Rescue Me, page 8
Mitchell shook his head.
Mitchell really was incredibly generous, and Beau stepped closer to him. Their gazes met, the house quiet. Beau had no idea how long that would last, but he wanted to thank Mitchell for his kindness. Before he knew it, Beau was standing right in front of him, and Mitchell gathered him in his arms.
“Is this okay?” he whispered.
Beau nodded. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve just been held.”
Mitchell stilled. “Gerome never did anything like this?” His whisper was filled with surprise.
Beau shrugged. “Gerome wasn’t the tender, touching kind of guy. He was more the fuck until he fell asleep kind of guy. He could go for hours, and then that was it and he’d sleep through the night, on his own side of the bed, and would complain if I woke up pressed to him because I got cold. He said he got warm, but maybe he was just stunted or something.” He certainly wasn’t emotionally stable, as Beau found out when Gerome’s hand collided with his face. “After I left him, I got a new job and moved here. I thought I would be far enough away from him.” He leaned against Mitchell, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Mitchell breathed into his ear.
“For talking about… him… at a moment like this.” Beau had wanted to let go of the crap with Gerome, and yet it kept coming to mind at the worst moments.
Mitchell kissed him again, and Beau felt like he was on fire. He glanced in the direction of his bedroom and wondered if he could maneuver Mitchell that way.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Mitchell said, pulling away slightly. “And it’s too early for that.” He cocked his eyebrows. “We need to go slow.”
Beau nodded as reality washed over him like a wet blanket. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if he was ready for a relationship. Yes, his body was more than interested in Mitchell, and sex would be wonderful. But he wanted more than that… didn’t he? Questions and caution raced through Beau’s mind at the speed of light. He had a daughter now, and she needed to come first. Beau needed to care for her and make sure that she lived in a safe, nurturing environment. What if Jessica got close to Mitchell and then something happened between them? It wasn’t like he could explain a breakup to a baby. He and Mitchell hadn’t known each other very long, and Mitchell was right—they needed to go slow. But it was hard as well… pun intended… when his heart raced a mile a minute and with his mind awash in endorphins. “I know you’re right.” Beau hoped his voice didn’t crack.
Mitchell stayed where he was, and Beau blinked a few times. It was difficult to clear his mind with Mitchell right in front of him. There was something about him, something gentle and caring, thoughtful, that drew Beau. He knew Mitchell would never do the things that Gerome had done. “I don’t want to go slow, though.” Mitchell placed his hands on the side of Beau’s cheeks, cupping his face in a gentle gesture before drawing him nearer, their lips touching softly once again. Mitchell tasted like the outdoors, fresh and light with an undertone of masculinity and spice that went right through him, all the way to his toes. Beau was drawn closer, wanting more, needing it. He steadied himself against Mitchell’s firm shoulders. Mitchell’s hands slid off his cheeks and down his shoulders as they came closer, their kiss intensifying as Mitchell held him tightly.
A whimper came through the baby monitor, and Beau stilled, listening for more. He’d hoped she’d sleep longer.
“Maybe she’ll go back to sleep,” Mitchell said as he pulled away.
“Sometimes she does, but not for very long.” Beau hated to leave, but he knew his daughter. She might rest for another fifteen minutes, but….
The screech through the monitor told him that wasn’t the case this time. Randi barked, and Jessica cried louder. It seemed the two of them were intent on bringing the house down.
Mitchell stared at him and then started laughing. “Dang….” He continued chuckling. “Do you want me to get her?”
Beau was already on his way. “There’s a bottle made up in the refrigerator. Can you warm it in some hot water, and I’ll get Her Highness?” He went to his daughter, who stopped crying but sniffled as he picked her up. “No one forgot you.” Beau groaned and put her on the changing table. No wonder she woke up. Her little diaper was full. He cleaned and changed her, then led the way out to the kitchen with Randi right behind. It really did seem like Jessica was going to have a little puppy shadow.
