Hello all! Again i'm sorry for being so long on the update, but at least now I only have this chapter and one more to go for this story.
Please Enjoy!
Katie looked up from the front counter at her vet office/pet wash when the chime on her front door rang. Her blue eyes widened in fear when Ryder came in with Skye in his arms. "Is she okay?" She said coming around to meet him.
He shook his head, "I don't know. . . She said her stomach hurts and she's thrown up a couple of times this morning." Ryder kept his burgundy eyes focused on the pup. "Skye?" he said softly as he stroked the tan fur on her head. "Where here." She looked up at him with soft pinkish brown eyes, and nodded.
"Hey Skye," Katie spoke with a soft voice as well. "Come on back and let's give you a check-up."
They nodded and followed her back to one of two rooms Katie had for check-ups. She opened the door and flipped on the lights. "Ryder, you can set her on the table." She said as she opened a nearby cabinet and picked up a couple of things. "Okay Skye." She said facing the cockapoo. "Let's see what's going on." Katie said as she started. "Have you eaten anything you normally wouldn't eat?"
"No" the teen and the pup answered at the same time.
Katie gave a small chuckle and looked at Ryder. "I was asking Skye, but it's nice to you back her up." She noticed the teen was troubled about something, he couldn't meet her eyes all of the sudden. "Is there something you're not telling me Ryder?" She folded her arms across her chest.
"It's okay Ryder," Skye said softly. She looked from him to Katie. "I haven't been eating much at all."
The teen shook her head. "Skye, you know that's not good for you." She raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason you're not eating?" she asked, even though she could make a pretty good guess.
"Rubble and I had a fight, and we decided to take a break." She sighed, "Until we're ready for each other."
Katie noticed the pup blink away tears. "I'm sorry. . . It's no fun fighting with the one you love." She looked at Ryder.
The cockapoo looked from Ryder to Katie with a wry smile. "I've never seen you two fight, ever."
Ryder smiled and took Katie's hand. "Trust me, we have arguments."
"But never stay angry with each other for more than a few hours." Katie reluctantly took her blue eyes off Ryder, and focused them on Skye. "If you've had an argument with someone you love, never go to bed without saying you're sorry." She looked back at Ryder, and somehow, and his face had become closer.
Ryder's amber eyes locked on hers. "And never got to bed without telling your girlfriend 'I love you'" He gently brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "It's not about why you argue. . . It's about how you say you're sorry." After a moment, he began to sing. . .
Who can tell just how it starts?
Angry words, and broken hearts.
'till silently we sit apart, you and I.
As Ryder continued to sing, Katie sang with him. . .
But in a while, the anger's gone.
And we forget, who's right or wrong.
And one of us will end it all, with just a smile.
We believe in happy endings,
Never breaking only bending,
Taking time, enough for mending the hurt inside.
We believe in new beginnings.
Giving in and forgetting.
We believe in happy endings . . . you and I.
Katie sang alone, never taking her eyes off Ryder . . .
Just a word is all it takes.
And then at last the silence breaks.
And looking back it makes us ache.
For what we've done.
Ryder took her hand in his own, and sang the rest of the song with her. . .
And so we cling together now.
And wonder why were oh so proud.
When all that matters anyhow
Is our love.
We believe in happy endings,
Never breaking only bending,
Taking time, enough for mending, the hurt inside.
We believe in new beginnings.
Giving in and forgetting.
We believe in happy endings . . . you and I.
As they finished singing, they pressed their lips together. After a moment, they pulled away at almost the same time. "That's what love is." Ryder said.
"Skye, I'd like to keep you here for a little while. . . I'll give you some fluids and make sure that you eat." Katie said after a long moment. The teen seemed to want to say something else, but didn't.
Ryder noticed. "Was there something else?"
She hesitated, but still said nothing. Katie had an idea of what might be causing Skye's symptoms, but she need to run a test to be sure. If she was right, and she had a feeling she was, it would change the pup's life forever.
That's why she wanted to be sure.
"I'll let you know when she'll be ready to come home." She said.
Ryder raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't say anything. He just leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Okay, I'll see you later." He gently stroked Skye's soft fur, and then kissed her on the top of her head. "I'll see you later." He said as he walked out the door.
After a few seconds of silence, Skye focused her eyes on Katie. "Okay, spill."
"I don't know what you're talking about." The teen said quickly without looking at the pup.
The pup gave a small smile. "Of course you don't. . ."
Katie sighed, and locked her eyes with the pups. "I don't think this is as simple as an upset stomach. . . I want to run a test to be sure."
Hours later, when Ryder came back to Katie's, he found Skye curled up asleep on a cushion next to the front desk. "How's she doing?" He asked.
Katie smiled. "I gave her something to settle her stomach, and she been doing fine. . . But."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong?"
She shook her head. "No, nothing wrong, just surprising . . . I had a gut feeling that this was more than just an upset stomach, so I ran a test to see if I was right" She locked eyes with Ryder and smiled, "and I was."
I want to be clear, even though the song is 'We Believe in Happy Endings' by Earl Thomas Conley and Emmylou Harris (which i encourage you to go find on youtube), this isn't the end of the story. . . There's one more chapter to go!
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