When the Right One Comes Along

  Jessica placed her nearly full mug of tea on the coffee table with a slight clatter that jolted him out of his musing.

  “I’m sorry. I was just...thinking.” There was no point in burdening this virtual stranger—a person he wouldn’t see again—with his personal woes.

  “It’s okay.” She rose. “I’d better get to work. Thank you for the tea.”

  She scratched Scout behind the ears. “Have you made arrangements for his care?”

  “Are you offering to help?” Cal had a sudden image of Jessica walking on the beach with them, and that brought with it an odd sensation of longing.

  She laughed. “No! Just curious.”

  “My brother’s agreed to give me a hand.” He raised his shoulders. “And I’ll do what I can. Think of it as physical therapy.”

  “Don’t overdo it. You don’t want to slow your recovery or set it back.”

  “Yes, Doc.” Balancing on his crutches, he walked her to the door. “Thanks for your help with Scout. I’m sorry I pestered you into it.”

  He saw surprise register on her face. “It was no trouble, really. He’s a great dog. Good luck with everything,” she said as she opened the door.

  As awkward as it had felt to have her in his home, he didn’t want her to go. He couldn’t think of any logical reason to ask her to stay. And she did say she had to get to work. He watched her walk to her Miata.

  “Nice car,” he called after her.

  She spun around, flipped her hair back in a way that made him want to run his fingers through it and flashed him a smile. “Not as nice as yours, once you get it all fixed up! You should paint it red. It’s not a common color for 911s. A car like that...” She ran one hand along the rear quarter panel. “You don’t want it to blend in.”

  “Maybe I will paint it red. If I do, would you like to go for a ride?”

  “I just might!” she said as she got into her car.

  He would never have thought of red, but she had a point. With Scout at his side, he stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame as she backed her car out of his driveway. His parting comment might’ve been lame, but, somehow, she’d chipped a hole in the wall he’d built around himself after Anna left. And she’d done it in under twenty-four hours.

  As she drove off, Cal felt strangely alone.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ANDREW ARRIVED AT Cal’s at the agreed-upon time.

  “I really appreciate this, Drew.” Cal gave his brother a one-armed hug. “I know you’re not the biggest fan of four-legged creatures, big or small, but I’m in a bind and I owe you for helping out.”

  Drew stepped into the hallway. He and Scout eyed each other warily. “Sure. No problem.”

  “I need another favor, too.”

  Drew sent Cal a “what now?” look, but said, “Okay. What is it?”

  “Before you take Scout home, I need you to drive us to the veterinary clinic. I’ll get a cab home from there. Scout has to be checked over, and I told the captain I’d have him looked at.” He was already skating on thin ice with Logan. He didn’t want to not follow through on this commitment, despite Scout’s not showing any sign of injury.

  “Sure. Okay,” Drew repeated. “And don’t worry about the taxi. I’ll bring you back.”

  Cal handed Drew a duffel. “I’ve put everything you’ll need for Scout in there.”

  Drew hoisted the bag. “All this for a couple of days?”

  “Just in case,” Cal said with a smile as they walked out to Drew’s Hyundai Tucson.

  “It shouldn’t take long,” Cal assured his brother as he slid out of the SUV in the parking lot of the Mission Bay Veterinary Clinic. He opened the back hatch and signaled for Scout to hop out and follow him inside.

  “How’re you doing, Heather?” Cal greeted the receptionist.

  She smiled warmly at Cal and walked around the reception counter. “What happened to you?” she asked, glancing at his bandaged thigh with concern as she bent down to say hello to Scout.

  “I had an altercation with a reinforced concrete beam. The beam won.”

  “So it seems. How bad?”

  “A piece of exposed rebar tore a chunk out of my leg. Nothing that won’t heal.”

  “The earthquake, huh?”

  He nodded.

  “Sorry you got hurt. Was Scout with you?”

  “Yeah. He seems fine, but I want him checked out, anyway.”

  “Of course. Madison’s running a little behind. She should be with you in a couple of minutes,” Heather said as she straightened.

  “Madison? What happened to Jane? Did she leave?”

  “Jane’s still with the practice. It’s just that we’ve grown, and Don and Jane couldn’t handle it all. So they brought a new vet, Madison Long, into the practice. She’s taken on responsibility for the police dogs, freeing up Jane to specialize with the exotics. You know, iguanas and snakes and things.” She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t ask me why, but that’s her first love.”

  “Has Madison worked with police dogs before?”

  Heather sat down behind the reception counter again. “I’m not sure. She moved here from El Paso. She must have some experience, or they wouldn’t have assigned her to be the primary vet for the SDPD. You’d have to ask her.”

  One of the exam room doors opened behind him.

  “And speaking of Madison, here she is now,” Cal heard Heather say as he looked over his shoulder.

  Escorting an elderly lady holding a very large cat to the reception area was a beautiful woman in a lab coat. She was medium height with long curly red hair. He heard Texas in her sultry voice as she gave the older woman final instructions about her cat.

  “Madison, meet your next patient, Scout,” Heather announced when the veterinarian was finished with the cat lady. Heather motioned to Cal. “And this is Scout’s handler, Officer Calen Palmer, aka Tracker.”

