Trying to hold back a laugh, Donovan pointed to the door across the hall between them. “Take Scrappy in there, and I’ll be in shortly to check him out.” Once Riley was in the exam room with the door shut, he chuckled out loud and swung by Toni’s desk. “Did you get all that?” he asked.
Toni grinned. “I’m guessing she’s the one who inherited the dog?”
“Seems so. Did you get the story?”
“I got enough to know she doesn’t know anything about dogs like Scrappy. She’s got her hands full with that one. Sorry I didn't stop him. My hands were full, and I figured he wouldn’t get far.”
“No problem. I’m gonna check him out, just to make sure he doesn’t have any obstructions or anything. Can you check on Bartholomew?”
Toni had a puzzled look on her face, then she realized, “Oh, the turtle. Yep, I’ll go see if he’s eaten yet so he can go home.” The turtle had a fractured leg, but also hadn’t been eating. Once they saw he’d consumed some food, they’d let him go home. She rose from her chair and headed to the back where Bartholomew’s cage was set up while Donovan made his way back to the exam room.
“Hi there, sorry about that. It’s been a very busy day. So, let’s take a look at Scrappy here.” Donovan ran his hands over and palpated the dog’s abdomen, feeling for anything usual. It was fairly common for a dog of his breed to eat some unusual stuff, and they typically gre
w out of that phase with age and good training. “So, he ate the shoes and the...tree. Did he eat any of his actual food?”
“Yes, all of it.”
“Before or after he went outside?” Donovan placed his stethoscope in his ears and listened to Scrappy’s belly, as well as his heart. There were no unusual sounds and Scrappy was acting perfectly normal… well, for Scrappy at least.
“Is he going to be okay?” Riley asked, her voice trembling a bit.
Donovan placed his stethoscope around his neck and patted Scrappy on the head, then scratched his ears. “He’s probably going to take an enormous dump this afternoon, but otherwise, he’s just fine. Make sure he drinks a lot of water, and he should skip his normal dinner tonight.”
Riley sighed deeply. “Thank you so much.”
“It’s not a problem, Miss Maxwell,” he replied formally.
“You can call me Riley. And, I’m sorry I was so rude to you yesterday. It’s been a really weird week for me.” Her blue eyes glazed over a bit as if she might cry, melting Donovan’s snarky demeanor.
“So, you inherited Scrappy here?” Donovan was still petting the dog, who was now leaning into him, encouraging more rubs all over his giant head.
“I did. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t know a whole lot about dogs.” She half-smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “But, I’m trying. I’ve only had him since yesterday, and he’s kind of a menace, to be honest.”
Donovan let out a hearty laugh. “Well, Great Danes can be a handful, but they’re also very loyal and loving. Once you get to know each other, he’ll be your best friend.”
“I’m not sure I’m going to keep him,” she admitted.
“Why wouldn’t you keep him?” Donovan asked, rather surprised.
“I live in the city, and I don’t think a city apartment is a very good place for a giant dog, do you?”
“Aren’t you staying in Jameson’s place now?” he asked.
“I am, but that’s temporary until I figure out what I’m going to do with the house and everything.”
“Would you sell it?” Donovan was shocked she wouldn’t want to keep the house; it was stunning and extremely valuable.
Riley started shifting her weight back and forth, and looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I haven’t figured anything out yet.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. It’s none of my business. But you should stay for a bit, Port Henry is a wonderful place to spend the summer if you can. Plus, the beach is good for thinking,” he said, offering her a warm smile.
“Thank you, Doctor. I’m so sorry I took up so much of your time with a dog that eats shoes. Come on, Scrappy,” she said to the dog. Scrappy looked up at her, getting excited again. His tail began to wag feverishly again, and his front paws came up and down off the floor, just enough to let them know he wanted to jump on her, but was restraining himself.
“Do you need a ride home?” Donovan asked, not even thinking before he spoke.
Riley laughed. “You must really want to drive me around, eh, Doctor?”
“You can call me Donovan,” he replied, feeling his own face flush a bit with embarrassment.