Page 25 of Only Her (K2 Team)
“Give him Mr.Hatchel’s address and ask him to take a look around the yard.” Seeing that Lisa had chosen to wait with Barney, she took them to an exam room. Mike might be disappointed that she wasn’t available, but she wasn’t in the mood to be flirted with.
The rest of the afternoon, she played catch up, going from one exam room to the next without a break. Sam seemed to be doing better, and she went to his kennel to check on him one last time. She told Denny, the college student who spent his nights at her clinic, to call her if the dog’s condition worsened. Denny was a good kid, reliable and trustworthy. Often when they had a sick animal, he would make a bed near the kennel so he could keep an eye on it.
Before she left, she walked to the big cages, but there were no dogs wagging their tails at the sight of her. “Where’re Pretty Girl and Sally?”
Denny shrugged. “They were gone when I got here. Figured the owner picked them up.”
Why hadn’t Michelle let her know Cody had stopped by? She went to the front. “Cody pick up Pretty Girl and Sally?”
Michelle turned off her computer. “Yeah, about two hours ago. Told him I’d let you know he was here, but he said not to bother you.” She slipped her purse strap over her shoulder. “He wanted his dogs, and he got his dogs.”
“That’s fine.” Something was going on with him, but she couldn’t imagine what.
When she arrived home, Cody’s truck was parked in his driveway, but all his blinds were closed. Once she got the cats fed, she went to her bedroom window and opened it. He never did come out on his porch to play his guitar.
CHAPTER NINE
Friday morning, Cody sat in Kincaid’s office, determined not to squirm under the boss’s stare. The man was always intense and focused, and Cody hated that kind of attention on him. There was no one he respected more than his former SEAL commander, and there was no one he regretted disappointing more.
“If you mean to fire me, I understand,” he said when he finished explaining what had gone down in Iowa.
“I have no intention of firing you if you agree to one condition.”
Cody raised a brow, but he knew what was coming. Get help.
“It’s obvious that something happened in-country that you don’t remember. Probably the concussion played a part in forgetting, but I think whatever it was, subconsciously, you don’t want to remember. Which tells me that whatever you witnessed was some bad shit. These dreams you’ve been having aren’t good, Dog. You have to know that. Until you remember and deal with it, I can’t risk including you on any operations.”
“I understand.” And he did. Didn’t mean he was any less ashamed and embarrassed. “I guess you want me to take a leave of absence?”
Kincaid stood and went to a mini fridge. “Want a soda or water?”
No, he wanted a full bottle of scotch. “A water, please.” He’d been tempted to get so wasted that he couldn’t remember his name when he’d arrived home last night, but knowing he had this meeting first thing this morning, he’d resisted. Last thing he needed was to have shown up with red eyes and a hangover. Kincaid handed him the bottle, and Cody twisted the cap, downing half the contents.
Kincaid returned to his chair, setting a bottle of soda on his desk. “To answer your question, there’s plenty around here you can do until you’re ready to go back on a team. I have a good friend, Tom Bledsoe, who works with vets dealing with PTSD. I’ll call him and set up an appointment for next week. He’s a vet himself who lost a leg in Iraq, so he can relate.”
Swallowing the baseball-sized lump in his throat, Cody let out a breath. Good news: he wasn’t fired. Bad news: he had to see a shrink. The last thing he wanted to do was explore his inner psyche. Something told him there was some bad shit in there. He briefly considered quitting, but that would only be the beginning of a downward spiral from which there would be no return.
“Do you agree?” Kincaid asked.
“Not like I have a choice.”
Kincaid’s eyes narrowed. “You have all kinds of choices, so don’t give me that shit. I don’t turn my back on my men, but I expect them to do what it takes to be a fully functional member of the team, so lose the attitude. If you don’t accept that you have a problem and aren’t willing to take the help you’re being offered, then we’ll part ways right now.”
Chastised, and rightfully so, Cody stood and held out his hand. “You’re right, but then you always are. I have a problem and I need help.” That had been the hardest thing he’d ever admitted to, but in saying it, a seed of hope sprouted in his heart.
Kincaid clasped his hand with Cody’s. “Good. For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to beat some sense into you. Go catch up with what operations we have going on and make yourself useful. I’ll let you know when your appointment is after I talk to Tom.”
“Thank you. Although it might not have sounded like it, I do appreciate—”
“Nothing I wouldn’t do for any of you.”
And Cody believed him.
“One other thing.”
Cody wasn’t sure he could take one more thing. “What’s that?”
“I’m having a dinner at my house a week from tomorrow to celebrate Ryan and Charlie’s upcoming wedding. Bring a date.”
