Page 26 of Tangled Hearts

If I’m planning on staying here, I need to find something more permanent, but even that’s not easy. The housing market is trash. I’ve looked a little bit. Mostly just to see what’s available. There’s only one rental currently on the market, and from the pictures, I’d have better luck here. There are a few houses for sale, but I’m… hesitant.

The last thing I want is to box up and sellanotherhouse. If things don’t work out, maybe it’ll be easier if I haven’t let myself put down real roots. I mean, I’m already getting attached to Holden, Julian, and the kids, so I’m pretty sure that ship has already sailed. Not having my own place gives me a level of separation from the whole thing. Like I’m not fully here, and therefore, it won’t hurt if I get pushed out.

I’m not sure the logic is sound, but it’s what I’m going with.

I stand up to grab a bottle of water from the mini fridge in the poor excuse of a kitchenette when my phone starts ringing. It’s too early for Holden to be off work, and the only other people I figure would be calling me are Silas or Leo, so I ignore it. But the second the ringing ends, it starts back up. I pull a bottle of water out and grab my phone. My heart jumps into my throat when I see Eli’s name flashing across the screen.

I answer quickly, putting the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Nic.” His voice is a mixture of relief and stark panic, and it has my stomach tightening. “I need help. I didn’t—I didn’t know who else to call and something’s wrong with her. Please help me.”

“Who? What’s going on?” There’s a sob. “Eli, I need more information.” I sit down, rapidly pulling on my shoes. I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m basically already on my way, and that doesn’t bode well for my previous thought of, “if I don’t have a place here, it’ll hurt less.”

“My dog. Kassie. It’s… it’s my dog. She’s… I don’t know—seizing or something? What do I do? I was on my way home, and she just went all stiff and started shaking and convulsing. She peed all over my passenger seat. She never has accidents.”

Fuck. Okay. “Where are you?”

“On theside of the road.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “Come to me. I’m at The Woods. How far away are you?”

Eli sniffles. “Five minutes.”

All my stuff is in the back of my Jeep, so I rush outside to get it. “Is she actively seizing?”

“I don’t think so. She’s just kind of sitting there. She’s drooling.”

Well, that’s good at least. If she was still in active seizure, I’m not sure I’d be able to do much of anything. Truly, I may not be able to anyway. “That’s normal. Just get her to me, okay? I’ll be waiting outside.”

He hangs up without another word, but before he does, I can hear him telling her to hang on, that he’s getting her help.

I pace back and forth in the parking lot, my bag slung over my shoulder, waiting to see his little blue car pull in. When he does, I make it to his passenger door before he even comes to a complete stop. I yank it open as Eli throws the car in park and basically flies out of his door. “Hey, sweet girl,” I say, giving her a little pat on the head. “Let’s get you taken care of.”

Eli makes it around the car as I’m lifting her into my arms. She’s weak and listless, but that’s to be expected. Wordlessly, Eli follows me into the hotel room. I lay Kassie on the bed and start my assessment.

Her breathing is shallow but regular, and when I lift her lip, her gums are pale. “When did she last drink something?” I ask, looking up at Eli for a second.

“Huh?” Eli blinks at me with wide eyes, then brings his thumb to his mouth and starts biting at his nail.

“When was the last time she had water?” I ask again, going back to my assessment.

“This morning, I think. No. I know—she… she drank water and then I took her out. I’m sorry. I don’t—I—”

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re okay,” I say to both of them as I run my hands down Kassie’s abdomen, feeling for bloat and watching for pain responses. “Did she eat?”

Eli swallows hard. “Yeah. Some kibble and half my waffle. She likes to eat waffles with me.”

I hum, checking her pulse. She’s tachycardic, but I didn’t expect anything else. Reaching into my bag, I pull out my flashlight to check her pupils. Equal and reactive. Good. “Did she get into anything? Maybe something in the yard she shouldn’t have been eating?”

Eli’s tear-stained face has my heart squeezing painfully in my chest. He shakes his head, biting at his cuticles. “You did the right thing. Calling. She’s okay, I think, but you need to get her to the vet. How old is she?”

“Eight,” Eli answers, his voice shaky.

I nod, running my fingers through her fur. “It could be idiopathic, or it could be something she ate. At her age, it could be a brain tumor.”

That was clearly the wrong thing to say because Eli’s face goes ghost-white and his breath immediately turns choppy as he staggers and almost falls.Fuck.

I step forward just in time to catch him against my chest. He draws in a breath, but it’s all wrong. Without thinking about it, I cup his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. “Hey, hey, you’re okay. Breathe.”