A Soldier's Heart (5 page)

Cleaning out the infestation didn’t take all that long, although in the heat of the moment, everything played out in slow motion.

Back out on the street, Spence swiped at his face with the back of his hand. His cheeks were too wet for it to be sweat, but nobody said a word. They’d all seen what had happened and knew at least a couple of them were still walking around because of that half-starved fur ball.

No way Spence was going to leave him lying out there in the street. The dog was a hero, plain and simple. The least they could do was give him a decent burial.

But when he finally mustered up the courage to look around for the body, it was nowhere to be seen. Spence did slow a three-sixty, looking up and down the street. None of the locals would have bothered to pick up a dead dog, especially not with a bunch of angry soldiers milling around in the area.

“Did anybody see what happened to the dog?”

Everyone looked around, but no one answered. Was it possible? Spence didn’t give voice to that hope. The chances of an animal that size surviving a bullet wound were pretty damn slim. After all, ammunition was designed to kill a much larger target.

But dogs had a reputation of slinking off into a corner to die. Maybe he’d lived long enough to crawl into the dark shadows of the alley.

“Watch my back.”

Leif nodded and trailed after Spence. Sure enough, he spotted a pale form on the ground about halfway down the alley. Spence started forward, still watching for any sign of more shooters.

“What are you going to do, Spence?”

There was sympathy in Leif’s voice, so Spence gave him an honest answer. “I’m going to bury him.”

“Got something to wrap him in?”

“My shirt.”

He knelt at the dog’s side. Almost of its own accord, his hand reached out to touch the blood soaked fur. To his amazement, the dog whimpered in pain.

“He’s not dead!”

Leif moved around to see better. “Hot damn! Are you sure?”

The dog answered that question when he lifted his head to lick Spence’s hand. Son of a bitch, what was he going to do now? Burying the dog was one thing. Dragging him back to camp was another. Command had issued orders that no pets were allowed.

But this dog was no pet. He was a hero.

Spence stripped out of his shirt. He used his knife to cut off a sleeve to use as a pad over the wound and then gently wrapped the dog in the rest of the shirt. When he stood up, he lifted his wounded buddy off the ground.

“Nick’s not going to be happy.”

“When is he ever happy these days? Besides, this little guy saved his ass, too.”

The rest of the patrol was waiting out in the street. Spence figured Nick spotted the dog immediately, but he didn’t say a word. For the moment, he pretended Spence and the dog didn’t exist.

“Okay, everybody, let’s get moving. I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”

They made good time the rest of the way back to camp, but the hard part was still ahead of them. The last thing Spence wanted to do was cause a big scene, but he wasn’t going to back down on getting the dog patched up. He owed him that much. So did the rest of the patrol even if they didn’t want to admit it.

But as they approached the gate, the other men silently formed up around Spence, effectively blocking the guard’s view of his burden.

“Quiet boy, we’re almost there.”

The dog whimpered softly but remained settled in Spence’s arms. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief when they made it past the guard. But even though they were now safely inside the camp, they continued on as a group right to Spence’s door.

“Thanks, guys.”

Nick planted himself right in front of Spence. “What are you going to do? Have you even thought this through?”

They both knew he hadn’t, but that didn’t change anything. He stared down into those trusting eyes and knew he was determined to win this particular battle. “I’m going to put him in a box and track down Sean, the medic. He owes me one.”

Then he held his breath and waited for the explosion. When it didn’t come, he forced his gaze up to meet Nick’s. His friend was staring down at the dog, his face completely devoid of any emotion.

“You get that mutt out of sight, now before anyone else spots him. I’ll find Sean.”

Then he walked away, leaving Spence staring after him in shock. Then the dog whimpered again. Time to see what he could do to make the mutt comfortable until the medic arrived.

•   •   •

Inside, Leif had already dug up a couple of old towels. He spread them out on the floor and then used a trash bag to protect them from the dog’s blood.

“Let’s get him cleaned up while we wait.”

