chapter nine
Sydney POV
I made my way through the grove until I finally came the edge and located the nearest road. My father said he would be there as soon as possible and hastily hung up on me.
Left with nothing to do other than sit on the side of the road and wait I eventually noticed the scrapes up and down my arms. Though not deep, they were sore, red, and angry looking. I was just thinking to myself that I might have to get a tetanus shot when dad finally pulled up.
He got out of the car and walked around to me. "Are you alright?" He demanded. His tone was gruff and impatient, but I suspected he really was concerned.
"......I think so," I hesitated. Wondering if you could really call the state I was in 'alright'.
I looked at me for a moment then turned and opened the passenger door for me, "Get in. I'll take you to a doctor," he said.
"No," I shook my head as I slid into the car, "I don't need a doctor. I just want to go home."
He looked hesitant, but finally nodded wordlessly and shut the door. He didn't speak much during the drive back to LA, so the exhaustion quickly set in and I dozed off.
******
I woke from his voice calling my name and his hand on my shoulder shaking me awake. I looked up and found we were sitting the driveway in front of my house.
I blinked a couple times shake all the sleep from my eyes and then moved my hand to the door handle. "I'll umm....I'll talk to you tomorrow," I said.
"Alright, tomorrow," he said but looked at me as if he were troubled.
I found out why once I got inside and caught my reflection in the hall mirror. My clothes were coated in dirt, and my hair was horribly tangled and filled with leaves.
I was glad Francie wasn't home because I would have had a hard time explaining that. I stripped off my clothes and put them in the washing machine, then got strait into the shower. I didn't come out until the water was cold and I had used up almost half a bar of soap.
Once I got out I put the iodine and band-aids in the medicine cabinet to good use. Finally after changing into some pajamas (with long sleeves to cover the scrapes), I began to feel clean again.
I was dead tired, but I also felt my stomach twisting and growling with hunger. It suddenly occurred to me that it had probably been a while since my human body had gotten any food. After all if the dog was trapped in my body then how could it have found things to eat......? I shoved the thought away. I didn't even want to think about it.
Francie came home as I was sitting at the counter with some leftover Chinese food from the fridge.
"Hey sweetie, you're back! How was your trip?" she asked.
"Well it was......interesting," I said remembering my cover story.
"How so?"
I ran a hand through my hair, not wanting to imagine what had been crawling in it hours before. "I don't know... I guess it was weird because I had a little more time to myself than on my other trips."
Francie nodded. "Wasn't that a good thing?"
I thought back to my doggie time, in Vaughn's house, seeing the things Vaughn did.... having him tell me he loved me. I slow grin spread across my face. "Yeah. I guess it was."
Beep, Beep, Beep.
"Ugh."
"Oh, no. Not work," Francie sighed.
"Uh-huh. I'll just be a little while, I swear."
"Oh, fine. Go. But I swear, that place is draining the life out of you. You're not some dog that should have to come whenever called."
I stopped dead in my tracks; hand on the knob to my bedroom. I wasn't sure what to say. "Um, yeah. Well I've got to get dressed, then go. I'll be back later. I'm going to stop at the mall on the way home."
As I'd said, I got dressed and left.
I entered SD-6 and Sloane greeted me in his office. "Sydney, I know you just had a rather... interesting experience. I think anyone, after something like this, would need some time off. Please, take a two week vacation."
Great. Now I had to look like I liked him. "Thank you, Sir. I am still kind of disoriented from everything that happened... thank you."
"It's nothing," he put a hand on my arm and I tried not to flinch. "You know I care about your well- being.'"
I glued on a smile and nodded, then turned my head at the sound of a bark.
"Oh, the dog is still with Marshall. He wants to find a home for him."
I nodded again and hurried out of the office into Marshall's lab. Donovan sat on a metal table, Marshall patting his head. "What a good dog. Shake?" Donovan lifted a paw into his hand.
"Marshall?"
Marshall quickly turned around and blushed. "Good afternoon, Miss Bristow. This is a cool dog... I'm going to put it in a shelter though. I'd take him myself but my mom is allergic to dogs. She can't even go near them... that's why we had to get rid of Lassie-"
"Marshall, I'll take the dog."
"Will you?"
"Yes. I have a friend who wants a dog. He might be able to give him a good home."
Marshall nodded eagerly and handed me the leash. "Here you go, Miss Bristow. Tell me how it goes."
I smiled at him and took the leash. I headed to my car and got my cell phone. I dialed the familiar numbers.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"You're okay!"
"Meet me at the usual place. Forty minutes." I hung up.
Then I drove to the supermarket. There was just one more thing I needed to get.
* * * * * * * * *
I arrived at the warehouse fifteen minutes early to set everything up. I'd opened up what I'd brought with me.
Hopefully, "Beefy's Chicken Flavored Bones" don't smell too much.
When I was finished my work, I got off my knees. They were dusty and my hands were reddened from the cold, dirty cement floor. But I didn't care. What was about to happen was worth it all.
Vaughn walked in two minutes after I was done, the metal chains clinking as he swung the gate shut.
He glanced at me, black pants turned brown in the front from the filthy floor, white shirt gone gray. Then he looked down at the floor.
White contrasted against the black ground, hard white bones. They spelled out a message of meaning, hope, dreams.
"I LOVE YOU TOO."
Slowly, saying nothing, he looked up at me. His cheeks were pink and his green eyes were full of emotion.
He took a step closer to me, then another. Still having said nothing out loud, we closed the space between us and our lips met.
A thousand emotions pulsed through me and I couldn't think or breathe. It was like millions of stars were exploding all around.
After what seemed like forever but all too soon, we pulled apart. His gaze locked on mine.
"So... hi."
"Hey."
"Feel good to be back?"
"You have no idea."
I guess it's true, what they say.
All dogs go to heaven.
