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The police officer shrugs. “Well, you know where to find me.”
He turns the corner and I can’t help but grin at the image of the macho police officer, trotting off happily with his tiny dog cradled safely in one big, muscled arm and with his bejeweled pet carrier in the other.
Then, I’m hustling off to see my next patient.
I’ve been running ragged, squeezing two appointments in for every one appointment slot since we opened. Meghan’s back at work too, but I haven’t seen much of her, since we’re trying the divide and conquer strategy.
The one good thing about running around the clinic nonstop is that, I don’t get too much time to think all day. But when there’s finally a pre-closing lull and I head out to the reception desk, my emotions catch up to me.
Darcy quickly grabs my arm right as I’m about to mindlessly apply a coat of lip balm to my lips. “You okay, doc?” she asks with worried eyes and a crinkled forehead.
“I’m fine. I’m great. Everyone keeps asking me if I’m okay, and I don’t get it.”
Surely my fake smile and bubbly responsessayI’m okay. Right? Maybe I’m overdoing it. I’ve never really been all that great at pretending.
Maxine motions exaggeratedly to my hand. I look down and realize that the ‘lip balm’ I was just about to swipe on…is actually the tube of glue stick I just absentmindedly picked up from the reception desk.
“Geez. Silly me,” I mutter, embarrassed. I set the glue back down and dig around in the pocket of my lab coat for my lip balm. “I’m fine. I’m…just a little bit tired. It was a long weekend,” I assure the girls.
“Right.” Darcy nods slowly, sharing a concerned side-eye with the other girls who are packing up their bags to head home for the day.
“Have a good night, ladies,” I say chipperly, faking another wide smile. “I’ve got some things to take care of in the back.”
Without waiting for a response, I’m gone. Ugh. I’m a mess.
As much as I try to hide it, the truth is, I miss Davis.
A lot.
So much.
I’m trying to pretend I’m just fine, when in reality, my head is messier than my overflowing kitchen junk drawer. I should really tackle that when I get home tonight, actually.
Not that I’m second guessing the reasons I can’t be with Davis. Those reasons will never change.It’s just that I now have to come to terms with our situation all over again. And that’s hard. Spending three nights with my ex-husband just reminded me of everything I’m missing in my life.
With Meghan handling the only appointment at the moment, I find myself sitting on the floor in the backroom where we board pets while their owners are away. Mentally and emotionally drained, I let the two puppies we have back here out of their crates.
The fluffy little golden retriever brothers crawl all over my outstretched legs, licking my face and hands. It’s cuteness overload. It’s like the adorable fur balls are going out of their way to cheer me up.
Dogs are freakishly intuitive about humans’ feelings, and somehow always bring a smile to my sad face. Cats on the other hand, with their sassy,screw you!attitude, well, they make me smile, too.
I spent a lot of time back here in this room when I was going through my divorce, just hanging out with whatever cats or dogs or sometimes even a guinea pig or two that were vacationing in this room overnight. Somehow I get the feeling I’ll be spending quite a bit of time in here over the upcoming weeks.
“Hey girl.” I look up to find Meghan poking her head through the door.
“Hey.” I smile at my bestie and I think it’s my first genuine smile of the day.
She trudges in and tiredly drops down on the floor next to me.
“How are you holding up?” I ask her.
Her shoulders rise up then collapse in a heavy shrug. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m in a much better head space than I was over the weekend, but I’m just ready to marry Cash, y’know?”
“I know, sweetie.” I drape my arm around her. She and her fiancé are still working out the details of re-booking their wedding ceremony.
“How about you?” She studies my face, and it’s clear that whatever expression I’m wearing worries her.
Multiple times, Meghan has tried to ask me if I’m all right. I’m not. But I don’t want to dump out all my burdens on her.
