7. Bailey-Rose
My surprise Gareth promised was delayed a few days because of crazy weather.
It was being flown in, and with all the canceled flights, it took a bit for the airlines to sort themselves out.
Despite all that, today was finally the day, and Gareth got confirmation my surprise had landed and was now en route to our home.
I was so excited I couldn’t keep still, so I did my walking for the day out in the backyard.
After three days of rain, it was nice to be outside feeling the fresh air and sunlight on my face.
Before the incident, I hadn’t spent much time exploring the property, but now it was a good excuse.
From the back patio, you could see the pool, but what was hidden was a small garden the groundskeepers looked after.
There was also a walking path along the border of the property paved with compacted gravel.
“What’s Numoland like?” I asked Vili, who’d joined me on my stroll. “You’ve been in Preidon for three years now, right?”
“Yes, my kitten, it three years last month,” Vili answered. “Numoland is vast, green, and many mountains. They say we hardy people because we live off the land. I say when you good to the land, it good back to you.”
“Do you miss it?”
Vili slowed to a stop, and since we were holding hands, so did I. He looked up at the sky and closed his eyes as if he was drinking in the peace our quiet surroundings offered. “I miss places and things sometimes, not people. The people there should stay there, let me live free here.”
Stepping closer, I rested a hand on his chest. “You mean your family should stay there and leave you alone?”
In the sunlight, you could see more of the copper tones in Vili’s strawberry-blond hair which always seemed to be mussed.
It had me curious to see if it might be curly if he let it grow longer.
Lowering his gaze to meet mine, I couldn’t help but smile at the joy in his caramel-colored eyes.
His golden-rimmed glasses only helped to set off his features while making him look smart and sophisticated—which he was.
“Would it upset you to know it is family?” he asked, using his other hand to stroke along my jawline.
“You lucky, my pretty lady, to have family who truly loves you. Not all have this in their lives. A short time, I had true love from one person, then she died. I pray and pray she my real mother, but she wasn’t.
It took time to accept my family is who they are, but I not like them, which made them angry.
Now that I think about it, I should be happy…
by sending me away, they gave me you and the others. ”
Bending down, he softly kissed my lips, but I wanted more. Grabbing the hair at the back of his neck, I kept him from pulling away as I popped up on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Seeing what I was after, I felt his smile against my own as he scooped me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist.
“You must be good,” Vili warned. “Only kisses, my kitten.”
“I’ll take kisses all day long if they are from you,” I whispered.
Vili wasn’t willing to go all in on this make-out session I was trying to instigate at first. When he realized I wasn’t going to shatter, he became bolder until he finally gave in.
The feel of his hands gripping my ass, holding me tight to him, had me moaning.
I rolled my hips, trying to find the friction I needed, but that came to a halt as the movement pulled at my healing incision.
Tomorrow, Dr. Arbour was coming to take out my stitches and give me a progress report, but I knew he wasn’t going to give me the all clear.
“What did I say, kitten… only kisses,” Vili scolded, feeling my body tense up. He gave me one more life-altering kiss before setting me back on my feet. “Come, let's finish the walk… surprise should be here by then.”
Just when I didn’t think I could be walking higher than cloud nine after a good make-out session, we rounded the corner of the house.
The guys were in the driveway talking with a man who had a golden wooly mammoth sitting next to him.
There was no leash keeping the dog at his side, but it was clear to me that the fluffy monster wasn’t going to budge an inch.
Vili led me over to the group, and out popped a little black and white dust bunny from between the bigger dog’s legs.
The little guy wagged his tail and was all wiggles as he slowly crept toward me.
Using Vili as support, I dropped to my knees and offered the back of my hand to the happy floof.
Instantly, he snuffled my hand and quickly licked it before bounding back to the much bigger dog.
It took everything in me not to squeal with delight and shatter everyone’s eardrums, but I managed to pull it together. “Your dogs are beautiful. What are their names?” I asked as Vili hoisted me up by my armpits.
“Well, little lady, this here is Waffles, and the tiny fella is Nugget,” the man answered and extended his hand. “My name is Hank, Hank Sharp, and these two aren’t mine.”
“Oh?” I questioned as Hank gave Waffles a hand signal, which had the dog standing and approaching me.
If Hank said anything after Waffles bumped his large head against my hand asking for pets, I didn’t hear it.
The fur under my hand felt like silk on the surface, but it was incredibly dense, allowing my fingers to sink a few inches into his fur.
Sweet brown eyes looked up at me, and he gave an approving chuff before pulling an about-face, then plopping his wooly butt next to me.
I felt him lean against me as if offering his support so I felt more stable standing here.
Looking up, I found everyone watching the interaction with smiles and a pouting Nugget in Hank’s arms. “What?” I asked.
“Well, Miss Thatcher, the thing about this breed of dog is they have to choose the person,” Hank explained.
“It’s one reason they aren’t used for this type of work all that often.
That’s why I make it a rule there is no exchange of paperwork until a meet and greet is done.
You, little lady, now have yourself a medical alert guard dog and lifelong loyal companion in Waffles. ”
My jaw literally fell open at his words. I glanced down at Waffles then back at the guys, finding it hard to believe this was truly happening. “This is for real… right?”
“Yeah, baby girl, it’s for real,” Gareth assured me. “Nurse Harlow told us you qualified for a medical alert dog, and I just took it one step further. No matter where you go or who you're with, I want you to feel safe, and I think Waffles will help achieve that.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I gazed down at Waffles and sniffled when those sweet brown eyes looked back. “What do you think, Waffles? Do you want to be part of this family?”
His answer was to boop his nose against my hip, causing me to smile at him. Waffles got to his feet and nudged me again with his nose, harder this time.
