Page 74 of My Fiancé's Brother
“I'm going to get my purse.” I stopped and looked at him. “Uh, can you drive us?”
Jackson patted the dog’s head. “Looks like we are going to the hospital, buddy.”
The dog layin my lap while Jackson drove. It panted in fear. I had wrapped her up in the white blanket, and she did not attempt to try and move. Her weak state worried me.
Jackson carried the dog into the hospital, and the staff showed us into an examination room. Jackson comforted the dog on the waiting table while I sat and filled out the paperwork. Not that I knew anything about the dog, but I added my phone number and address.
The vet walked in. She was tall and blond, and her hair pulled into a ponytail. She had high cheekbones and gorgeous brown eyes. “What have we here?”
“Found this one along the road,” Jackson said.
She smiled up at him. “A good Samaritan. I like it.”
We watched as she performed a full exam.
She took her stethoscope off and put it around her neck. “No signs of injury other than she just seems weak and severely malnourished. Do you want to drop her off at the shelter?”
I stood up. “No. I'm going to keep this dog.”
Jackson gave me a wry look. “Are you sure?”
The vet gave a flirty smile. “Your girlfriend seems pretty dedicated to this one. Hope you like dogs.”
I cleared my throat. “Uh, we’re not dating.”
Her eyes went back to Jackson’s face. “Oh. Interesting.”
She turned around. “I'm going to give it a few shots. Assuming that she hasn’t been immunized for anything. I'm also going to prescribe some nutritiously dense food to help put some weight on. Don’t restrict quantity. Let her decide how much she wants to eat. I think as soon as she has some food, she'll perk right up.”
“Thanks,” I said. I moved next to Jackson and put my hand on the dog’s head. “Can we give her a bath?”
“I would highly recommend it,” she laughed. “Please use pet shampoo. We have some special shampoo that is gentle on a dog’s skin. She doesn’t seem to have fleas or bites of any kind, so no need to use anything else.”
“You're just the cutest little thing I have ever seen,” I cooed into the dog’s face. It stared up into my eyes and then licked my nose. “We're going to take such good care of you.”
Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. “This dog doesn’t know it yet, but it just checked into a 5-star hotel with room service.”
The vet laughed. “We have an assortment of leashes and collars and other dog paraphernalia in our store. You might want to take a look on your way out.”
While Jackson cuddledthe dog like a baby in his arms, I rushed around like a mad person in the store. I bought a dog bed, shampoo, squeaky toys, chew ropes and even a frisbee. I bought three collars, an assortment of leashes, dog food, dog treats, food bowls and a book entitled, “How to be the best dog owner in the world”.
While I waited for the receptionist to bag everything up, I heard the vet speak in a low voice to Jackson. I looked over. She stared up at him and then she wrote something on the back of a card and tucked it in his shirt pocket.
Jackson swung into the truck beside me and looked over at us. “Well, no one can accuse you of doing anything half-assed.”
I leaned forward, my lips on the dog’s ear. “That’s Jackson. He’s super nice. You're going to love him.”
The dog whimpered, and I could feel her tail wag against my leg.
Jackson snorted and started backing up the truck.
“So, what else did the vet say?” I asked as I cuddled my face on top of the dog’s head.
“What do you mean?”
“She wrote something on a card and gave it to you. Any other tips for our baby here?”
He paused. “It was nothing.”
