I did. And I wanted to show it to her. Despite her tear-streaked cheeks, she was beautiful. With her mouth inches from mine, I could ease her pain with a kiss. Forget my troubles. Erase the strenuous hours since we’d woken up together. Would that be taking emotional advantage of her?
The last thing I wanted was to be compared to her prick of an ex-boyfriend again.
“You could’ve called me, you know,” I said quietly.
She shuddered. “Even after this morning?”
I picked up the blanket, wrapped it around her shoulders, and held her to my chest. “Even after the last couple months, Georgina. Including this morning, yes.”
“I almost did when I couldn’t reach anyone else.”
I set my jaw. I didn’t want to come after anyone else, least of all everyone else. I wanted to be her first call when Bruno had a seizure. When she was facing the rare thing she couldn’t do on her own. When she got a job offer she was excited about. I was tired of being someone, of walking into a room and adapting to my surroundings the way I’d moved to New York and adopted a persona. I wanted to be the one, a man my mom and Georgina could not only be proud of, but could count on. I didn’t know how to say all that to her when she had enough on her plate, so I just rubbed her arm, hoping to warm her.
Luciano returned with a drink carrier, and Georgina’s eyes had almost dried when a woman in a white lab coat pushed through the metal doors to make her way toward us.
Georgina jumped to her feet. “Dr. Rimmel.”
“How you holding up, Georgina?” She held a clipboard to her side as she shook hands with Luciano and me. “Dr. Rimmel, nice to meet you. You guys caught me right before I left for the night.”
“Thank you for staying.” Georgina’s voice was clear, but she was shaking, drowning in my blazer. My back muscles had tautened with the arrival of the vet, but I did my best to appear calm. I slipped my hand into Georgina’s. “Come sit,” I said, tugging her back.
She returned to her seat. “How is he?”
Dr. Rimmel hugged the clipboard. “Bruno’s doing great.”
Luciano blew out a sigh of relief and fell back in his seat. “Thank god.”
Georgina had gone pale. “Are you sure?” she asked. “Is there a ‘but’?”
“No ‘but.’ Based on your excellent and detailed reporting, we believe he suffered an episode of what we call ‘syncope.’ In other words, he fainted.” She flipped through her notes. “We did a work up and an ECG, and his health is about on par with his last visit. I feel comfortable releasing him to you.”
Georgina sobbed and covered her mouth. “He’s going to be okay?”
“He is,” Dr. Rimmel said.
I rubbed her back but leaned forward to address the doctor. “Why’d this happen?”
“We’re not sure, but it sounds scarier than it is. For now, Georgina and I will continue to monitor the situation. As she knows, Bruno’s prone to crises due to his heart disease, but so far he’s been pretty lucky.”
“Does this mean things are getting worse?” Georgina asked. “Is there any . . . permanent damage?”
“No, but we can review the procedure for crises if you like.”
“Should you run more tests?” I asked.
“Let’s just keep an eye on things. It could’ve been a one-time occurrence, so trying to treat it could be invasive and cause more distress than necessary. If it happens again, we’ll look at adjusting the dosage of his meds and some other options.”
“Was there anything I could’ve done differently?” Georgina asked. “Anything at all?”
“Nope,” Dr. Rimmel said. “You reacted swiftly with awareness and clarity. At least it appears that way to me. Bruno’s in great shape and going crazy back there. You ready to see him?”
Georgina pinched the inside corners of her eyes and shook her head. I had a feeling she’d prepared herself for all possible scenarios—except good news. “What if I hadn’t been there?” she asked.
“At worst, he could’ve hit his head or fallen in a dangerous area,” the doctor answered. “But odds are he would’ve been okay.”
“If I know Georgina, she’s beating herself up because she left him home alone for a few hours,” Luciano said. “Please tell her that’s allowed.”
“It’s not my job to tell her what is or isn’t allowed,” Dr. Rimmel said. “But what I can objectively say is that Ms. Keller is one of the best dog owners I’ve encountered in my career.”
I squeezed her hand as she said, “Thank you, Doctor.”
Dr. Rimmel nodded. “I’ll go get Bruno. Then we can review what to do if this happens again and some small changes you can make to Bruno-proof your apartment.”
She tensed, but before I could ask if she was okay, Luciano stood. “I’ll stay for the demonstration too since I dogsit,” he said, narrowing his eyes across the room. “Right after I give the cutie at the front desk my number.”
Once we were alone, Georgina took her hand back. I flexed mine to keep from reaching for her, not ready to let go yet.
“I’m sorry if my palms are clammy,” she said. “And if I look scary.”
I moved her hair behind her shoulder. After having unfettered access to her just the night before, it wasn’t easy keeping my hands to myself. Likewise, it was hard to resist leaning in to kiss her when I’d had my mouth all over her so recently. “You look like a girl who loves her dog.”
She shivered, from the cold or from my touch, I wasn’t sure. “You don’t have to stay,” she said. “I’ll probably make the vet go over it with me at least three times.”
“I’m staying. I’ve got a Ruff Ride on standby, and I’m making sure you and Bruno get home in one piece.”
“Sebastian—”
Bruno burst through the door with a technician in tow. She released his leash, and he nearly knocked Georgina over with the force of his excitement. Seeing her laugh relieved some of the tension in my neck.
I squatted to get eye to eye with Bruno. “Handsome as ever,” I said, scrubbing his head. “Opal will be so impressed.”
“Opal?” Georgina asked.
“I talked with the shelter today,” I said, glancing up at her. “I’m going to stop by after work tomorrow to start the paperwork.”
She started to smile and then stopped herself. Why? Did she still have doubts about whether I’d be a responsible pet owner?
“She’s a lucky girl.” Georgina backed away slowly. “Can you watch Bruno while I pay?”
“Of course.”
While she was at the counter, I scratched Bruno’s chest. “You gave us a good scare, you brute,” I said. “Your mom was pretty upset. And me too. I was just getting to know you.”
Bruno whined and put his paw on my knee.
I glanced back at reception and Georgina was staring at us, pen in hand, as if she’d turned to stone in the middle of paperwork. Maybe filling it out was too much, and she needed my help. This was what life was about—showing up for the people you cared about when things weren’t pretty.
Because fuck, I didn’t know when it’d happened or how, but I did care about her.
Maybe even more than that.
When she’d resumed the paperwork, I walked Bruno across the street to a patch of grass, assuming he hadn’t been out lately. Once he’d relieved himself, we started back and found Georgina out front, watching us from the curb.
“You all right?” I asked her, crossing the street to stand in front of her.
Her hand rested over her heart. With a thick voice, she said, “I love the way you are with him.”
Relief filtered through me, and I loosened the grip I’d had on Bruno’s leash. Maybe I was reading into it, but it almost seemed like her way of saying she loved me. Or could love me. Whatever had transpired over the last twenty-four hours, she hadn’t given up on us.
“Earlier, I said you could’ve called me for help,” I said. “What I meant was that I wish you’d called me, Georgina. I want to be there for you—both of you.”