Dog Tags for Christmas

by Lindsay McKenna

  Debbie laughed as she watched them and draped a burp cloth over his shoulder. “Don’t get too rowdy she just had a bottle.”

  Flynn played with her for about half an hour before her eyes started to get droopy and she started to fuss. Swinging her to his shoulder he started patting her diapered butt, pretty firmly. Within just a few minutes she was snuffling softly against him. Striding back through the house he settled her into the crib, still rubbing her little bottom. Raven was out.

  “She played hard today,” Debbie told him when he entered the kitchen. “You came just at the right time. Will you be home for dinner?”

  He nodded, fitting his glasses to his eyes. “Yes, I should, but Willow may be running late. She was ass deep in alligators when I was over there.”

  Debbie waved a hand in acknowledgement as he walked out the door, calling for Maya.

  Mateo didn’t show up for work the next day, making Willow worry. She had a spay and neuter clinic running for the day. All cats and dogs were half off their regular price. Patients were urged to make an appointment, but as she looked at the crowd in the lobby, she had a feeling only a few of them had been expected.

  She blinked at Nicky. “Well, better get to work.”

  They worked until every animal in the lobby had been sterilized. Luckily, the work had been steady and there were no complications. Willow felt glad that at least a handful of new animals wouldn’t be having unwanted babies this year.

  She found herself looking out the window again, looking for a messy dark mop of hair. No Mateo. Ranvir seemed to be looking for him as well. Nicky had put him into one of the outside dog runs since the weather was nice. But when she peered at the dog he was laying in the same position he had been for hours, looking for Mateo.

  “Do you think he’s okay?” she asked Flynn later on that night as they lay curled in bed. Raven had drifted off to sleep between them as Willow had done a final nurse, and Flynn had carried the baby to bed.

  Willow yawned, tiredness dragging her eyelids down, but she waited for Flynn’s response.

  “I don’t know. He was worried about taking the money home you had given him.”

  She lifted her head to look at him. “What?”

  “I don’t think he’s ever had that much money before and he worried that if he just gave it to his family they would try to make him quit working. I told him to hide it.”

  Willow sighed, letting her head fall back. “Why do I suddenly feel guilty that I gave that poor kid a job?”

  Flynn chuckled and leaned over to kiss her. “Because you have a soft heart and want to take in any stray that needs you.”

  She pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Well, you do too,” she told him defensively.

  “No, I don’t,” Flynn argued.

  Laughing, she rolled over onto her side so that he could spoon her. “Really,” she murmured. “Then why is Oscar still here?”

  Flynn didn’t say anything, but she didn’t expect him to. “It’s okay babe. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Willow.”

  Chapter Seven

  Mateo didn’t show up at her door until Tuesday, and when he did, Willow was suddenly livid. It was a shock to see the quiet doctor get so angry so fast.

  “Who did this to you,” she gasped, gripping his chin carefully in her hand.

  Mateo looked down, knowing there was no hiding the vivid purple bruises. “I got into a fight with a kid.”

  She looked at him closely, lips pursed. “No, you didn’t. Tell me the truth.”

  For the barest moment he truly wanted to, but then what would she do? Call the cops and expect him to file charges on his illegal immigrant parents? Yeah, that would work out great. They would be gone, and he would be on the street, or in foster care. “I got into a fight with another kid on the street,” he maintained.

  Willow narrowed her pretty golden eyes at him but didn’t say anything else. Maybe she realized he wouldn’t say anything against his family.

  If la doctora had any idea what would happen if he did… Mateo shuddered. She let him go to work but he felt her watching him several times that day. If he thought there was a way she could help… no. There was nothing she could do.

  Mr. Flynn gave him a look when he came in, but didn’t say anything out loud. Mateo got the sense though, that Mr. Flynn was very angry. His jaw clamped tight and his chest tightened, muscles straining through the t-shirt fabric. Luckily, Mateo had learned he had nothing to fear from Mr. Flynn. If anything, he felt a little self-conscious that Mr. Flynn would fight for him. It was right there in his face. And surprisingly, that gave Mateo a warm spot in his heart, like what he felt for Ranvir.

