2. Sawyer
Today,which had started on a good note, was quickly going sideways, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.
When Gramps called to say he’d almost shot an intruder and scared a woman to death, I thought the worst. The old man had finally cracked for sure. But oh no, he’d been spot on. I’d come through the side gate, not sure what would greet me, to find a woman on the ground, a dog laying on top of her, a young man cowering under the strain of Gramps’ shotgun, and sirens in the distance.
My brother and a few men from his unit filed in after I did. I guess Gramps had called in all of his champions. That told me, he was worried he was in trouble.
I rushed to the woman on the ground and felt for a pulse. Thankfully, she wasn’t actually dead. She’d just fainted, or so I hoped. She was pale, her heart rate was excessive, and all the while, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
She was gorgeous. Busty, curvy, long brown curly hair, and when she came around, those piercing hazel eyes burned right through me. It had been nothing for me to scoop her up and sit her on the porch. That had to be more comfortable than the ground anyway. Her dog was once again in her face. I watched, riveted, as she took treats from her pocket and rewarded the dog.
I got it then. This was no ordinary dog; she was a service animal. Mrs. Sheila confirmed it with her questioning. I had never been so glad to see EMT’s before. I was sure Gramps felt the same. He was a grumpy old coot, but he had a good heart. He’d grown up in this town. His family has been here, in Sweetwater, for generations. Gramps’ family has owned and run the local dentist office since before he was born. That’s a long time. Now it was in my capable hands. An honor I was proud to hold for him.
When Chris started to ask her questions, or better yet, interrogate her like any of this was possibly her fault, something inside of me sparked. I pushed my way to stand before her, my gaze locked on the deputy. He might be a friend, but if he upset her anymore, it might be me going to jail today.
“Christopher, back up and leave the girl alone,” Mrs. Sheila scolded him before turning back to the woman. “You should go to the hospital and get checked out.”
“I have a job to do. I need to know why she was here,” he grumped.
“No, really. I’m okay. I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“She mentioned a ball for her dog. I think this is it?” Tripper called out.
I turned to see him holding a pink ball up for all to see.
“Well, that sure as hell ain’t mine.” Gramps shrugged.
There were so many side-talks happening at once that I was getting lost. That is until she spoke again. My full attention landed on her. She sat there looking worried, her skin still pale.
“I threw it…it went over, and I came to get it. I’m so-sorry. I should have asked.”
I moved a step back, resting a hip against the porch beside her. “None of this is your fault. Seems you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Your heart rate is still elevated with this stress. I think you should go home and lay down, let yourself come down from the panic and let Jersey take care of you,” Mrs. Sheila suggested, putting her stethoscope back into her bag. “If you start to feel light-headed, get a headache, go to the hospital.”
“I’ll be okay, thank you.”
“Anytime, honey. Now, if you’ll sign this saying that you refused a ride to the hospital, we will get out of your hair.”
With the clipboard handed back to her, Mrs. Sheila and her partner for the day headed back around the house.
“Now, how about you tell us why you were back here again. All of it.”
Chris was pushing his luck.
Paul and Tripper wore matching scowls that they directed at him.
“Are you dense?” Gramps asked, pulling my attention back to him. “The poor girl was here for her dog’s ball. She had nothing to do with that punk trying to take my TV. Damn Ellis boys have no respect for anyone. I’d like to put them over my knee. They might remember manners if their mama would pretend to parent them.”
He went on about kids today. It was something we heard over and over again. There was no changing the lines that each generation had. He was right though; some of these kids needed a good spanking. But parents were afraid to look at them wrong for fear of devilishness that would follow. God forbid someone disciplined a kid. If they had no home training, how did you expect them to make it out in the big, scary world, on their own?
Chris seemed to deflate. He’d gotten himself all worked up and now, he couldn’t get enough steam to keep going.
“Look, ma’am, I apologize if I came off a bit strong. I?—”
“Hey, stop while you’re ahead, man. You were a dick; let’s just move on,” Paul said, cuffing his shoulder. “Take that little grass stain and book him. Gramps will?—”
“Speak for himself. Don’t forget your place, boy.”
“Gramps, Paul,” I interjected. “Not now.” I turned back to the beauty. “Are you okay, really?” I asked, my gaze taking her in fully. Those hazel eyes held so much, and yet, they gave nothing away.
“I will be. I, um…I have anxiety and a little PTSD. That’s why I have Jersey here. She helps keep me from embarrassing myself in public…usually.”
“Hey, nothing to be embarrassed about,” I said, meaning it. “A few of us in this yard have a little PTSD of our own. No judgment.”
“Some of us more than others,” Paul countered. “Nothing you can do to keep the episodes from happening, so you have to adapt and work with them. It’s easier said than done. I know.”
Gramps came closer, resting a hand on her shoulder. The simple, kind touch seemed to ease some of her stiffness. “You’re welcome to come in here anytime you need. I don’t mind. I know how much a toy means to a pup, and we don’t want her stressed out when she has a very important job to do.”
“Thank you… I’ve not been over to introduce myself. I’m a coward. Sorry. I’m Denver Rhoades. My aunt used to live in my house. I’ve not been here since I was a little girl.”
