Defending Hayden: A Second Chances Novel (4 page)

“How long are you staying tonight?” Michael asked. He sat down in front of my desk with a wide grin.

“Not long, why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d have another date with Jeremiah.”

Grabbing an eraser, I threw it at his head. “That’s not funny. You know it’s not like that.”

“I know,” he replied with a chuckle. “I’m just giving you a hard time.” He stood and stretched. “It’s getting late. I think I’m going to head out.”

“Has everyone else left?” I asked.

“Yep. You and I are the only ones. Do you want me to wait with you while you finish your charts?”

I waved him off. “No, I’ll be fine. Thanks, though.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you in the morning.” He smiled at me one more time and then disappeared down the hall. Once I’d finished writing in all of my charts, I took them to the front and filed each and every one of them. I was the only doctor in the practice who didn’t mind doing it. It wasn’t like I had anyone to go home to.

By the time I locked up and got out to my car, the sun had started to go down. There were couples here and there, walking hand in hand on the streets of downtown. They were probably enjoying a summer evening after eating dinner. I was just going to go home, cook me some dinner, and turn on the Food Network so I could watch
Chopped
.

The air was humid, so I cranked the air conditioner to full blast and started on my way home. Though I didn’t live far, I had to go down several country roads. I turned on the music and danced to the beat, but then something way up ahead on the road caught my attention. It was a dog. The car in front of me was paying the animal no mind and continued its fast track down the road, clearly not caring about the poor dog. My gut clenched, and my fear became a reality when the dog ran across the street and the car struck him. His yelp of pain echoed in my ears.

“No,” I screamed. The old beat-up truck stopped for a second, then sped off. The dog hobbled into the grass and collapsed. Anger boiled in my veins. I understood that things happened and sometimes animals were killed by drivers, but the dog was clearly alive. Even a simple few seconds could change a fate from life to death.

I pulled over to the side of the road and got out. I rushed to the injured dog and knelt down in the grass. It was a golden retriever, covered in blood, with two broken legs and a gash across the stomach. His chest rose and fell with his rapid breaths, and he whimpered when I rubbed his head.

“It’s okay, boy. I’m not going to leave you.”

“Good practice today, D. You play like you haven’t missed a day,” Evan called out. He slapped me on the shoulder as we headed into the training facility. It felt good to be back. Being on the field with the guys was exactly what I needed.

“Thanks, man,” I said. “I missed being here, but I definitely didn’t miss the damn heat. It wasn’t like this in Wyoming.”

Evan chuckled. “I bet not. You’ll get used to it again.”

We were almost at the locker room when Coach Joel shouted out my name from his office. During practice, he hadn’t said a word to me, but I’d known it was only a matter of time. Evan nodded encouragingly and then left me there in the hall. Taking a deep breath, I turned on my heel, slowly making my way to Joel’s office.

Head down, he wrote a few more things in his notebook and then pointed at the seat across from his desk. “Have a seat, son.” I sat down and waited for him to acknowledge me. Coach Joel was a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and lines on his face from too much stress. I was pretty sure players had put a lot of them on there. When he lifted his gaze, he set his pen down and clasped his hands on the desk. “You played amazingly well today for someone who hasn’t practiced in months,” he said.

“Thanks, Coach. While I was in Wyoming, I did work out and train. I didn’t completely let myself go.”

He nodded. “I can tell. What I want to know is if this is truly
you
coming back. The team can’t afford to lose you again. If you’re not serious about joining us, we’ll have to seek other options for your replacement.”

“I’m ready, Coach,” I replied adamantly. “I’m not leaving ever again. Football is my life. It’s the only thing I have right now.”

His face grew sad. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but the team needs to know you’re here for them. If things get to be too much, I want you to come to me so we can talk it out. I can’t have you leaving again.”

“I won’t, I promise. I want to be back.”

“Then I guess you’ll need this,” he said, tossing me a new jersey. It had my name and the number 59 on it. “Now get out of here and go get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be here.” With my jersey in hand, I walked out of his office with a smile on my face. I was officially back. There were no sounds coming from the locker room, but when I ventured inside, the guys began to clap. I shook my head and grinned. “What the hell is this?”

With just a towel around his waist, Chris started to dance. “You’re officially back. We’re celebrating. Now come over here and give me a hug, sexy man.” Everyone burst out laughing.

“Until you put some clothes on, I’m not touching your hairy ass.”

He rubbed his hands down his chest. “Most women think it’s sexy.”

Evan slapped him upside the head. “Keep telling yourself that.” He walked over to me and reached for my jersey. “How does it feel to have this back?”

