They stood and shook hands. “Good to have you back, partner,” Matt acknowledged.
* * *
Annie’s week had been anything but comfortable. The moment she let Leon and Suzanne know that Shane was back in her life, the peace from the previous evening ended.
“Are you crazy?” Suzanne yelled, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at Annie while her voice rose with each word. “He lied, he cheated, he left you, he just makes up shit to get you back with him, and I think he does it ‘cause he’s homeless and wants a place to crash!”
Leon walked over to stand behind Suzanne. “Gotta say, doc, Suzanne’s telling it like it is. I like the guy, but he’s got some serious issues.”
“I know what his issues are and I believe him,” Annie replied. “A few more days and then he is back on the police force as a regular detective. No more undercover. No more dangerous missions.” She hesitated a moment before looking back at them. “No more Rocky or other women.”
Suzanne, still on a roll, continued, “Let’s face it. Other than Leon, men are just shits. They lie, use you, make promises they don’t keep, and then you are left high and dry to pick up the pieces of your life all on your own!”
Leon and Annie just stared at Suzanne. “Are you sure you aren’t just talking about your own experiences?” Annie asked gently.
Suzanne pursed her lips together for a moment until the fight seemed to leave her. She had never talked about her past relationships.
“So the other night was just an act?” Leon asked, turning the attention back to Annie.
“Yes. And even if you don’t believe him then you should at least believe me. I know he is telling me the truth. I told you what Detective Dixon said. And when Shane laid it all out there, I admit it was overwhelming. But guys,” she said looking at her two closest friends, “I believe him. I want to give this a shot.”
Suzanne and Leon were silent for a moment, taking it all in.
“I just want you to be happy and honestly, he scares me,” Suzanne admitted.
Annie walked over to her friends, taking their hands. “I know. Sometimes he kind of scares me too. But then the thought of him not in my life scares me more.”
The two women embraced then Leon threw his arms around both of them, shouting, “Group hug!” Just then, the front doorbell sounded accompanied with the noise of dogs barking, starting a new day for the clinic.
By Thursday, Annie could feel the nervousness of waiting reaching an all-time high. Before Shane had left her last weekend, he promised her that he would be with her on Friday evening. If it wasn’t for the busy work schedule, she wasn’t sure she would have made it.
Suzanne passed her in the small hallway with a small Chihuahua in her arms, heading back toward the workroom. “Mrs. Greenwald’s neighbor is in exam room three. Looks like his dog was in a fight, but it’s not too bad.”
Annie dropped off the cat in her arms to Leon to finish in exam room one, then walked in to see the dog. An elderly gentleman was standing by the examining table talking softly to his bulldog. After greeting him, Annie looked at the bite marks that Suzanne had already cleaned.
“The good news is that they are superficial and not deep. I don’t think any stitches will be required, but I want to give him an antibiotic injection to make sure they don’t become infected.”
She looked up to see the owner smile as he leaned down to place his face next to his dog. The old bulldog lifted his sad eyes to his owner.
“You hear that Petunia. The nice doctor says you’re going be just fine,” he said as he continued to rub his dog’s ears.
“Petunia?” Annie couldn’t help but smile as she inquired about the bulldog’s name.
“Yes. My wife named him after her favorite flower. Lucy’s been gone a couple of years now, but me and Petunia keep her memory going just be hanging on to each other.”
“Oh, I am so sorry about your wife, but I can definitely tell you that…Petunia’s bites are not too bad.” She looked down at the notes that Suzanne had taken, but there wasn’t much information on how Petunia was attacked. “Mr. Charleston, can you tell me what happened?”
The pleasant look immediately left his face as he became animated. “Me and Petunia were just out for a walk when a stray dog came from the dumpsters in the alley behind my street. I live about five blocks over and we have never had any problem with strays before. Next thing I knew that dog rushed over and jumped on my poor Petunia, starting to bite him. I had my cane and I whaled on that dog till it ran away. I got him home and washed him off, but I knew he needed to see a vet. I took him to that emergency vet down the way, but the doc on duty that night said he’d be fine.”