Chapter Forty-Two
Adrian
A fter Blake quickly explained the situation to her dad, he confirmed it was okay if we picked up Archie and drove him to the clinic. It wasn’t the easiest situation, considering we had three kids with us and had walked from their house.
Even though I can tell Blake doesn’t feel great about this situation—and the inevitable conversation with her dad—she switched into crisis mode easily. We agreed that she would stay with the boys, Mr. Gibson, and Archie, while I went to get my SUV. After that, she took the boys back home to get their booster seats and brought them to the clinic in her car.
Which brings us to now—Blake and I sitting in the lobby with three very bored and anxious kids. Except the most anxious of all is Blake.
From what I heard, which is only her side of the conversation, Tim had a lot of questions. Things like what was going on, but also about how Blake found herself in this position. And even though it was a coincidence, it doesn’t seem like he believes her.
He hasn’t questioned me on anything. He did, however, ask me if I could ‘have a chat with him’ after he finished with Mr. Gibson and Archie.
It’s been about forty-five minutes when a new thought pops into my overwhelmed mind. “Hey,” I speak quietly, and knock my knee against hers. Her eyes move to mine and my own emotions are written across her face. “Do we need to call Erika or Kevin?”
She shakes her head. “I called Erika on the way here. She knows where the boys are, and said she’d get them as soon as she could. I told her not to rush. It’s my fault anyway.”
“Blake,” I whisper and turn toward her. “It’s not your fault that Archie got hurt.”
She rolls her eyes but there’s no anger behind it. “I don’t mean that. I don’t need my dad to tell me that I’ve made some irresponsible choices lately. And I shouldn’t have ever asked you to help.”
“I said this last time, and I’ll say it again—you didn’t make me do anything. I’m a grown man and make my own choices, okay? I was confident that Zippy was having an allergic reaction. Today, I knew Archie needed more help than I could provide. You couldn’t have changed my mind.”
“Promise?” she utters.
“ Yes ,” I insist, trying to stay quiet. “I’d do just about anything for you, Blake, but I wouldn’t go against my own morals.”
She lets out a deep breath and nods, finally seeming to hear me on this.
A little while later, Tim walks out of the back with Mr. Gibson and Archie. The dog is walking, just sporting a new cone and a bandage around his paw. There’s a small chance he had to get surgery, although from how quickly they’re wrapping up, I believe that it’s not too serious.
They stop near us, and Tim looks toward the older man. Seeming to give him the choice in telling us what was wrong.
“The nail cracked down the middle,” Mr. Gibson says, “but Dr. Miller thinks we were able to avoid further damage by getting him here.”
Mikey lets out a sigh of relief; it’s exactly how we’re all feeling.
Until sweet, naive Luke perks up and tells Blake and me, “Good job! You guys saved two pets!”
Neither of us say anything or dare to look at anyone other than the five-year-old. I can feel Dr. Miller’s glare as he tries to work out what Luke means.
Mikey picks up on the tension—probably understanding very well when a parent is pissed at their kid. “ Luke ,” he warns his youngest brother and shakes his head.
“What?” Luke asks innocently. “They saved Zippy and then they saved Archie.”
“Stop talking,” Mikey instructs and pinches his leg.
“ Ow! Don’t pinch me.” Luke pinches his oldest brother back before hopping off his seat and moving to stand between mine and Blake’s legs. “Tell them. Your dad will be so proud of you.”
He pats Blake’s cheek, and it’s so sweet. So wholesome. She smiles at him but it’s clearly for his own sake.
“Luke, I need you to go sit with your brothers, okay?” she softly tells him, turning him toward the other two boys. Looking at me over his shoulder, he gives me a confused look.
When he gets back to his seat, Shawn leans over and whispers something in his ear. From Luke’s morphing expression, I think his brother is explaining that they’ve accidentally gotten Blake and me in trouble.
“How long until Erika or Kevin get here?” Dr. Miller asks Blake, and we both finally look up at him.
“I think in like thirty minutes.” Blake’s voice is so small I’m not sure he can hear her.
He just nods stiffly and tells us, “Stay right here and wait with the boys while I go over some things with Mr. Gibson. I want to talk to you both before either of you leave.”
“Okay,” Blake whispers.
“Yes, sir,” I tell him, sounding more confident than I feel.
He gives us a look that’s partly disappointment, but more so confusion, before walking to his office with the older man and his dog.