Page 50 of One More Kiss

For the Love of Tucker

Echo Grayce

Megan

“Isn’t there anything else?Clinical trial therapies or medicines, maybe?” Megan Foster asked as she ran her fingers through her black lab’s thick fur.

Tucker watched her with wary eyes from where he laid on the cool metal exam table. Heartache filled her at the thought of saying goodbye to the last good thing she had left.

“Unfortunately, no, there’s really not. I can give him some meds to make him feel decent, but it will only buy you a few days. They aren’t good for long-term use. After that, you should consider your options to save him from suffering,” Dr. Lee said offering her a kind smile.

Like kind smiles could make any of this better.

The antiseptic barely masking the lingering scent of the never-ending parade of pets that saw the inner sanctum of Higgins Cross Veterinary Hospital would forever be associated with this moment.

When Dr. Lee shattered her already-fractured heart.

Her life had fallen apart in the past year and now that heavy storm cloud that hovered her morphed into and F5 tornado hell bent on stealing the last bit of happiness she had in the wake of her separation from Jack.

Jack.

She swallowed the lump in her throat that memories of him brought without fail.

She’d have to call him.

Not for herself. Absolutely not.

But for Tucker.

“If you just give me a few minutes, I’ll get the medicine and we’ll get him started,” Doctor Lee said before slipping out the door into the back hall.

She wrapped her arms around Tucker’s neck and hugged him. He sighed and flopped against her with a groan.

Tear welled up and spilled over her cheeks in a parade of wet tracks rolling into Tucker’s fur. “I’m so sorry, boy. All this time I’ve been blathering on about my problems and you’ve been there snuggling me, hearing me out, the whole time missing out on all the fun things you love to do. Well, that stops right now. This weekend is all about you. We’re doing to do all the thing you love.”

All the things he loved, which meant Jack too.

She slid her cell phone from her pocket with Tucker still under her arm. Swiping the tears away with the back of her hand, she dialed his number.

Biting down on her bottom lip to stop the trembling she held her breath and waited for the stab to her heart at the sound of Jack’s voice.

“Megan?” he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

She’d refused to dial his number in the past year, instead she pushed most of their communication off to her lawyer.

She’d even made herself scarce when he’d pick Tucker up and drop him back off from his weekends with him.

“Jack.” His name came out as nothing more than a whisper and a sob bubbled up despite every effort she made to hold herself together.

“Meg, what’s wrong?”

“We’re at the vet. Tucker’s not doing so well,” she whispered her throat thick with an onslaught of tears.

“Is he going to be okay?”

“Come home, Jack,” she said, uttering the words she’d sworn to him, to herself, that she’d never say.

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