Page 34 of Should the Sky Fall

“Hey. I'm desperate.”

Kieran blows a raspberry. “Okay. Fair.”

“Why do you hate therapy so much, anyway?”

“Because the only reason people go into the field is so they can feel superior to everyone else.”

Dawson senses a history there, but he doesn't want to pry.

“Okay, fair,” he repeats Kieran's previous words, earning a stink-eye.

“What are your plans for today?”

“Work. I took extra shifts at the shelter this week just to escape reality.”

“I approve. Especially since furry four-legged creatures get to benefit from it.”

“Yup. It’s a win-win.” It’s not a secret that the volunteer work is as much for his benefit as for the dogs. He always feels better when he’s there.

If only dogs could solve all his problems.

Chapter 7

“Okay,Donut.”Dawsonkneelsand scritches behind Donut’s ears. As a reward, he gets a gust of dog breath in his face as Donut pants happily, craning his head to show where he wants to be scratched. Dawson is more than happy to oblige. He loves all the dogs at the shelter, but he and Donut just bonded from the start. “I’ll see you tomorrow, you little monster.”

Donut whines in protest when Dawson pulls away and shuts the kennel door. His heart breaks as it always does when Donut lifts up his paw, his claws hooking into the door like he’s trying to reach for Dawson.

“Don’t make it harder than it already is,” he begs, placing his palm over Donut’s paw. “Be good. See you soon.”

“Heading off?” Aubrey, one of the employees, smiles at him on his way out.

“Yeah.” He’d rather stay here, make himself busy with cleaning the kennels and playing with the dogs. “I'll be back tomorrow.”

“Right,” Aubrey says. “You took on extra shifts this week.”

“I might do the same next week.” He’s not sure how long Cal will stay at the hospital, but he wants to take advantage of the time he has. Once Cal is awake and back home he won’t be happy with Dawson spending all his time away. He’ll probably need help when they discharge him, but in the meantime Dawson can keep himself busy instead of agonizing over what’s going to happen next.

Aubrey perks up. “Oh, that would be great, actually. Two of our volunteers are on a holiday. We can make do without them, but an extra pair of hands always comes in, well, handy.”

“I’ll try to make it, then.” He likes being useful. And if he gets to spend more time with the dogs that’s just the cherry on top.

In his car, he checks his phone before leaving. There’s a text from Ellis and the notification has Dawson’s heart galloping into his throat.

Ellis:I’m at the hospital. Call me.

His thumb is so shaky he nearly misses the dial button.

Ellis picks up immediately. “Dawson.”

“Hey. I’m sorry. I was at the shelter and I can’t have my phone on around the dogs and—”

“Dawson, it’s fine,” Ellis puts a stop to Dawson’s nervous rumbling.

Taking a few breaths to calm himself, Dawson asks. “Did he code again?”

“No. It’s…”

The silence tells Dawson all he needs to know.