My breathing was becoming shallow, and my whole body was shaking. I couldn’t stop moving. It felt like an eternity, but a few moments later, Craig rushed in. He took one look at me and stopped.
“Hero’s been shot,” I shouted. I waved my arms, pointing to the German Shepard and then toward the dog in Eddie’s arms. “He’s bleeding. And Daisy is covered in glass.”
“Okay,” Craig said calmly, nodding once.
“It’s not okay,” I yelled. “Hero’s been shot. Daisy…”
“Alex!” Craig said sternly. “Stop.”
“He’s been shot,” I whispered desperately.
“Alex,” Craig said softly. “Look. Look at Hero. He’s okay.”
I looked at the dog on the table. Hero was lying down, but his head was up, and he was panting softly. When he saw me looking at him, he thumped his tail. I looked back at Craig who nodded once. I collapsed into the chair behind me and buried my face in my hands.
“I’m Craig Burns.”
“Eddie Hill.”
“Ah, Mr. Hill,” Craig said. I heard, rather than saw, the smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Alex speaks very highly of you.”
“Really?” Eddie asked.
“Well, as highly as Alex speaks of anyone.”
The two men laughed. I raised my head to glare at them, but neither one was looking at me so I sat back in my chair. Craig glanced at me then. When he saw I was somewhat under control, he smiled.
“I’m going to take Hero for an ex-ray and to clean up his wound.” He turned back to Eddie. “Rich will take Daisy and get her cleaned up and check for any injuries.”
Rich is Craig’s assistant and was now standing in the doorway. I hadn’t seen him earlier and hoped he hadn’t witnessed my meltdown. He stepped inside and carefully took Daisy from Eddie before disappearing down the hallway.
Craig looked at me again. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, but it may take a while as I need to finish with my other patient.”
I flushed guiltily. I hadn’t even considered the other people or pets. My only concern had been for Hero. Craig got Hero to follow him from the room. The dog was limping slightly but had no trouble walking.
After the door closed behind them, I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. Eddie and I sat in silence a moment while I relived the events of the past hour. When I opened my eyes, Eddie was watching me.
“Who wants you dead, Eddie?” I asked.
