Page 71 of Healing You
Wow. After all these years, who would have thought that her parents would be stepping up to help run her rescue? And maybe adopting their own dog while they were at it?
Before she could think too hard on that fact, the door to the back room opened and Steve came out, tugging off surgical gloves and a face mask. All three women jumped to their feet, hands still linked.
“How is he?” Yvonne asked. Steve's glance faltered between all three girls, landing finally on hers. “Please, just tell me.”
“He's stable. For now...” His words drifted off from there and it was obvious that there was more to report than what he was saying. He pressed his lips together, the muscles at his neck roping with ferocity.
“Whatever it is, just say it.” Not knowing was worse than anything he would tell her.
“I won't know until his blood workup comes back. But Dawn and I both suspect he has Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation. It's a blood clotting disorder that sometimes appears with cancer and heat stroke.”
Emotion tightened her throat, and Kyra and Ronnie squeezed her fingers. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means he's not out of the woods yet. I gave him fluids to regulate his body temperature and a plasma transfusion to help with the blood clotting. But now... it's up to Gatsby.”
Yvonne released her friend's hands, twisting his bandana around her fingers. “Can I see him?”
Steve nodded. “Of course. And once he's rested enough from the transfusion, I'll help you take him home. If you don't mind...” He sounded hesitant. “If you're okay with it, I'd like to stay with you tonight. To keep an eye on him.”
There wasn't anything in that moment Yvonne wanted more. She nodded, the tears hot and stinging in her eyes. Steve led the way into the back procedure room where Dawn was sitting beside Gatsby, gently stroking his head. As she left, Yvonne reached out, grabbing her arm. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Dawn gave her a quick smile before exiting.
It wasn't until that moment that Yvonne realized her other hand was in Steve’s, fingers laced with his.
“Do you want to be alone with him?” he asked.
She shook her head no, and as she took a step forward, he held tight, walking beside her. She watched as Gatsby's chest rose and fell with each steady breath.
“Can I touch him?”
Steve nodded. “Just don't put too much pressure on him.”
Steve untwined his fingers, and she stroked Gatsby's blond fur. How many more times would she get to do this? Her palm grazed his ribs. How many more cuddles would she get with him? Her dog had taught her so many lessons throughout the years, the most important being that there is nothing more valuable in this world than a long walk with your best friend. How many more walks did they have left?
She pressed her lips between his ears, where the fur was even softer than any other part of his body. There was a twitch of his eyebrows and his eyes drifted open, looking up at her with all the hope and love and emotion that a dog could offer. Unconditional love. Another lesson he had taught her through the years. Not letting the past dictate your future.
She brushed her fingertips over the bridge of his square nose. “You couldn't help but squeeze one more teaching moment in, could you?”
“He's waking up,” Steve observed. “That's a really good sign.”
Thump, thump. That tail of his gave two quick wags, hitting the stainless steel table.
“Thank you for being there today, Steve. For me and for Gatsby.”
“Yeah, well... I almost wasn't. Again. I almost couldn't get us here—”
“But you did. You overcame that anxiety and your fear, and you saved his life.”
Thump, thump.
He scraped a hand down his face, kneading his knuckles into his eyes. “It's going to be a long road with me. You know that, right? It's not easy and I'll probably have panic attacks far worse than anything you've seen from me yet—”
The angry, pissed off teenager version of Yvonne would have thrown a fit and said that he was making excuses to push her away. But that girl hadn't been around in some time. She moved around the table, standing in front of Steve once more. “I don't care,” she said calmly. Moving her hands to his shoulders, desperately seeking much needed balance, she pushed onto her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his. The feel of his arms encasing her body, the scent of his lemony fresh aftershave, everything about his nearness made her knees tremble. He tilted his head, dipping his tongue into her mouth, exploring her before she pulled back ending the kiss, breathless. “We can get through this together.”
They were surrounded by complications, and yet all Yvonne could see was the potential for an amazing life together. He smiled wryly. “I don't want to run from you anymore,” he said quietly, but it seemed like he was also bracing for some sort of impact, his grip on her waist tightening. He remained frozen, completely unmoving as she inspected him. His eyes were intense and sharp, as steadfast as they were vulnerable.
“But...?”
