CHAPTER TWELVE
“About time you made it in,” Alys said when Lee walked through the back door of the clinic the next day, just after eleven.
“I sent you an email to let you know the dog had gone into labor,” Lee told her. “So you knew we were going to be late.”
She followed him into the staff room where he refilled the travel mug he’d brought from home with his first cup of coffee—which was already gone. He was still tired from the events of the night, and it was likely that extra caffeine was going to be the only thing that got him through the day.
“There’s no we,” Alys said. “Rori was here at nine, as usual.”
Lee turned to her with a frown. “She was?”
Alys nodded. “She’s looking tired, but she’s here.”
Why had she come in so early? He’d told her that Carl had agreed that they could come in later if they had to attend the delivery late at night.
“Did Cheryl come in?”
“Nope. Rori said she texted her to let her know that she didn’t need to.”
Lee didn’t like the idea that Rori had gotten so little sleep the night before. She needed to take better care of herself.
“She said everything went okay,” Alys said.
“It was a textbook birth. Five healthy puppies.”
“That’s great.”
“Do you know anyone that wants a spaniel? Two of the puppies are spoken for, but the other three aren’t.”
“I don’t, but I’ll let you know if I hear of anyone.”
“What do we have on for this afternoon?” Lee asked as they left the staff room.
She gave him a rundown on the day so far, then headed off when Carl stepped out of one of the exam rooms.
“Walk with me,” he said with a tip of his head.
Though Lee had hoped to check on Rori, he trailed the man back into the staff room. Knowing the man would want to drink his coffee at the table, Lee sat down and took a sip from his travel mug.
Once Carl had settled himself in the chair opposite Lee, he asked for a report from the night before. Lee gave one, making sure to cover all the details that Carl would want. In turn, the man shared what had gone on that morning and updated him on a few other patients he’d attended to outside of the office.
“How was Rori at the delivery?” Carl asked.
“She was fine. I warned her it might make her a bit squeamish, but she did just fine. Didn’t get in the way, but paid attention.”
“That’s good. I’m glad that she’s interested in learning more about what we do here.”
Lee was too. Since his job was a large part of his life, it made him happy that she wanted to learn more about it.
“And even after being up half the night, she was here at opening,” Carl said with a smile tugging up one corner of his mouth. “Unlike someone else.”
Lee rolled his eyes with a laugh. “Yes, I know. Alys already lectured me.”
“Anyway, I appreciate the commitment of you both.”
They chatted a few more minutes before Alys came to let them know there was a patient there for one of them to see. Carl told Lee to take care of it as he was heading out to meet his wife for lunch, then he had a horse he wanted to follow up on at one of the nearby stables.
So, instead of being able to see Rori, Lee went to meet his first patient of the day.
“Don’t forget we have the Timmons family coming in at four,” Alys said.
Lee nodded, though he’d been trying not to dwell on the purpose of the appointment. Just like with Penelope’s birth, this was a part of the cycle of life. Unfortunately, that never made it any easier.
They tried to schedule those appointments near the end of the day, so it was quiet in the clinic. Of course, they worked with the pet owner’s schedule if they preferred something else.
Carl insisted—and Lee agreed—that they do whatever they could to make the process as comfortable as possible for the pet and the owner. Nothing really made it any easier, however, but for the next little while, he’d focus on the pets who weren’t at that point in their life yet.
Since he’d been late arriving at work, the lunch hour came after his second appointment. However, when Lee went into the staff room, Rori wasn’t there.
“Is Rori still at the front?” he asked when Alys joined him.
“No. She said she needed to run an errand,” Alys said as she got her lunch from the fridge. “She’ll be back before we open again.”
Lee was disappointed, but he didn’t voice it. Instead, he sat down at the table with his lunch. It was bigger than usual, since he hadn’t had breakfast.
“I asked Rori to bring her camera when she came back,” Alys said.
“Really? Why?”
“I thought maybe the family would like one last set of photos with their cat.”
It was a good idea, but Lee hated the idea of exposing Rori to the emotion that was sure to be present in the small room they’d set up for times like that.
Sometimes they’d go to a patient’s house, but there were some families who only wanted happy memories of their pet in their home. For them, the clinic had a small cozy room set up with comfortable furniture and things that would make it a less clinical experience for the pet and its owner.
