Authors: Lauraine Snelling
“I probably should have put it aside until tomorrow instead of calling you this late, but I was hoping you and Hal could come up with something and we could hit the ground running in the morning.”
Dinah felt physically sick to her stomach, and it was not something one of her products could relieve. This was only the first salvo of a dirty war. And all she wanted to do was help people. She nodded. “Good call. April, you spent all this time on this?”
April shrugged. “This and some, uh, other things.” She looked almost guilty. Which was ridiculous; Dinah’s mind was playing tricks.
“Well, thank you.” Shock, anger, and, yes, sadness. Every delay meant fewer people helped.
“What next?” April asked. She sat back; her chair creaked. Time to get April a new office chair.
Dinah grimaced. “The lawyer today said something about my corporate lawyer. I didn’t tell him we don’t have one. We hardly ever have a legal matter, especially not enough business to retain someone. Well, now we need one.”
“Joe and I don’t have a regular lawyer, either. I can’t help there.”
Dinah tried to think of definite next steps and had to settle for possible ones. “The lawyer handling Jonah’s guardianship might know someone in this subject area, and he said call whenever. And the judge today, Judge Henny. He told Jonah to call if he had questions; I might ask his advice, a reference or something. We have to somehow get this requirement rescinded.” She looked at April. “Thank you for not waiting until Monday. I have to take Mutt out and—How long is a movie? An hour and a half?”
“Most. About.”
“And it just started. April? Can you give me a ride home?”
S
he likes us!” Sue and Garret high-fived. “And we like her.” From the window they watched Julie Crick slide into her rental car and leave the back parking lot.
As they turned away, Amber tapped on the door and entered. “How’d it go?”
Sue was beaming. “We have another vet! We offered and she accepted. Says our starting salary is a little higher than California’s and she really likes the lower cost of living here. She has student loans to pay off, so this is good for her financially.”
Garret gathered up coffee mugs. “You didn’t have much chance to interact with her, but what’s your take?”
“She seems personable. Open. Cheery. She wished me goodbye by name when she left. So far, I think she’ll be a good fit. When is she coming on?”
“Two weeks. She’s gone out looking for an apartment, flies back to California in three days.” Garret left the mugs in the sink. “What’s out there?”
Amber counted off, “Post-spay check, that aging feline belonging to Mrs. Abercrombie, and four basset pups for their shots.”
“And they are all entertaining the others in the waiting room?”
“They are.”
He chuckled. Any basset puppy looks terminally cute just standing still, but these four had a particular gift for romping about looking absolutely hilarious. “Bring ’em on.”
Amber sobered. “And Tessa.”
Garret felt his good mood evaporate. “Put her in the back exam room. I’ll take her first.”
Sue nodded. “Good. I don’t really want to deal with that. I’ll take the pups.”
Tessa smiled and greeted him as he entered. He smiled and greeted her.
He wrapped his arms around Valiant and hoisted him onto the exam table. The dog had lost weight during his recovery. He was starting to get it back.
Tessa rolled in closer. “He seems to be getting back to his old self.”
“Any seizures? Does he ever stop what he’s doing and just stare off into space?” Garret poked and prodded; Valiant showed no signs of discomfort.
“No. And his appetite is normal. More than normal.”
Heart and lung action sounded normal, too. Garret peeled Valiant’s lips back. “Gums are a healthy pink. Looks like your circulation is back up to snuff, Old Man.” He lowered the dog back to the floor. “Take him across the room and back, please.”
Tessa did so. The dog’s legs worked very stiffly. She parked beside Garret. “He’s never going to have full use of his legs, is he.” It was a statement, not a question.
“No, I don’t think so. In fact, if arthritis sets in—and it often does—it will get worse. Take him to the room beside the cage room, then, the pink place, and I will put a new cast on his leg today; lighter, less bulky. That will help him get around a little better.” Garret pulled the wheeled stool over and parked beside her, eye to eye. “When are they coming for him?”
Her eyes filled but did not overflow. “Tomorrow. The director for the service dog agency visited me in person yesterday, Dr. G. He sat down with me and explained it all.”
“You already knew they were going to take him back from you.”
“Yes. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know already. Except that he said you called him and begged him to let me keep him. That you sent him all of Valiant’s medical records so he could consider it. Thank you so much, Dr. G.”
“I didn’t think it would work, but it was worth a shot. Their policies are pretty rigid. But when your life depends on your service dog, they have to be.”
Beside her, Valiant flopped out on his tummy.
“I know. He says the agency has a black Lab lined up for me. But Valiant…” Her voice trailed off. “And I keep reminding myself that giving up Valiant is best for both of us. He’ll have a good home—the director says there’s a waiting list of people who want retired service dogs—and I need a dog that’s dependable. But…”
“But.” Garret gathered her hands into his. “So many buts in life. Bring your new dog by, please. I want to meet him.”