  Madison glanced at Cal’s leg and crutches. She first held out a hand for Scout to scent, then offered it to Cal.

  “I’m Madison Long. Nice to meet you,” she said before squatting down and ruffling Scout’s fur. “He’s gorgeous. Is he German or Belgian?”

  “Neither,” Cal responded. “He’s Dutch.”

  “So this fine fellow came to us from Holland.”

  He nodded and she stood again.

  “Please follow me.”

  That was no hardship, Cal thought as he watched her sashay into the exam room. He noted Heather’s grin and felt a little embarrassed.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she said, laughing. “Madison has that effect on pretty much all the men who come in here.”

  Watching Madison give Scout a thorough examination, Cal pondered what had happened to him, finding a second woman attractive in such a short span of time, when he’d sworn off women more than a year ago. His unease grew when he realized this wasn’t the same as with the doc. He could appreciate Madison for what she was—a beautiful and obviously intelligent woman. But there wasn’t that disturbing pull he’d felt toward the trauma doctor. With Madison it was more an uninvolved, almost impersonal observation, while with Jessica... Well, it was like a fist squeezing his heart.

  Half an hour later, Cal let Scout back inside his brother’s SUV and climbed wearily into the passenger’s seat.

  He rested his head against the seat back and closed his eyes. He hadn’t expected a simple task like taking Scout for a checkup to drain him the way it had. “Sorry it took so long, but thanks for waiting,” he said to his brother.

  “You okay?” Drew asked.

  “I’ve been better,” he replied, his eyes still closed.

  “How’s Scout?”

  “He’s fine.”

  They drove in silence for a while. “I need to ask you a favor,” C
al said.

  “You’ve already asked me for two, and that’s why I drove you to the vet clinic and why I’m going to take your dog home with me.”

  “How about an adjustment to a favor you’ve agreed to, then?” Cal opened an eye and watched his brother’s profile. “How would you feel about helping out with him until I’m mobile again?”

  “I said I would.”

  “No. You said a few days. Now I’m asking if you’ll do it until I can walk without crutches.”

  Drew stared at Cal. “What?”

  “You heard me. Could you take care of Scout for a couple of weeks?”

  “You’re the one who’s good with animals. Remember me? I couldn’t even take care of a pet rat when we were kids.”

  Cal chuckled, remembering how his brother had tried to build a maze to train the white rat they’d had as kids, only to have the rat escape and live behind their walls for nearly a week until Cal was finally able to lure him out with some cheese. “You won’t need to build a maze this time,” he teased his brother. “Scout’s trained in agility and tracking!” His voice turned serious. “I could really use your help, Drew. I can’t let Scout stay in those concrete pens at the division or, worse, risk losing him if someone else starts working with him. Based on how I feel now, after just taking him for a checkup, I know I can’t give him the training and exercise he needs.”

  Drew had a nervous expression on his face. “How long is a couple of weeks? Two?”

  “Maybe three. By then I should be healed enough. You’re welcome to stay at my place, if that makes it easier for you.”

  “Nah. I prefer my own space, if that works for you.”

  Cal shrugged. “No problem with me. Whatever’s best for you. We’ll need to get his kennel over to your place for the duration, though. You don’t want to give him the run of the house when you’re not around.”

  “Yeah. That’ll work.”

  * * *

  CAL HADN’T REALIZED how much his own company bored him, until he found himself sitting alone on his sofa at home.

  He turned on the TV; all he could find were talk shows or game shows. Neither interested him. He could start a book. He loved to read, but with his job he seldom had enough time to get through a novel in less than a month or two. Generally, his reading was so sporadic he lost interest in a book before he was halfway through.

  He checked his watch.

  Maybe he’d go by the division, give his captain an update on Scout’s condition.

  He’d go broke on cabs, he mused as he sat in the back of another one, if he didn’t figure out how to drive his own car with the use of his left leg alone.

  Climbing out of the cab, he saw Tom Brody loading Nitro into his SUV. Brody was the only guy in the unit Cal didn’t like. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something about Brody that rubbed him the wrong way. He felt sorry for the guy’s dog. Nitro was a great dog, but the normal bond between canine and handler didn’t seem to exist between them.

  “What are you doing here?” Logan asked when he saw Cal standing in the doorway to his office. “I told you not to come back while you’re on medical leave.”

  “I know. I just wanted to give you an update.”

  “What? Your phone isn’t working?”

  “Actually...on a related topic, I lost my radio in the collapsed building.”

  “Requisition another one. I should make you pay for it yourself since you went back in the building against orders,” Logan grumbled, distractedly shuffling through the papers on his desk. “So, what did you say brought you here?”

  Boredom. But Cal wasn’t about to say that. It sounded pathetic even to him. “Like I said, I wanted to update you on Scout’s condition. He had his checkup earlier today.”

  Logan’s eyes met his. He had his captain’s undivided attention now. “That’s why you came in? How bad is it?”

  Cal understood why Logan would have jumped to that conclusion, and he was quick to reassure him. “No. He’s fine.”

