“If she makes it.”
“She’ll make it.”
He turns to face me, his expression a combination of worry and hope. “Do you really think so?”
“I do.” When his hand slides out from beneath mine and flips over, I watch as he moves it back until our fingers are intertwined.
“Thank you for being here, Alison. I’d be half out of my mind without someone here.”
Someone? Anyone?
Why do I want him to say he’s glad I’m here, not just anyone?
I’m seeing a different side to Ben Schilling. This one is sweet, compassionate, and, best of all, an animal lover. The last one is the most important because it says a lot about a person—more than all the work gossip in the world can convey. But now that I think about it, everyone I’ve talked to about Ben has all said the same thing: “He’s a good guy.”
Well, now I’ve seen it for myself. Ben Schilling is a good guy. No, scratch that. He’s a great guy.
“Mr. and Mrs. Schilling?”
I look up as a young woman steps out from a set of doors that lead to the back where the surgery’s taking place. I had to think about what she just said for a second. Mr. and Mrs. Schilling. I start to laugh, but when I feel Ben’s hand take mine and squeeze hard, I know this isn’t a joke, nor is it about me.
“Yes?” Ben says, leaning forward in his chair.
She steps closer to where we’re sitting. “Hello. I’m Dr. Ackerman.”
“Hi,” Ben says quickly. “How is she?”
“We’re just finishing up.”
Ben’s practically falling forward he’s leaning in so much. “And?”
“And”—the young woman smiles—“Sky did great.”
Ben quickly looks over at me, then back to the woman. My glimpse at him was quick, but I still noticed his glossy eyes.
“She did?” he squeaks. “Is she going to be okay? Will she be able to walk?”
Dr. Ackerman chuckles. “She will. Not right away, of course. We don’t want her up and around just yet. The spinal cord recovers slowly, so we’d like her to lie low for six to eight weeks. We’d also like to keep her here tonight for observation and to make sure she doesn’t move a great deal. Will that be all right with you two?” We both nod, but neither of us speaks. “When she does start to become more mobile, extra care must be taken not to allow running, jumping, stairs, playing with other dogs, or hopping on or off furniture. If you’d like, physical therapy can be started next week to help regain strength.”
“Physical therapy?” I want to laugh at the notion of dog physical therapy, but this doctor was totally serious. “Who does animal physical therapy?” I’ve never heard of such a thing.
“Oh, there are twenty or thirty places in the city for animal rehab. There are several that use pools.”
“Swimming pools?” Why do I sound so incredulous?
The doctor merely nods while Ben says, “I’ll research that tonight, Dr. Ackerman. Can I see her?”
“She’s still sedated, but yes, you can see her before you leave.”
Ben’s talking rapidly like he’s full of nervous energy. “Can I stop by early tomorrow. Before work?”
“We open our doors to the public again at seven. You can stop in any time after that.”
“Good.” He nods. “Great.”
Standing, he releases my hand, and I’m not going to lie, I miss it. When he turns to me, his face has changed from worried to something much happier. He’s got a wonderful smile. “Thank you for coming and for staying with me, Alison.”
I smile, but I don’t feel it. I wish I could stay with him, see Sky, and then leave with him.
What the hell am I saying? “No problem. I’m glad she’s going to be okay.”
“Me too.” He smiles brightly, and it makes me feel warm all over. My God, the man is gorgeous.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Sure.” He starts to walk toward the back, but he stops. Turning to me, he adds, “Wait. It’s late. Are you going to be okay getting home alone?
He’s right. It’s well after eleven now. I want to laugh at his question because I’ve been getting home “alone” for years. But it’s sweet, really, so I just say, “I’ll catch a cab. I’m good.”
“Okay.” Looking back at the doctor, he nods. “Can I see her now?”
“Follow me.”
I watch them both disappear behind the doors that will lead him back to his dog. I sigh to myself, wondering what it’d be like to have a man like Ben Schilling care about me like he cares about Sky. Ben is all in with her. He loves her, and he doesn’t care who knows.
Ha! Like I’ll ever know.
Chapter Nineteen
Ben
Sleep’s eluding me. How can I sleep when my Sky is all alone at that animal hospital? Sure, I know she’s not technically alone—they assured me they had staff there all night to monitor her and to make sure she doesn’t try to get up and walk around just yet—but she’s probably lonely. I’ll be there first thing in the morning to see her.
Rolling onto my side, I rest my head on my arm and think about another girl. This one is named Alison. And she is beautiful. Gorgeous actually. Tonight, she was wearing a pair of dark blue wide-legged pants. Not gonna lie, I missed seeing her legs, but it didn’t take away from her in any way. Maybe it was the spiky heels she wore that made it sexy. The jacket matched her pants, and she wore a plain modest blouse in white. If anyone else were wearing that outfit, I probably wouldn’t have noticed, but there’s just something about her that makes me stop and stare. She reminds me of a film star from the ’50s—classically pretty.
And the way she showed up at the vet’s office….
I place my hand over my chest when I feel it skip a beat. This may surprise you, but I don’t have a lot of friends. Nope, I left my family and friends back home, and I haven’t taken the time to meet new ones here. Focusing on my career was job one. So tonight, when Alison showed up at the animal hospital and sat with me for over two hours, well, that meant something to me. Never mind the fact that I find her the most compelling woman I’ve met in months. Maybe years. Those damn curves of hers….
Shit, just the thought of her body makes my mind take off in a new direction. One that makes my dick harden. Sure, I could take care of that, but for some reason, it feels wrong. Instead, I growl and decide to give up on sleep.
Looking at the clock next to my bed, I mumble, “Three.” I roll out of bed and make my way to my kitchen. I might as well get up. I wish I could go hang with Sky at the animal hospital, but I’ll just have to bide my time until they reopen.
Grabbing a water bottle, I fill it up, adding a couple ice cubes. I use the john, brush my teeth, and then get a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My hair is getting long. So long that right now, I look a bit like a dark-haired Albert Einstein. “Alison probably thinks I look like a crazy person.” Better get in to get it cut.
Wetting a brush under the water, I run it through my hair. When it does no good, I decide a baseball cap is the way to go this morning. Next, I search for something I can jog in. After the whole stair debacle this week, it’s obvious I’m not doing enough cardio. I might as well start working on that today.