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“Oh, you’re a cutie,” she gushed as Storm stood beside me, refusing to even wag his tail for another woman. You had to respect his loyalty. “I’m so sorry to hear about your girlfriend,” she said, looking at me with the sympathetic head tilt people did when facing uncomfortable conversations.
Yeah, that was the lie that came to me first. And it was believable enough that I’d just decided to go with it. It made sense that, during an emergency situation—in this case, a car accident—that the owner of a dog would need to go somewhere to be taken care of. And that her boyfriend couldn’t watch him since he needed to be at his girl’s side.
“Thanks. She’s gonna be alright. Just needed somewhere for Storm to be safe for a bit until she’s released.”
“Of course. Totally. Is there anything I need to know about him?”
“He’s a rescue,” I said, thinking of the cage in the woods. “Newly rescued. Not completely housebroken yet,” I said, figuring there was no way Millie had managed that in such a short period of time, not even with easily trainable breeds like shepherds.
“That’s totally fine. It’s why I have tile floors.”
“He’s honestly probably just exhausted,” I told her. “He was with his mom all night, waiting for someone to find her.”
“Oh, you poor baby,” she said, eyes actually looking a bit glassy as she reached out to rub his head, getting a tiny little tail wiggle.
“I didn’t have time to grab his food,” I said.
“That’s okay. I have a bunch of different kinds. We will find something that works, right, buddy?” she asked, taking his leash from me. “He will be okay,” she assured me when Storm didn’t want to go with her. “Go be with your girlfriend. Tell her he is just fine here. I have a nice, tall fence in the back. He can go explore, have a snack, then take a nap on a big bed.”
“Thanks,” I said, passing her half of the cash.
“And you can call me anytime to come and get him. I’m sure your girl will want her baby back as soon as she’s home. I always have my ringer on. Literally… any time,” she said, and I wondered if she was being so accommodating because of how much I offered to pay her, or because she was just always this good of a person.
Because I tended to think the worst of people, I figured the former. The promise of money made everyone friendly.
“I really appreciate it,” I said, then looked at Storm. “I’ll keep an eye on her for you,” I said, and I swear he looked like he understood.
It made no sense, since he wasn’t my dog, and I wasn’t an animal person, but I actually felt bad leaving him behind as I made my way back to the hospital.
When I made it back, Millie was back from her scans, and was actively getting her wrist wrapped in gauze before the plaster went on.
“Is he okay?” she asked, voice tight, panicked.
“He’s with the friendliest dog-sitter I’ve ever met,” I said, leaving out that she was the only dog-sitter I’d ever met. “She said we can call at anytime to come pick him up. And she has food to offer him.”
“Oh, okay. Good. Thank you,” she said, sniffling, and blinking back tears.
“How’d the scans go?” I asked.
“I don’t know yet,” she admitted. “Aside from this,” she said, waving to her wrist.
“Fracture?” I asked.
“Yes. Cast for six weeks,” she said, giving the doctor a tight smile.
Someone had wiped the blood away from her nose and lips, and cleaned the cuts on her cheeks.
With that gone, the bruises were even more evident. Or maybe that was the shitty fluorescent lights. But, fuck, she was looking rough. Rings under both eyes, another big bruise on one cheek, a smaller one on the other.
Her arms were more cut up than I’d realized, too. And her palm on the arm that wasn’t getting little strips of plaster applied had a deep gash.
If she wasn’t feeling it yet, she was going to be in a fuckuva lot of pain when the shock wore off.
I stood there, listening to the doctor rattle off instructions for her wrist. About following up with an orthopedic doctor, keeping her cast dry, watching out for blue fingers from the swelling.
Unfortunately, then, I saw the cops rolling in, and made an excuse before she saw them, telling her I was going to go get us some coffee, then leaving the hospital to go get some from a chain place, so the cops couldn’t look for me for a statement.
By the time I made it back, they were nowhere to be seen, and Millie looked even paler than before.
