Puppy Love, Volumes 1 to 13 Page 3

  Once or twice the pup drew back from him, but in general he let the vet look and poke at him without any problems.

  "You have a way with animals it seems," Beth said, softly, not wanting to disturb him or upset the puppy.

  "Yeah, I'm better with them than humans most times." He smiled at her for a brief moment before turning his attention back to the puppy.

  Finally, he set the puppy down with one last pat to his head and stood to face her.

  "Well, it's a good thing you found him when you did. I doubt he would've made it through the night. As you can guess, he's malnourished, his coat's a mess, he probably has worms and a few other nasty things from living wild, but overall he's in pretty good health. I don't see anything that requires us to take him in tonight, but I would like to see him in the office tomorrow. I'll clean up his paws and coat a bit right now, but just keep him warm, get him plenty of water, and let him eat anything he wants and we'll deal with the rest in the morning."

  Beth let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't even realized how scared she was that something would be seriously wrong. "Thank you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."

  He smiled. "My pleasure. Just glad I could help. Do you have any supplies for dogs, by the way?"

  She shook her head. "Last time we had a dog, I was ten."

  "Well, then, good thing I brought this with me." He hefted a large cloth grocery bag in his hand. "Let's see…what do we have? Some dog food. It's for sensitive stomachs, so should be fine for the pup. We'll get him set up with puppy food tomorrow. A little doggie shampoo. I wouldn't recommend using it now, but for later. A water bowl. A couple chew toys. Another blanket if you want it."

  Beth stared, her mouth hanging open as he continued to unload his bag of goodies. "Are you sure? What do I owe you for all this?"

  "Nothing. You rescued the poor little guy. Least I can do is lend a hand."

  She stared at the puppy who was now snoring softly, snuggled deep in the folds of the blanket. "Do you think he has an owner?"

  He frowned for a minute. "Do you want to keep him?"

  She paused. She really hadn’t thought about it. She was supposed to work another grueling day tomorrow, but when he'd said the pup would need to come into the office, she hadn't even hesitated to agree. "I think I do," she finally said.

  He shrugged. "Then keep him. If you see flyers and a little crying kid running around asking for her puppy, then deal with it at that point. But, my experience? That pup's been on his own for a while. At least a couple of weeks. I think you can be pretty sure that no one's going to come looking for him."

  She frowned as she stared at the puppy again.

  "Hey, their loss is your gain, right? And his, too, I'd think."

  She nodded, still wondering who could abandon such a cute little guy like that. Sometimes she just didn't get people.

  "So, when should I bring him by tomorrow?" she asked.

  "Whenever you want. I'll let the front desk staff know you're coming."

  "Thank you again." She smiled at him, once again struck by how beautiful and kind his eyes were.

  "You're welcome. See you tomorrow."

  She listened as he made his way back up the stairs and closed the door to his apartment. He must live on the third floor, either directly above her or across the hall. What a small world.

  * * *

  Beth decided to name the puppy Shadow.

  That first night wasn't easy. Shadow slept for about an hour before waking up whimpering and scratching at the tub. She didn't want to take him outside, not with his paws the way they were and the weather being so miserable, so she set him down on a pile of newspaper she'd arranged in the other corner of the bathroom. He used the papers like a champ, but then she had to figure out what to actually do with them.

  And then she had to entertain a crying, sad little puppy who didn't want to play, didn't want to sleep, and didn't want her to touch him.

  Finally, he dropped back asleep an hour after that and slept for a whole two hours before repeating the whole thing again.

  By the time morning rolled around, Beth was exhausted. But she was also in love with the little ball of fur. He was so cute and helpless. And he clearly had a personality even as hurt as he was.

  She called in sick to work, not caring for a moment what her boss thought about it.

  * * *

  She took Shadow into the vet's around ten. She didn't want to get there too early, but she did want to get Shadow in as soon as possible.

