Page 63 of Call it Fate

Harrison nodded. “Please.”

“I’ll aspirate the lump. Then we can see if we’re dealing with anything more serious. Do you mind if I take her to the back to do that? It should only take a minute or two. I’ll have Katie escort you back to the waiting room.” I nodded to the tech who had stepped into the room when I opened the door to get her attention.

When Harrison handed over the leash, I lead Lessa to the back and got the sample I needed and told the tech the meds I wanted for the dog. I hoped the lab work didn’t send back bad news. I could tell Harrison depended on his canine partner, emotionally if not physically.

I brought a slow-moving Lessa back to the waiting room, where Harrison sat with another woman. As soon as she saw me, she whispered something to Harrison and then hurried over to me while the golden retriever sat at her owner’s feet and rested her head on his knee. His hand automatically went to her ears.

“Hi,” she said in a hushed voice. “I’m Noreen, Harrison’s wife. Can I talk to you a moment?”

“Of course.” I gestured for her to follow me to one of the exam rooms. I knew Harrison couldn’t see, but I could tell he was alert to what was happening. I gestured for her to have a seat. “What can I do for you, Mrs. Connelly?”

She waved her hand. “Noreen, please. We don’t stand on much formality.” Her hand joined her other, the two of them wringing each other. “It’s just… I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just be blunt. Harrison loves that dog. I do, too, but he’d give up our everything we have for her. The truth is, Doc, we don’t have much money, and I know she is old. It’s getting hard on her to get around. I guess what I’m saying is, I want Lessa to be comfortable, but we need to save for a new eye dog for Harrison. He won’t talk about it, but I have to deal with reality.”

I’d been leaning against the metal exam table while she talked, watching her eyes fill with tears as she explained her dilemma. Now I sat on the rolling stool and slid in front of her, looking her in the eye. I saw the wariness and concern about the situation.

“Noreen, Lessa is obviously a special dog. She instinctively knows how to help Harrison, even without specific training. I don’t know what the lab results will show, but we’ll deal with that when we have answers. In the meantime, we can make her more comfortable, and I bet you’ll see a new spring in her step. As for a seeing-eye dog, I know of a few groups. If you’ll permit me to make some inquiries on your behalf, I might be able to help you whenever the time comes.”

Her smile was tremulous, but it was genuine. “Thank you, Doc. We’ve been putting off coming in for so long, but with that lump, we just had to do it. We’ve only lived here for a couple of years since we moved back to help take care of my grandparents. We don’t have any other family, and as silly as it sounds, Lessa is part of it. We want to do what’s best for her.”

“It’s not silly at all. Don’t you worry about a thing. She’s served Harrison and her country well. Now, it’s our turn to help her.”

“Thank you, Doc. I know Harrison is probably going stir crazy, worrying what I’m talking to you about.”

“We’ll just tell him the truth, that you’re worried about your girl there.”

I escorted her back to the waiting room. When Sarah rang up the bill at the front desk, I winked at her and said loud enough for Harrison and Noreen to hear, “Make sure that comes out of the New Leash on Life fund.”

Sarah gave me a curious look but grinned. “Sure thing, Doc.” She brought the meds for Lessa and handed them to Noreen and went over when they should be given. Noreen and Harrison were all smiles and “thank yous” as they left with meds, no bill, and best of all, hope. Sarah had a trail of tears down her cheeks as we watched Noreen and Lessa guide Harrison back to the car.

Using the back of her hand, she dashed at her eyes. “What was that about, Doc? What’s the New Leash on Life fund?”

“It’s a relatively new charity to help take care of vets and service dogs. I think Lessa qualifies.” I handed her my credit card. “Charge all of Lessa’s expenses to this.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Just how new is this charity?”

I grinned at her. “About five minutes old.”

She beamed at me. “You’re somethin’ else, city boy.”

CHAPTER27

Emalee

“Ican’t believe Tilly had the audacity to walk in there with that damn raccoon. What did Zach do?” Megan asked while the rest of the group howled with laughter. I had caught them up on some of Zach’s more interesting cases he’d shared with me.

My close group of friends and I were gathered in the back of what locals called the ABCs of Sterling Mill, small businesses owned by triplets: Addison, Brynn, and Celine. Ironically, their interests also started with the same letter as their name: art, books, and cocktails. They capitalized on the idea and built three separate businesses that connected to each other. Patrons could wander through each without going back outside, and they seemed to blend flawlessly together.

We currently were in the cocktail section after having browsed the other two stores. Ferg’s was great for a livelier atmosphere; Celine’s Twist was better for quiet drinks around a table.

Already, we were on our third drink, which just made the story of one of Sterling Mill’s other little animal quirks seem even funnier.

“Well,” I said after stifling my laughter, “once he picked his jaw up from the ground, he said he went into a professional mode. Fortunately, Rocky seemed to like Zach, or at least, his shiny stethoscope. Turns out, Rocky isn’t a boy, andshe’spregnant, much to the delight of Tillie and the disgust of Wanda, who thinks Tillie is growing her army of petty thieves.”

Cam sucked down the last of her Cranberry Kiss and bobbed her head at me. “You better be careful at this year’s Derby Day. Can you imagine the havoc a group of little masked bandits could wreak?”

“Your man certainly seems to have a way with animals. No wonder he’s such a good vet,” Megan commented. “It was amazing how Sterling reacted to him.”

“Yeah, that was lucky.” Cam laughed. “Can you imagine if Sterling continued barking and going ape shit? I would have loved to have seen Mayor Bowen’s face. He can’t stand disorder. I swear, if that man swallowed a lump of coal, he’d shit a diamond.”

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