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“Tessa? Are you alright?”
There were sniffles and a pitiful moan from the other end of the line, “It’s Pippin.”
Pippin? Oh, right, the dog.Daniel scrubbed at his sleep-heavy eyes as he tried to keep his tone calm. “What happened? Is he hurt?”
“I—I don’t know. I think he might have gotten into something. He keeps throwing up, and he looks j-just awful!” Her words strangled off into a soft sob.
Daniel’s heart squeezed. He hated to hear Tessa cry like that. There was something very primal that it activated inside of him. He wanted to protect her from anything that would make her cry.
“Okay, okay. Have you called the vet?” He was as gentle as could be, knowing the state Tessa must be in right now. That dog was her best friend. He went everywhere with her.
“I c-called. But they said they need to see him, and I—” She fell apart once again, hard, jagged sobs overtaking the phone line.
“Yeah, you probably shouldn’t be driving. Give me a moment. There’s an emergency vet not far from you. I’ll pick you up, and we’ll take him in.” He was already reaching for his keys.
She thanked him, though her voice was still filled with utter misery, and Daniel hung up. He got ready in record time, throwing on the first shirt he could find and not bothering to change out of his sweatpants. Fashion be damned, he needed to get to Tessa and make sure she was alright.
As soon as he was dressed, he flew down the stairs and out the door, racing toward his car. It took a moment for the engine to turn over, and Daniel silently cursed. This old junker was really starting to get on his nerves. He’d have to have Randy take a look at it soon.
He drove to the boarding house, blowing past every stop sign and breaking at least half a dozen traffic laws on the way. It didn’t matter. He just needed to reach Tessa, hold her in his arms, and assure her that he would do everything in his power to make this alright.
When he reached the boarding house, Tessa was sitting on the sidewalk in what were clearly pajamas, cradling Pippin in her arms. The dog looked about as miserable as she did, shaking in the chill night air. It was a pitiful sight that made Daniel’s heartache.
Pulling the car to the curb, he put it in park and stepped out, worry tearing through his mind. He crouched down beside Tessa, placing a cautious hand on Pippin’s head. “What happened?”
Tessa wiped away miserable tears and met his gaze with glistening eyes. “I don’t know. I went to bed and woke up in the middle of the night to him howling. I think he got into something. But I don’t know what.” She cursed softly and held her head in her hands. “God, this is all my fault.”
“Hey,” he said tenderly, reaching a hand out to grasp her chin. “None of that. Let’s get him to the vet and see what’s what, okay? Here, I’ve got him.” Daniel easily lifted the trembling dog from her arms and moved toward the parked car. Tessa rushed around to open the door so he could slip him inside.
Once Daniel had Pippin settled, he turned to Tessa, cupping her face gently. Words wouldn’t help in a moment like this, so he pressed his lips softly to her forehead before pulling her close. She fell into his arms, sobbing raggedly.
“Sshh, it’s okay. We’re going to get him taken care of. Let’s go.”
Daniel made his way to the driver's seat. Before he even reached it, Tessa was in the passenger seat, buckling her seatbelt. Worry and determination warred on her features.
“It’s going to be okay,” Daniel murmured again, hoping beyond all hope that it was true, as he put the car into drive.
***
The emergency vet clinic’s staff all jumped into action when Daniel carried Pippin through the doors. Within moments, Pippin was carried away to an examination room, and Daniel found himself alone with a distraught Tessa in the waiting room. Daniel sat down in one of the uncomfortable-looking plastic chairs, gesturing for her to do the same.
“I—I want to know what they’re doing. Pippin might be scared.” Tessa ignored his invitation to sit, choosing to pace in the waiting area, gnawing on her fingernails. Her eyes kept darting to the door which they had taken Pippin through.
Daniel stood and walked over to her, taking her in his arms again. “Tessa. They’re doing everything they can. Please, sit down. You must be exhausted.”
Tessa didn’t offer much resistance as he led her back to the chairs. The chairs let out a noisy squeak as they both sank into them. Daniel placed a comforting hand on Tessa’s arm, wanting desperately to help her through this moment. But words were failing him. He had never been great at emotional support.
“I got him when he was just a puppy,” Tessa said, her voice ragged from her earlier sobs. “My friend’s dog had puppies, and he was the smallest. I always had a soft spot for the runt.”
Daniel just nodded, wanting to give Tessa the space to say what she needed to say.
She continued. “For a long time, he has been the closest friend I have ever really had. I—I don’t really know how to get close to people. I’ve tried in the past. But I don’t know. I guess I just have no idea how that works. My parents moved a lot when I was younger, and I never really had achanceto get close. So, now I feel like a fish out of water.”
Daniel was struck by the candidness. With the easy way, Tessa was able to talk to the shop’s customers. He would never have guessed this. She made conversation look so easy, but he guessed that you never really knew what went on beneath the surface.
“You know,” he said before he even realized he was speaking, “I understand. A little, at least. I didn’t move around a lot or anything. Have lived here my whole life. But I’m not particularly great at opening myself up to people. It’s not easy for anyone, I imagine.”
Tessa looked at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You? Struggling to let people in? I never would have figured.” She gave him a wicked grin. At least she still had her sense of humor.
