Scarlett felt disappointment run through her. Ice gave her a taste of freedom, and she desperately wanted to keep it.
Lisa approached the group. “It seems you and Ice have become friends.”
Scarlett rubbed him between his ears. “He’s a good boy. Thank you, Ice.”
His head rested against her leg, and she continued to pet him.
“I’ll take you to see Doc. We do have a few more guide dogs if you decide you want to use one,” Lisa explained. “Give it some thought. A service dog requires more responsibilities than a pet. They must keep updated on shots, proper grooming, and you’ll need to learn your rights when it comes to owning a service animal.”
“Oh,” she said, deflated. It sounded as if this might be a long and tedious process, and she already fell in love with her four-legged friend. She knelt and whispered in his ear. “Thank you for today. I’ll miss you.”
Ice gave her doggie kisses, making them all laugh.
“Don’t worry, Scarlett. He’s taken to you, too. We’ll discuss it later today at your care meeting. You won’t need to make any final decisions, but we want you to get a full view of everything we offer,” Allie said, removing the harness from Ice. “I’ll give him some playtime outside while you take Scarlett up to see Doc.”
Lisa took her arm and led her from the building. She already felt the loss of her furry partner. The golf cart started moving and she heard a dog barking close by.
“It’s Ice. He’s following us beside the fence. I don’t think he likes you leaving him,” Lisa gushed.
“I’ll return tomorrow,” Scarlett called, hoping she didn’t lie to him.
They pulled in front of the hospital, and Lisa parked.
“Hey, Sassy P,” Sledge called. “How did it go?”
She turned her head toward his voice. “Did you know? I met Ice. He’s beautiful,” she gushed. “We walked around the track, and he’s such an intelligent dog. I didn’t land on my face once. He’s a better guide dog than you.”
Sledge slapped a hand to his chest. “Awww, that one hurt. Glad you’re getting some spunk back. I’ll take you to Doc and then meet you for lunch.”
“Thanks,” she said, letting Sledge lead her up the stairs. She thought about how Ice stopped and put his paw on the step.
Sledge led her down a long hallway and knocked.
“Hi, Sledge, Scarlett. You’re right on time. Come on in and have a seat,” Doc greeted them.
She sat and braced herself for the lecture on how her life wasn’t over due to her disability. They must teach it to doctors in med school. Goodness knows, she heard it a million times by now.
The door closed and Doc spoke, “Scarlett, I asked an associate of mine to sit in on this meeting. He specializes in severe head traumas, and with your permission, I want him to examine your latest scans. We’ll need to do a more recent set.” A few minutes later, a woman entered the room.
“Dr. Winters. You’re needed in the cafeteria. It’s urgent. Your wife asked me to find you. She insisted I tell you she and the kids are fine.”
Doc groaned. “When she says she’s fine, it usually means the opposite. Sorry, Scarlett. Dr. Warrenwill arrive any minute. I already told him to come in when he arrives. Can you please tell him I’ll return shortly?”
“Sure,” she agreed, hearing Doc rush from the room.
Five minutes later, Dr. Warren entered. “I’m sorry. I thought Dr. Winters said he’d be in here.”
“He’ll return in a few minutes. There’s a crisis in the cafeteria,” she explained.
“You must be Scarlett Peterson. I’m Dr. Warren,” he said, approaching her.
He took her hand and gently shook it. “It seems he left your scans. Do you mind if I take a peek while we wait?”
“Go ahead. I can save you some time. I’m blind,” she stated bluntly.
The doctor chuckled. “Thank you for the update.” He flipped a switch, and she heard a quiet hum fill the room and the sound of slides getting put up on those white plastic boards.
“You took a hard hit. I’m surprised it didn’t do more damage,” he said under his breath. “Did they discuss an eye transplant with you?”