“I hope she can handle the reason she’s taking the pictures.”
“She can,” Alys said confidently. “I think she’s stronger than she looks.”
“You think so?”
Alys shrugged. “She pulled up the stakes of her life and moved here all on her own. A weak person wouldn’t have done that, especially since it seems that even though her mom is here, she isn’t helping her at all.”
Lee knew that was true. In fact, he’d thought she was strong himself.
But, selfishly, he kind of wanted her to need him. Aside from giving her a ride, she really hadn’t accepted anything he’d offered her.
It pained him to think that she was still sleeping on an air mattress, but he couldn’t exactly force her to accept what Charli had offered. He couldn’t just show up at her door with a bed.
Or could he?
He now knew where she lived, and he was sure that Charli would agree with him and let him use Blake’s truck and Blake’s muscles.
If Rori thought the bed came at Charli’s behest, she might be more likely to accept it. Especially as it would be on her doorstep.
Though he would have preferred she accept help directly from him, it was more important that she just receive help. Regardless of who it came from.
As they ate, Alys chatted about what she was going to do that weekend. Lee wasn’t all that interested, but he tried to respond appropriately. The young woman’s plans always left him exhausted.
His social life had slowed down as he neared thirty, which was another thing that had caused issues with his ex. She’d rarely wanted a quiet evening in, just the two of them watching tv or talking. Going out with friends was what she’d enjoyed more than anything. He’d enjoyed that too, just not all the time.
After living a more hectic life in Chicago, the slower pace of Serenity was welcome, even if it was almost too slow at times. None of his friends from high school were still in Serenity, so he spent most of his time with family.
Maybe once his position was secure at the clinic, and he knew for sure he’d be sticking around, he’d try to expand his social life. He just needed to get through the probationary period that they’d agreed to when he’d taken the job.
They had several appointments that afternoon, including an emergency for a dog that kept throwing up. As usual, Alys was a huge help as she did her job as a vet tech. For all that she seemed flighty at times, when it came to her position in the clinic, she was very focused.
He didn’t get a chance to talk to Rori at all, which was disappointing, but he did see her a few times. She looked tired, but still had a smile for him.
When the family came in with their elderly, cancer-ridden cat, Lee let Alys take the lead with them. She offered Rori’s services to photograph their beloved pet, and they took her up on that without hesitation.
Lee stood just outside the door, listening to the soft music that played along with the murmured conversation. Rori wasn’t saying anything, but Alys could be heard helping with the posing.
Rori looked sad, but dry-eyed when she came out of the room a short time later, clutching her camera. He wanted to talk with her so that he could make sure she was okay, but first, he had to focus on the family and their pet.
He spoke quietly with them, explaining the process and answering any questions they had. When he gave them the choice of him or Alys being in the room, or being alone, they chose to be alone.
It was a relief that they chose that because he struggled to be in the room during such a difficult event. It was part of the job, however, and he would do it if required, because he wanted to make the whole process as soothing as possible for the grieving owners.
The clinic he’d worked in previously had had far more situations like this than they did in Serenity, for which Lee was grateful. That clinic also hadn’t done as much for the pet owners. He much preferred how they did things in Serenity.
Once everything was underway, Alys lingered by the closed door to the room in case the family needed anything, while Lee went to the front to check on Rori.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he approached the reception desk.
When she looked up, her gaze still held sadness, but thankfully, she wasn’t crying. “I don’t know if I should get a cat.”
“Death is an unfortunate part of pet ownership. It’s almost a guarantee that we’ll have to say goodbye to them before we’re ready.” Lee leaned against the raised part of the desk, resting his arm on the smooth surface as he faced Rori. “The reality of life is that none of us—animal or human—are promised tomorrow. But that shouldn’t stop us from loving and caring for others, even pets.”
“But it’s so sad,” Rori said, blinking rapidly.
“It is,” Lee agreed. “And they’ll be sad for awhile. But eventually, the good memories of their pet will become stronger than the grief. I doubt they’d ever say that because of the pain of losing their pet that they wished they’d never had them.”
Rori sat with her shoulders slumped, her hands clenched in her lap. She tipped her head to look up at him. “Do you get lots of situations like this?”
