I didn’t get Rose’s call until after I got off the ice. I knew Rose well enough that she wasn’t calling to beg for us to get back together and apologize for her rash decision. Rose had a few flaws, but she wasn’t one of those women who played games. 

I knew something had happened for her to call and I didn’t hesitate to call her back once I had showered and was heading to my car.

“Drew?” 

“Is everything all right, Rose?” I asked, sliding into the driver’s seat and tossing my gym bag into the passenger seat next to me.

“No,” she replied. “It’s Simba.”

My heart stopped. I gripped the phone tighter and the keys fell out of my hand and hit the floor. I couldn’t even shut the car door. I had one foot hanging out of the car, my entire body seizeing like I had been slapped with a bucket of ice water.

“What about Simba?” I asked. My words were clipped and low.

“It’s not good, Drew,” she said. “I’m taking him to the vet. He keeps walking with his head to the left. He can’t even walk a straight line. I’m worried. I know you had morning skate, but I still tried to call.”

“Are you heading there now?” I asked.

My mind suddenly flipped and I started to go through the motions so I could get to Simba. I had to see my dog. I had to make sure he was okay.

“Yeah, I just got here,” Rose said. “I guess one of the vets knows Simba? She recognized him from the clips you do for your dog charity. She’s putting a rush on him so we don’t have to wait and she took him into the back to draw blood and hopefully get a urine sample.”

“Why aren’t you with him?” I demanded, then I clamped my mouth shut. The fact that Rose took Simba to the vet meant a lot, especially since I was unable to.

Technically speaking, we weren’t together anymore. Simba was my dog. I had him before Rose. Just because he loved her didn’t mean we would even split custody of him. I didn’t even plan on using her to watch him when I had to travel. I didn’t want to have that awkward what-were-we relationship a lot of couples fell into out of convenience.

Rose was still packing things up though and offered to walk him. I wasn’t going to refuse Simba a walk, especially when she was already over.

“Sorry,” I said slowly. I was glad she didn’t jump in and get defensive like she used to, not that I had any right to snap at her in the first place. It was just nice to have that part figured out for the both of us, the best ways to deal with each other. “I’m just...”

“I know.” Her voice was quiet. “Like I said, the vet is running tests. She thinks he’s had a stroke, but she doesn’t want to confirm in case the results rule it out.”

“A stroke?” I said, starting the car. It took a bit before my blue tooth connected to the audio system of the vehicle. “He’s barely six! How could he have a stroke?”

“From what Dr. Frank told me, strokes in dogs happen for different reasons than in humans,” Rose explained. “Sometimes, it’s -“

“Wait.” I didn’t mean to cut her off, but I needed clarification on something. “Did you say Dr. Frank?”

Rose made an affirmative noise. “I told you,” she said. “She recognized Simba from all your dog charity promos and rushed him in.”

“I’ll be there as fast as I can,” I told her. “Newport Boulevard, correct?”

“Yes,” she said. “Right across the street from Hoag.”

I managed to make it in twenty minutes, which was unheard of on PCH.

—

When I got there, Rose stood and immediately threw her arms around me. I was too stunned to push her away. I happened to glance over her shoulder, only to lock eyes with the familiar pair of green ones.

Kira.

I should have put two and two together and realized that she was the vet who recognized Simba. Even though she didn’t have to lie, I appreciated the fact that she showed me discretion regarding how she knew Simba.

Her eyes narrowed in on me and rose before flickering away. She shook her head, closing those eyes. I could tell she was lecturing herself about something. I wasn’t sure what that was, but I wanted to reassure her that Rose hugging me meant nothing more than friendship. It was really nothing more than reassurance that Simba was going to be okay.

Rose stepped back and looped her arm through mine. “This is Dr. Frank,” she explained, leading me over to Kira. “Dr. Frank, this is Drew. He’s the owner of the dog, which you obviously know.”

I waited to see what she would do and I would go with whatever she decided. She was already taking care of my dog, and she already made sure that Rose didn’t think there was anything inappropriate going on either. I owed her more than financial compensation. If she didn’t pretend that we didn’t know each other, I would come clean to Rose about everything, even if I didn’t think I needed to come clean about anything.

“Hi,” she said slowly. Her eyes were searching mine and I could tell she was trying to read me, trying to figure out how she should act. “Drew Stefano, right?”

My lips curled up but it didn’t feel like a smile. I placed my hand in hers and shook it.

“Yes,” I said. 

“Big fan,” she said. “I’m so sorry I’m meeting you under these circumstances.” She wiped her palms on her thighs. I could tell she was nervous, and if I wasn’t so worried about Simba, I would have found it amusing how nervous she was. “However, I do want to reassure you that things aren’t as dire as they seem. A lot of the times, most animals who suffer from strokes make full recoveries.”

I didn’t even bother faking a polite smile. I knew she was trying to make me feel better. I appreciated the effort, but nothing could make me feel better right now... not unless she said that Simba was okay.

“What do we do now?” I asked, looking between Rose and Kira.

“We wait, unfortunately,” Kira replied. “I conducted a variety of tests. For now, we just wait.”