Trenton’s hand flew to his mouth as he watched the scene unfold across the street. He’d seen the two men, Gage and Scottie, look over at him. They were too far away for Trenton to make out their expressions, but he didn’t have to see their faces clearly to know that the looks they were throwing his direction weren’t friendly ones.
He was just about to turn and walk back to his office when he saw the flurry of movement near their feet. An animal—a squirrel?—had darted out near Scottie, and the puppy had given chase.
Or had tried to, anyway. The problem was that the puppy’s leash had become tangled around Scottie’s legs, and Trenton felt a smirk play across his lips as Scottie lost his balance and his ass hit the ground.
What happened next wiped the smirk right off Trenton’s face, though.
The leash broke and the dog chased the squirrel right out into the street, paying no attention to the cars that were barreling down from both directions.
“No,” Trenton said out loud, his legs already carrying him out the front door of his shop. “Oh, no, no!”
He couldn’t see exactly where the dog had run to, but the sounds were bad enough. The horn honking, the brakes squealing. The heart-wrenching sound of a dog in pain.
Trenton was running now, running toward the spot where the cars had come to a stop, the spot where he could finally see what had happened.
He was down on his knees next to the dog. She was still breathing, but not very well. She was clearly in shock, not moving as he reached for her.
“Sasha!” Scottie’s scream made Trenton flinch back instinctively, and he looked up to see Scottie and Gage huddled around the puppy. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”
People had started to get out of their cars, but Trenton barely noticed. He had his phone out, unsure whether to call 911 or the animal clinic.
Was 911 for animals, too? Would they be able to help?
He couldn’t think straight, but there was no time to think anyway.
Quickly scrolling through his contacts, Trenton found the number he was looking for and dialed without waiting any longer.
“Silver Lake Animal Clinic, how may I help—”
Trenton interrupted before the receptionist could finish speaking. “This is Trenton Lewis. We have an emergency out in front of Topped Up. Get Lane Brooks here—now.”
Hanging up the phone, Trenton turned his attention back to the scene in front of him. Scottie was crying, Gage was keeping the growing crowd of people away. Everyone was talking at once. Everything was happening at once.
“It’s going to be okay,” Trenton said, but he couldn’t tell if anyone had heard him. Maybe he was just saying it for his own benefit, anyway. “The veterinarian is on his way. He’ll help. It’s… it’s going to be okay.”
Trenton didn’t know what else to say.
He wanted to help.
He wanted to do something.
“It’s going to be okay,” he repeated, for lack of anything better. “It’s going to be okay.”
Now he could only hope those words were true.
###
Trenton fidgeted in his seat as he watched Scottie’s friends try to comfort him. It seemed like half the business owners on Main Street had shown up to the waiting room at the veterinary clinic to find out how Sasha was doing and how Scottie was holding up.
From what Trenton could see, both answers seemed to be the same.
Not well.
Sasha was still in surgery, which meant she was still alive. That was definitely good news.
But Jesus, she had been in bad shape. Trenton hated to even think about it, but every time he let his mind wander, the events of the past hour had played back in his mind over and over.
He wasn’t even sure why he was still at the clinic waiting, and from the looks on the faces of Scottie’s friends, he could tell they were wondering the same thing.
Trenton felt like this was where he needed to be, though, even if it might not seem like anyone else in the room wanted him to be there.
He looked down at his hands, clasped so tightly in his lap that his knuckles had gone white. He pretended not to notice as Calvin Berry and Gage Michaels looked his way again and whispered to each other.
“I need to drive over and pick up Newton,” Gage said, finally turning his attention back to Scottie. “I’ll come back, though. Can I get you anything while I’m out?”
Scottie shook his head as Calvin moved to his other side and squeezed his shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to eat anything?” Calvin asked. “I’ve gotta head back and close up the bookstore, but I can come back, too.”
“It’s okay, guys,” Scottie’s voice wavered as he shook his head. “I’m not hungry, and you guys don’t have to come back later. There’s nothing anyone can do now but wait anyway.”
“Then we’ll wait with you,” Gage said. “That’s what friends are for.”
“Exactly,” Calvin agreed. “I’ll call you before I come back and double-check that you don’t need me to pick something—anything—up along the way.”
“Thank you,” Scottie said. “I appreciate it.”
“I’ll call, too,” Gage said. “And I won’t be gone long.”
Scottie gave them both a little wave as the two men walked out the door. Trenton waited until he was alone in the waiting area with Scottie before he dared to look over in Scottie’s direction again.
To his surprise, Scottie was looking right back at him.
“I’m sorry this happened.” The words had tumbled out of Trenton’s mouth before he had even realized what he was saying, but they seemed to have taken Scottie by surprise as well.
Trenton was sorry, though.
While he knew he wasn’t directly responsible for the terrible accident that had put Sasha in the vet’s emergency room, he was absolutely behind part of the stress that was written all over Scottie’s face.
He never should have made that call to the Health Department, no matter how warranted it might have felt at the time. He should have done things differently. He could have.
Too late now for shoulda, coulda, woulda, though.
“It’s not your fault,” Scottie said, his voice barely above a whisper. “But thank you.”
“I was the one who called Ed,” Trenton said, his own voice struggling to be heard past the growing lump in his throat. “I shouldn’t have done it, and I… I’m sorry. I should have come to you first, Scottie.”
Trenton knew this wasn’t the right time, knew that he would completely deserve it if Scottie started yelling, or if Scottie told him to get the hell out.
But the look on Scottie’s face wasn’t one of anger. It wasn’t even a look of surprise.
It was simply… sad.
“I know you called,” Scottie said, finally. “I just knew.” He inhaled a deep breath and then sighed heavily. “I wish you would have talked to me, honestly. But you made another phone call today that was more important. You called Lane to help Sasha and you’re here now.” He shrugged, then continued. “Maybe I should be mad about the other stuff, but all that I can think to say right now is… thank you.”
Trenton didn’t even know how to react. Those words were the last ones he had expected to hear.
“Please don’t thank me,” Trenton said, feeling suddenly overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. “I just did what anyone would have done in the same situation.”
He was the one who should have been thankful, not Scottie. Thankful that Scottie had been so nice, so understanding.
“Nobody else did, though,” Scottie said. “I was beside myself, hysterical, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Gage was trying to calm me down and help Sasha at the same time. Nobody else who had gathered around even knew what was going on. You were the one who had the presence of mind to call Lane and get him out there. You did that.”
“Thank goodness it was literally just up the street from here,” Trenton said. “All I could think about in that moment was that sweet dog.” Trenton blinked hard, determined to hold back the wave of emotion that was starting to well up inside him. “She reminds me of a dog I had when I was a kid. Same color. Same bubbly energy. That dog was a good friend—my best friend—just like Sasha is to you, I’d imagine.”
A hint of a smile formed on Scottie’s lips. “It’s kind of crazy. She has only been in my life for a few days, but I can’t even imagine what it would be like without her, already. I don’t want to imagine it.”
“You won’t have to,” Trenton replied. “She’s going to get through this. You both are. She’s a fighter. She’s tough. You’re tough. And I’m going to stay here until Lane comes out from that operating room and tells you what we both already know—that she’s going to be okay.”
Scottie nodded. “Okay,” he whispered. “I’m going to trust you. I’m going to believe that.”
Trenton was going to believe it, too. He had to. The alternative was unthinkable.
And maybe, as long as they both kept believing, everything really would be okay.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
Please, God, let Sasha be okay.