“We’re dead.”
Something touched his shoulder, and he turned, fist cocked back to take down whichever of the dead men was there.
“Hey, Jock.Come on, man.”
Nothing was there, just blank space that felt very occupied.Jake was going to try to walk away, but the only path was through the middle of the circle of men.
Something whined piteously, and a hot tongue wet the side of his head.Jock jerked back, eyes wide, trying to reconcile the white room with the blood-colored sand he’d just been standing on.There was a dog on the table in front of him, pulling with one paw to get closer.Instinctively Jock dropped to his knees, putting his face on a level with the dog.The dog was trembling with pain and anxiety, and Jock knew he was the cause of at least part of that.
“Hey, hey.It’s going to be okay.”
“Jock, you back with us?”
He turned his head and found a face he recognized.“Ace.”
“Yeah, man.I’m right here.You remember Kent?”
The other man in the room wore scrubs, and Jock stared at him a minute before the memories started trickling in.
“Yeah, Kent, the vet Wildman hooked us up with.”He shook his head, resting a cheek on top of the dog’s head.“This is Maynard.My new dog.”He cut his gaze to Ace, and asked, “How long was I out?”
“Not sure.I didn’t realize anything was up until Maynard started reacting and you didn’t move to reassure him.You sure you’re good?Need an orange juice or something?”
“A beer, but I’m going to be the smarter man and accept the juice.I’ve got a couple of tablets I can take that should make all the after things better.They’re outside on the bike.”
“Side bag or handlebar?”
“Up by the handlebars.There’s just the one pill bottle.Thanks, Ace.”
“It’s what brothers do, my man.Keep Maynard calm so Kent can get going again.”
“We’re really close to being done, Jock.”Kent stepped up to the table and rested a hand on a patch of fur on the dog’s back.“The more I see, the better I feel about him.Maynard’s going to recover, probably back to near a hundred percent in terms of physical ability and activity, barring arthritis in those old breaks.His fur will be a different story.I’ll keep him for a few days, just to make sure we get past the danger zone.He’s not shocky at all, which is surprising for the amount of pain inflicted on him.”
“He’s a good boy.”
“He is.When he does go home, it won’t be a cakewalk.He’s going to need to wear a shirt or something to keep him from biting at the wounds as they begin to heal.”
“I’ve got pajamas that are too small for the mastiff, bet they’ll fit Maynard.He’s coming home with me, Kent.”
“We know he is, Jock.”Ace walked in, holding out a bottle of water and a couple of tablets.“Take these.Drink the water.I’ve got some juice coming.”
“Who’d you call?”Jock mentally rolled his eyes.“Wrench?”
“No, Jock, he did not call Wrench.”
“Silly, you beautiful woman, come give Maynard some love.”
“Only after you take your meds and drink some of this juice.Take the pills, Jock.”She bent close and brushed a kiss against his mouth.She whispered, “Love you, Jake.”
He drank in the scent of her.After a long day working in the studio, she always carried a slightly metallic scent paired with the musky vanilla of her bodywash.
“Love you, Silly.”
***
Silly
Jock’s muscles were tight, so tight he had to shake out his hands to take the juice from her and then put an arm around her hips.
