Page 24 of Wicked Healing

Oliver held his hand out and Luca leaned down to murmur something to the dog. Wicked licked Oliver’s hand and moved forward to allow him to stroke down his head. Once again, she was impressed with Wicked’s intelligence. He seemed to understand that the man did not pose a threat. Quite the opposite. Wicked moved between the man’s spread thighs and allowed him to wrap his arm around his neck as he ruffled his fur. Wow, that was an impressive move, showing that the dog trusted Luca’s encouragement.

Oliver rubbed him all over, a grin spreading across his damaged face. Erin loved to see how much the guy enjoyed the dog, and it reaffirmed her thought that the hospital needed a service animal on-site.

After they left Oliver’s room, they headed down the hallway to one of the nurse stations.

“Where’s Julie?” Luca asked. One of the other nurses pointed to a room marked ‘lounge’. Luca crossed the hall and knocked on the door. A dark-haired woman in pale green scrubs opened the door, smiling when she saw Luca on the other side. Then she caught sight of Wicked and gasped.

“Oh, Luca, is this your partner?” She knelt, carefully holding her hand out to the dog. “He’s stunning!”

Wicked wagged his tail and moved toward the woman, allowing her to stroke down his head.

“Julie, this is Erin. She’s been taking care of Boss for me.”

Still gushing over Wicked, Julie gave her a nod and a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking such good care of Luca’s partner.”

“It was my pleasure,” Erin told her, and she truly meant it. Wicked was a challenge she was very glad she’d taken.

“Is Marcus at rehab?” Lucas asked the nurse.

Julie nodded. “Yes, but you should go down there anyway. The guys will love seeing this pretty boy.”

Wicked wagged his tail again then moved to heel as Luca shifted. He hadn’t even said the word yet, but Wicked was reading his body language. Erin loved seeing the connection between the dog and handler.

She moved to follow along but Julie made a motion, leaning close. Obviously, she didn’t want Luca to overhear her. They watched as he limped down the hallway, Wicked firmly at his side.

“I just want to tell you that you’ve done an incredible thing, taking care of that dog,” her dark eyes followed the pair. “I worried for Luca. Sometimes there are guys that come through here that you know won’t be all right when they walk out the door. As soon as you emailed him and told him his partner was alive, though, his entire demeanor changed. I won’t worry about him when he leaves now. Thank you.”

Her voice faded away, and Erin rested a hand on her arm. This woman cared about the men that came through her department. “I think he’ll be fine.”

Julie nodded. “Let me show you where the rehab room is.”

The room was huge, and full of natural light. It looked like it had recently been renovated. There were mats and tables scattered around as well as half a dozen machines she couldn’t identify. There were four men and two women in the room, either working out or being worked out, but as soon as Luca and Wicked entered the room everyone stopped what they were doing.

Erin watched Wicked, but the dog was laid back as long as Luca was. It was obvious that two of the men were in wheelchairs, so Luca went to each table and introduced the dog. It appeared that one man couldn’t sit up at all, so Wicked stood on his back legs so the man could stroke his face.

Erin loved seeing the people’s expressions melt when they met the dog. People in general loved animals, especially dogs, and the fact that this dog belonged to one of their own and had his own amputation made him extra special to the men here.

Luca grinned with pride, urging her forward to introduce. Marcus sat on the far table and she could tell that Luca and Marcus were especially close. The assistant that had been working to stretch Marcus’ legs excused herself to answer a call.

“Thank you for the interruption,” Marcus hissed, his blue eyes dancing with fatigue. “Lisa was going to kill me. That woman is just plain mean.”

“No, she’s not,” Luca said. He leaned toward Erin. “She just doesn’t put up with his bellyaching.”

Erin laughed and Marcus scowled at Luca.

“Thanks for having my back, buddy.”

They laughed together and Luca leaned close enough to pat Marcus on the back. “You’ll appreciate it later. Believe me.”

Erin eventually moved to a chair to let the guys talk. Luca loved showing them Wicked’s prosthetic, and she thought maybe it was therapeutic for him. Wicked didn’t especially care what went on, as long as he was with Luca, so it all worked out. When the therapists insisted it was time to get back to work, Luca gave everyone a final smile and turned away. His eyes met Erin’s and again, she got the feeling that this had been better therapy for him than them.

They walked to the elevator and through several hallways on the ground floor. When he opened a final door she was happy to find a deserted courtyard, complete with grass for animals and benches for people. There was no one else here, so he let Wicked wander, then he crossed to one of the benches.

“I’m sorry I took so long in there. The guys have been waiting to meet Boss for a long time.”

He smiled softly and she wished he would look at her more. It was obvious he was self-conscious about his scars, but they really didn’t bother her. She’d like to see more of him, but he was focused on the animal, his gaze a little lost.

“It’s completely okay,” she told him firmly, and it was. “Will you keep in touch with them when you leave?”

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