Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
VERA
“Okay, guys. Why don’t we take a break.”
We had been working on construction in the publishing building for months, and it was almost done. The guys had been working hard and deserved a long break. Okay, so I also wanted to spend more time with Cara, so what?
We hadn’t spent as much time together as I would’ve liked since Bali, but I figured she’d run for the hills if I asked her to move in.
Lesbian’s moved fast, but something told me Cara wasn’t wanting to go that fast. I’d worked hard to get her in the first place and I wasn’t about to lose her because I wanted to spend every waking moment with her.
“Serioulsy. You’ve earned it. Take a little longer and enjoy yourselves. Just don’t get drunk.”
“Thanks, boss. We’ll pretend you’re doing this out of the kindness of your heart and not because you want to sneak a quickie in with your chica,” Marco said with a shit-eating grin.
“Go before I change my mind, Cabrón!” He raised his hands in surrender and took off down the hall.
I rolled my eyes and made sure everything was shut down and safe before making my way to Cara’s office.
“Vera. Hi.” She smiled when I knocked on her door. When I passed by Eloise’s desk, it looked like she was out to lunch, too, so I loved that we had some privacy.
“Hi. Can I come in?” I asked.
“Of course. You don’t have to ask.” She stood up and walked over to me, shutting the door behind me and bringing me in for a hug.
I wrapped my arms around her waist, not wanting to let her go. It had only been a few days since we’d gotten to really spend any alone time together, but I’d missed her, and the way she was still hugging me, I could tell she had missed me as well.
“Hi,” I said when we parted.
She kissed me softly. “Hi.”
“Come back.” I wasn’t anywhere near done with that kiss yet.
She smiled when I cupped her jaw and brought her lips closer to mine before I connected our mouths once more.
She tasted like the coffee she must’ve had this morning. Vanilla and so sweet. I moaned happily into the kiss, pulling her closer to me.
An alert on my phone had me groaning and breaking the kiss. “Sorry, baby. That’s my camera app. Nyx is probably awake now. I just want to check in on him.”
She pulled back. Of course. Go ahead.”
I opened the app and smiled when I saw him walking around the living room.
He wasn’t running around like he normally was, but maybe he was just waking up.
I groaned when I saw the mess on the coffee table I’d left from the night before.
I’d been in such a rush this morning, I hadn’t had time to clean it up.
I just hoped he didn’t get into anything he wasn’t supposed to.
“Hmm,” I said, still watching the camera.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I looked up to see Cara watching me.
“I don’t know. Nyx is acting weird. He’s not energetic like he usually is. Shit! He’s throwing up now. Maybe I should go home and check on him. Just to make sure he’s okay. He’s never thrown up before.”
I pocketed my phone and walked over to give Cara a kiss goodbye. She accepted it, but when I pulled back, she wasn’t smiling like she normally was. “I’ll drive. You’re worried, and I don’t want anything to happen on your way there.”
I smiled softly, caressing the side of her face. “It’s okay, princesa. You’ve got work to do. I’ll text you when I know what’s going on.”
She shook her head, taking on her corporate shark attitude. “I’m driving. Let’s go.” She turned and grabbed her purse, daring me to argue. I wasn’t an idiot. I let her drive.
The entire drive, I couldn’t sit still. I was sure he was okay, but why was he getting sick? He’d never been sick before.
I’d kept my eyes glued to the window the entire time. I kept playing the worst case scenarios in my head, then telling myself to relax and that everything was fine.
Eventually, I felt Cara’s hand in mine, and I turned to see her smiling at me. “Everything will be fine, honey.”
Honey. Why did one little word calm the storm going on inside me? She always seemed to have a way of saying or doing just the right thing. I brought her hand up to my lips and pressed a soft kiss. I needed the contact to ground me.
The car ride was only ten minutes, but it felt longer. “Excuse the mess,” I said before I unlocked the door. “I fell asleep last night and I was in a rush this morning so I didn’t have time to clean up. Also, I don’t drink this much, I swear. I had the guys over last night.”
I felt like I had to explain myself. This was the first time she was coming over and it wasn’t the vision I’d had in mind. I hoped with the situation, she’d be understanding and it wouldn’t scare her off. I wasn’t normally this messy.
“Vera, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. You’re an adult. As long as you don’t have roaches as roommates or anything crazy, relax. Let’s just go check on Nyx.”
