3. Denver
In the last few weeks,life has gone from loneliness and isolation to easy companionship with a sweet old friend.
My neighbor, who I admittedly feared—unconsciously avoided—has become a part of my daily, outside life. If that made sense. When I’d go out to let Jersey have her off time, he would come out and open his gate, allowing her to have free reign of his yard as well. He also hoarded treats in his pockets.
Like right now, he was spoiling her, and to be honest, I didn’t mind. When she’s out here, off duty, just playing that is. If she were in her vest, and it was time to work, that would not be allowed. We have had many discussions on that. Thankfully, Carl, and his son Sawyer, understood my needs and what it was that Jersey did for me.
Looking at my watch, I made a face. “We need to head in; I have to go meet my agent in a half hour.” My new agent was kind of a dick. The usual person I met with, Lacey DuPree, was out on maternity leave, so they had Dylan something or another filling in for her. He’s rude, a little demanding, and honestly, he gave me Hannibal Lecter vibes.
“Okay, you girls be careful. Don’t forget you’re coming over for dinner tomorrow. Everyone will be here. The boys are coming to build a ramp on the side entrance, so once I have my surgery, I can get in and out easily.”
I hugged him and nodded. “We will be here, no worries. Need help getting back inside?”
“No, no, no fussing over an old man.” He shewed me away with a grin.
Laughing to myself, I shut the gate and headed back across the yard. I had enough time to change my shoes, get Jersey some water and into her vest before we walked out the front door.
My backpack, which I carried everywhere, had emergency items for myself and Jersey. Water bottles, snacks, chargers, my iPad, wallet—it was basically my purse and her doggie bag. Treats, food, and a toy for those down times we could get. I got her up into her doggie seat, strapped her in, and then got into the car.
The Texas sun was high in the sky, and the heat was just gross. But, on the other hand, it could always be worse.
I arrived at the address I was sent and raised a brow. I wasn’t mad at his choice of destinations. Whataburger meant I could stuff my face on his dime. We were on the busier side of town. There were people everywhere. Between the hospital, Walmart and the dozens of food places and stores, it was a bit nuts.
I found a parking spot, unhooked Jersey, and grabbed our bag. With her at my side, I clasped her leash on, and we set off to the Whataburger.
The smell of cooking meat and fries made my mouth water. There was no way I was sitting through a meeting before eating. With my mind made up, my stomach immediately started to growl. I was careful when entering, as it was rather busy, and skirted around the people trying to leave. Jersey stayed pressed against my leg, her eyes never leaving me. She really was a good girl.
I stood in line, my eyes going up to the board. When it was my turn, I smiled at the young lady behind the counter.
“Welcome to Whataburger, what can I get you?”
“Hi. Can I get a double Whataburger with a large fry and a small Dr Pepper float? And a medium sweet tea, please?”
“Anything else?”
“Oh, yes, can I get a brownie, too?”
“Sure. Is that everything?”
At my nod, she rang it up, and I handed her a twenty. I took my change and my cups and moved to the drink station. I got my iced tea and stood to the side waiting. When the order came up, I moved to grab the tray. Finding a table was easy, thankfully, but my peace didn’t last long. My cell rang, and Dylan’s name popped up on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Denver, it’s Dylan Longfellow. Where are you? Our meeting was supposed to start ten minutes ago.”
I looked around and frowned. “I’m at Whataburger, where you said to meet.”
“I gave you the address for Subway.” He sighed.
I looked out the window and down the street. I knew where that was, but he would have to wait a bit. “Give me a few minutes to get myself oriented then. But I am at the address you gave me.”
“If you can’t be here in the next ten minutes?—”
“Look, I don’t want to be rude, but the deal is, you need me; I don’t need you. So you can either wait there or come here. I will also be sure to let Lacey and Mr. Gregory know how helpful you’ve been.”
I ended the call and got settled into a booth. Jersey went under the table and laid down while I unwrapped my burger. That first bite always hit just right. The juicy beef, the cheese, the bacon. Heaven in my mouth. I sat there enjoying my food for a good five minutes before a younger child came up and pointed at Jersey.
“Doggie. Mommy! Doggie!”
“Yes, sweetheart. I see the doggie. Come on, let’s go.”
I smiled at them and was thankful they hadn’t asked to pet her. When she was working, that was never going to happen. Though sometimes kids didn’t listen and had to be pulled away. Jersey was good at evading when she needed to be.
I was on the last bite of my burger when another kid came toward the booth I was in.
“Pretty dog, can I pet it?”
“Thank you, but no. She’s working.”
He frowned but nodded. “Okay, thanks anyway.”
With the paper of my burger in my hand, I took the last bite of fries. Man, that was good. I’d eaten it all entirely too fast. But it was worth it. I stood, put all of my trash on the tray, ready to take my float and go, when a pissed off woman barged her way toward me. Jersey pushed against my leg, her body blocked between my leg and the booth seat.
