Page 25 of RiffRaff's Reward
“Sounds like a plan.”
I send a text to RiffRaff to let him know we’re heading to the clinic per his request, then gather my purse and keys before we head out the door.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jillian
“Hey,Jillian, I’m Brick and this is my wife and ol’ lady, Ryleigh,” the tall man who bears a striking resemblance to RiffRaff says once I’m out of the SUV and at the clinic door. “And you must be Kimber. My dad has a lot of good things to say about you.”
My daughter bounces on her feet as she blows into her hands. “I like him a lot,” Kimber replies. “Hurry up, Mom, it’s cold out here.”
I roll my eyes at her antics. She seems to be rolling with the punches pretty well.
Once we’re inside and the alarm is deactivated, I lock the front door and the three of them follow me back to the medical bay.
“Oh, look at that pretty kitty,” Ryleigh says, walking over to Moby’s cage. “Who’s the sweet boy?” she asks, her fingers through the bars as Moby starts purring. “You’re so handsome,”she tells him as his purrs get louder and more prominent. “Okay, Moby, I’m here to work.” Turning, she asks, “How can we help?”
Kimber, who’s used to helping already has Mr. Pibbles on a leash and is heading out to the back section where we take the dogs to do their business. He’s got a cone of shame on, but still needs containment since he had to have surgery to repair a broken femur. Since his owners had to go out of town for work, he’s boarding with us so we can keep him as still as possible.
“I’ll go with her,” Brick tells me as he follows behind Kimber.
Once they leave, I show Ryleigh what needs to be done and as she cleans the cages being used, I quickly give the animals their second doses of medication. Then, we scoop the two litter boxes before we start the feeding process just as Kimber and Brick bring Mr. Pibbles back in. The other dog, Grumbles, is still too fragile to take outside so he’s currently using pee pads in his kennel, which is one of the larger ones. Dr. Webber will decide when he’s stable enough to be walked, but for now, he’s safe.
“It’s well-lit out there,” Brick states, walking over and grabbing one of the water dishes.
“Yeah, Dr. Webber is big on security since one of us usually has to come back at night to check on any patients we might have. We only do medical boarding, thank goodness, and of course, any of our surgical animals usually stay overnight so we can monitor them for any signs of infection,” I reply.
With four of us, we’re soon done and as we leave the clinic, Brick stops me and says, “Ryleigh and I will meet you at DFCS tomorrow. You’re not alone any longer, Jillian.”
“Thank you both so much. I honestly can’t wait to meet the rest of the club,” I reply.
“When Rory heard where I was going, she wanted to come too,” Ryleigh confesses. “I told her once you got to meet all of us, I was sure you’d love the extra hands.”
“Many hands makes light the work,” Kimber states, grinning at them. “That’s what Mom says all the time.”
Brick shakes his head with a grin on his face as he peers over at Kimber. “She’s not wrong. Okay, ladies, y’all head on home. I know tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”
“Mom, what if he doesn’t like us?” Kimber asks as we wait for Jo to call us back to the meeting room. I called the school early this morning and told the counselor what was going on and they excused her for the day so she could be here for the initial meeting with Callum. The four of us are sitting there and I know RiffRaff wishes he was here as he expressed that fact many times last night when we were discussing how this would happen on the phone. Truth be told, I kinda wish he was here as well. I’m obviously used to handling things on my own nowadays, but he gives me the strength I need as only a partner can do.
“He’ll like us, sweetie,” I reply, patting her thigh. “It’s gonna be just fine.”
From my lips to God’s ears,I think to myself.
Jo opens the door that goes to the back of the offices and motions for us. “Who are all of these people?” she questions once we’re standing by her.
“This is my daughter, Kimber, and my ol’ man’s son, Brick, and his wife, Ryleigh. They’re all family,” I reply. During her visityesterday, I let her know that I was in a relationship and with whom and her eyes lit up because the club has a reputable reputation. They have a non-profit store in town that they open up around Christmastime to help not only the foster parents with gifts for the kids in their care, but also those in the community who need holiday assistance.
“So, Callum’s going to have family around him,” she says, sighing. I see her eyes get glassy then she clears her throat and attempts to get herself under control. “His foster mother has explained who you are, Jillian. I’ll leave it up to you to tell him who everyone else is, okay? I’ll be observing but won’t say anything unless necessary.”
We walk into the room where Callum is waiting with his foster mother and my heart flip flops when I see that he’s the male version of my sweet girl except for his hair color. She stands, smiles at me and leans down to tell him, “I’m just going to be outside, okay? Mrs. Jo will stay in here with you.”
The sweetest voice I’ve ever heard says, “Okay.”
Kimber waits until the foster mom leaves then walks over to Callum, crouches on her knees so she’s at eye level and says, “Hey, Callum, I’m your big sister and I’m very glad to meet you.”
“Kimber,” he breathes out before smiling. “Who is eberybody?”
I hide my smile at his pronunciation because I remember that phase from Kimber’s younger years. There were several sounds that gave her fits, so much so that for a bit, she saw a speech therapist to help. I make a mental note to see if he outgrows it since he’s still young enough to struggle somewhat.