  Dr. Russ was as kind and wonderful as he'd been the night before. He was dressed in jeans and t-shirt with a lab coat thrown over the top of it, but his eyes were just as kind and mesmerizing as the night before. And he had a kind smile, too. Soft and generous.

  Shadow 's tail and whole butt started wagging with excitement the minute he saw Dr. Russ and he gave a small yip of greeting.

  Dr. Russ laughed, scooping Shadow up and sat on the floor playing gently with him for a minute before starting the exam.

  Beth didn't know what all they did to the pup, but by the time they left the vet's office each paw was wrapped in a bandage and half his fur had been shaved off. They tried to put one of those big plastic collars on him, but Shadow panicked and ran into the wall, so Dr. Russ said not to bother with it.

  He also gave her eyedrops, skin ointments, and pills for Shadow.

  "I know, it's a lot. But the poor guy was in pretty rough shape," he said, ruffling the hair on Shadow's head. "He should sleep most of the time for the next few days."

  And that's exactly what he did for the rest of the day. Slept two hours, woke up and peed, went back to sleep, woke up, ate and peed, went back to sleep.

  Beth put him next to her on the couch and he fell asleep, one little puppy paw touching her leg.

  She stared down at Shadow, his lips twitching as he dreamt, and smiled. She couldn't believe it had only been one day and already her heart was his.

  She called work and told them she wasn't going to be in the next day either. Family emergency. At least now she'd have three days before she had to leave the poor guy alone. She still didn't know what she'd do come Monday, but she figured something would work itself out.

  Or she could just quit. She had some savings.

  * * *

  Around six, someone knocked on her door. Beth never had visitors, but she answered it, curious to see who it was. It was Dr. Russ. "Hope you don't mind?" he asked, smiling. "I wanted to see how he's doing."

  Beth smiled. "Not at all. Please, come in. Are you hungry? I just finished cooking dinner. There's plenty for both of us."

  Dr. Russ hesitated.

  "Please. It's the least I can do to pay you back for all the help." He hadn't charged her for the medicines or vet visit earlier in the day.

  "Okay, sure. Thank you." He stood in the middle of the living room, looking awkward.

  "Here. I'll take your coat. Go sit with Shadow and I'll dish us up some food. Hope you like stir fry."

  He handed her his coat. "I like anything that doesn't come from a microwave or fast-food place."

  She grabbed a couple of coffee trays and set them on either side of Shadow where he slept on the couch. "I don't have a table, sorry."

  "No worries. This is fine." He smiled at her shyly.

  Beth and Dr. Russ spent the next hour talking and laughing as Shadow snoozed between them, his little gauze-wrapped paws twitching in time with his eyelids. When the pup finally woke up, Dr. Russ checked each paw, applying more salve and rewrapping them before leaving for the night. He also showed her a trick for putting eye drops in the pup's eyes, something she'd despaired of ever managing herself.

  Beth stared at the door after he'd left realizing that this had probably been the most enjoyable night she'd had in a long time.

  * * *

  Dr. Russ dropped by after work the next day, too, and Beth insisted on feeding him again. This time he ran upstairs and came back with a dusty bottle of wine.

 
"I have to contribute something, you know," he said with an embarrassed shrug.

  "Thank you. That's very kind, but you've done so much for us that I don't know how I can ever repay you."

  They spent two hours talking and laughing, Shadow contentedly sleeping between them.

  When Shadow woke up, Dr. Russ was kind enough to take him outside for a quick walk.

  "He's doing much better," he said as he brought the puppy back inside.

  "Yeah. I just worry what I'm going to do with him on Monday. I called in sick to work this week, but I can't keep doing that or I'll get fired. But the thought of leaving him in a cage the whole day while I'm gone…"

  Shadow settled down in the middle of the living room and started chewing on his teething ring.

  "I'll take him."

  "What?" Beth crossed her arms angrily. She didn't want to give Shadow up. She loved him. "I didn't say I want to get rid of him."

