Page 22 of Chasing Justice
“I do.” Dr. Asher went to the cupboard and pulled out a box of dog cookies, handing it to Maya. “Take your time. I have paperwork to do and the first client won’t arrive for about an hour, so you can let me know when you two are ready to go.”
“Thanks.” Dr. Asher left the room, leaving Maya alone with Juniper. Her feet felt heavy as she walked over to Juniper’s kennel. “Do you remember me, girl?”
Maya knelt at Juniper’s level and looked at her intelligent eyes and the black mask covering her face. The dog picked her head back up and gave a low, guttural growl. “That’s why you need that muzzle, but we can figure this out.”
She sat down by the kennel and opened the door. Could be a mistake, but right now Juniper didn’t look like she wanted to go anywhere. She looked as sad as Maya.
“I miss him too. A lot,” Maya said to the dog. “Doug was my best friend and...now he’s gone. I can’t believe he won’t be back.”
Maya rolled around one of the treats in her fingers—if she could get the dog interested in her, that would be a start to bonding.
Juniper tilted her head and then sat up. Her long frame looked thinner, but Maya knew that despite what the dog looked like, she was still strong. Mals were amazing that way. Lighter boned than a German Shepherd, they could run faster and bite harder. They were machines and nothing much stopped them. Except bullets and bombs.
Maya closed her eyes and tears trickled down her face. “I lost someone else I loved too. You two would have made a good pair, only he was a brindle. Not light brown like you. I made a mistake. A handler error that cost him his life. Doesn’t matter how much an investigation clears your name, you know you made a mistake, and you have to live with that the rest of your life.”
Tears fell quicker and Maya buried her head in her arms, knees drawn up to her chest. “I should have been the one to die. Not Zinger. Not Doug. Why am I always the one who lives?”
A cold hard nudge came against Maya’s arm. Juniper had crawled over to her and wanted the treat Maya held in her hand. “Enough of my sad story, huh?”
Maya reached toward Juniper’s head to undo the muzzle. Over the past year, pulling away and shutting off her emotions had been the only way she knew to deal with her pain. Once she touched Juniper, it would all be over. She would care for the dog again. Become a handler, which meant a partnership that you couldn’t explain to anyone. You knew what each other was thinking. You became a team and you relied on the dog. Juniper would be her eyes. Her ears. Her nose. She needed Juniper as much as Juniper needed her. Now she had to hope that Juniper took to her as a handler.
“What do you want, girl? Do you want to come home with me? ’Cause if you don’t, now’s the time to tell me. I don’t know if I can take any more heartbreak.”
Juniper answered with a sigh and crawled a little bit closer, nudging Maya’s hand, poking around for the treat. Maya took a deep breath and gently unbuckled the muzzle. Warm and bristly hair tickled her as Juniper pushed her head in Maya’s hand.
Maya slipped off the muzzle. She opened her hand and let the treat rest on her palm, feeding it to the dog almost like you fed a horse—fingers out of the way. She expected Juniper to gulp the treat, but instead the dog surprised her by taking it in a dainty fashion. Juniper slapped her tail on the floor and stared at Maya.
“Want another one?” Maya pulled another treat out of the box, and this time Juniper took it a little quicker, her warm tongue flicking across Maya’s palm.
“So, what do you think? Are you coming home with me? I come with a lot of baggage. Not to mention I’m rusty as a handler. I don’t remember the last time I thought about which way the wind was blowing so a dog could scent better or working a grid pattern or making sure I directed you to areas with good air flow on a vehicle. I don’t even have a good place for you, you know. But you can come home with me if you want and we can figure this all out.”
Juniper climbed into Maya’s lap and rested her front end across Maya’s legs. She rooted around, her nose quickly finding the treat box. Maya laughed, wiped away her tears and gave her a couple more.
“I have a new partner, don’t I?”
Chapter Fourteen
Juniper remained draped across Maya’s lap as they sat on the cold floor. Maya stroked the dog’s head concentrating on the feel of the fur—stiff until her undercoat, which was soft.
“Let’s go before the vet thinks she has two new patients today,” Maya said.
Juniper raised her head and leaped to her feet. She stretched and then shook her whole body. She danced around, jumping up and down, smacking Maya with her front paws.
“I think I see what Dr. Asher meant by full of yourself.”
Maya hoisted herself to her feet, avoiding Juniper as she moved around the kennel area. She clipped the leash to Juniper’s collar, taking note of the bandage covering the leg where the shrapnel had been lodged. The injuries could have been much worse. Footsteps came across the tile floor and paused as the vet opened the door. Juniper’s triangular ears perked up.
“Sit. Relax,” Maya said, using a hand signal with the command. She hoped Juniper would listen to her. Juniper eyeballed Maya and Dr. Asher and then she listened, sitting down by Maya’s side.
“Looks like you two have bonded,” Dr. Asher said.
Maya shrugged. “At least for the moment.”
“I have her paperwork and care instructions. Come with me and then you can take her home.”
Maya put Juniper back in her kennel. The dog lay down and placed her head between her paws, her golden eyes staring at Maya. She yawned and a squeak came out followed by a sharp bark letting Maya know her displeasure at being left behind.
“I’ll be right back. I promise.”
