Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(14)

He did as I said while I washed my hands and prepped. “Do you need me in here?” he asked.

“That’s up to you. Do you get squeamish around blood?”

He chuckled. “I’m a football player. I see blood all the time.”

“Then I guess you’ll be fine.”

He stayed in the operating room while I sutured up the dog’s belly and did a thorough exam, including checking for a microchip to see if the owner could be located. There wasn’t a chip, though, and since he hadn’t had a collar on, I had to assume he was a stray. Once all of that was done, I took the X-rays, which confirmed what I had already suspected: The dog had two broken back legs and a fractured rib. I had to reset the legs and put them in casts that would stay for about six weeks.

“Is that all you have to do?” he questioned. The dog was wiped clean of blood and sleeping soundly on the table. The only thing I had to make sure was that his gash didn’t get infected. Other than that, his broken legs would heal, and he’d be up and moving around in no time.

I washed my hands and breathed a sigh of relief. “For now it’s all that can be done. I’ll probably stay the night and keep an eye on him. I don’t want to move him around too much. We do need to move him into a kennel so he can lie in a doggie bed. It’ll be much more comfortable than this table.”

Derek got to his feet. “Do you want me to carry him?”

I nodded. “That’d be great.” He picked up the dog and followed me to the back, where several other patients were kept. Amanda had taken the puppies again, so I’d have to wait until morning to see my Patch. “You can put him in there,” I said, pointing at one of the empty cages.

Derek laid him on the soft doggie bed and shut the kennel door. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay here all night? What about your car?”

I shrugged. “It’ll be fine. I can get someone to take me to it in the morning. But thank you for all your help. I don’t think I could’ve done it without you.”

He glanced at the dog and frowned. “No problem. I just wish there was more I could do.”

I rested a hand on his arm. “You did plenty. Now go. I promise I’ll be okay.” He didn’t look like he believed me, but he nodded and walked to the door. “Hey,” I called. Brows furrowed, he glanced at me over his shoulder. “It was nice meeting you. I can honestly say I didn’t think you’d be as nice as you are.”

“Am I supposed to be a dick?” he asked, chuckling.

“I don’t know. I guess I just had a preconceived notion that all you guys would be arrogant and complete jackasses. I will fully admit that I was wrong.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He pushed the door open. “It was nice meeting you, too, Dr. Hunter.” As soon as he walked out to his truck, I pulled out my phone and called Michael.

“Hey, girl.”

“You will not believe what just happened.”

—

“Knock, knock,” Wilford announced, tapping a knuckle on my office door. Groaning, I sat up and stretched my arms above my head. My body hurt from sleeping hunched over my desk.

“I would say good morning,” I said, my voice raspy from sleep, “but it’s been one hell of a night.”

He sat down across from me, his gaze concerned. “Were you here all night?”

I nodded. “On my way home, I watched a dog get hit by a car. He was injured, so I brought him here and watched over him.”

“Is he okay?”

“He had a large gash on his stomach and two broken legs. For the most part, he slept all night, but he was barely able to move. I gave him some food and made sure he was medicated the rest of the time.”

He shook his head in awe. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with your kind of dedication. You should’ve called me and I would’ve helped you.”

“It doesn’t sound like she needed any help,” Michael teased, leaning against the door frame.

I rolled my eyes, but Wilford was lost. “Why do you say that?” he asked Michael.

Michael waggled his brows at me. “She had a famous football star here to help her.”

“What?” a voice shrieked. Jessica came running down the hall and rushed into my office, followed by Amanda, Charity, and Jeremiah. Poor Margerie was left out in the hall because there was no more room in my office.

“It wasn’t that big a deal,” I exclaimed, holding up my hands.

“Who was it?” Amanda asked. “I see them all the time at the tavern.”

I glanced at them all; they were so eager to find out. “It was Derek McLaughlin.” The girls gasped, their eyes bugging out of their heads. “He found me on the side of the road and helped me bring the dog here. Trust me, it was nothing exciting.”

Michael snorted. “He also gave her his phone the other night after he broke her other one.”

“Oh my God,” Amanda squealed. “Why didn’t you tell me that? This is awesome.”

I stood and shook my head. “It’s over, that’s it. I probably won’t ever see him again except to give him back his phone.”

“All right, everyone,” Wilford said, “let’s give Dr. Hunter some room to breathe.” Everyone walked out except Jeremiah and Wilford. Michael winked at me before disappearing down the hall.