, he pressed the number assigned to Willow’s smiling face. She answered on the first ring. “Hey, sunshine.”

  “Hey, babe. I just found a dog about two blocks away. It’s a bloody mess.”

  “Okay, bring it in.” She moved the phone away and he heard her ask Debbie if she could stick around for a while. “Debbie says she can stay. I’ll be in the office by the time you get there.”

  Flynn hung up, loving that Willow was such a strong woman under pressure.

  There was a scrap of blanket laying to the side. Flynn wrapped it around the barely conscious animal. Maya whined as he carried it back to the truck, then sat guard as he settled it into the floorboard.

  Flynn drove as quickly as he dared, pulling up to Willow’s office just a spare few minutes later. She opened the doors for him as he carried the animal inside, then into the exam room. When she peeled back the blanket, she gave a little sound of dismay. “Oh, you poor, poor thing.”

  Under the light, Flynn could now see that the dog had been attacked. No, not attacked, ravaged. Cuts criss-crossed its normally gray muzzle and ears and as she peeled the blanket back further he realized it was literally covered in the same cuts. “What the hell…” he breathed.

  Willow listened to the heart with her stethoscope and palpated the stomach, then checked the animal’s limbs. Everything seemed to move correctly, but the dog whimpered with pain.

  “I’m going to set him up on fluids and pain medication, and we’ll tackle some of these seeping wounds.”

  Flynn nodded and aided where he could, but it was almost two hours later by the time Willow stretched her back and stepped away from the examination table. The dog, mutt, was resting pain free and the bleeding cuts on his ears and flanks had been stitched up. He was still a mess, but much better than when he’d come in.

  Flynn carried the dog back to one of the holding cages and tucked a piece of fleece around his shuddering body. Willow rested a hand on his shoulder.

  “I think he’ll make it,” she told him softly, “but the shock is the worst thing. If he can get over that he can get over the rest.”

  Flynn nodded and pulled back to close the wire door. Willow hung the IV bag on the hook above the cage. “Come on,” she told him. “Lets make it quiet for him.”

  Flynn allo
wed her to guide him out of the room. She returned to the examination room and started cleaning up, but he stopped her. As soon as the crisis was over, her shoulders had slumped with tiredness. It was several hours past her normal bedtime. “Leave this for now. Nicky can get it in the morning.”

  Willow frowned but nodded. “We need to hire another assistant. I feel bad leaving this for her.”

  Flynn locked up the office, setting the alarm as they exited through the back door. Maya dogged his heels, as she had all night. She ran ahead to meet Guinness at the house, her tail wagging powerfully.

  “That was a dog used for bait,” Willow told him tiredly. “It’s the second one I’ve seen like that recently.”

  Flynn paused. “You mean dog fighting?”

  Willow nodded. “Don’t be so shocked. It happens a lot around here. Actually, it happens everywhere. Any time you have a criminal population you have dog fighting.”

  Fury tensed his muscles and for a moment the now faded. He was back in Germany, realizing his partner was a figment of his imagination. Anger had suffused him when the doctors took that condescending tone, explaining that, ‘no, Mace wasn’t really here but here’s a pill to help you get rid of him’. This was the same, helpless, infuriating feeling.

  “I don’t understand people,” he admitted in a growling, menacing voice.

  Willow hooked her arm through his. “I don’t either, babe. Come on. We’ll check on him in a few hours.”

  Debbie met them in the living room. “I managed to get her down but if you,” she pointed a menacing finger at Flynn, “go in and wake her up it’ll be your own fault. She needs to sleep for a while, just like you two do. Here’s the monitor. I’ll be back in the morning.”