“Denver, it’s very nice to meet you. I’m Carl, or you can call me Gramps, most of the youngins around here do. I just moved in with my grandson here. Apparently, an old man can have no peace.”
I barked out a laugh. “What he means is, his eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. Plus, this way, I know he’s in a safe place.”
The old house where the dental firm was located was literally falling apart. It was past unsafe. I couldn’t let him stay in that place, not a chance. I was lucky to have found this house for sale at a decent price. It had enough room for us both to have space, and Gramps had a huge yard to piddle in. He and my late Gran could spend hours every day out in the yard. If they weren’t planting flowers, they were making garden beds. It was their hobby of love.
“Well, anytime you need anything, just give me a holler.”
She hopped down off the porch. I instinctively reached for her. She gave me a soft smile. “I’m good, thank you.”
I nodded and stepped back.
“Deputy, all I can tell you about what happened is, I came to get Jersey’s ball, and as I reached for it, that kid came barreling out of the house. He tripped on his own feet and hit the ground hard. There was no time to react before Carl came out and took charge.” She shrugged. “Now, if you will excuse me…I have to get back to the house. I have work to do.”
“If there is anything else, I will let you know. Thank you, ma’am.”
She nodded at Chris, gave us a little wave, and took off across the yard at a steady pace, her faithful dog at her side; focusing fully on her mistress.
When she was out of the yard, I scrubbed a hand over my face and turned to Chris.
“Get that kid out of here, will ya?”
“On it. I’ll need you to come to the station to sign a complaint, Mr. Blake.”
“Tomorrow, it’s lunch time.” Gramps went back into the house.
My brother and I shared a look before he spoke. “Let’s be thankful no one got shot today. Yeah?”
“Yeah, for sure. I’ll see you guys later.”
Chris walked off with the kid toward the front of the house where his patrol car waited.
What a day.
I couldn’t decide—flowers or a pie? Which said, I’m sorry my grandfather scared you the other day? And would it say, I can’t stop thinking about you…
I was hopeless. But seriously, in my wildest dreams, I’d never expected to run across someone who would have such a hold on me. She had no idea either; that made it a little weird for me. I didn’t want to be a creeper.
I walked through the market, looking over the shelves, only having a few things in my buggy so far. Gramps had asked me to get a pizza for tonight. He wasn’t feeling the need to cook. His words. I offered to cook, but as I figured, he’d said, “No, just grab a pizza, boy.” So that was what I was going to do. It was Friday, after all, and it had been one helluva week to boot. The calmness of a simple dinner was much needed.
I looked at the cans of vegetables, an idea sparking for next weekend. I could get kidney and black beans and make a big pot of chili. No one would turn their nose up at that. Or I could pull out the Blackstone and cook up a mess of meat, and we could do tacos.
I’d make a list for next week and do tacos then. For now, I would stick to my original plan. Barbecued chicken with asparagus, potatoes, and pasta salad. It was the only way I’d get the old man to eat his veggies, I swear. He’d get out of eating anything remotely healthy if I’d let him. Don’t get me wrong, the man was grown. He made his own choices. Ran his house how he saw fit. As he liked to remind me, it was he who used to change my pamper, not the other way around.
His appetite—well, everything—changed a few years ago after my Gran passed. He just wanted to eat what he wanted, do what he wanted, and for us to let him be. For the most part, that was what we did. He might be seventy-two, but he wasn’t dead yet; he was going to live his life the way he saw fit. Again, those were his words.
This was his circus; we were just his dancing monkeys.
I chuckled to myself as I reached for a bottle of ketchup. I would be pulling out the grill and cooking up a feast for my brother, his teammates, and of course, me and Gramps tomorrow. The guys were coming up, the first of many trips, to help fix up the back of the house. The porch was nice but small. It needed to be at least a ten by ten, though we could probably get away with a twelve by ten.
When the family was together, Gramps needed room for us all. My brother and I might be his only blood family, but the men on my brother’s team were all his grandkids too. There would be a spot made for a fire pit with seating. A place to sit back with a beer, tell stories, and let life be good for a while.
We all lived lives full of chaos. The Military did a lot of good things for me, but I’d also done a lot of things—saw things—that I could never forget. I’d already had my degree in business management; I had plans to help Gramps with his business stuff while I went back to school for dentistry the following January. I needed to live a little before going back. College was hard, y’all. Real hard.
I was nothing if not determined though. I wanted to follow in Gramps’ footsteps, be the man who could provide for my future family. Then 9-11 happened, and my gears shifted. That Tuesday the entirety of the world saw a change happen before their eyes.
My brother and his friends were on the front lines, fighting to keep not only our family safe, but the nations. I was in the recruiter’s office with my mind made up two days later.
From there, I did what was asked of me, worked my fingers until they bled some days, and when the smoke cleared some, I used the GI Bill to go back to college. Five years later, I had my degree and felt extremely proud of everything that I’d accomplished.
I liked to joke in the beginning that I’d gone from wielding a gun to a drill.
Not sure which was more terrifying; guess that depended on the person you were with.
Personally, I’d rather face down a loaded gun.