  His dog wagged his whole body when Mateo went to put him in the dog run. He’d gained weight while he was here, looking more healthy than Mateo had ever seen him. Ranvir also played with the other dog that was being boarded, a big lab named Bosco. They’d played through the fence several times before la Doctora Willow said they could be friends together. They even slept together inside the clinic. La Doctora Willow said it was good for them to be friends like that.

  Sue gave him a smile over her big glasses when she walked into the clinic and greeted him like he’d always been there. Nicky gave him a high-five when she saw the work he’d already done by the time she came in, and Mateo suddenly realized that he felt more at home here with these people than he did anywhere else.

  That was messed up.

  His father would be… uncontrollable … if he found out Mateo was working here. When he’d given his madre the sixty dollars he had decided upon, she’d gasped and started asking him questions. That, of course, was when his father had entered the kitchen. Any other day he’d have been out on the garage for the entire day. But that day, for some reason, his father had come into the house at the most inopportune time.

  Madre had tried to tuck the money away, but his father was known for his attention to detail. He’d spotted the money and ripped it from mama’s hand, then he’d backhanded her for trying to hide it. Mateo had taken a step forward in spite of himself to protect her and gotten a fist to the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

  When his father had asked where he’d gotten the money, Mateo had told him he’d been helping an old guy with his yard work, raking leaves and stuff. Papa had given him a narrow-eyed look, similar to what Willow had given him. ‘I don’t believe you.’ He shoved Mateo down, then kicked him in the ribs. Finally, he lifted him up by the collar of his thin t-shirt and backhanded him.

  Mateo had seen stars, but he’d gritted his teeth. He would not tell Papa about working for the gringos. Mateo already walked a fine line with his father because he didn’t help him enough with the animals, like Paulo did. He didn’t want to end up buried behind the garage with all of the other discarded bodies.

  In spite of the pain Mateo had stuck to his story, maintaining that the guy wanted him to help out here and there. Papa gave him a furious look, pocketed the sixty dollars and walked out of the house. The main door of the garage squealed, then slammed, as his father disappeared inside—barking dogs echoing.

  His mother looked at him with angry tears in her eyes, holding her cheek. “You will get more money?”

  Mateo nodded, feeling guilty that the other forty dollars was tucked into his sock. Should he give it to her? No. Papa would find it again somehow. He was a gambler, with a gambler’s sense of smell for cash. Mateo would really have to think about where to hide it.

  Eventually, he’d settled on inside one of his old boots, underneath the insole. He threw the boot back into his closet, hoping it appeared normal.

  Now, hours later, he worried his father would somehow find that money and when he went home, he’d be beaten even more than Friday night. But when he walked into the house it was quiet.

  Mateo escaped to his room, breath leaving him in a rush.

  Flynn looked at her across the table. “What do you think we should do about our little problem child?”<
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  Willow scowled, angry all over again at the injustice of it. “I just don’t know, babe. I mean, we can call in children’s services or something, but you know how they work. Maybe I can say something to Angela and get her take on it. Or maybe she’ll be able to direct me to someone who actually will take an interest in his situation.”

  He nodded. “I just don’t want this trouble to come to our doorstep, you know? We have enough to deal with.”

  “I know,” she sighed.

  “And you are such an incredible woman. I know you want to help everyone you can. But there are some situations that just cannot be fixed.”

  She huffed in agreement. “It doesn’t mean I should give up hope, though.”

  Flynn frowned at her. “No, you definitely shouldn’t. Of course not. Your stubbornness is part of what’s so appealing about you.” He grinned as she threw a napkin at him. “But it doesn’t insulate you from danger.”

  “I know.” She looked out the window, as if trying to see where Mateo slept at night and if he was safe.

