"Taz!" Owen said, again as he scooped up the pup in his arms. "Where have you been, boy?" Taz yelped. He was more than happy to be home, especially in the arms of someone familiar. He liked his vet but he really wanted to see his mom. After all, she was the love of his life.
Owen ran up the stairs with the pup in his arms. "Your mom is going to be so happy to see you, boy." He opened the bedroom door and went and sat on Cristina's side of the bed. He gently shook her awake. She opened her eyes; it took a little while to focus but there was no mistaking the soft licks from the dog on her face.
"Taz!" she screamed, jumping up on her bed. "You're back!" She took the dog from Owen and held her close to her chest. The dog licked his mom's face. "Where have you been, boy?" She put the dog up in front of her and stared at his face. "You look alright. Doesn't he look alright, Owen?"
"Yes," Owen agreed. "He looks fine but we could give him a brief exam, if you want."
"It looks like someone has been taking care of him," Cristina said. "He doesn't look worse for wear. He is clean and he looks like he has been fed in the days that he has gone missing."
"Yes," Owen said. "I am pretty sure that someone had taken care of him. How do you think that we got him back? Someone rang the bell and I went down to answer the door. I couldn't believe someone could be at the door at this hour. When I opened the front door, I thought there was no one there. Then, he barked and I looked down and there he was. So, we know that Taz cannot reach the doorbell, therefore someone had to ring it for him and then, left him there."
"I wish the person had stayed, so maybe I could give them a reward," Cristina said. "They probably saw the flyers and brought him back."
"Maybe," Owen responded, but in reality, he wasn't so sure. He didn't want Cristina to think that anyone might have deliberately kept the pup for two days but it was a possibility that could not be ruled out.
"Are you hungry, Taz?" Cristina said. "Let's go downstairs and get you something to eat. We have a surprise for you, too. Smokey is here. You two could play in the backyard." She got up and headed down the stairs. Owen followed her to the kitchen, where Smokey was. Cristina put Taz next to Smokey and he immediately jumped on the bigger dog to wake her up. Smokey got up with a start but then realized that her smaller friend was back. She gave him a lick on the face. Cristina let the two of them go out in the small backyard with a ball.
"Let them get re-acquainted," she said, as she found their bowls and poured some food for them. "I wonder if Taz is telling Smokey about his adventures away from home."
Indeed, he was. Taz was telling Smokey about what had happened – how he had followed the tall lady home and she had kept him there for two days. He said he wanted to come home to see his mom but he couldn't leave. Smokey told him that she was sure that he was at that lady's house. She told Taz that she had taken his mom there but she didn't understand. She said that she could smell that he was there. Smokey said she was sorry that they couldn't find him sooner. Taz told her that he was just glad that the lady brought him back home. As Cristina opened the door to call them for their breakfast, she noted that they seemed to be having a very intense conversation with each other. It made her smile.
Cristina called the two of them back inside and side by side, the dogs ate their breakfast. Owen had already started preparing pancakes for Cristina and himself.
"I guess now that Taz is back, Smokey and I will be heading home," he said. "I know us staying here was not under the best of circumstances."
"Maybe not," she answered. "But I am forever grateful for your comfort in my time of need. For that, I thank you and Smokey very much." She went and hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around him, as he poured out the pancake batter.
"As much as I love you hugging me," he said. "I think you should have a seat as I have to flip these pancakes." She released him and got back into her seat, putting up her legs and hugging them. He looked at her and smiled. She looked so much like a little girl, when she did that.
"By the way, even though Smokey and I are going back to my house, can I keep my drawer here? I brought those clothes across yesterday and now, I am heading back home," he said, with a sly grin.
She laughed. "Of course, you can keep your drawer," she said. "You and Smokey are always welcome to visit. Taz and I will always be happy to see you."
"I think after breakfast, Smokey and I are going to head back home. Are you going to work today?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "I am going to work. A little later than I usually do but I just want to play with Taz a bit."
Owen placed a plate of pancakes in front of her and poured some syrup on it. He also placed a cup of coffee next to it.
"You are so good to me," she said. "What did I do to deserve you?" He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"I do it because I care about you," he said, softly. He sat down and they both had their breakfast in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence; it was just two people enjoying each other's company.