  “Good. I’ve been told they hired a new vet recently. I haven’t met her yet, but I should since she’ll have primary responsibility for our dogs. Long’s her last name. Mandy or Melanie?” He shrugged. “She moved here from Texas, if I remember correctly.”

  “Yeah. And it’s Madison Long.” Cal grinned. He thought of Logan’s reputation with women. “You should make a point of getting over there.”

  Logan raised his eyebrows. “Something I need to know?”

  Cal thought about the gorgeous, curvy redhead with the Texas twang, and his grin widened. “Nothing to worry about. You’ll find out soon enough.”

  Logan seemed about to pursue the cryptic comment, but his phone rang. When he finished the call, he’d obviously forgotten. “So, where were we?”

  “I just wanted to let you know Scout’s fine.”

  Logan looked meaningfully at Cal’s hand as he rubbed the side of his thigh. “And that’s why you came in?”

  Realizing he’d been subconsciously trying to ease the pain only made him feel more foolish. “Yeah. Hey, is there any paperwork I can do at home? Anything to keep me busy?”

  “Cal, you’re on leave.” Logan looked exasperated. “I know it must be tough, but I can’t let you work, even if I wanted to. You’re not cleared for duty. Once you are—for modified duty at least—we can talk about paperwork. For now, go home, rest your leg, heal fast, and catch up on movies and books you’ve been putting off for lack of time.

  “I don’t want to see you back here until you’re cleared,” Logan called after him as he walked out of the office.

  * * *

  IT WAS THE busiest Jessica could remember the hospital being. Understandably, since this was the first time in its history that there’d been an earthquake of this magnitude anywhere in the vicinity.

  She took the stairs up to Pediatrics and felt the immediate constriction in her chest as she entered the too-familiar ward.

  “What room is Kayla Hernandez in, Nancy?” she asked the nurse at the desk.

  Nancy smiled, then turned to her computer screen to check. “Good to see you, Jess. How’ve you been?”

  “Fine. Thanks. And you?” Jessica generally had no problem with small talk, but in this case she felt uncomfortable, despite the fact that she’d always liked Nancy, both professionally and personally.

  “Great. My daughter made me a grandmother last week.”

  Jessica felt the pressure subside and skirted the desk to give Nancy a hug. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations!”

  “You’ll have to come back and I’ll show you pictures. Nathan’s a real cutie.”

  “Sure. Of course.” But Jessica knew she’d continue to avoid the ward. If not for Kayla, she wouldn’t have been there today.

  “Kayla’s in room 235. Poor kid. She lost her mother in the quake. We don’t think she has any family. You remember where the room is?”

  Jessica nodded and turned to go.

  “We miss you here,” Nancy called after her.

  Jessica’s rubber-soled work shoes squeaked as she walked down the corridor to Kayla’s room. When she neared 212, the room she still thought of as Jake’s, her heartrate increased. She rushed past without glancing in, and exhaled only when she reached the door to 235.

  She remembered it was a four-bed room, but the current demand was such that two extra cots had been moved in. All six spaces were occupied. Jessica tried to block out the other children in the room. She didn’t want to think about their injuries and ailments, or wonder if she could help. Still, she couldn’t resist a surreptitious glance to make sure they were resting comfortably, that all was in order with the monitors and equipment. She was tempted to check the chart of a young boy, then reminded herself sternly that it wasn’t her job. He had excellent care from the doctor
s on the ward; there was nothing more that she could do.

  She placed one foot in front of the other, and focused on the bed in the far corner, by the window. The one occupied by a little girl, her normally olive skin pale, and her long black hair fanned out around her face. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be sleeping. Jessica walked over, and lifted the chart from the holder at the foot of the bed. She noted the tests her doctor had ordered. “With the bruising that developed, Whitby should’ve ordered a contrast CT of her chest,” she murmured to herself.

  “You’re the doctor from after the earthquake.” Kayla, her head turned, eyes still half-closed, spoke to her. Jessica hadn’t meant to wake the child. She’d just wanted to see what her condition was.

  “Yes. I’m Dr. Hansen. You can call me Jessica, if you like.”

  “Is my mommy here?”

  Jessica had seen on the chart that Kayla had been told that her mother had passed away and they were still trying to locate her father or other family. Kayla could be in denial or, at her age, might not fully understand that her mother was gone for good. She seemed peaceful now and Jessica didn’t want to upset her. “No, she’s not, Kayla.” She kept her answer honest, if vague.

  “And Cal? Is he here?”

  Jessica was surprised that the girl would not only remember the cop’s name but ask for him. She supposed Kayla needed to find a connection to someone, with her mother gone and no family that they could find. “I’m sorry. He’s not here, either.”

  Kayla’s mouth formed a pout and her eyes shone with unshed tears. Before they could spill over, Jessica sat on the side of the bed and took one small hand in her own. She wanted to assure Kayla that everything would be okay, but she knew it wasn’t true. “Please don’t cry,” she said ineffectually as she stroked Kayla’s cheek.

  “I don’t want to be alone,” Kayla stated plaintively. “I want my mommy.”

  “You’re not alone, sweetie. I’m right here.”