My lips curled up but it didn’t feel like a smile. I placed my hand in hers and shook it.
“Yes,” I said.
“Big fan,” she said. “I’m so sorry I’m meeting you under these circumstances.” She wiped her palms on her thighs. I could tell she was nervous, and if I wasn’t so worried about Simba, I would have found it amusing how nervous she was. “However, I do want to reassure you that things aren’t as dire as they seem. A lot of the times, most animals who suffer from strokes make full recoveries.”
I didn’t even bother faking a polite smile. I knew she was trying to make me feel better. I appreciated the effort, but nothing could make me feel better right now... not unless she said that Simba was okay.
“What do we do now?” I asked, looking between Rose and Kira.
“We wait, unfortunately,” Kira replied. “I conducted a variety of tests. For now, we just wait.”
14
Kira
I didn’t know what to tell Drew that wouldn’t upset him. Simba had had a stroke. When Rose came in, I immediately noticed the head tilt, the inability to walk normally, the fact that he would fall to one side. I still ran a urinalysis and had already scheduled an MRI for Simba that would take place in roughly an hour.
He talked to me like I was a vet and I talked to him like he was a client, an owner of a patient. There was no small talk, no smiling and flirting. It was all business between us - the way it should be right now.
Rose stayed through everything, sitting next to Drew and holding his hand. Even though she was offering him the support that I couldn’t, I still felt a small, selfish part of me twinge with jealousy at the sight. They had a history I couldn’t compete with, and I didn’t want to.
It was still uncomfortable for me though. Not necessarily because they were doing anything wrong, but because of the feelings it stirred up inside of me... feelings I had been trying to ignore, feelings I had been in denial about.
I liked Drew.
I liked Drew a lot and I wanted to spend time with him and get to know him better.
Now, obviously, was not the time to be thinking about that. I had a dog I had to worry about. I just wish there was more I could do. I was pretty sure Simba suffered a stroke, but I wanted to be sure, which was why I ran a bunch of tests.
I wished I could tell him that everything was going to be okay. The problem was, I didn’t know if that was true or not.
I helped other patients while we waited. I was so wrapped up in my job that I completely forgot to eat lunch. By the time it was closing, the only other person left in my practice was Drew. I hadn’t even noticed Rose had left.
He dropped a bag of fast food on the counter.
“I didn’t realize you ate this stuff,” I said, quirking a brow. God, my knees ached. I wanted nothing more than to sit down and stretch, maybe even sleep. Sleep sounded nice. “I thought hockey players were always on a diet.”
He cracked a smile, but it barely registered. I could understand. It was stupid of me to joke at a time like this.
“Sorry,” I murmured.
“This is actually for you,” he said. His voice was raw and scratchy, like he hadn’t spoken a word the whole day. “I noticed you didn’t eat anything today. You must be hungry.”
I felt my insides warm. The fact that he would even think about me when he was so stressed about his dog was more than I expected.
“You didn’t have to -“
He waved my concern away before I could even finish my show of appreciation.
“You didn’t have to do what you did,” he said. “With Simba.”
I furrowed my brow, shooting him a look. “Actually, I definitely had to do that. It’s kind of like an oath you take when you become a vet. And it was Simba. I just saw him at the dog park. I wasn’t going to make him wait. Something happened. Luckily, Rose rushed him right in. It’s always good to stay on top of these things.”
I opened the brown paper bag and grinned when I saw my favorite crunchy rolls tucked away in a styrofoam box. I think he brought me three orders of it. I could barely finish two.
“You know,” he explained. “In case you get hungry later.”
I couldn’t stop myself from grinning if I tried. “Well,” I said, pulling the box out. “Thank you.”
“We aren’t together,” he said abruptly.
He glanced around the small lobby and I wished I had made more of an effort to repaint the off-white walls and schedule a bleaching of the floor over a long weekend. I was tired of constantly smelling dried pee, even if it wasn’t there.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said, glancing down at the sushi. I plopped one in my mouth so I wouldn’t have to speak just yet. I also hoped to buy myself some time so I wouldn’t have to respond to that just yet.
“Yeah,” he said, his dark eyes on me. “You do.”
“It’s none of my business,” I said after I swallowed the sushi.
“I want it to be your business.”
I glanced over at him, my entire body freezing. I didn’t want to hope. I didn’t want to think anything of it, not when so much was still in limbo, and not when he had just broken up with Rose a few days ago. I couldn’t help but be a little excited though by the prospect of dating Drew, of seeing where this could go.
There was chemistry between us, that much I knew. I wanted to explore that. I never thought I would be given that opportunity.
“I don’t think now is the right time to talk about this,” I said. My voice was scratchy. It took effort to speak the words, but I needed to say them. It was the truth.
“I know,” he said, shaking his head, like even he knew he shouldn’t be bringing this up right then. “I know. When this is all over though, and you come to me to say that Simba will be fine, I want to talk about this.”
I stared at him for a long time, trying to assess him, the truth in his dark eyes. Slowly, I nodded my head. “Okay,” I agreed.
