Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I mean, that was why the Family had their own medical professionals, why we only went to the hospital if it was absolutely necessary.
Clearly, whoever Millie was, she was not a normal person either.
Which left me wondering as we drove mostly in silence, save for Millie’s occasional gasp or whimper as the car hit some rough terrain, what had she been into? Who was she on the outs with? Who wanted to kill her? And how the fuck had she survived?
I didn’t want to pester her with questions when she was in pain, though, so I kept my curiosity to myself as I drove her up to the emergency room doors, then carried her inside, making sure she was taken back, then assuring her that I would take care of Storm, then come back and check on her.
“She’s gonna be alright,” I told Storm as he whined and scratched at the door since I had to roll up the window after he tried to bound out. “Take a nap, man,” I said, reaching over to pet his head as I brought up my phone, looking for any local pet sitters.
A half an hour later, I was pulling up to a lady’s house who had a shitton of reviews.
“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.