  Dr. Russ held his hands up as if to ward off a blow. "Not take him forever, just take him for the day. I leave for work at seven every morning. If you leave before that, then you can drop him off with me before you go. If you leave after that, I'll pick him up on my way out the door. The girls in the office will love looking after him."

  "Are you sure? I work some pretty long hours."

  "I'm sure."

  * * *

  So Beth and Dr. Russ's experiment in co-parenting a puppy began. Each morning, Dr. Russ picked Shadow up on his way to work and each evening Beth took him back when she returned home. She made sure to be home by six each night even though her boss was pissed about it.

  And each night when she picked up Shadow, Beth and Dr. Russ ended up talking for at least a half an hour, if not more.

  It was the best week of Beth's life even with the lack of sleep, a teething puppy to entertain, and an angry boss who accused her of slacking off.

  But by the second week, the cracks started to show. Not with Dr. Russ. He was amazing and fantastic and always willing to help. And not with Shadow. He was a puppy, so not always easy, but so cute she could never be mad at him.

  No, the problem was work. The problem was always work. She'd fallen so far behind on her projects that she didn't know how she was going to catch up. Well, she knew what she'd have done in the past. Work longer hours. Come in all weekend.

  She sat on Dr. Russ's couch, a glass of wine in one hand, petting Shadow as he snoozed next to her with the other, and said, "I don't know what I'm going to do."

  "If you need to work later a few nights, I can watch Shadow." Dr. Russ smiled at her with his kind eyes and she knew he meant it.

  She shook her head. "That's the thing. I don't want to. I miss this little guy so much when I'm at work." She took a deep breath, suddenly realizing what she had to do. "I'm going to quit. A friend of mine called a few weeks back and offered me a chance to work for her. She said I could work from home if I wanted. At the time, I didn't want to do it. But now…" She nodded to herself. "I'm going to quit."

  And she did. The next day she gave her boss her two week's notice.

  He fired her and called security to have them escort her from the building.

  Beth was thrilled. They paid her for the two weeks, so she wasn't out any money. And she'd been secretly dreading the thought of working while Shadow was back home growing into a healthy, happy puppy.

  * * *

  Beth drove by the vet's office as soon as she left work.

  "Beth. What are you doing here?" Dr. Russ asked, clearly surprised, when she walked through the door.

  "I got fired today," she said, unable to keep the smile from her face. "I figured I'd pick up Shadow now."

  "Oh. Okay. Well, Lacey can get him ready for you." Dr. Russ glanced at the crowded waiting room. "I'm glad things worked out the way you wanted them to. I better get back to my patients."

  He turned and walked into the back of the vet clinic. Beth watched the swinging door, wondering why she suddenly felt so sad.

  The thought only lasted for a moment until Lacey led Shadow around the corner and he jumped up on her legs, wagging his entire body in excitement.

  "Hey there, buddy." She picked him up and laughed as he licked her face.

  * * *

  By eight o'clock, Beth was wondering if she's made a huge mistake. Shadow wouldn't stop crying. She tried walking him, but he only went as far as the stairs before sitting down and refusing to move. She tried playing with him, but he ignored every toy she offered. She tried to pet him and he nipped at her.

  She was at her wit's end. Six hours and nothing she did could calm him down.

  Finally, in an act of desperation, she called Dr. Russ.

  "Hello?" he asked, sounding tired.

  "Dr. Russ. It's Beth. Are you home? Do you think you could come downstairs? Something's wrong with Shadow."

  "Sure. Be down right away."

  She listened as she heard the slam of a door and someone running down two flights of stairs. She didn't even wait for Dr. Russ to knock, she just opened the door.

  "Where is he? What's wrong?"

  At the sound of Dr. Russ's voice, Shadow let out a yip and ran to him, wiggling and happy. Dr. Russ sat down on the floor, letting the puppy climb all over him, laughing as Shadow licked his face.

  Beth watched them and sighed.

  Dr. Russ looked up at her. "I thought you said something was wrong."