“Little lady, I think it’s best if you sit down right now,” Hank ordered. “Better yet, laying down would be best.”
Waffles nudged me again with a slightly worried whine to accompany what I now realized was an alert.
I’d been so overwhelmed with emotions I didn’t notice how lightheaded I was feeling.
Thankfully, the driveway was paved so I wasn't lying in gravel, but it didn’t mean it was much more comfortable.
Once Gareth and Vili helped me lay down, Waffles wriggled his large body under my legs to send more blood to my heart by keeping my feet elevated.
“Rosie, talk to us. How are you feeling?” Ulysses asked, placing a cool cloth on my head.
“I’m a little lightheaded, but that’s about it,” I shared, trying to keep my guys from worrying too much. “Maybe I overdid it with the longer walk after having my accelerator treatment done.”
Yun-Sun kneeled next to me with a cup and straw, offering it to me. “Sweetheart, why is this cup practically full?”
One of the things I had to monitor and adjust to was how much water I needed to drink.
Not only would it help keep my blood pressure stable, it was also needed for the accelerator treatments.
As my blood was being supercharged to assist with the rapid healing, I needed to flush out all the bad shit, or it could wind me up on the pavement with a dog under my legs.
“So ah, how long do I stay like this?” I asked.
“Don’t worry… Waffles will let you know when it’s safe,” Hank assured me. “When he does, would you indulge me by letting him help you to your feet? This is part of the service he is trained to offer, and I just want you to feel comfortable taking the offered help.”
“Yeah, no problem, but you’ll have to check with these worrywarts to see if they'll actually let me do that,” I teased, sipping on my special electrolyte water.
Most of my guys gave me scolding looks, but Warrick and Vili just snickered, knowing how accurate what I said was.
“Rosie, this is why we got Waffles. If we don’t let him do his job, then what was the point?” Ulysses reasoned.
Tilting my head, I looked up at him, where he was sitting behind me. “Oh, I’m well aware of that. I just wanted to make sure you guys were on the same page.”
Waffles cut off any further argument as he crawled out from under my legs and shoved Warrick out of the way. Warrick clearly hadn’t been expecting that and toppled over, but thankfully, he’d been crouched beside me so he didn’t have far to fall.
“Sorry about that,” Hank muttered, helping Warrick to his feet. “This particular breed is a one-person-only type. They won’t be a danger or threat to anyone else unless there’s a reason, but I definitely wouldn’t call them a friendly breed.”
“Good to know,” Warrick said, brushing himself off. “Although, I have to say I like that trait for this particular situation. It means that nothing and no one will be a distraction or even tempt him to leave Bailey-Rose’s side.”
“That’s the heart of it,” Hank agreed, dropping to one knee by me.
“All right, little lady, I’m going to put Waffles’ harness on him and show you a few key things.
Don’t worry if you can’t remember it all.
Part of buying a dog from me is that I spend a few days working with you.
The most important thing about a working dog is learning to speak the right language. ”
Hearing that I would have something purposeful to do made me giddy.
The past two and a half weeks had been rough as Dr. Arbour warned me.
Although it wasn’t in the way you’d think.
I was used to going through various therapies after a long hospital stay, and the pain was the worst I can remember, but the inability to do anything was the real torture—restrictions on how much I could lift, not going up and down stairs, and feeling utterly exhausted after a ten-minute walk.
Learning to work with Waffles was going to be the mental game I needed to keep from losing my shit.
“Are you able to sit up on your own, or will you need his help with that?” Hank asked once Waffles was suited up.
“I can do it, but it’s rather painful right now,” I admitted.
Hank nodded and proceeded to show me how to call Waffles over, where to grab the leather harness, and tips to get back on my feet once I was sitting up. It was like I’d climbed Mount Everest with how accomplished I felt to have managed that on my own.
“This is a soft-handled harness, but you can easily switch it out for one with a semi-rigid top handle if need be. Personally, I don’t see you needing it once you’re fully recovered,” Hank reasoned.
“I hope I’m not overstepping when I say I think we should call it here for the day.
Sounds like you’ve had a lot going on, and it would be good for you and Waffles to just spend time together.
I’ll have you take the harness off when you’re ready so you know how.
Nothing you do will break or damage it, so don’t be shy. ”
“Thank you, Hank. You really have no idea what this means to us,” Gareth said, shaking Hank’s hand. “If you follow me, I’ll show you to the guest house where you can settle in.”
“Oh, there’s one more thing…” Hank admitted, setting Nugget on the ground, who instantly bolted to sit between Waffles’ legs.
“I hope you don’t think me dishonest, but Nugget and Waffles are a package deal.
Nugget was trained to be a psychiatric service dog, but the poor fella got attacked by a stray, and since then, Nugget has been a nervous Nellie about most things.
However, when he’s with Waffles, Nugget is fearless and able to live a happy life.
We aren’t charging you for him since you’re doing us and Nugget a favor by taking him on too. ”
“Will there be any issues with Waffles doing his job with Nugget around? Or companies, for that matter, having two dogs in tow?” Yun-Sun inquired.
“Not at all. You put service gear on Nugget, and he’ll mind, knowing he’s on the job.
The problem is Nugget doesn’t think he can do his job without Waffles.
Guess you could say Waffles is Nugget’s support animal,” Hank explained.
“One of these days, Nugget might find his footing again, but who knows how long that will take. Either way, he is a fully certified and trained service dog, so you’re not lying or breaking any laws by putting him in his vest. Plus, he’s the snuggler out of the pair, so it’s a nice balance. ”
Grinning, I kneeled to pet Nugget, beyond excited to have him added to our family as well. “Welcome to the pack, you two.”