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I opened the door to let him in. “Thanks for coming.”
“No problem.” When he came through the door, Oscar scrambled toward him, and he crouched down to give him attention. Then his gaze settled on Lachlan. I could see him trying to put all the pieces together between us. Did he think he was a hookup? I wouldn’t mind that. But it wouldn’t be honest. Still, I didn’t think Lachlan would appreciate Doug knowing his business.
“Doug, this is my friend, Lachlan.”
He put out his hand, and they shook. “So, what exactly happened?”
“A man who may or may not have been intoxicated came up behind me and sprayed me in the eyes with something before running off.”
“Holy shit, what a lunatic! What do you think it was?”
“Not sure, but it happened before to…another man on another night, and he…well, he’s better now. It might’ve been tear gas or pepper spray.”
He pulled out a pen light. “Mind if I take a look at your pupils?”
“Sure.”
Doug stepped closer and shined the light into his eyes.
When Oscar whined, Lachlan muttered, “It’s okay, boy.”
Doug raised an eyebrow toward me before looking again. “Were you able to see?”
“Not at first. Everything was blurry.”
“Any other symptoms?”
“Choking, burning, watery eyes, and nausea.”
“Not fun.” Doug frowned. “Pepper spray dilates the pupils, causing temporary blindness.”
“Sounds like that was the culprit,” I said, and Lachlan nodded.
Doug stepped back and slipped the pen back in his pocket. “I think the worse of it has passed. The redness and irritation might last a couple more days, but if you get any other symptoms, like blurry vision or discharge, go see an eye doctor.”
“Will do.” Lachlan winced. “Thanks.”
“Okay, gotta head to the hospital,” Doug said. “Nice meeting you.”
“You too.”
“Thanks, buddy,” I said from behind him. “I’ll walk you out.”
I followed him into the hallway, and as soon as we were alone, he turned on me. “What’s going on?”
“I told you. He didn’t want to go to the ER, so I called you—”
“That’s not what I mean. Is that some guy you’re hooking up with?”
“No, I…we became friendly a few weeks ago.” I looked away, unsure how to explain. But I also wouldn’t want Lachlan to think I was ashamed of him.
“Wait a minute, the way Oscar was whining…is this the homeless guy you were telling me about?”
“Lower your voice.” I looked over my shoulder, even though the door was shut. “And if it is?”
“Just…be careful,” Doug warned.
“Would you be saying that if Lachlan was a friend from work?”
“You’d know more about a friend from work,” he countered.
“I’ve gotten to know Lachlan pretty well. He doesn’t take handouts very easily. Getting him to my place was a feat, believe me. He’s fallen on hard times, but he’s also proud and doesn’t want… You know what, I don’t need to make excuses for either of us.” I huffed out a frustrated breath. “Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to—”
“No, I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I was out of line.”
“No worries.” The elevator dinged open and Doug held the door. “And by the way, I’d rather you refer to him and others who live on the streets as houseless or unhoused. Lachlan is experiencing homelessness, he’s not the cause of it.”
“I see you’ve done your homework.”
“I’ve…learned a lot in the last few weeks.”
“I get it. Those terms are not as dehumanizing and make it sound like more of a societal failing. Like there’s not enough resources available, which is true,” he said, and I nodded, thankful he got it. “I’ll be sure to use that language at the hospital too.”
“Cool.” I blew out a breath. “I’ll call you later.”
“Hey,” he said before the doors closed, “you still looking for a dog sitter?”
I blinked in confusion until I remembered the work conference I was going to in St. Louis next month. “Um, no, I found someone. No worries.”
Doug had looked after Oscar once before, when I jetted off to Chicago for the weekend, but I didn’t want to rely on his help too often. Or maybe I just wasn’t seeing straight because his reaction to Lachlan had left a bad taste in my mouth. I’d have to call him later and make sure we were back on solid ground.
I was distracted on the way back to my apartment, and when I stepped inside and saw Lachlan cuddled up with Oscar on the couch, an idea began solidifying in my head.
“Everything all right?” he asked in a tentative voice.
“Yeah, I’m sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable. I just got worried and—”
“It’s okay. It was very thoughtful.”
I smiled, then headed to the kitchen. “You want some coffee? I actually have a machine.”
His gaze swung to the counter. “Then why don’t you use it?”
I smirked. “Laziness?”
He laughed. “Would love some.”
I got going on the coffee, then pulled out two mugs. He joined me at the kitchen counter while we waited for it to brew.
