A tempting offer, but she had to take responsibility. One day she’d have kids, and if they were anything like her and her siblings, they’d serve her a litany of wounds to take care of. “I appreciate it, but I’ll manage.”
Dr. Scott spent the next five minutes giving her detailed instructions on cleaning Roxie’s wound and rewrapping it. “The most important aspect to remember is that you don’t want to wrap her leg too tight. In her condition, it could cause serious complications.” He stooped down and pulled at the top of the gauze. “No tighter than this one is. Don’t be afraid of a little give.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“She’s not given us any problems about changing the dressing, but if she does, you might have to bring her in for us to do it.”
Rachel frowned. “She’s pretty stubborn when she wants to be.”
“This time, it will work in her favor and help her heal more quickly, as long as she cooperates in letting you change the bandages.” He stood upright. “Do you have any question?”
“Not now, but that’s likely to change when I get home and try it.”
“If you think of anything, you can call the office anytime. Either one of the staff members will help, or they’ll call me if necessary.” He scratched Roxie behind her ears, and she smiled. “My gut says you’ll be just fine though.”
“A friend’s coming over who’s been through this. I’m sure he’ll be able to help as well.” She hooked the leash onto Roxie’s collar. “Thank you for everything.”
“We’ll see you back in a week. They’ll schedule an appointment for you when you check out.”
“When should you have the results?” She’d tried not to ask, but curiosity got the better of her. Waiting for an answer, she bit down on her bottom lip.
“One to two weeks. As soon as I know, I’ll call you.”
“Thanks.” Conflicted emotions clawed at her as she left and drove home.
She was grateful that the biopsy was over, and Roxie had been cleared to come home. However, in her jubilee over that success, she’d briefly forgotten the reason for the biopsy and the possibility of the dreaded c-word.
Chapter Six
Aaron stood outside of Rachel’s door with two bulging bags of Chinese takeout. He might have gone overboard with the amount of food, but beyond deciding where to order from, he and Rachel hadn’t decided what to eat.
He had shrimp lo mein, Hunan chicken, pork eggrolls, Mongolian beef, egg drop soup, and broccoli with garlic sauce. At least one item from the assortment should please her palate. If not, he’d call and have more delivered.
Or not. That might come off desperate to please.
While he liked Rachel and wouldn’t mind impressing her, his primary motive for bringing dinner was to ease any stress she had in regards to Roxie and to lighten her load however he could—even if that meant bringing enough food to feed a family of eight.
He didn’t hear any barking when he rang the doorbell which surprised him. Chance had never missed an opportunity to alert the entire neighborhood that someone was outside the house.
Rachel opened the door and sniffed. “I smelled the food before I heard the bell.”
“I wasn’t sure what to get, so I brought a little of everything.” He held up the bags with a sheepish grin. “Hope you’re hungry.”
“Starving. Come in.” She waved in a welcoming gesture and took him to her kitchen.
“How’s Roxie?”
“Doing well from what I can tell.” She pulled a white box from the bag. “Not quite herself, but Dr. Scott said that’s normal. She’s lethargic, and other than a few smiles, she’s not interacting much.”
“She’ll be much better tomorrow. It’s barely been twenty-four hours since her surgery.”
“That’s what I’m telling myself.” Leaving him to unload the rest, she pulled two plates from the cabinet. “Usually, she curls up next to me on the sofa, but that’s not allowed until she recovers. I made her a bed on the floor, right at the edge of the sofa.”
“How’s she doing with the cone?”
“Don’t ask.” She rolled her eyes. “So far, she’s run into the wall twice, and it took her five minutes to find a comfortable position.”
“Chance was a pain with those cones.” Finished unpacking all the food, he turned around with his hands resting on the counter behind him. “Do you have any idea how much money I spent trying to find one that would work? No matter which brand or style I used, he could still get to his paw.”