“No, not lots, but it is part of what we do here, so we deal with it as best as we can.”
“I hope the pictures I took will help them in some way.”
“They will,” Lee assured her. “Maybe not right away, but one day they’ll look at them and be grateful that those last moments with their cat were captured.”
“I hope so.”
When the phone rang, Rori straightened and reached out to answer it. Lee pulled out his own phone and shot off a quick text to Charli.
Are we having pizza tonight?
He didn’t have to wait long for her response.
Charli: Yep. That’s the plan. Why?
Do you mind if I invite Rori?
Charli: Mind? Not at all. I think that’s a great idea.
She might say no, so don’t get your hopes up.
Charli: I know, but hopefully she agrees. I really like her.
Lee did too, but he didn’t tell her that. If he was being wise, he shouldn’t be inviting her to things like the family pizza night. But when it came to matters of the heart, he was rarely smart. It was a weakness that had led to more heartache than he wanted to think about right then.
However, in this case, issuing the invitation was for two reasons. Yes, it meant he could spend more time with her, but it was also for her sake. He didn’t think she had many—or any—friends in Serenity yet, and he wanted to help her change that.
When she hung up the phone, he said, “Do you like pizza?”
“Oh yes. It’s one of my favorite foods.”
“Charli hosts a pizza night most Friday nights for friends and family. We’d love it if you joined us.”
Rori’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. Charli said it was a great idea to invite you, and according to Charli, she’s never wrong.”
That brought a small smile to Rori’s face. “Your sister is nice.”
“She can be. But as her brother, I can say that at times during our life together she’s been mean. Don’t tell her I said that, though, because she’ll beat me up.”
Rori smiled, the sadness fading from her gaze. “I can’t visualize that.”
“We grew up with a never hit a girl rule, but for some reason, the reverse didn’t apply. The girls took full advantage of that sometimes.”
“And it just came out of the blue?” Rori asked, skepticism high in her voice. “You never did anything that prompted them to retaliate?”
“Well, I can’t say that. Charli got particularly upset when we’d hide the book she was reading, or if we kept knocking on the door when she was in the bathroom.”
“But you all still love each other.”
Lee nodded. “Without a doubt.”
Rori had a wistful expression on her face as she said, “That’s so nice to hear.”
“Teasing can be part of our love language for each other.”
“Love language?” Rori asked.
“Yeah. It’s the way people choose to express their love. For some people, they like to give and receive words of love or affirmation. Others like to express their love through giving gifts. There’s a whole book written on it.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“What makes you feel most special? What makes you feel loved by the people in your life?”
Rori’s face lost all expression as her gaze dropped to her hands. “I’d have to think about that. I’ve not really had those types of experiences or relationships.”
Lee’s heart clenched at her words. Was that really the case? “Not even with your family?”
She gave a shrug. “I was an inconvenience to both my mom and dad. My mom cheated on her husband with my dad. He was their pool boy. Her husband ended up divorcing her over it, so my older half brother and sister on that side blame me for what happened. They don’t… like me very much.”
Her revelation rendered Lee speechless. He knew that not every family was a happy one with healthy relationships, but it hurt his heart to think that Rori had been so rejected by the people who were supposed to love her unconditionally.
Although, for all he knew, his biological family might have been that way if he’d stayed with them.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Rori’s smile was fleeting. “It’s life. I’ve accepted it.”
“It’s their loss,” Lee told her. “They’re missing out by not having you in their lives.”
“I doubt they feel that way.”
“Well, if your biological family won’t love you, you can make a family of your own. Not every family is related by blood, and friends can step into the void.”
He knew how fortunate he was that when he couldn’t stay with his biological family, the Halversons had taken him into their home. That decision had given him a stable and loving home. He just wished that Rori had had that in her life.
“Well, come for pizza and see how wild and wacky we can be.”
“Will I be the only non-family member there?”
“Maybe,” Lee said. “But usually, Gareth’s best friends are both there too, and any other friends we’ve asked to join us.”
“Would you invite Carisa?”
Lee frowned. “Carisa?”
The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. She’d been nice enough, and it seemed that perhaps they’d meet up at church. However, she wasn’t the one he wanted to spend time with.
“No. I’m not going to invite her this time.”
“She seems really nice. I wasn’t expecting that, to be honest.”