“Pretty damn good,” I admitted honestly.

Chris rubbed the spot where Evan had hit him and joined us. “All I can say is that I’ve missed that smart-ass mouth of yours.”

“Got that right,” one of the guys yelled from the showers.

Evan chuckled. “Hey, some of the others are going to the tavern tonight. I have to go by there to check on everything for Summer. Do you want to join me?”

As much as I wanted things to go back to the way they were before, I wasn’t ready yet. Sighing, I shook my head. “Not tonight. I think I just want to go home.”

“All right,” he said. “But if you change your mind, you know where to find us. If I don’t see you tonight, I’ll see you in the morning.”

He held out his hand, and I shook it. “Will do, brother. I’ll see you later.”

As much as being around everyone would keep my mind from wandering, I wasn’t really up for it. Training had literally kicked my ass. After I took a shower and dressed, I headed on my way home. The only problem with going home was that I either had to drive down the same road as the accident or take another route that added twenty minutes to the trip. Ever since the accident, I’d avoided that dreaded road and dealt with the inconvenience. Taking a deep breath, I stopped at the red light, my heart pounding. I could either go straight and take the detour or go left, down memory lane.

“Fuck.”
What am I going to do?

The light turned green, and a decision needed to be made. It was as if my body made up its own mind. My fingers pressed down on the turn signal, and I steered my truck left, palms sweating. Memories from that night came flashing back, the sounds, the smells, Brianna’s screams…everything. I was almost at the crash site, but I couldn’t do it. Closing my eyes, I swerved off the side of the road and stopped, leaning my head against the steering wheel. If I looked up, I knew I’d see Bri’s car, crumpled from the crash.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I growled, keeping my head down. “I have to do this. There’s no other way to move on.”

Blowing out a shaky breath, I lifted my head and prayed I wouldn’t envision Brianna’s car. Unfortunately, there was a car in the exact place where we ran off into the ravine. I couldn’t tear my gaze away. What the hell was it doing there?

I sat there frozen in place until I saw a woman come into view. She was in the grass, hunched over something on the ground. The second I saw the blood on her hands, I knew something was wrong. My first instinct was to help her. Pressing the gas, I sped up the road, squealing my tires as I slammed on the brakes in front of her car. I rushed out, not knowing what the fuck I was going to see on the ground. If it was a person, I had no doubt I was going to lose it. Instead, I saw a dog, covered in blood and howling in pain.

“What happened?” I called out.

The woman had her back to me, her hands diligently working on the dog as if she were an expert. “He got hit by a car, but they ran off. I was lucky enough to be here to rescue him.” Blood oozed out of the gash on the dog’s stomach.

“What do you need? I have a shirt you can use to wrap around his stomach.”

“That’d be great, thanks,” she said quickly.

Hurrying to my truck, I grabbed my bag and pulled out one of my T-shirts. I rushed back and knelt down on the other side of the dog, handing her the shirt. “This should work.”

When she grabbed it and lifted her head, her brown hair revealed the same beautiful face I’d seen the night before. Recognition sparked in her green eyes, and she gasped. “Oh my God, it’s you.” Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the dog. “Thank you for stopping. You’d be surprised how many people have just driven by.”

“What can I do?” I asked.

She twisted the shirt and pressed it against the dog’s stomach. “I need to wrap this shirt around his midsection, but I need help lifting him.” She pointed to the dog’s shoulder. “Place your hands underneath and gently lift him when I tell you to. Can you do that?”

“I’m sure I can manage.”

Placing the shirt on the dog’s stomach, she grabbed the other end and moved it toward the dog’s head. “Okay, lift him.” I did as she said, and she carefully slid the shirt underneath him and tied it tight. “Now comes the tricky part…putting him in my car.”

I glanced at her small car, a silver Nissan 370Z. There was no way in hell she’d get that big a dog in it comfortably. “Why don’t I put him in the back of my truck? He’ll have more room. I can take you anywhere you need to go.”

She looked at my truck and then at her car. “Good point. I’ll ride in the back with him. Do you mind taking us to Stonebrooke Veterinary Hospital? It’s just up the road in downtown.”

I nodded. “I know where it is. But aren’t they closed for the night?”

She snorted. “Not anymore. Looks like I’ll be opening it back up. I work there.”

So that was how she knew what she was doing. “All right, let’s go. Just tell me how you want me to lift him.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think there’s any wrong or right way at this point. I won’t know anything until I take X-rays. Lift him gently is all I can say.”

