“Why didn’t you call Grey first?” Maddox asked. “Pine Haven is much closer.”
Lucy shook her head.
“I didn’t know if there was a vet in town. And with the storm coming in and how late in the day it was, I assumed everything would be closed.” She wiped her eyes again. “Dr. Gomez was still open and agreed to do a video consult. I only took Atlas to him because of that consultation. I thought consistency of care was a good thing.”
“It is.” Grey nodded. “And I’m happy to see to his care from here on out.”
Lucy gave the doctor a weak smile. “Thanks.”
Grey crouched down, his face on the level with hers. “We’ll need to move him, Lucy. He can’t stay here.”
While his tone was gentle, the ferocity in his mismatched eyes let her know this doctor was determined to save his patient, and he couldn’t do it at her house.
“I know.” She nodded sadly. “I guess I…”
God, he was just a dog. And he wasn’t even hers. Somehow, though, the thought of Atlas being taken away made her heart ache.
“Can I stay with him? At your clinic, can I…”
Geez, she was losing it, wasn’t she? This is what happened when you didn’t have friends or family, you got nutso attached to an animal. No wonder some people she knew had so many pets.
“I don’t think it’s wise for you to be there.” Grey said softly, compassion in that mismatched gaze. “You’ve done a great job of looking after him, but it’s our turn now.”
“But doesn’t he need care, like a home? A family?”
“He has a family.” Maddox said gruffly.
Lucy turned to him, an ache blooming in her chest.
“Do you know them?”
Pine Haven Falls was a small community. If Atlas’s family lived there, these guys were bound to know them. But then again, she’d found Atlas in that no-man's-land on the way home from Pineberry Springs. She didn’t know where he was from.
Maddox glanced at Grey, then shook his head.
“Lucy,” Grey put his hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze. “I need to take him to the clinic.”
Atlas made a new sound, a low rumble in his chest that drew everyone’s eyes.
“Is he—”
“This is a sign.” Grey said. “He’s starting to come around.” Grey stood, putting himself between her and Atlas.
“It may be best if you step out for a bit.” He said calmly.
“Okay.” Though she’d much rather have stayed with them, Grey smiled reassuringly as he walked her to the door.
The fact that the doctor was so calm and Maddox so self-contained right now was encouraging. There was no reason to imagine the worst. These guys were professionals, and they had everything under control.
“I’ll see you in a bit, then.” She nodded at the doorway. “Thanks again.”
“Happy to help.” Grey smiled. “We’ll take good care of him.”
She knew Atlas was in excellent hands, but she didn’t like being shut out of her own bedroom again. While Lucy knew they meant well, the way Grey and Maddox had treated her with kid gloves was unnerving. Kind of reminded her of everyone she’d dealt with in the wake of her parents’ deaths. Like there was some kind of handbook or playbook people worked from when dealing with a grieving girl. Soft voices, furtive glances, reassuring words. Silent conversations she wasn’t privy to, but felt.
Atlas wasn’t going to be okay.
She didn’t know how she knew it, but she did. They were going to take him away, and whether or not he lived, she wouldn’t see him again.