“Well, to be honest as well, neither was I.”
“If I go to Charli’s for pizza, what can I bring?”
Lee didn’t like the if, but he wasn’t going to pressure her. “You don’t have to bring anything. It’s super casual. We have pizza, salad, and dessert. If you like something special to drink, you could bring that.”
“Special?”
“Like a certain type of soda or juice you like.”
“Oh. No, whatever’s there would be fine.”
“So do you think you’ll come?” Lee asked.
“What time?”
“Usually, people just come after they’re done work, and we eat once everyone is there.”
He could see she hadn’t made up her mind, and he wasn’t sure if there was anything he could say to convince her.
When someone came in the front door, Lee stepped away from the desk so Rori could do her job. There were often a handful of people stopping by right before the clinic closed, after they’d finished their workday, to pick up food, treats, or other things the clinic kept stocked.
As he walked down the hallway, Alys stepped out of the room and gave him a sad smile, saying without words that it was over. He waited in the hallway with her until the family came out. He spoke to them briefly, then walked them to the front door, while Alys returned to the room to do what she needed to after appointments like that one.
Lee dragged a hand down his face and let out a long breath. Instead of returning to the back of the clinic, he went to the shelter side of the building.
Sometimes, after the passing of a pet, he liked to go visit the animals who had faced an uncertain future and ended up with them.
The sound of dogs barking greeted Lee as he walked through the door into the shelter.
Evan Johnson sat at the desk, ready to take over for the weekend. Lee wondered why the man was willing to devote so much time to the shelter by always taking over the night and weekend shifts. But Evan had a stoic nature that didn’t invite questions. He was always polite, but anything beyond surface conversation seemed to be a no-go zone.
Even Alys, with her smiles and chattiness, couldn’t break through the reserve of the man. From his appearance, Lee thought Evan was around his age, but he seemed much older in spirit.
Lee greeted him, then headed to where their newest arrivals were. A mom had been abandoned shortly after she gave birth, so now they had her and six puppies to hopefully find homes for.
He took the time to pet and cuddle with each puppy while checking them over. These puppies were three weeks old and full of energy.
As he watched them interact with each other and their mom, he thought of Carisa and her offer of a puppy. He wondered if he could convince anyone in the family to take one. Or maybe he should get another one.
“Everything’s set,” Alys said, interrupting his thoughts.
Lee turned to face her. “Thanks for always taking care of things.”
“I don’t mind. I feel it’s important to do it for the owners.”
“Will Rori send the pictures to you, so you can forward them on to the owners?”
Alys nodded. “I think it was a good idea—if I may say so—to have Rori take some pictures. The family seemed to appreciate it.”
Lee was glad to hear that, but he wasn’t sure it was good for Rori. Now that she’d done it once, she might decide she couldn’t handle it emotionally. And if that was the case, he’d support her if she didn’t want to do it anymore.
“Anyway, I’m off. Hope you have a good weekend.”
“You too.”
He looked back at the mother and puppies before following Alys out of the room. The clinic was officially closed, so the lights in the reception area were turned off, and everything was quiet as they walked toward the back of the clinic.
Alys gave him a quick wave before disappearing out the back door, apparently off to get ready for the date she’d told him about at lunch. It was the kick-off to her busy weekend.
“So have you decided?” Lee asked when he spotted Rori in the staff room with her backpack. “Are you going to grace us with your presence?”
“You make me sound like royalty.”
Lee chuckled. “Maybe you are.”
She rolled her eyes at him as she looped one strap of her backpack over her shoulder. “I guess I will.”
“Perfect. You can come straight over, or if you need to go home, just come over when you’re ready.”
“I think I’d like to swing by my place first,” she said.
Lee sent her a text with Charli’s address. “If you get lost, give me a call, and I’ll come get you.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a bit.”
“What type of pizza do you like?”
“I’m good with the usual ones. Cheese. Pepperoni. Any of them are fine, really.”
“Perfect.”
Lee couldn’t keep from smiling as they walked out the back door to where their cars were parked. “See you soon.”
He couldn’t quite believe that Rori had agreed, but Lee was so glad she had. It seemed that his heart had finally won over his brain.
At least for the moment.
Maybe he’d wise up, but he wouldn’t really be mad if he didn’t.