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“I hope so too. You’ll have to play nice, though. I don’t want you to scare him off.”
“I promise to be good. I’ll send you the dates for our trip. Don’t hate me, but Ginny is staying with Char’s mom. We thought the flight would be too much.”
I pouted. “I understand. I’ll just have to come and see you one day instead.”
The two of us chatted on about the upcoming conference and then I started to yawn.
“Let me know what happened with the dog, and its owner.”
“I will, I hope it is with good news all around.”
The chat ended with Grant, and I glanced to the door. Still no sign of Ryan. I glanced at my phone and there was no message. I hoped that meant Bluey was still alive. I thought about calling but didn’t want to interrupt them if they were working on the dog. I would distract myself with study again.
Three more hours and I was done. I went back to the bedroom for a snooze. There were still no messages from Ryan. Poor Bluey. If I didn’t hear anything soon, I would call him no matter what.
* * *
I stretched. It was dark, and I needed to orientate myself. I was in my bedroom in the cottage. I reached out and there was no one sharing the bed with me. A smile came to my face as I remembered the bath earlier. Then I remembered Bluey and my stomach turned over. Was he all right? It would break my heart if the dog died. I had never owned an animal but would have liked a cat or a dog. It was always impossible in my London flat with the hours I had worked though.
I flicked on the bedside lamp and sat on the edge of the bed. The clock said it was eight. I had slept for hours. I could only put it down to the lack of sleep from the previous night and the tension and worry about Bluey.
I grabbed my crutches and headed outside. Ryan’s pickup was there. I knocked on the door, hoping to hear the familiar bark of Bluey, but there was silence. That rat was gnawing in my stomach again with worry.
The door opened. Ryan flung his arms out wide, and I hugged him, expecting the worst. “What happened?”
“He’s alive. I just got back from the vet’s. I was going to come ‘round in a minute.”
I let out a breath, relieved that scallywag of a dog had survived. Whatever happened now, we would cope. I followed Ryan into the main room of the cottage and sat down.
“I need a drink. You want one?” he asked.
I nodded as he poured us two brandies. From dealing with patients over the years, I could tell he needed to talk. Sometimes a doctor’s job is just to listen. I was here as his friend as well.
“The little perisher had a dead snake in his mouth when I got back, so at least I knew what type it was. It helps so they can be more specific and know how he will react. When he started to shiver, I had to act quick. The bite was on his front leg so the fact I had strapped it up and chucked him in the pickup real quick helped.” He took a gulp of brandy. “They gave him antivenom and a drip. The vet said because it wasn’t a deep bite it wasn’t so bad. He was still pretty out of it when I left, but they hope he’ll survive. He had better—he’s my best mate. That probably sounds silly, but it’s true.”
“No, it doesn’t. I’ve only known him a short while, and he’s wormed his way into my heart.” I smiled at Ryan, wanting to reduce his concern. “I would have liked a pet growing up, but Mom and Dad said no. Trust me, I didn’t have the sort of parents you could convince otherwise.”
I sipped on my drink. The amber liquid burned the back of my throat as it went down.
“I had a pet caterpillar and was devastated when it disappeared. I never did find the butterfly it became. I also found a mouse once, and snails and bugs of all descriptions. Mom got rid of them. Threw them in the bin or on the compost heap.” I thought back to my childhood and my parents. They had not been terrible. They had just wanted things the way they liked them to be, despite having a child. I sometimes wondered if my mother had gotten pregnant to have a new experience. It also explained why I had a nanny when I was small. At least I had pleased them no end when I became a doctor.
It wouldn’t solve anything to be negative about them now. I had my life and they had theirs. Ryan and Bluey were what was important.
“So, can you pick him up tomorrow? And how do we stop him from doing it again? He is a bit of a wild creature—a bit like his owner.”
“Glad you noticed. The whole date thing didn’t really go as planned, did it? Even if it started out well.”
“I don’t care as long as Bluey is okay. We can catch up later from where we left off. What breed is he, by the way, apart from part crazy?” I wanted to know more about Ryan, and if he was talking, he wasn’t worrying so much. “Did you always have a pet?”
“He’s a breed called a Blue Heeler, but probably has a few other genes in there as well. I got him from the pound when I first came to the Blue Mountains.” He stood and took the picture off the bookcase of himself and Bluey out walking in the bush. “I think I was five when Mom turned up at Christmas with a puppy. My brother is two years older than me, and he grabbed Sookie for his own. She stayed by his side all the time. I was so jealous and always wanted one too. Mom said I hadn’t been good enough, which was probably true.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I was never her favorite anyway, but that was okay with me. To be honest, it wasn’t a fun household and I could be a little shit. It got me in trouble sometimes.”
There were obviously issues in both our pasts. Did I want to go deeper? The doctor in me said yes, always wanting to help, but I was afraid. Fuck it. I needed to learn to trust again. Maybe the brandy was talking, but I needed to say something.
“Bluey’s going to be okay. I’ve decided in my infinite wisdom as a doctor, it should be so. Also, I have cried a lot in my life, and I don’t want to cry anymore. So that silly mutt is going to make it, right?”
“I concur. And when he is better, I will get back to the job at hand. I promised laughter and sex for you in Australia, and I will get around to giving you both.”
“I look forward to the laughter and sex.” My stomach clenched with nerves as I stared at Ryan, imagining his body on mine. “I’m going to say this really fast so I don’t stop myself. I just want to feel with you. I want to fuck like crazy and have fun and not think too much, which I have a habit of doing. It’s the doctor in me who likes to analyze everything. Sorry, that all sounded a bit basic. I promise to help with doggy care too.” My heart was thumping.
