Why haven't I updated? I haven't been keeping tabs on this story, so I wasn't aware that people were actually reviewing. But you guys were, because you are all awesome. I will not be updating tomorrow, most likely, as I will be at Jen's house after school. So I will be busy. Maybe Thursday I will, to keep me from screaming about RB that night.
Since I've been such an absent writer, here ya go.
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"Andy," he called as he returned to the room. She looked up, hand still petting the dog. She was nervous, he knew, so she couldn't keep still. He slowly padded over and sat down, bed dipping under his solid weight. Her eyes shifted up so she could look at him, tears brimming her eye lids. She gave a short sniffle, and he could tell that whatever it was, it was bothering her. "Andy?" he tried again.
She shook her head, hair falling over her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she whimpered as if she had accidentally hurt his dog. He shook her head and cupped her jaw, silently telling her to go on. "When you left to go help Sarah, he called and asked to meet up," she explained.
"And you agreed?" Sam asked, baffled.
She shrugged. "He's the kind of guy who expected me to wait for him. I felt that he deserved to know that I didn't. He deserved to know so he could move on, like I did. So I agreed to meet him at the park. I brought Molly, in case anything happened. I explained to him that I was engaged and had a family and I had moved on.
"Then he said that he met Luke in the prison. So it was the whole oh-here-we-go-again thing. The thing is, Kevin is they kind of person that if you tell him to do something, he sure as hell will complete that task."
"What task is that?" he wondered, everything beginning to make sense.
"To break us up. He said our lives would be hell. Luke had made him promise to do it. Kevin doesn't break promises." Her voice was becoming shaky and fearful. So she wasn't surprised when Sam pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead. "He was in prison for drug distribution, nothing too big. So I shouldn't be so scared. But Luke is behind this, so I can't help it."
Sam began to rock her back and forth, trying to sooth her. "What would he want with Molly?"
Andy looked up, "He knows we have a dog. And Molly proved just how protective she was of us, so maybe getting the dog out of the way would make us an easier target." It may have been a long shot, but it was the only one they had.
She felt Sam nod, knowing he had a lot to take in. She moved off of him and pulled him down to lie next to her in bed. It was a silent invitation to sleep, even though it would have been difficult to do so with everything going on.
"So am I facing your seven evil exes?" Sam asked, breaking the tense silence that had fallen on them.
Andy turned on her side to face him. "No," she gave a dry laugh, "This is just a cruel coincidence. Once this is over, we'll be fine. I promise."
Sam mirrored her position. "Promises are meant to be broken," he reminded.
She reached over and kissed his lips, pulling back and looking him in the eye. "Oh, Sam, wouldn't that have made this situation easier?"
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"Why wouldn't you just file a report, Andy? They're threatening you," Sam warned before leaving the room to get Molly. Andy followed slowly, not sure if she actually should. When she rounded the corner, she watched as Sam tried, but failed, to pull the dog out of the crate. She was still growling aggressively, so Sam had to rethink his plan.
Slamming the crate door, which sent the dog to the back, he pulled a rope lead off a shelf in the corner of the room. Stalking back to the kennel, he held the loop in front of the opening, waiting. She watched as the dog tried to dart out, instead getting tangled in the rope. She thrashed for a moment in surprise, but eventually calmed enough to stand still.
It was the first time either one of them had gotten a good look at the dog. Her fur was matted and flattened on one side. Her eyes were wild and pupils dilated. She was panting furiously, as if she had just chased down a rabbit, and her body was quivering with muscle spasms. Her head was also tilted to the side, slightly, and her eyes shifted wildly around. She looked like hell.
Remembering his question, Andy responded. "I don't know. I didn't think he would be a big threat, I thought I could handle this one." Her eyes were wide and pleading that he understood. She backed away when he made his way towards her, leash short and tight to the dog couldn't lunge. Andy felt guilty about the dog and silently prayed that she would be alright.
"You can't do everything on your own, McNally. You and I? We're a team. The division? Also a team. We have each other's backs, so don't try and separate yourself from that. Maybe it is a personal problem that you don't want them to know about, so tell Frank. He will get Shaw and Nash and our friends to help. If you don't stop this now, everyone is going to know."
It was a slap to the face. A warning that had much more meaning that she had originally thought. She knew he was right, but it didn't make it hurt any less. She felt stupid and blind about how she could possibly forget that she had more than two options for safety. She should've remembered that.
She heard his heavy footsteps going down the stairs, and then yelping. Probably Molly trying to get to the puppy. It made her cringe. The door slamming was her cue to go downstairs. She ran to the window, the ever growing dog hot on her heals. She kept her eyes on the silver truck until it had disappeared completely.
Knowing exactly what she had to do, she grabbed her keys and sweater. She made sure to give Murray a quick peck before closing the door behind her. She had a family to protect, and she wasn't letting it being torn away from her again.
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Sam waited impatiently in the waiting room at the veterinarian hospital. He had ignored the woman beside him, who was trying to make conversation. Normally, Sam would engage, bragging about Molly like a proud father. Now it was more like his little girl had gotten detention, and the woman next to him was bragging about her kid's grade point average.