  Flynn worried too, but he had a little more expansive view of the world. Bad stuff happened all the time, no matter what the weather or time of day or who worried abut a person. It didn’t matter. If the violence was going to happen, it was going to happen. There was always a trigger and a person who had no control.

  “Did he give you any information on where he lived or anything?”

  Willow shook her head. “I’m just paying him petty cash for what he’s doing. I don’t even think he’s sixteen yet, Flynn. He’s just a kid.”

  “Yeah, I know. He might have some hard decisions coming up soon, though.”

  She frowned and stood to walk her plate across to the dishwasher. She set it into the rest carefully, trying not to wake Raven. The baby had fallen asleep in her walker, head propped on a stuffed giraffe. Guinness was curled beside her, and Oscar was over against the front of the couch. Maya, of course, waited at Flynn’s side.

  “If you can get me an address, I can scope out his home life a little bit.”

  She frowned. “If his situation is this tenuous, I doubt he would give us the right one.”

  Smiling grimly, he tipped his head. “You are very right. It might give us a place to start, though.”

  Raven woke then and immediately demanded to be fed. Willow grabbed some of the steamed veggies they had eaten and mushed some on a plate. Raven wanted nothing to do with the carrots, just like her father, but she loved the broccoli. Flynn made her a sippy cup of water and she drank like she was parched. “Tough job sleeping on a giraffe, huh babe?”

  Willow ruffled her hair and Raven smacked the tray, making the carrots dance and fall to the floor. Guinness wandered over and helped Willow out by cleaning the mess, then waited for more food to fall from above. Raven flung a piece of broccoli to the ground, giggling like a maniac when Guinness lunged to retrieve it.

  “You are a rotten girl,” Willow sighed, grinning.

  After cleaning up, she handed the baby over to Flynn to chaperone for a while. “I’m going to do a load of laundry. Can you watch her for a while?”

  “Of course,” he said, taking the baby in his strong arms. The sunglasses he normally wore were propped on top of his head and she reached for them. With a laugh Flynn set them on the kitchen island. “Love you baby girl, but no.”

  She settled for patting him on the cheeks, and the giggling started again.

  Willow had to admit, as long as she was getting her way about things she was a wonderful baby. It didn’t matter how much of a fuss she raised going to bed, when she woke she was always giggles and smiles. It was a wonder to watch the emotions on her chubby-cheeked face.

  The next day Willow planned on asking Mateo where he lived. When she did though, he got a cagey look in his eyes. “I don’t think I can tell you, Dr. Willow.”

  “Why not?” she asked, trying to be nonchalant. Subterfuge wasn’t her forte, though, and she had to seem stiff.

  He shook his head, looking down at his ragged tennis shoes. “Because. I think you would try to do something and I can’t let you. My family is not the best family, but it is the one I was given.”

  Okay, she would grant him that. “You are not a punching bag though. It’s not cool to carry those marks.” She waved a finger at his cheek. “I know it wasn’t a child that hit you. The bruises are from a man’s hand.”

  He shuffled his feet, not looking at her. Finally, he shrugged, but didn’t confirm one way or the other.

  Willow reached out and tipped up his chin. “I want you to hear these words, Mateo. If you think you are in danger again, you come to us. Do you hear me? It doesn’t matter night or day, you come here and we will help you.”

  He blinked hard a couple of times, then nodded. “I will, Doctora.”

  Then he seemed to think of something. “Maybe, if I don’t come back sometime, you can find Ranvir a good home with a little boy to play with him?”

  Tears started in her eyes, but she shook her head. “Nope. Ranvir is your dog. I will keep him for you as long as I need to until you come for him. Do you understand?”

  Mateo’s chest puffed up, and he nodded, smiling in appreciation. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Willow reached out and gave him a quick hug, even though he bristled. Then she turned away. “Better get to work, buddy.”

  Chapter Eight

  “What are you doing, Mateo?”