After breakfast, Cristina and Owen went back upstairs, brushed their teeth and changed their clothes. She told him that he could just put his dirty clothes in her laundry basket. He liked that. It was a simple moment but marked them as a couple. He threw them in, kissed her goodbye and he and Smokey were on their way.
Cristina and Taz spent some quality time together, before she headed out to work. She promised him that she would bring him a treat and they could go for a walk to the park, when she came back after work. Before she left, she made sure that her door was properly locked. Taz, for his part, was so happy to be home. He checked every corner of his house before he settled down into his bed for a kitchen. There was never a more contented French bulldog than Taz Yang.
When Cristina came home that afternoon, she had indeed brought some baked goodies for Taz. She had stopped at the doggy bakery and bought him some treats. He was waiting at the door, as he used to do. Cristina cried tears of joy when she saw him, waiting there. It was just like before. She stopped to give him a cuddle before they went to the kitchen, where she shared her bought treats with him. She went upstairs, took a shower and changed her clothes into something comfortable. She put the leash on his collar and together, they walked to the dog park. When she let him off his leash to play with his friends, she sat on a bench and watched his every move. It was as if she was afraid that he might disappear into thin air, again.
When he was tired, Taz came back to her and she put the leash back on him and then walked back to the townhouse complex. It was when she was entering the gate, Veronica, Owen's ex was taking a power walk. She was about to say hello to Veronica, when Taz started to misbehave. He growled at Veronica, showing all of his teeth. He rushed forward, growling all of the time.
"What is wrong with you, Taz?" Cristina said. She had never seen her dog behave that way. She apologized profusely to Veronica.
"I am so sorry about Taz. I don't know why he is behaving this way," she said. "Come on, Taz, let's go. You are embarrassing me here."
Veronica answered that it was alright and maybe, the pup did not like strangers. Cristina dragged her pup away but he was still looking back at Veronica and growling. When she went back to the townhouse, the first thing she did was to call Owen.
"I think that Taz has to go to obedience training," Cristina said. "He just shamed me out there in public. I was wondering if you knew any good training programs," Owen laughed.
"What did he do?" he said. He could barely imagine what that sweet little pup could do that could shame Cristina.
"Your old girlfriend, Veronica – we met her outside and he growled and growled at her," Cristina. "He showed her all of his teeth and even when we're walking away, he kept tugging at the leash and growling."
The behavior raised an alarm in Owen. He knew that Taz never behaved like this. Taz had been exposed to many strangers at the clinic and not once had he ever reacted that way. It got him thinking.
"Cristina, there are two training programs I can recommend," he said. "I will bring over their brochures, when I come to see you, tonight."
"So you're coming over?" she asked. "Then I better order us some dinner. What do you feel for tonight?"
"Maybe some Thai," he said. "I have a hankering for Thai since lunchtime. I will be over after I give Smokey her dinner. See you soon."
"Okay, see you," she said. She ordered the food and stared at her dog, wondering what had gotten into the little fella. Usually, Taz was a very social dog, always willing to please people. That reaction to Veronica was most uncharacteristic of Taz.
Owen had finished his clinical hours and went back to his house. He took a shower, changed into a jeans and a polo shirt and then fed Smokey. As he sat watching Smokey have her dinner, he thought about Taz and his aggressive reaction to Veronica. He had his suspicions about Veronica and whether she had anything to do with Taz's disappearance. He gave Smokey a pat on the head before he left the house.
As he drove over to the townhouse complex, he had been rolling it over in his mind. He decided that he was going to confront Veronica. He knew that things had not ended well with Veronica and she had been very upset, when he decided to call quits on the relationship. Still, he found it hard to believe that she would be so callous as to take Taz. He remembered Veronica's face on that Sunday, when she saw him and Cristina drive away. She had been in a state of shock. He had felt terrible but he had moved on and she needed to do the same.
He deliberately drove past Cristina's townhouse and parked in front of Townhouse 11. He was going to see Veronica, first. The lights were on, as he could see through the living room window. He knocked on the door. There was no answer, at first. So, he knocked again. He wondered if Veronica was peering at him through her peephole. He was not going to go away, he thought. He was determined to have this out with her. So, he knocked a third time.
The door slowly opened to reveal only Veronica's head. "Owen," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"I have something I need to discuss with you," he said. "May I come in?"
Veronica hesitated for a bit. Then, she opened the door fully to let Owen in. He walked into the townhouse past her.
A/N Please leave your thoughts and comments. I do appreciate them.