I nodded and opened the door. When I didn’t spot black fur running around my legs, I started to worry more. He usually went crazy when I came home, even if I was only checking the mail.
“Nyx. Here boy,” I called out across the house and I frantically started searching for him.
“Nyx?” I heard Cara call out a few times.
We checked the kitchen, bathrooms, even my room where he liked to lay on my bed. Nothing.
“I’m starting to get worried. Where is he?” I asked, as if Cara would know. She didn’t know any more than I did, but I was freaking out. This wasn’t like him.
“I know. It’s okay, I’m sure he’s okay. We’ll find him,” she encouraged.
She gave me a soft smile and left the room to keep looking, I hoped.
“Found him!” she yelled.
I gasped and took off to where I heard her voice.
She’d found him laying by my shoes in the mudroom. My heart stopped as I ran down to check if he was breathing.
“Nyx? Are you okay, boy?” I asked.
He looked up at me and I let out a sigh of relief. “He’s awake. ?Mierda! He’s cold.”
I didn’t pick him up right away. Instead, I took out my phone, planning on calling my vet to see what I needed to do. Cara came up to me and squatted down to look at Nyx more closely. She started rubbing his back and checking him out.
“What do you need me to do?”
I shook my head. “I’m okay. You should get back to work. I’m going to call the vet before I rush him anywhere. He’s conscious, so that’s a good thing.
“I’m not leaving until we know what’s going on. Call the vet. I’ll be here.”
I wanted to argue more, but I didn’t want to waste anymore time, so I stood up and called the vet. Thankfully they answered after a few rings.
“Hi, this is Vera Rojas. I’m calling for my dog, Nyx. He’s not acting like himself and I’m not sure what to do.”
“Hi, Vera. Oh, no. Well, can you tell me what’s been going on?”
Sheila had been my vet since I got Nyx. I was a first time dog mom and had no clue what I was doing, but she was so helpful and understanding. She’d taken really good care of both of us.
“I was at work and got an alert on my camera app, so I went to check on him. He’s been looking a little more tired than normal and sort of looks like he’s having trouble walking?
I’m not sure if something’s wrong with his leg or what?
I just got home and he didn’t run up to me like he normally does.
He also threw up, which isn’t like him. He’s laying down and feels sort of cold.
He’s in the mudroom but it’s warm in here. ”
“Oh, poor thing. So, lethargic, low body temperature, trouble walking? What do you mean? Is he limping?”
I shook my head. “No. When I looked at the camera, it was almost as if we were stumbling, or swerving? I know it sounds weird, but—”
“Not weird at all. Is there anything in the house he could’ve gotten into? Mouth wash? A fresh loaf of bread? Any cleaning products?” she asked.
I frowned. “No. He shouldn’t be able to—” I paused, connecting his symptoms to her questions. He wasn’t acting himself and he wasn’t walking right. And I hadn’t cleaned up my mess from last night.
“?Mierda!” I was so stupid. “I think he might have gotten into some alcohol. I had some friends over last night and didn’t have time to clean up this morning. Do you think he got into that?”
“With his symptoms, that’s what it’s sounding like. Why don’t you bring him in so we can run some tests and know for sure. That way, we can take care of it immediately if that’s the case before things get worse.”
I nodded, forgetting she couldn’t see me on the other end. “Of course. Thank you, Sheila. I’m on my way.” We hung up and I grabbed a blanket to wrap Nyx in before picking him up.
“What’s going on?” Cara asked.
“I’m taking him to the vet. She thinks he might’ve gotten into the beer. I’ll take you back to work and I can get my truck and go.”
She glared at me. “Absolutely not. Put him in my car and lets go. I’m taking you.”
“I appreciate that, but I don’t know how long it’ll take, and you need to get back to work. I’ll be fine. I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking, I’m telling you. I’m taking you to the vet. Let’s go.”
I barely let the car stop before I was out of it and in the vet’s office. They immediately took him back and started running all kinds of tests on him. They took us back to a waiting room where I sat and bounced my legs as Cara tried to calm me down.
I appreciated having her there, but I hated the feeling of needing someone. I wanted to handle it on my own, but she refused to let me, and my dog’s health was more important than my ego at that moment so I complied without argument.
It felt like we waited an eternity before the doctor knocked on the door. It probably had only been about an hour or so, honestly.
“Yes,” I said quietly.
“So his labs came back, and he does have alcohol poisoning.”