Sighing, I looked at the dog. “Here we go, buddy.” As carefully as I could, I put my hands underneath him and lifted him into my arms. He whimpered, and I was thankful he didn’t try to bite my face. “He’s pretty heavy,” I said, carrying him to the truck. “I don’t think you could’ve lifted him.”

She snorted and lowered the tailgate on my truck. “You’d be surprised what I can do, Mr. McLaughlin. I’ve handled dogs a lot bigger than he is.”

“I didn’t think you knew me,” I said curiously. When she’d looked at me after I broke her phone, I could see in her eyes that she had no clue who I was. It had been a first for me. I had to admit, it was nice not being noticed.

She helped me set the dog in the back and then hopped in there with him. “I
didn’t
know who you were,” she confessed. “When I told my friend what happened, he showed me a picture of you. I guess you can say he’s a fan.”

“And you’re not?”

She shrugged. “Football isn’t my thing. But I promise after today, I’ll be more than happy to watch a game. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

“You’re welcome…” I trailed off and lifted my eyebrows. “I don’t know your name.”

“Hayden Hunter.” She glanced down at her hands. “And I would shake your hand, but mine are covered in blood.”

“It’s okay. I’ll get you to the clinic as fast as I can. Just hold on tight.”

I hopped in the truck and opened the back window in case Hayden needed my help. However, something caught the corner of my eye, and my gut clenched. Down in the ravine, a wreath of flowers hung on a tree; they must have been for Brianna.

“Derek, you okay?” Hayden asked.

I glanced at her in the rearview mirror and put the truck in gear. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Out of all the people who could’ve stopped to help me, I never thought it’d be Derek McLaughlin. It made two times in two days that we’d run into each other. His gentleness with the dog had surprised me. I never would’ve thought he’d put that much care into handling an animal.

“Where do you want me to park?” he asked. He turned down Main Street and was almost at the clinic.

“Out front will be perfect.” Luckily, there was a place directly in front of the door. I rubbed the dog’s head and whispered in his ear, “We’re here, boy. I’ll get you fixed up in no time.”

Derek got out of the truck and lowered the tailgate. I jumped out and unlocked the clinic door, opening it wide. Derek lifted the dog in his arms and carried him inside. “Where do you want him?”

“Back here,” I said, hurrying around the front desk. I led him to the first operating room, turned on the light, and pointed at the table. “Lay him on there. I’m going to put him to sleep and fix that gash on his stomach before taking X-rays.”

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.

“You should’ve called one of us to help you, Hayden. I would’ve been happy to come,” Jeremiah offered.

“I didn’t want to bother anyone. Besides, it was nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Wilford patted him on the shoulder and laughed. “Haven’t you learned by now that Dr. Hunter is the stubborn one out of us all?”

“That she is,” Jeremiah agreed.

“Dr. Patton, your first patient is here,” Jessica said, leaning her head inside the door.

Jeremiah sighed. “I’ll be right there.” Then he turned back to me. “Next time, don’t be so stubborn. Call someone.” He walked out, but Wilford stayed.

I yawned and rubbed a hand over my face. “I think I need some coffee.”

Wilford chuckled. “I have a better idea. Why don’t you take the day off? You’ve been here all night, and I can clearly see that you need some sleep.”

“I can’t. I have patients.”

“As of right now, you don’t. They can be split between me, Michael, and Jeremiah. Now go.”

I slowly grabbed for my keys and then remembered I didn’t have my car. “I can’t. My car is still down the street.”

A wide grin spread across his face. “Well, then, why don’t I take you to it? You can’t use that as an excuse, young lady. I promise the animals will be fine while you’re gone.”

“Will you check on Bear for me? He’s the dog I rescued last night.” I didn’t know where the name came from, but it was the first thing that popped out of my mouth.

“Bear?” he asked. “Did you name him?”

“Looks like I did.” I laughed. “He’s going to need help with walking.”

He shoved me out of my office and shut the door. “I’ll handle it. Kellie has a device next door that helps dogs walk. We can put Bear in it and see how he does.”

We strolled up to the front office, and Michael raised a brow when he saw Wilford behind me. “You didn’t get fired, did you?”

“For the day, she did,” Wilford explained. “I’m taking her to her car, and then she’s going home.”

Michael snickered. “I’ll call you later, then.”

Once we were in Wilford’s car, he drove me to mine, and I was thankful it was still where I’d left it. “Thank you for dropping me off,” I said to him.

“You’re welcome, Hayden. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for someone like you to come along.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

He smiled. “You’ll find out soon.”