Pawliday Love

Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

I t had been a week since Derek’s vet visit. He had Sasha on his mind every day, going over different scenarios and what he should have said to her. Her last words to him had put ideas in his head that she still cared about him, which was silly. Why would Sasha offer him that little slice of peace when he’d been an asshole to her toward the end of their relationship? She owed him nothing and yet, she still found it in her heart to give him something to hold onto.

He never did deserve her.

Derek placed the k-cup in his coffee machine and pressed the button for the size of cup he wanted. He was up before his alarm and before Kai needed to be walked. The two of them had developed a quick and easy routine like she’d always been a part of his life. It was weird how quickly Kai fit, but he was grateful he had her. His days went from lying in bed until the pain in his body was bearable, dodging his nightmares until he couldn’t, and working out to the point he hoped it would quiet his mind.

Rinse and repeat.

He had no real sense of purpose before Kai. He felt like a ghost in corporal form. He thought his body was working a lot harder than it needed to. There was nothing left for him outside of his parents. Any friends or connections he had left in this small town had long since moved on without him and Derek had appreciated the emptiness of his life. He thought he deserved it.

Now, with Kai, he’d been filled with this sense of purpose. She got him up and out of bed this last week. If he didn’t have her, he’d still be in bed driving himself further into darkness.

The coffee machine made its hissing sound, and he waited, watching the dark liquid fill his cup. He wasn’t much of a coffee drinker but when he was with Sasha he used to enjoy the quiet mornings with her while she sipped her coffee. He would read the paper while she sipped her caffeine reading an article. It was in those moments he realized he wanted a forever with her.

Derek grabbed the paper off of the counter. His body and mind picking up old habits he thought he lost. He saw the time on the microwave and titled his head waiting to hear Kai’s paws on his floor. His apartment was still quiet and he grabbed his coffee, strolling back toward his bedroom. The closer he got the louder he heard her whimper and he rushed to see Kai shaking on the floor near his bed. He quickly squatted down beside her and called for her. He gently put his hand on her side, hoping she wouldn’t snap at him when she woke up.

Kai jumped to her feet, growling at him as she walked back toward the corner of the room. He put his coffee down and held his hands out. “Easy, girl.” He slowly sat, making sure he was level with her and not some opposing monster.

“You’re okay.” He talked to her in a soothing voice, hoping it would relax her and she would realize there was no threat here. He knew she had a hard life, he saw it the second she made herself known to him. He knew it was only a matter of time before she had a nightmare. He dealt with his own and knew how easily it was to succumb to the torment of the mind.

Derek inched closer, continuously talking to Kai, whose growling turned into a high pitched bark. His heart broke for her as a murderous rage settled in the pit of his stomach. He hated the idea that someone could hurt her so carelessly.

Kai laid down with her head on her paws. She stopped crying but her small body trembled. He kept his palms facing up and slowly rubbed the side of her head, whispering words that he hoped would put her at ease. When her face turned to lick his palm, he let out a sigh of relief and pulled her toward his body, squeezing her into him.

“You’re okay, Kai. We all have nightmares. I have them too. I know they get so intense it’s like you’re right back in that space that caused the nightmares in the first place.” The more Derek talked, the more he realized he wasn’t only putting Kai at ease, but himself too.

Kai licked his chin and Derek let out a chuckle. “We really need to get you those doggy mints, your breath is still kickin’.” Kai barked in his face and her tail was wagging now. Gone was the scared puppy who was shaking so hard he could hear her teeth rattling and back was his silly girl.

“You ready for your walk?” His voice dipped into that ridiculous sound he’d seen other people make at their pets.

He shook his head and got to his feet. Kai was right in front of him. “Alright, we have a busy day after your walk. We get to see Sasha again for a checkup and somewhere new that will require you to be on your best behavior, even though I know you will be.” His voice dipped again into that ridiculous sound he heard women talk to babies in.

“Kai, you’re killing my street cred.” As if I ever had one.

He whistled at her to tell her to go ahead of him. She ran down the hall and barked––her impatience with how slow he was moving hadn’t lessened at all in the week they’d been together.

He grabbed his coffee and Kai’s leash though he knew he wouldn’t need it. Kai was insanely well behaved. She stayed by his side and listened on command. He had zero issues training her, which pissed him off even more. Whoever her previous owners were went through a lot of trouble to train her only to dump her in the shittiest part of town during a time when temperatures went below zero.

Derek’s phone buzzed and he saw it was an email from his therapist requesting to come in an hour later instead of now. Something had come up and she wondered if he would be able to accommodate the appointment change. Derek quickly messaged back a yes and dialed Pet Haven. Tiny picked up on the second ring sounded way too chipper and pleasant.

“If I didn’t know you as well as I did, I would almost believe you were this pleasant in real life.”

“I am, just not to you. Can I help you?” She grumbled.

Derek chuckled. “Yeah, I need to change my appointment time if that’s possible? I was supposed to come in at four but can I come in earlier? If not, I can reschedule for another day.”

Tiny hummed over the phone, and he heard her typing away into the computer. “Actually, that’s perfect. We had a cancellation and you were the last appointment so we can move you up. You can come by at two.”

“I’ll see you at two.” Derek hung up and grabbed his keys.