“Why are you such a rude bitch? You have a dog in here and won’t let my kid pet it?”
I rolled my eyes, picked up the tray, and moved to the trash bin. I dumped the trash, picked up my float, and made my way toward the side entrance. I really disliked rude people, and getting into an argument with an unhinged Karen was not on my agenda today.
“You hear me talking to you? Are you deaf? Hey, bitch, don’t walk away from me. Let him pet your mangy dog.”
That stopped me in my tracks. I spun on my heel and held out a hand.
“First off, you need to learn how to speak to people like you have sense. Second, I told him he could not pet her because she was working. Now, if you will excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”
I walked away, letting her yell obscenities. I really didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with her right now. I got to my car and unlocked it.
“In.” Jersey jumped into the seat and sat. I pulled out her water bottle, filled up her travel bowl, and intended to let her get some cool water in her. What ended up happening was my car door was shut around me, and the woman from inside was trying to squish me. She was calling me every name except the one the government gave me.
I used the water bottle to squirt her in the face. Her shocked yell was accompanied by her wiping at her face like a maniac. With a quick shift of my hips, I used my butt to push back against the door, pushing her back further. She stumbled, fell, and laid sprawled on the ground for about ten seconds. Her screaming intensified, and for a moment, the world around me spun.
I saw myself falling to the ground. Blood covering my hands.
Jersey barked, jumped up on me. I stumbled back, my heart rate spiking. Replaying that night—images of being trapped by a body larger than mine. Fighting to get free. Pain. His rage filled my head.
He was here again. I was going to die.
The attacks always came out of nowhere.
It was always my fault.
Crying. Whining. Warmth on my face. I tried to breathe—my lips were going numb.
Walking to grab lunch had seemed like a great idea. In theory, it was. In reality though, it wasn’t.
I’d been on the way to grab a chicken sandwich from Wendy’s when a commotion across the street drew me closer. I heard screaming and went to see if someone was hurt. We didn’t have a lot of violence here like you had in the larger cities, but there were assholes everywhere.
A familiar bark drew me around a few parked cars, and that’s when I saw her. Denver was laying slumped to the ground, her lips turning blue.
“Denver!”
Jersey was laying across her, whining, her tongue licking at her mistress’s pale cheeks. I hurried to her side, my fingers going to her neck.
“You,” I called to a woman standing by her car, panic written all over her face. “Call 9-1-1. Now.”
“Hey. Hey, sweetheart. Stay with me, Denver.”
With a quick jerk on her pant leg, I had her straight out on the ground. Her heart was racing, but she wasn’t breathing.
“What happened here?”
“That bitch attacked me!”
“Officer, I saw it all. This woman slammed her into her car with the door.”
I tuned out everyone around me, my focus solely on Denver. What did I know? She suffered from PTSD, panic attacks, and anxiety. I let the years of training flow through me. I knew what needed to be done, so I just did it. My fist came down against her chest with a hard thwack. She sucked in a lungful of air and started to cough. That would leave a mark, but it beat her dying from a lack of oxygen.
“It’s okay, you’re okay. Deep, steady breaths.”
Time seemed to stand still while I watched her. There were trembles, sobs, and then her arms were around me. I hugged her against my chest, my hands rubbing soothing circles on her back.
“You’re okay, sweetheart. Look, Jersey wants to give you hugs too.”
Gently, I released her, letting her dog crawl back into her lap.
“The ambulance is here,” a soft voice said from behind me.
I turned to see the woman I’d ordered to call 9-1-1 watching us.
“Thank you.”
“Is she okay? I have a few questions.”
My glare met that of the deputy standing before us.
“She needs a minute, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, I need to know who I’m arresting. This woman says she was attacked. Someone?—”
“She—I didn’t hurt her. She attacked me, and I sprayed her in the face with water.”
My blood was boiling. Someone had attacked Denver. The sweetest human on this planet had been assaulted in broad daylight, and no one had stepped in to help.
“Why did she attack you?” he asked, gentling his voice as EMT’s swarmed us.
I moved back, allowing them access to her.
“I—they couldn’t pet my dog. The little boy.”
She wasn’t making any sense. I watched as they put an O2 mask on her.
The EMT’s worked effortlessly to get her BP and to check her O2 level.
“Any history we need to know about? This is your service animal?”
She nodded.
“What task do they perform for you?”
Denver was blinking, her body swaying as they helped her to lay back onto the ground.
“She suffers from PTSD and anxiety,” I offered, reaching out to take her hand. “Jersey helps her know when she’s not okay, so she can sit down before she topples over.”
“Her levels are low. Let’s get her to the emergency room now.”
“She’s got some abrasions and bruising on her side.” They helped her onto a board then onto the gurney, and I followed with Jersey.
They allowed Jersey onto the gurney with her. The touch they shared seemed to help Denver calm slightly. I wasn’t leaving her side until I knew damn good and well that she was okay.
I swear today took a few years off my life…I’d thought those days were over.