Page 19 of Keg's Revelation

I glanced at the hamburger and fries that had surely gone cold. “I think we deserve homemade pizza after today. What do you think?” I stood. “It’s probably about time for Gramps to get home. Why don’t you come downstairs and help me make the pizza?”

“Sure.” Ry got off the bed, and we started walking toward the door. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too, Ry. So much.” A huge weight was lifted, and I knew no matter how everything else played out from here, I wouldn’t lose my son.

Ipulled the last pizzafrom the oven just as Gramps walked in the door from the garage with Sabith, his fifteen-year-old German Sheppard, trotting beside him. Since I could remember, he’d always taken his dogs to work with him. When Sage, the GS he’d had when I was little, passed away, he’d went a while before getting another dog. Then one day, he walked in with six-month-old Sabith. Gramps was on a call at the shelter when her owners brought her in. They surrendered her to the shelter because they were moving and the place they were going to be renting didn’t allow for pets. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why people get animals, then so easily discard them.

“Smells and looks as if I have perfect timing.”

“Yes, you do. How was the rest of the day? Sorry, I didn’t make it back in.”

Gramps looked toward the living room, then back at me. “I heard you had a good reason.”

“Maybe, but that left you shorthanded. Yesterday I saw the schedule for today. A lot of afternoon appointments.”

“Well, Candice ended up having to call and rescheduled most of them. A couple clients couldn’t be reached, but they waited until I came back.”

“Where did you have to go?”

“I sent you on the call to Haven because I needed to go to the shelter. They had a dog brought in that was in bad shape and more than they could handle. I stabilized the poor thing, then brought her to the clinic. After dinner, I’m going back to stay so I can keep a close eye on her. Not sure she’s going to make it through the night.” Gramps’ clinic served as the on-call vet for the local animal shelter.

“What happened to her?” Listening to Gramps made me feel worse about not going into the clinic. But Ry had needed me more. At least I could set aside the inkling that Gramps sent me to Haven on the house call to give me a push toward telling Reed.

“Not sure. Shelter said the man who dropped her off had picked her up off the side of the road. Not too far from here. He’d seen her and stopped not even sure she was alive until he noticed her chest lift when he’d gotten closer. He wrapped her in a tarp he had in his truck and drove her to the shelter. She was emaciated, so guessing she was a stray and by her wounds, she’d been in a fight recently with either another dog or a coyote.”

“Aw, poor thing. I hope she makes it.”

“If I can get her through the next twenty-four hours, she just might,” he said as he poured Sabith’s food in her bowl. “How about you, pumpkin? You and Ry going to be okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. I talked with Ry and he’s handling it pretty well. As for me, it went as well as I had expected.”

Gramps lowered his voice, “And, Reed, after the initial explosion?”

“The timing may have been off, but once he cooled down a bit, he seemed...resigned. Guess I’ll really know after tomorrow. He’s coming here for answers.”

“I know it might seem bad right now, but I think when the dust settles, it will be a good thing.”

“You always did like Reed.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far.” He smiled, and I laughed.

Gran and the kids walked into the kitchen, and we sat down to eat. Ry and Reagan seemed no worse for wear as we ate. As usual the conversation around the table was about the dog Gramps was taking care of. Reagan had a huge heart when it came to animals and wanted to go back to the clinic with him. She got a tad upset when she was told she couldn’t, but there was no way she needed to be there if the dog didn’t make it.

I wondered how long it would take for the elephant in the room to be exposed. And I should have anticipated Reagan would be the one to yank the cover off.

“Ry has another daddy,” she blurted, and I could have sworn Gramps’s lips twitched before he got it under control.

“You don’t say,” Gramps said as he looked at Ry.

I held my breath as I waited to see if or how Ry answered. But with a million guesses, it wasn’t something I would have ever expected him to say.

“Yeah. At least now, I know why I’m not as crazy about animals like the rest of the family. I like motorcycles like Reed.”

I looked at Gran and she smiled with a look that said,I told you it would be okay.

“Well, that’s pretty cool, huh?” Gramps asked.

“Uh huh, I guess. Now maybe Mom will let me have a dirt bike. It’s in my blood.”

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