“Here’s the bottle. It isn’t too hot.” Mitchell handed it to him. Beau checked it out of habit before shaking it and placing it into her mouth. Jessica sucked right away, drinking hard, her eyes wide and watching him. Beau loved that undivided attention, like he was the most important person in the world. And maybe he was. Beau was her sole means of support and survival.
“I think I should let you do what you need to.” Mitchell shifted his weight from foot to foot. “You have enough to do without me hanging around all day. There’s some food and water out for Randi. She just needs a half cup twice a day and an occasional treat. If you give her more, she’ll eat too much and get overweight.”
“You don’t have to go,” Beau said, not really wanting to be alone. “I know I’m not the greatest company sometimes.” He didn’t know what to say. A guy with a baby had to be a bit of a letdown for an active guy like Mitchell. Beau was a basically a stay-at-home kind of guy. The college allowed him to work from home because of the baby and because he was danged good at his job. They wanted the remote learning active and robust, and they were willing to work with him to get it. He also had a baby, and that meant staying with her almost all the time. Their picnic and hike in the park had been a special outing and something rather rare for him. Things hadn’t always been that way, but Jessica had brought a number of changes into his life.
“You’re great company,” Mitchell said, coming closer. “But I’m going to need to see to the dogs and make sure they’re all fed and walked. That can take a while.” He smiled and leaned over him.
Beau closed the distance between them to take a kiss. Then Mitchell was gone, and as soon as the door closed and the silence in the house surrounded him, Beau sighed and turned his attention to Jessica to keep the threat of loneliness at bay.
Chapter 7
“DR. BRANNIGAN?” his assistant, Bonnie, said as he handed a pissed-off cat back to her owner. Clyde hated shots. Mitchell had been lucky to escape his wrath—this time.
“He’s going to be fine,” he told Clyde’s owner, who immediately soothed him. Clyde glared at Mitchell with narrowed eyes as though he were the cat devil himself.
“Thank you,” Clare said and left the office with Clyde. Mitchell was always glad to see the back of that particular cat.
“Yes, Bonnie?” He washed his hands as he waited for her to talk.
“There’s a man out front with a baby and a Chihuahua mix. He doesn’t have an appointment, but he says that his dog has been throwing up a lot. The poor guy looks like he’s going to fly to pieces at any second.”
Mitchell nodded. “I’ll come out to see him.” He followed Bonnie into the reception area, where Beau sat with Jessica on his lap and Randi in a carrier. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. She was doing okay and then started throwing up and getting really sick.” Beau looked pale and about to be sick himself. “I’m sorry if I hurt her. I was being careful and fed her like you told me. It’s only been three days and already I did this.” He seemed shaky and about to lose it completely.
Mitchell lifted the carrier and peered inside. “Let me take a look at her.” He led them through to the examination room and put the carrier on the table. He opened it and gently brought Randi out. He held her up, and Randi’s little legs shook. “What has she eaten?” He took her temperature and checked her mouth and feet for injuries or infection, but saw nothing.
“I’ve given her a half cup of the food you left twice a day. I haven’t shared table scraps, and I don’t have anything in the house that should hurt her. The place is baby-proofed already, and the cupboards with soaps and stuff are locked.” Beau seemed pale and half scared. Jessica was fussy and kept squirming and whining. She knew something wasn’t right.
“Has she been outside when you weren’t there?” Mitchell asked as Randi coughed and brought up some more of what was in her belly. Mitchell collected it and looked it over closely.
Bonnie came into the room. “What can I do to help?” That lady always knew when she was needed. Mitchell swore she had a sixth sense.
“We need to get an IV started. She needs fluids. I think she’s eaten something she shouldn’t have.” Randi retched again, but nothing came up this time. Mitchell hoped her belly was empty now and whatever was hurting her was out. Bonnie got the fluids ready, and Mitchell soothed Randi to keep her calm. Then he shaved a spot on her leg and got the fluids going. The poor little thing looked so helpless.
“What did I do?” Beau asked, his voice breaking.