  Mateo jerked guiltily at his big brother’s snide voice, even though he wasn’t really doing anything to be guilty about. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  Paulo shoved him in the shoulder. “Don’t talk back to me, bug.”

  Mateo shut his mouth, not wanting to get into it with his sibling. “I’m reading a book for school. Is that okay?”

  “Why aren’t you out in the kennels cleaning? Papa will be back soon.”

  “Cleaning the kennels is your job, not mine. You just don’t want to do it.”

  Paulo sneered. “That’s right. I don’t want to do it. So if you don’t want papa to know you’ve been disappearing every day after school, you better get to work.”

  Mateo narrowed his eyes at Paulo. “As long as my work is done, I can do anything I want. At least until school is out. That’s what he said.”

  Paulo leaned against the doorjamb of his room. “I wonder where you go all those hours. Maybe I’ll have to follow you and see.”

  Mateo got very angry then, and almost smarted off to Paulo, but he had learned that if he acted disinterested, Paulo lost his energy to fight, because in his soul he was lazy. So, in spite of the fear in his blood, Mateo shrugged. “Whatever. I go to the skate park tomorrow in case you get lost. Wednesday I have a math tutor class. And Thursday I like to hang out at the gas station. You are welcome to follow me any time. I’m not doing your job, Paulo.”

  His brother stomped away, and Mateo knew he would have to be more careful now.

  Paulo had dropped out of school as soon as he’d turned sixteen, and now helped his father in the kennels. The two of them used to get along, being only four years apart. Now that Paulo had been hanging with his father and his father’s friends, he’d changed. Mateo wished they could wind back time like the hands on a clock and play around like they used to. His older brother used to be someone he could look up to.

  It was expected that as soon as Mateo turned sixteen he would drop out of school as well and work with his father and brother, but Mateo had other ideas. If he had anything to say about his life, he would continue through school and get his diploma—something none of them in his family had—and go on to college. There was nothing here in this house or with this family that he wanted. The only redeeming quality about his father was that he’d allowed Mateo to go to school. And the reasoning for that had been just to get him out of the house for long periods of time so that he didn’t have to watch Mateo.

  “Go ahead, let him go to school, Maria,” his father had slurred, well into a bottle of tequila. He’d dra
gged his wife down onto his lap. “It will get him out of the house. Let the gringos feed the little bastard.”

  Paulo was on the path to being just like their father, greedy and mean. Mateo avoided him as much as he could, but sometimes it was hard. If Paulo thought Mateo was getting away with something, he made sure to let their father know. Which usually resulted in bruises he had to explain away.

  Yes, he’d had other adults ask him about his injuries, but nothing ever came of it. Once, there had even been a home visit by a lady in a state car. Mateo and Paulo had explained her concerns away, and knowing that there would be hell to pay otherwise, Mateo had agreed with their ridiculous story that he’d lost his balance trying to drag a full trash dumpster to the curb. The woman had agreed that they could be very heavy. Then, scanning his frame up and down, she’d made a few notes in her file folder and left, thanking them for their time.

  Mateo had been so furious. Because of his size, his father’s ridiculous excuse had worked. No more state people had come to their door.

  Mateo thought of Mr. Flynn. If he did have problems, he was the man to go to. Dr. Willow’s husband didn’t say much, but Mateo had a feeling there was danger behind those wraparound shades.

  Flynn watched Mateo as much as he could when he wasn’t at work. The boy was definitely a loner, walking to and from school by himself most days. There were a few times he stayed late after school, but for the most part, as soon as the last bell toned he was out the door and on his way to Willow’s office.

  That was where it got interesting.

  The boy knew every shady path and cut-through in the area, more than Flynn did. Mateo never took a direct path to the office. He always wound around blocks and through alleys. It became very difficult to follow him without being spotted. Once, Mateo looked back and Flynn thought for sure he’d spotted him, but he didn’t take off like he’d been seen.