  "I thought something was. He's been crying ever since I brought him home. Nothing would calm him down. Seems he just wanted you."

  Dr. Russ smiled and rolled Shadow around, playing with him. "Did you miss me, buddy? Did ya?"

  Beth watched them playing, biting her lip.

  After a few minutes, Dr. Russ looked up. "What's wrong, Beth? Are you okay?"

  She shook her head and gestured at him and Shadow who was now half-asleep in his lap. "Clearly he'd rather be with you."

  Dr. Russ laughed. "Oh, you say that now. But every morning when I pick him up, he cries for half an hour."

  She sat down next to him. "He does? Why didn't you tell me?"

  "Because I knew it was hard enough for you to leave him every day. I didn't want to make you feel any worse about it." Dr. Russ glanced at her quickly before looking away again.

  "Oh."

  Dr. Russ put Shadow in his dog bed. "Don't worry. He'll adjust. You're a great puppy mom."

  She bit her lip and stood, arms cross tight across her chest. "I hope you're right."

  They stood there awkwardly, the easy camaraderie of the last two weeks gone.

  Dr. Russ wiped his hands nervously down the front of his pants. "Um, uh. I’m really bad at this, Beth, so, um, forgive me if I make a hash of it." He looked at her and away again. "Um…I've really come to like you in the last couple of weeks. And…I really enjoy spending time with you. So, I was wondering if maybe we could, I don't know…have a dinner date one of these nights? I'm not a great cook, but I can make a decent steak and potatoes. And you're welcome to bring Shadow with you and feel free to say no if you want. I'm sorry to put you on the spot like this it's just that…"

  Beth interrupted. It seemed the only way to stop his babbling. "You really want to go out with me?"

  He shrugged. "Out. In. I'd just like to keep spending time with you." He blushed as he glanced at her again.

  "Really?" She stared into his kind eyes, amazed that he liked her.

  "Really."

  Beth had to force herself not to dance around the room. "I'd like that."

  "You would?"

  "Absolutely." She laughed from pure joy. "Do you want to stay for a bit?" she asked, gesturing towards the couch.

  "Yeah, sure."

  They spent the next two hours sitting side-by-side on the couch, holding hands and talking, Shadow sound asleep in his bed, his little feet twitching in happy puppy dreams. It was the first of many happy nights together. Beth may have rescued Shadow that cold night, but he'd rescued her, too.

  Puppy Love Chance Meeting

&
nbsp; Jessica rolled out of bed before she even registered the fact that she was awake. After three weeks she'd become conditioned to jump the minute she heard Baxter's small little puppy yip. Even if it was—she glanced at the clock on her way towards the living room—two forty-five in the morning.

  As she yawned and wiped the sleep from her eyes, Baxter, fifteen pounds of soft black fur and intense green eyes, trailed along behind her making small crying noises.

  "I'm moving, I'm moving," she mumbled.

  She fastened his leash to his collar, grabbed the bag with her flashlight and poop bags from the closet door, and was outside in less than a minute.

  Good thing, too, because Baxter made it about two inches onto the grass before he started to pee.

  She'd learned the hard way that when a puppy wakes up in the middle of the night you get him outside immediately. Thankfully, Baxter was a champ and made sure to wake her when he needed to go out.

  "You're a smart one, aren't you, buddy?" she said, reaching down to scratch behind his ears. He wagged his tail as if he really understood what she said.

  The wind picked up and Baxter forgot she was even there as he ran around chasing every leaf that flew by, jerking the leash first one way and then another as he pounced and bit at each one.

  She laughed, delighting in the way he chased around with reckless abandon. He ran after one leaf too fast for her to keep up, and pulled up short at the end of the leash, sitting down on his bottom with a little harrumph. He glanced back at her accusingly.

  She glanced around at the apartment buildings surrounding the courtyard. No one was in sight on any of the staircases or balconies and not even one light was on in any of the apartments.

  The courtyard between the buildings was the size of a small baseball field, easily large enough to keep Baxter contained.