“I don’t think you did anything.” Mitchell petted Randi as she lifted her head weakly. “I’m not sure what happened yet.” Bonnie stayed with her and kept her quiet while Mitchell left the room. He had to review what Randi had brought up. It wasn’t his favorite thing to do, but sometimes you needed to follow the clues. And he had nothing to work with… until he spied a few small grains. He separated them and looked more closely at them. Mitchell sighed as he saw what he had been afraid of. He returned to where Randi lay on the counter. Bonnie had covered her, and she was no longer shaking.
“What is it?”
Mitchell swallowed hard. “I think she ate something poisonous. I found granules in what was in her belly, and she’s acting exactly like I would expect. It looks like mouse bait or something.”
Beau’s mouth fell open and he gasped. “You think someone did this on purpose?” He stood with Jessica on his shoulder, pacing the small room. “I swear I’ll kill ’em.” He clenched his teeth.
“I don’t think she got very much. I’m hopeful that you got her here in time and that her own body’s defenses took over. She was sick because she needed to expel what was hurting her.” Randi had stopped heaving and lay quietly while the fluids slowly dripped into her.
“What can you do? Is there some kind of antidote?” Beau asked, clearly distressed.
Mitchell badly wanted to comfort him, but this was his place of business and he needed to be professional.
“Do you want me to stay with her for now?” Bonnie asked.
Mitchell nodded. “Please.” Then he turned back to Beau. “I want to keep her here for a while so we can monitor her, and I’m hoping we can flush the toxins out of her system. Bonnie will put her in a quiet recovery area and stay with her. Randi isn’t going to be alone. Why don’t you take Jessica to the house, and I’ll stop by on my way home and let you know what’s going on.” The thought that someone could hurt this sweet dog made his blood boil, but he had to keep calm for himself and Beau. On the inside, he wanted to find whoever had done this and rip his nuts off. Hopefully her little system was working enough that they could get the toxins out of her without them doing too much damage. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do much other than keep her comfortable and hope. “You might want to check around where Randi might have gotten to see if you can find anything. Once we get her better, you don’t want her to get into anything again. If you find something, call us so we will know more about what we’re dealing with.” He was pretty sure someone had put some sort of mouse pellets near the house. From the look of it, maybe Randi hadn’t eaten it directly but had gotten it on her coat or paws and then licked it off.
“I’ll do my best,” Beau said.
Mitchell drew closer. “I know you will, and I’ll stop at your house in a few hours to help you look.” Mitchell wanted to kiss him. The sadness in Beau’s eyes and the way his shoulders slumped made him want to comfort him and try to take away the pain. Granted, he knew he couldn’t right then.
Beau nodded. “I’d better go. Call me just to tell me how she is.” He swallowed hard, and Mitchell’s breath hitched. Then Beau opened the door and left the room.
“Doc…,” Bonnie said as her head appeared in the back doorway. “Are you seeing him? He’s definitely a looker, that’s for sure. If I were ten years younger and he were ten years older, I’d be on him like a duck on a June bug.”
Mitchell couldn’t help smiling, because, yeah, Beau was gorgeous. He lifted his gaze as the smile faded. “I don’t know if I can do it, though.” Bonnie was aware of his past. She was the only one in the office who was. She had been with him since they opened, and he trusted his secrets with her. Bonnie’s mouth was like a lockbox, and he loved that about her. “I want to. It’s been a long time. But sometimes when I’m with him, it’s like Luke is in the room with us.”
Bonnie stepped back to where Randi was. “Beau isn’t Luke.” Her voice drifted in from where she sat with Randi. Mitchell peered into the room. She had Randi lying on the counter, the IV still running into her. Randi’s eyes half drooped, but when she saw him, she wagged her tail and tried to get up.
“Just stay there, sweetheart,” he said gently, and Bonnie petted down her side.
“Luke was an ass and you know it.” She rolled her eyes. “He didn’t even like dogs, for Christ’s sake.” She glared as though that trait made him the spawn of Satan. Maybe it did. Mitchell certainly should have known there was something wrong with him right there. “And you saw Beau when he brought in this little girl. He was heartbroken that she was sick and hurting and afraid he might have done something to her. That’s doggie love, and a man who can love a dog like that is certainly worth your time.”