She smiled sadly. “I certainly will. Thank you. The pink place. Come, Valiant.”
The dog lurched to his feet and fell in beside her. Garret followed them out, watching Valiant move. No, the dog would never walk well again. And the petty thief who’d caused all this would probably get six months or less, if he was even convicted. There was no justice.
They turned aside into the pink place, to apply the new cast. Maybe he should get this room repainted.
By the time lunch came, Garret still felt mopey. He had invested too much emotionally in Tessa and Valiant; it was affecting him more than he would have guessed. Or was it his mom and the changes in her driving him to gloom? And, so far, funding for the church was not happening quickly enough; Danny would be paying people out of his own pocket. Garret didn’t want that to happen again; Danny already contributed heavily. Besides, Garret wanted that mess over with. The mess and disorder were depressing. And he still had not completed those three studies of Dinah and her new family.
Dinah. It had been a few days since their celebratory dinner, and he hadn’t heard from her. But why should he expect to? Jonah was coming by to paint with him this afternoon. In just a couple weeks, they’d have Julie for backup, and he might be able to cut out early. That would be nice.
He pulled out his phone and instructed, “Call Taylor.”
No answer. He glanced at the screen. So no one was home to pick up her landline. She wouldn’t be at her office, would she? “Call Dinah.”
The receptionist, April, answered.
“This is Garret Miller. Surely you’re not working there on Saturday!”
Pause. “Dr. G, my caller ID tells me you’re at your clinic. Do I hear the pot calling the kettle black?”
He laughed. “You do. Is Dinah available?”
Another pause. “May I ask you a favor?”
“Certainly.”
“Two favors, actually. I have a bit of a problem. Well, actually, a pretty big problem. Could you please pray for me to make the right and best decision?”
“Of course. And God knows the situation, right?”
April giggled, a sort of audible smile. “He does. And Dinah needs extra prayer. Jonah’s been having nightmares, so she’s not getting enough sleep, and she has her own FDA nightmare to deal with. Say, do you know any good lawyers who handle something like an FDA problem?”
“I’ll ask around. I might. If not a friend, a friend of a friend. We have a couple lawyers in our church.”
“Thank you. I’ll put you through.”
Dinah answered and greeted him.
“Barring emergencies, I should be out of here a little early. Is Jonah with you?”
“In the back room watching television. He’s been looking forward to this, that’s for sure.”
“We have not talked yet about Mutt’s pregnancy. I’d like to X-ray her to make sure the pregnancy diagnosis is correct and how big any pups are.”
“I’ve been avoiding that whole issue. It’s not avoidable, is it?”
“No. I’m afraid it’s inexorable.”
“Just another cupful in my ocean of things to not avoid. Call when you leave there and I’ll have Jonah ready for you.”
“Thank you.” He thumbed the End Call button and studied the wall. How had she sounded just now? Tired. April said no sleep. Harried. And defeated. This hotshot CEO sounded defeated.
But then the next client was a super feel-good case, a little Cavalier King Charles spaniel that had accidentally been stepped on. Garret removed the cast today and the dog bounced around the room without a limp, fully recovered. Then Mrs. Porter’s Abyssinian cat with an advanced case of mange was growing new hair just fine. Tigger, one of the cutest cocker spaniel puppies known to man, sailed through his shots and checkup with flying colors.
Despite the rough morning, Garret was still smiling when he entered the break room at two. He buzzed Amber. “I can leave now, right?”
“You better get out of here quick, while it’s quiet.”
He left out the back, calling Dinah as he went.
They were waiting in front of the Extraburger as he pulled to the curb.
“Hi, Dr. G!” Jonah bounced into the back seat.
Dinah stepped back and waved. “Have fun.” Her smile did not quite reach her eyes.
“You can come if you like. Have you ever painted?”
“No, but I’m not an artist. Besides, I need to get some work done.”
He waved again and pulled out into traffic.
From the back seat, Jonah asked, “You live far away?”
“No, but farther than the clinic. Have you ever drawn a basset hound?”
“No. But I saw one once. They have long ears.”
“And short legs.”
“How come?”
“They are hunting dogs and can dig or go under brush and trees to get their prey.”
“Oh. What are your dogs’ names again?”
“Soandso and Sam, the yellow Labs. They’re rescue dogs but probably full blooded.”
“What’s rescue dogs?”
“Rescue is when a dog or cat doesn’t have a home, so you take it in. Or a horse. There are farms that rescue horses.”
“Like Dinah rescued me?”