He had been waiting for about an hour, while the doctor ran tests. He had made conversation with Linda, who had kept asking questions about the baby. He didn't know anything yet, neither of them did.
"So how are you guys, after everything?" she had asked, motherly. It was a touchy subject that she never had brought up before. Sam smiled at her maternal instinct, as she seemed to view Sam as one of her own.
"Everything is good. We're starting the family, ya know? It's just…" he paused, not sure if he should continue. Her questioning look pegged him on. "Callaghan met up with one of her exes in prison. So we have to deal with him harassing us now. We think he may have something to do with Molly."
She gasped, surprised at how tough his last year was. Linda was always Sam's mother figure, ever since he had gotten custody of the dog. And he had always appreciated her wisdom and advice. Maybe she had something for this situation.
"So," he rambled, "That's why we need to get twice as many blood tests and other tests. And why the vet couldn't touch her fur. She may be holding evidence. But I texted Jerry and he's coming in and he'll go through her fur. She's evidence as of now, she may be our only way to figure out what's going on. So she'll have to sedated, I'm guessing. She's turned on me."
"Oh Sam," she breathed, reaching out to take a hold of his hand. "You know she doesn't mean it. She still loves you very much. You're her dad and you take great care of her. she's going to pull through this."
He nodded, and thanked her. Turning back, he collapsed into his seat; exhausted.
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The vet, an older man with a balding head, called Sam into the back room. He followed expectantly, curious as to what the vet had found. The room was small and welcoming; yellow walls with an x-ray machine, pamphlets, dog food, pictures. An examination table stood in the middle, a counter lining one of the walls.
"Did you find anything?" Sam asked, anxious.
The vet, Dr. Johnson, nodded. "We ran her blood tests and it came back relatively normal. So we did an Initial Neurological exam. So we would flash a light into her eye to see the pupil and eye response. The size of the pupils and their response to light will help determine to severity of the situation.
"We also did a physical exam. So we went over her like we would for her yearly exams. We did it to see if there were any other injuries; physical ones. Possibly to her chest or spinal cord. It came back normal. Although, she is sensitive about being touched around her front left leg.
"Once we got an idea of what was going on, we went ahead and did a radiograph and CT scan. It would help determine if there were any abnormalities in the brain. We noticed her brain appeared to be swollen. Usually due to head trauma of sorts. And after all our tests, that's what it pointed to. Do you have any idea about how it could've happened?"
Sam thought back to the night prior. "I left her in the car with the puppy, so I could take my girlfriend inside. Maybe she heard or seen something outside of the truck. Normally, she'll toss herself around in order to get it. So she could have hit her head on the side of the truck," he explained, hoping it could have been as simple as that.
Dr. Johnson thought for a moment. "That could very well be what happened. But until we know for sure, we'll put her on mannitol, and it should help decrease the swelling by drawing fluid out of the brain and slowing the production of spinal fluid. We would also recommend oxygen therapy. And if you could prevent her from any sneezing and coughing reflexes, as it raises intracranial pressure, which is pressures within the skull or cranium. I know that may be difficult, because when Australian shepherds get excited, they sneeze. And they cough a lot. So just keep her calm and airways clear.
"Any increase in intracranial pressure can contribute to neurological deterioration such as dullness, stupor, or coma."
Sam only shook his head. It was a lot to take in. A lot of damage had been done by something so simple. He wondered what could have spooked her. A raccoon? Bird? Kevin? If had been the last one, Sam would have to be held back. Not only was he making his and Andy's life hell, he had messed with their first 'child'. And no one messes with Sam Swarek's family.
"Could it cause her aggression?" he asked, trying to connect it all.
"Yes," Dr. Johnson explained, "Head trauma in dogs usually always affects their behavior. Now, what about home treatments? Keep her warm, and handle her with great care. She's not aware of what she is doing, so she may lash out and snap. Keep her on leash at all times, especially outside. If she is going to be unattended, which I would not recommend, keep her crated to prevent any more trauma."
A pause, and then the doctor spoke again. "Would you like to see her?"
Sam was interrupted by his ringing phone. He held up a finger in apology, and answered. "Swarek."
"Hey buddy," Jerry greeted cheerfully. Sam rolled his eyes.
"Did you find anything?" he asked. Jerry and Traci had gone over to see if they could find anything around the house in hopes to what spooked the dogs.
"Yep," he exclaimed. "A torn piece of shirt. Even has a small blood stain. I'm assuming whoever was in your yard last night cut himself. See, I told you it was a good thing to keep the splintered wood."
"So do we know who it is?" Sam questioned, ignoring his friend's gloating.
"Traci went to the station to get it tested. Anyone in particular you want me to run it in comparison?"
"Kevin Hartlin."
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Hmmm…. Will it be Kevin? Who knows? Not me. Yeah, I know, hardly any Sam/Andy. Just lots of shit to do with the dog. No worries, McSwarek will be back after this announcement from our sponsors.
Anyways, I realized how awful I have been. I keep threatening to get rid of the dog and I have been repeating myself with her getting hurt. Man, I feel mean. This shall be her last injury. And no, Merdock shall have none either.