Mitchell patted the doorframe nervously. “He has had someone in his life like Luke.”
Bonnie gasped. “That adorable father had someone who…?” Her lips straightened and her eyes hardened to stone. “The bastard… they both were.” She lowered her gaze to Randi. “Those men who hurt you took something away. Your safety, your confidence, and the ability to trust that someone else isn’t going to treat you the same way. They’re thieves, and they steal other people’s lives.”
Mitchell found himself nodding slowly. “How did you get so smart?”
Bonnie hesitated, and Mitchell got the feeling that she was debating something. Her expression revealed nothing, which told him something was up. Bonnie was usually very expressive. “You don’t think you and Beau are the only ones? My first husband was really good with his hands… until he wasn’t. Then things got bad. I divorced him, but he left scars that no one could see. And I think that’s how it is with you and Beau. Maybe there are physical marks, but those heal. The others stay with you longer.” She left her right hand lying still on Randi’s side like she needed a link to her gentleness. “The thing you have to decide, and this is the really hard part, or at least it was for me….” She paused and blinked, wiping her eyes on a tissue. “I don’t normally talk about this part of my life because it still hurts. But that’s the point, I guess. I decided that I wanted Marty more than the fear. That he was important enough to me to not let the hurt get the better of me. It took some time, and if Beau’s hurt is fresh, then you’ll need to give him that time.” She turned away, and Mitchell figured her episode of story time was over.
“I know you’re right. But I’m still afraid for myself, for him. What if Beau isn’t ready? He’s still trying to separate himself from his ex. They have divorced, but they still have property together that they need to sell, and the guy is a real piece of work.”
“Are you afraid he’ll go back to him?” Bonnie asked.
Mitchell shook his head. That was the least of his concerns. “I left Luke a while ago and I’ve had years to try to process what he did to me. Yet I’m still worried and hesitant. What if Beau…? He isn’t in the same place.”
“Then maybe you need to help him get there. Take your time.” She rolled her eyes. “You young people like to hurry into everything. Jump each other and right into bed. There’s something to be said for being courted, for someone taking their time to get to know you… and maybe even falling in love before jumping into bed. I ran after my first husband and look what happened. It was fast and all high emotion. But it didn’t last, and he made my life sheer hell. Deep love, the kind that spans decades, takes time. At least that’s my opinion.” She patted his shoulder as Randi wagged her tail. “I think this little one is feeling better.” Mitchell agreed, but only time was going to tell for sure. “You have another appointment in five minutes. I’ll get her settled and ensure she doesn’t pull out the IV.”
“Thanks. I could sedate her, but I don’t want to slow down her systems. Randi seems to have gotten rid of the bad stuff largely on her own, and the faster her little body flushes the rest of it out, the better.” He needed to get back to work, and Bonnie had given him plenty to think about. Mitchell just needed to figure out what he wanted and hope that Beau wanted the same thing.
AT THE end of the day, Mitchell closed up the clinic. Randi was on the mend, but he thought it best to keep her overnight. Bonnie was scheduled to stop in and check on their patients, so he had the evening off, though he figured he would check on the little girl later as well. He hurried back to the house just as Jeremy pulled the barn door closed. “I got them all walked and fed, using the sheet you left,” he said with a grin. Jeremy was the neighbor’s son and he loved animals. He was fifteen but very conscientious, and he came in three days a week to help walk and feed the dogs. “I didn’t walk the one you marked to stay away from. I did feed him, though.”
“Great.” He hadn’t wanted Jeremy to try to walk the strong pit bull. He had a tendency to be stubborn, and he’d pull Jeremy where he wanted to go and could hurt him. “Thank you.”
Jeremy rocked on his heels. “Mom says that now that I have a job, I can get a dog of my own.” That had been an uphill battle for him for months. Apparently Jeremy’s mother hadn’t been convinced that her son would care for his own dog, but it seemed caring for fifteen of them sometimes had convinced her.