Garret paused at the last light in town. “Uh, no. Not like you. You were loved, and you are still loved, and Dinah is taking care of you. You weren’t just cast off. Thrown away, like rescued pets.”
“Why did someone throw your dogs away?”
“I have no idea. That person made a big mistake, because these are some of the best dogs anywhere. I know they’ll be happy to see you.”
Happy didn’t begin to describe the way they greeted Jonah, yipping and jigging and licking the moment Jonah got out.
“Enough!” Garret finally said as he led the way to his studio. Apparently the dogs didn’t think it was enough yet, so he yelled at them and they backed off.
“Where is your cat?”
“He’ll come out when he’s ready. Cats don’t usually welcome company like the dogs do.”
“Shut up!”
Jonah’s eyes widened. “What was that?”
“You ever see a macaw up close? A macaw is one of the largest of the parrot family; certainly has the longest tail. Come in the sun room and meet them.”
“Hello.” The hyacinth macaw sidled down his horizontal perch for a better view.
Jonah stared at the huge blue bird. “He talks.”
“Hello.”
“He won’t stop until you answer.”
Hesitantly, Jonah said, “Hello.”
The bird cocked its head. “Cute.”
Jonah giggled. “What’s his name?”
“He is Side Car, and the other one who was squawking when we came in is Orinoco. That’s why Side Car yells ‘Shut up.’ He wasn’t yelling at us, but at Orinoco.”
Jonah looked over at the big flight cage. “More birds?”
“Finches, canaries, and a pair of lovebirds. The lovebirds have a nest again, with three eggs in it.”
“How come you have all these birds?”
“I like birds.” Garret turned around. “You ready to paint, Sport?”
“Why do you call me Sport when my name is Jonah?”
“Because when I was your age a favorite uncle called me Sport. It’s sort of a general name for any guy kid.”
“Oh.” Jonah followed him into the studio. “Then I guess it’s okay.”
Garret waved an arm toward the glass wall. “I set up an easel your size and one for me.” He had moved the three problematic easels to the far wall and covered them. He was still not sure why he hadn’t just left them out.
He settled on his stool and was glad he had guessed the right height for Jonah’s seat. “There are many kinds of painting surfaces—Masonite, illustration board for instance. I like gessoed canvas. So let’s start with canvas.”
Jonah ran his fingers over it. “It really is canvas.”
“Yes. With a sort of thin, white plaster painted over it. I thought we’d paint with acrylics today. Another time maybe we’ll try watercolors or oils.” He picked up a palette from the table between them. “All these paints can be used if you like. And these will be your brushes. You have to clean your brushes well, or they will get hard and not be any good anymore. I’ll show you how when we’re done for today. What would you like to paint?”
Jonah shrugged. “A picture of Mutt?”
“Mutt is not easy to paint because her hair goes every direction. What if you started with Soandso or Sam? They’re only one color and they’re short-haired.” He nodded to where the two lay by the chair, jaws between their front legs, watching everything the two humans did. “Now, the first step is to draw what you want to paint on the canvas. I have some pictures you can look at, if you want. I do that a lot of times.” He pulled open a file drawer and drew out a folder to lay on the table. The pictures were of both dogs in various poses. “How about sitting like this? Use your pencil lightly.”
He took a pencil and drew a few lines that quickly became the form of a dog.
Jonah watched him, stared at the picture, then drew, but shook his head and quit.
“Let me show you what I used to use.” Garret flicked on his old camera lucida, laid the picture on its bed, and flashed the picture on the wall. “Now you go hold your canvas in the light and I’ll make the dog fit. Then you draw around what you see.” He moved the black box back until the dogs looked right.
Jonah sketched around the projected image and when he returned to the table, his eyes were dancing. “Could we do that with one of my drawings?”
“Good idea! We could, and we will another time.” Garret took an inch-wide brush, dipped it in paint, and started on the background. “Since I am just going to paint the dogs, not with trees and sky and such, I choose a neutral color to start with. ‘Neutral’ means not sock-you-in-the-eye.” He held the palette in one hand and the brush in the other.
Jonah picked up a palette. “Like Side Car and Orinoco are not neutral.” He mimicked Garret’s motions, perched at the shorter easel. “Can I put blue in there, too?”
“You sure can. Go ahead.”
Jonah dabbed at first, then made bolder strokes, gaining courage as he went. “When can I do the dog?”
“Anytime. I just like to paint the background first. What color will you use for the dog?” Garret stepped back and returned to the easel. “If you want to make a color lighter, you add white to it. If you want to make it darker, you add that gray or the black or sometimes just another deep color, like purple or blue.” He mixed the colors on his palette and applied samples to a paper.