Chapter Ten
Weeks passed, and now it was time for Hercules to get his ribs taken care of. The waiting room at Crimson Hollow Veterinary Clinic was empty, making it easier to pace uninterrupted.. Anything to keep his brain occupied while Hercules was somewhere in the back having his ribs reset.
Sonny’s feet carried him from one end of the waiting room to the other for what had to be the hundredth time.
Maybe two hundredth. He’d lost count somewhere around the forty-minute mark.
His sneakers—Reese had taken him shopping last week—squeaked against the linoleum with each turn.
The sound was annoying, but he couldn’t make himself stop moving.
Delilah whined from her position on the floor near Reese’s chair. The sound was thin and worried, tracking Sonny’s movements. She’d been making that noise since they’d taken Hercules into the surgical suite, a continuous loop of distress that made Sonny’s bunny want to bolt.
“He’s fine,” he said to her, his voice a little too high. “Dr. Sullivan is really good at this. Ryan said he’s done hundreds of these surgeries. Hercules is going to wake up and his ribs will be fixed and he’ll be able to breathe properly for the first time in weeks.”
Delilah whined again, as if unconvinced. Her tail stayed tucked against her body, her injured leg finally healed. The infection had completely cleared. But her anxiety about Hercules being separated from her was making every muscle in her body go taut.
Sonny knew exactly how she felt.
He turned at the wall and started another lap, this time worrying the hem of his shirt.
The fabric was soft, one of the new shirts Reese had insisted on buying.
It fit Sonny’s frame instead of hanging like a tent, the material a dark green that Reese had said matched his eyes.
Sonny had rolled said eyes at the comment but secretly loved his mate noticed those kind of things.
Reese sat in one of the plastic chairs near the window, his large frame making the furniture look like it belonged in a dollhouse.
His ice-blue eyes tracked Sonny’s pacing, but he didn’t comment, didn’t tell Sonny to sit down and relax.
His mate seemed to understand that sitting still right now was impossible, that Sonny needed to move or his bunny would go nuts.
“What if something goes wrong?” Sonny asked. His voice bounced off the walls, too loud in the quiet room. “What if his ribs are worse than the x-rays showed? What if he doesn’t wake up from the anesthesia? What if—”
“He’ll be fine.” Reese’s voice was reassuring. Not dismissive of Sonny’s fears but firm in his conviction. “Dr. Sullivan knows what he’s doing. Ryan’s in there assisting. Hercules is strong. He’s survived this long. He’ll survive the surgery.”
Sonny just wished he believed that. He wanted to trust the dog who’d been mistreated would make it through one more ordeal.
But his brain kept conjuring worst-case scenarios, each one more terrible than the last. Hercules not waking up.
Hercules waking up in pain. Hercules waking up and something vital being damaged beyond repair.
He turned at the wall again, his feet carrying him back across the linoleum. The squeaking sound was definitely getting annoying, but stopping felt impossible. His body needed to move, needed to burn off the adrenaline making him anxious.
Delilah whined louder, the sound cutting through Sonny’s spiraling thoughts. He looked down at her, at the way her whole body was trembling with anxiety. She needed reassurance that her companion was coming back, that she wasn’t being abandoned.
Sonny crouched beside her, his knees touching the floor.
His hand brushed over short fur. “Hey. It’s okay.
I know you miss him. I know you’re scared.
But Hercules is tough. He’s going to be fine.
Dr. Sullivan is fixing him up so he can breathe better and run around without hurting.
He’ll be back with you before you know it. ”