“Okay,” he said. “It’s a date.”
15
Drew
The tests came back just after one o’clock in the morning. Simba did have a stroke, but because he was otherwise healthy, it was predicted that he would be able to make a full recovery as long as he took it easy the first couple of weeks.
Simba still needed to stay at the vet’s over the next few days for observation, but I would be able to pick him up Friday night. The only problem was that the team was scheduled to be in Vegas on Friday. I didn’t care about paying extra to have him boarded an extra night, but I did want him home as quickly as possible so that he could relax and sleep on his own bed rather than in a metal cage.
I was scheduled to fly out with the rest of the team Thursday night, and I didn’t want to call Rose and have her watch him. I knew she would. She cared about him almost as much as I did, but I didn’t want to call her. I didn’t want to ask her any favors. We weren’t together anymore and I needed to make sure she understood that, not that she was trying to win me over. It wasn’t like she regretted the decision that she had ultimately made, but I needed to cut her out of my life.
“What are you still doing here?”
I looked up to see Kira standing there in her white lab coat, staring at me with curious, kind eyes. There wasn’t sympathy in the green irises, but there was compassion.
I could see the worry in her eyes, the pain reflected there at having to witness my pain. Rose had always been sympathetic, but she never just let me be. She would want to distract me from it, usually with good sex. Kira seemed to be fine wallowing in the pain with me, ensuring I didn’t experience it alone.
“I just...” Honestly, I didn’t know how to answer that question without being ridiculous. “I’m worried, and I just want to be there for Simba if he needs me.”
She smiled, nodding her head in understanding. “No need to be ashamed, Drew,” she said. “I have patient owners calling every hour to check on their pets. You’re actually one of the more tame ones.”
“Only because I didn’t know that was acceptable,” I said with a grin.
She took a seat next to me. Even though she hadn’t said anything, I could tell this had been a long week for her as well. She was exhausted. I was only worried about Simba. She had a variety of patients that I was sure she worried about on a consistent basis.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
Typically, I would have responded that I was fine. It was a safe response and people didn’t push, even if they could see through it.
“Worried,” I murmured. “I know it’s silly. Simba is a pet, but I can’t even concentrate during the morning skate. I just... Once I have him home, I’ll be better.”
“That’s not silly at all,” she told me. Her hand was next to mine and part of me wanted to extend my pinky and touch hers. “If it was Sherlock, I’d be beside myself, and I’m a vet who knows that he’s probably going to be okay.” A small smile touches her face. “Don’t apologize for your feelings. Feel whatever you want to feel, especially about someone as important as Simba.”
“Huh.” I didn’t think anyone had ever told me that before: don’t apologize for my feelings. I felt like the majority of my life, I was apologizing for my feelings, whether it was to my parents, to Rose, even to myself. “I never thought of it in that way.”
She shrugged. “I wanted to tell you that he can probably be discharged tomorrow,” she said. “Unless he takes a turn for the worse tonight, which doesn’t look like likely.”
“I play in Vegas tomorrow,” I said, furrowing my brow.
“Oh, that’s right.” She brushed some of her hair away from her face. “Well, that’s not a problem. You can always board him here for another night. I won’t charge you the fee.”
“I would gladly pay it,” I reassured her before dropping my gaze to the door that led to the exam rooms. “It’s just, I don’t want Simba here if he can be at home. I also know that he needs someone to watch him though if he does go home.”
She nodded her head. “Do you have someone who can watch him?” she asked. “I understand the importance of bringing him home as soon as possible. Simba needs comfort as much as possible right now. He needs people he loves surrounding him, but being here another night isn’t really a detriment either. You do have that option.”
“I know.” And I did, but that didn’t mean I wanted him here. No offense to the clinic and what Kira had done for Simba, I just wanted him home.
“Can Rose watch him?”
“No.” My voice was sharp and she flinched backwards a bit. “Sorry, it’s just -“ I shook my head. “I know she would. I just don’t want her to, if I can help it.”
“I get it,” she said.
There was silence between us for a moment before I felt her shift in her seat and clear her throat.
“I don’t want to be presumptuous,” she said, “but I’d be happy to watch him tomorrow for you, if you’re comfortable with that.”
I stared at her for a long moment. I wasn’t contemplating whether or not to trust her being in my house with my dog. I trusted her. I just couldn’t believe she would offer to do such a thing.
Before I could stop myself, I leaned forward and gently placed my lips on hers. I felt her stiffen under my touch. I didn’t blame her. I hadn’t expected to kiss her at all. I did it though because I really wanted to, because I just couldn’t help myself.
When she relaxed, she started kissing me back. It was gentle, intimate but soft. I pulled away before things started to get too hot. I wanted to go deeper, but I didn’t want to scare her, either.
“Yes,” I breathed out. “If you wouldn’t mind, I would appreciate it if you could do that.”
She nodded, but couldn’t speak. I nodded back. That seemed to be enough for the both of us.
