Page 86 of Take My Kiss
My heart pounds as she leads me down a hallway in the back, then abruptly stops in front of a closed door.
“They’re in here. Take as long as you need.”
“Thanks,” I say hesitantly since I’m not sure what’s going on or walking in on.
I knock, then turn the handle and peek inside.
“Colt?”
He’s on the floor next to Remy, who’s lying on a blanket.
When Colton looks over his shoulder, his face red and blotchy, I nearly collapse.
Closing the door behind me, I kneel beside him and pull him into my arms.
“His heart stopped durin’ surgery, but they were able to bring him back,” he murmurs. “He still hasn’t woken up from the anesthesia.”
“I’m so sorry, Colt.” I tighten my hold. “He’s a strong boy. He’s gonna pull through.”
I force myself to believe the words because I don’t want to think of the alternative.
He’s silent as he drenches my shirt in tears, but I don’t let him go. I want to keep him as close to me as possible and take away all his pain.
“Sam’s gonna be so upset if he doesn’t make it,” he murmurs. “We had such an amazin’ day and?—”
He chokes up before finishing his words.
Sam will be devastated, no doubt, but it’s Colton I’m most worried about. He’s raised Remy since he was eight weeks old. They have a bond that only a dog owner could understand, but it’s evident in the way Remy stayed glued to my kids that they also share something special.
For the next hour, I sit with Colton, resting my head on his shoulder and holding his hand while he holds Remy’s paw. There’s a large bandage wrapped around his neck with black and brown fur sticking out, and another around his leg where they inserted the IV.
When he twitches, his eyes slowly open and roll back.
Colton pets his head and clears his throat. “Hey, buddy.”
Tears fill my eyes at how quickly Remy relaxes when he hears Colton’s voice.
It takes another forty minutes before he fully wakes. The vet checks his heart and lungs. They want to keep him overnight for observation, but since he’s breathing on his own and taking the pain meds well, they predict he’ll be fine to go home tomorrow. Since there’s always a risk for infection and he’ll have some discomfort, he’ll be on medication for a few weeks and be restricted to limited activity while his wound heals.
“Are you ready?” I ask once he reassures Remy that he’ll be back to pick him up tomorrow.
“Actually, would you mind givin’ me a few minutes alone before we go?”
“Of course, take as long as you need.”
He presses his lips to mine before I slip out of the room.
Moments later, Colton comes out and grabs my hand.
It’s dinnertime when we reach his house. Neither of us talked on the way home, but he kept his fingers intertwined with mine the whole drive.
Although I didn’t have a pet growing up and couldn’t afford one as an adult, I feel Colton’s concern. For the past nine days,Remy’s been a part of my life, and quickly made his way into my heart. I watched how patient he was with my kids as they played around him, built their Legos on him, and even dressed him up in a tiara and tutu. Most nights, he slept in the kids’ bed with them, and I felt safer knowing he was there.
He’s the perfect guard dog.
“I told Bodie not to say anythin’ to Sam and Lily, so he has no idea ’bout his condition,” Colton says once we park in the driveway.
“I can take Sam into his room and talk to him,” I offer so he doesn’t have to relive everything.
