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"She'll be fine. They got her in right away. They will make her throw up and run all the tests they need to run to make sure she's okay."
"I didn't know," she cried again, body shaking. I threaded my hand through her hair, pulling her closer to me. "I didn't know. How could I not know?"
I crushed her against me, needing her presence as much as she needed mine. Minutes or maybe hours later the vet came out to give us an update.
Faith peeled herself off me, but I didn't let her go far. I threaded our hands together, me holding on tight, bracing for the news.
The vet removed her glasses, a relieved look on her face. "We were able to regurgitate the three grapes Willow consumed. She didn't love throwing up, but she's in better spirits already."
Faith reached over and grabbed my arm with her other hand. I tucked her in underneath my arm with her steadying me as much as I hoped to steady her.
The vet continued. "I'd like to keep her overnight for observation. I want to run some blood work too to check her kidneys. I suspect we got to her soon enough given the state of the grapes, but I recommend this protocol to make sure."
I nodded vigorously. "Yes, do it. Whatever she needs."
Faith slackened next to me.
"Want to say good night to Willow? You can come back in the morning once we've done blood tests at a few different intervals."
There was no doubt about what I wanted to do. "I want to see her."
My shoulders loosened up when I saw Willow wagging her tail at me. She appeared subdued but well taken care of. The staff here loved animals and it showed. I knew they'd take care of my girl.
Faith needed time to reassure herself that all was well with Willow before she agreed to leave. Our check-in lasted thirty minutes and in the end the vet and techs kicked us out, saying they wanted Willow to rest. They even brought out the emotional support golden retriever, Goldie Hawn, who soothed Willow.
"She's fine. They'll take good care of her," I whispered in Faith's ear. On shaky legs, she got to her feet.
I bent down to kiss Willow. "I'll be back tomorrow."
The techs waved at us as we left, directing us through the back doors to the parking lot.
I clasped Faith's hand in mine. "Let's go home."
TWENTY-TWO
FAITH
"Let's go home," Sebastian said, hand in mine as he pulled me toward the car.
My heart still pounded in my ears as he took his time on the dark back roads that led back to his house. Sebastian's hand never left mine. My head started to ache from all the crying. I'd practically poisoned his dog, albeit unintentionally, and yet here he was consoling me.
But never once did he make me feel like this was my fault. Never blamed me even though I was the one responsible for this mess in the first place.
Willow had become a shining light in my life and the idea that I did something that could have hurt her, that could have killed her… Fuck, I couldn't even imagine.
I'd already lost so much in my life. I couldn't handle another loss. I couldn't lose Willow.
Sebastian placed a comforting hand on my arm. "Faith? We’re here."
I hadn’t realized we’d arrived back at the house.
Sebastian rounded the car and opened my door. Before I could get to it myself, he reached over and unbuckled me.
His hand slid underneath my body, pulling me into his arms. I immediately looped my arms around his neck. “What are you doing?” I asked, breathless.
“Getting you inside.”
I cradled my head in his neck as he walked us through the front door. He didn’t immediately put me down. No, he walked me right into the library, setting me down gently in my favorite spot on the couch.