16
Kira
Friday came faster than I expected. I made sure to give Simba extra attention while he was here. I took him on an extra walk. I made sure to give him extra treats. I gave him all the attention I could, ensuring that he had plenty of food and water and was as comfortable as I could manage. When I was on my lunch break, I even took him out of the kennel and just let him hang with me and Sherlock.
He was getting better. There were moments when he would trip over himself or when he needed to sit down and just relax. Moments like that broke my heart, because I couldn’t explain to the dog what was going on and I couldn’t tell the dog everything was going to be all right.
I would just hug him and hope he understood. Sherlock even shared with Simba his favorite green bed that I kept for him in my office, and Sherlock didn’t even share that with me.
I tried to focus on my work Friday, but it was difficult to do so after the events of yesterday. When Drew had kissed me, I felt like everything had aligned perfectly, like nothing else mattered except that moment. All throughout the day, I would touch my mouth with my fingers as if I needed to feel it for myself, to remind me that we did kiss, that it wasn’t just a dream.
Once I finished up at the office, I took Simba and Sherlock to Drew’s place. The Balboa peninsula was filled with recent college grads and young, single guys who wanted to party on the beach. I tended to be more quiet, but if Drew was really serious about us starting something, I should probably get used to the fact that we would be hanging out here a lot.
Plus, this wasn’t about me. This was about Simba. The best thing we could do for him would be to have in an environment he was comfortable with, and there was nothing better than home.
Simba tugged on his leash as we got out of the car, pulling me and Sherlock towards the house. It was like he knew.
I fumbled with Drew’s keys before sliding the right one into the lock and opening it. I let go of Simba’s leash and he practically skipped over to his own bed in the living room. His tail wagged as he watched me and Sherlock head in. I locked the door behind me and looked around the living room. Despite the fact that Rose had been living here for years, it still retained a masculinity. I didn’t know if it was due to the blunt furniture or the dark colors, but it looked like a refined gentleman with a dog obsession lived here, not a couple.
Not that it mattered. It was his house.
I just wasn’t quite sure how comfortable I was in someone else’s home. I took the leash off of Sherlock, who bounded towards Simba’s bed. Simba made no objection.
I grinned and I plopped onto the leather couch, feeling the weight of the day start to slide off my shoulders. It was comfortable, so comfortable I could probably fall asleep right there.
Instead, I decided to flip on the game.
It was about ten minutes into the first period. When they played an away game, I tried to record it and watch it after I got home. I hadn’t missed a game in five years.
I went over to check Simba’s food bowl which I assumed was near his bed. I wanted to make sure he had food and water and didn’t have to go far in order to get what he needed. I also had puppy pads, just in case he couldn’t make it to his doggie door. I planned to take him and Sherlock on a quick walk after the game before I settled in for the night.
I had yet to actually peek in at the bedroom. I didn’t know why but I was slightly intimidated by it, probably because it was so much more to me than just a bedroom.
The fact of the matter was, I liked Drew. A lot. More than I probably should have, considering he’d just broken up with his long-time girlfriend. Also, he was a professional hockey player and it took a select type of woman to possess the strength needed to handle the expectations that came along with being with someone like that. I could fantasize all I wanted about it, but that didn’t mean I could handle it.
When I thought about Drew though, I felt as if I could handle anything.
I pulled out the takeout I had grabbed from a sandwich place and plopped back on the couch. My eyes fixated on the score and I was relieved to see that it was a tie game. No one had scored yet, but the Gulls had seven shots to the Blackjacks’ four.
The game was intense and fun. There seemed to be a real rivalry between these two teams ever since the controversy between Seraphina Hanson and Phil Bambridge.
I wasn’t surprised when Negan was given a penalty. He was a pain in everyone’s ass, but he was actually pretty disciplined. The refs just didn’t like him so they looked for any reason to call him for something. Drew managed to grab the puck and score a short handed goal.
I jumped up, letting out a squeal. Both dogs hopped up, surprised at my reaction.
“Sorry,” I said. “The Gulls just scored a goal. Your Daddy.” I said the last part to Simba.
They both accepted this answer and lay back down. I swear, if Sherlock could roll his eyes, he would have.
That wound up being the game-winning goal. I was so excited for Drew because I knew he had been through a lot this week. I took the dogs for a quick walk and watched the after-game interviews before my eyes started getting heavy. I turned off the TV just to give myself some quiet time, but before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
17
Drew
When I walked in to see Kira lying on my couch, completely passed out, I could not help but smile at the sight. She looked beautiful. She looked like she belonged here.
I walked over to Simba and saw him curling up next to Sherlock. They both seemed to be getting along and I was glad. Maybe his presence would aid in Simba’s recovery.
Not wanting to disturb the dogs, I decided that it would be best to turn my attention to Kira. I knew she told me to wake her up when I got home and she would get out of my hair, but to be honest, I didn’t want her to leave just yet. I didn’t want her to leave at all. However, I didn’t think it was good for her to be on the couch either. While the couch was comfortable, I thought it would be rude of me to leave her there while I slept in my own comfortable bed. Instead, I scooped her up in my arms and proceeded to carry her to my room.
Seductive Suspensions A Slapshot Novella Page 5