My face paled and I felt Cara’s hand on my leg, but I couldn’t look at her. I poisoned my dog. I could’ve killed him. I still didn’t know if I was going to or not. I needed to ask.
“Are you okay?” Cara whispered.
I shook my head, looking at Sheila. “Will he be okay? What do I need to do?”
“He’s going to be just fine. We’ll get some IV’s going and flush the alcohol out of his system.
And we’ll also give him some meds to prevent vomiting.
You should be good to go in a few hours, but just monitor him overnight, to make sure his symptoms don’t come back or worsen.
He should be perfectly fine in a day or two. ”
“Are you okay?” Cara asked at least twice on the way home. All I could do was lie and nod, unable to make words come out. I just kept thinking about how I almost killed Nyx.
When we got back to my house, she gave me a little space and I walked Nyx to my room and laid him on the bed.
“I’m so sorry buddy. I’ll be more careful, I promise. Get some rest, okay? I love you, Nyx.” I kissed the top of his head and felt a single tear slide down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away but more came to follow.
Before I knew it, I was covering my face in my hands, unable to control the sobbing that came out of me. I was just glad Cara wasn’t witnessing my breakdown. That was the last thing I needed.
I couldn’t believe I’d let this happen. I was so responsible and made sure the house was safe for both of us to live in. I’d been so careless and I didn’t think I’d ever forgive myself.
“Oh, baby.” I jumped when I heard Cara’s voice in the doorway. Great. Just what I needed. For her to see how weak and stupid I was.
She came to sit next to me on the bed and wrapped me in a hug. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“What do you think is wrong? This is all my fault! I almost killed him!”
“Stop. It was an accident and he’s okay.”
I shook my head. “I was reckless and stupid. I’m never bringing alcohol into this house again. I’d never be able to live with myself if something happened to Nyx because of me.”
I couldn’t believe how stupid I was, leaving a beer in the open. I should’ve known better. The more I thought about it, the harder I cried, but Cara just sat there, holding me and letting me cry on her.
After a few more minutes, I was able to pull myself together, if only a little bit. Cara pulled me back and put her hands in mine.
“Hey. Hey, look at me, V.” I did. She’d never called me that before, and her hands touching mine were making me feel warm. She smiled and I swore it could’ve solved any problem.
“Listen to me, okay? It was an accident. They happen. The vet said he’s going to be fine. It was only a small amount, and he most likely threw up most of it by now. Please don’t beat yourself up over it. The important thing is that you didn’t do it on purpose, and he’s going to be okay.”
“I know you’re right, but my brain won’t let me focus on that. I can only see what could’ve happened. I could’ve killed him because I was lazy and stupid and irresponsible.”
She squeezed my hands before bringing one up to caress the side of my face.
The gentle touch she was showing me was one I wasn’t used to, and one I didn’t think I deserved.
I tried to turn away from it, but her hands turned my face so we were eye to eye again.
“Well, your brain and I see things differently. Do you want to know what I see?”
“What do you see?” I asked, not sure I wanted to know.
She smiled and it lit up the whole room.
I never wanted to see anyone else smile except for her.
“I see the most compassionate and caring person. Someone who puts other people’s needs before her own.
Someone who feels awful about unintentionally harming someone she loves.
You’re an amazing woman, Vera. I really hope you know that. ”
“Thank you, Cara. I’m not sure I believe your words right now, but I want to. I’m sorry for crying in front of you and freaking you out. Let me drive you home.”
She frowned. “You were being vulnerable with me and it shows that you’re comfortable around me.
That means a lot to me, Vera. And I’m not leaving you to deal with this alone.
I’m here for you. I’m not going anywhere.
I’ll sleep on the couch if it makes you feel more comfortable, but I’m not going anywhere. ”
“I’ll be fine, Cara. You’ll be happier in your own bed, not my couch. Let me take you home.”
I made to stand up but she sat me back down with a hand on my leg. I looked at her. She glared and wasn’t letting up. “I’m fine right here. I’m not going anywhere, so deal with it.”
She crossed her arms, daring me to argue. The softness in her eyes had me nodding my head. It was impossible to say no to this woman. “Fine. But you’re sleeping in my bed. No way in hell I’m letting you sleep on the couch.”
She nodded and kissed me softly, caressing my thigh and making me forget about all my problems for a second.
My feelings for Cara were growing more and more by the day, but today?
What she was doing for me just by wanting to be here?
That made it all the more obvious. I was falling deeply in love with Cara if I wasn’t in love with her already.