Spence nodded as he knelt down to settle the dog on the makeshift bed. Was it a bad sign that the dog didn’t even whimper despite being jarred? And how was he supposed to know something like that? He’d never owned a pet in his life.

Leif was back with a bowl of water, a couple of rags, and another towel. Spence accepted the supplies and began gently washing away the caked blood and dirt. A narrow groove ran across the top of the dog’s left shoulder.

Spence glanced up at Leif with a small smile. “Looks like he took the same kind of shot you did. Bloody, painful, but maybe not fatal.”

Leif squatted down to pat the dog gently on the head. “Let’s hope the medic knows something about treating four-legged patients.”

Or at least that he was willing to try. What the hell was taking Nick so long? Sean’s rack wasn’t all that far from theirs. Spence continued washing the dog and crossing his fingers that the animal could hang in there long enough for help to arrive.

While he continued to work, Leif changed out the bowl of bloody water for a clean one. As he set it down beside Spence, the door opened and two men and a woman slipped inside. Sean and Nick stood back to let her take the lead.

“I’m Amanda Mann, one of the veterinary techs for the military dogs. Sean here asked me to take a look at yours.”

Spence glanced up at Nick. The more people who knew about the dog, the greater the risk the brass found out about him. His friend shrugged, evidently all right with the situation.

“Thanks for coming, Amanda. How serious is it?”

She did a quick examination. “He’s lost a lot of blood, but nothing vital took damage. I’m going to sedate him so I can treat the wound. He’ll need an IV to replace fluids, and I’ll give you some antibiotics for him to take. As dirty as he is, there’s a real risk of infection setting in. But with proper care, he stands a decent chance of a full recovery.”

The veterinary tech offered Spence an encouraging smile. “What’s his name?”

The picture that immediately popped into Spence’s head was the dog standing next to him, wagging his tail, and hoping for a handout.

“Mooch. He had me pegged for a soft touch the minute he spotted me.”

She laughed, and surprisingly so did Nick. “Yeah, he passed all of us by and went for the one man in our unit with the word ‘sucker’ tattooed on his forehead.”

Spence wanted to take offense, but it was nothing less than the truth. “Yeah, well Mooch earned that beef jerky and a hell of a lot more tonight, didn’t you, boy?”

Mooch thumped his tail in response, which had everyone laughing again. Spence patted him on the head and spoke a whole bunch of nonsense to distract the dog while Amanda went to work. It didn’t take long.

As she packed up her supplies, she asked, “You know how to disconnect the IV when it’s done?”

“Yeah, I can handle that.”

“Good. The fewer trips I make over here, the better. I’m not supposed to use our supplies on strays.”

Her expression turned serious. “Look, I can get kind of forgetful sometimes, which is embarrassing. If you happen to run across a few bags of kibble sitting around outside your door, think you can you make them disappear for me? I wouldn’t want my C.O. to find out that I’d managed to lose more of our supplies again.”

Spence grinned at her. “Will do, Amanda. And thanks again. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, I’m there.”

She winked at him. “Actually, Sean was telling me you’re the go-to guy for popcorn and movies. I’m pretty tired of the ones I’ve got.”

He pointed toward the tall pile on the shelf by his bed. “The newest ones are over there. Help yourself. No hurry getting them back.”

While she rooted through the stack, he continued to stroke Mooch’s soft fur. The dog was sleeping peacefully, but Spence needed to feel the encouragement of his heartbeat and each breath the exhausted animal took.

Amanda was back with a handful of films, hugging them close. “Looks like you found a few to your liking.”

She gave him a puzzled look. “I was expecting mostly aliens and explosions, but instead you’ve got a whole bunch of romantic comedies I’ve been wanting to see.”

Leif laughed. “He has a friend back home who sends him movies all the time. She figures watching a few chick flicks every now and then will help civilize him and hone his skills with the ladies.”

Amanda’s expression said she wasn’t quite buying his explanation. “And how has that been working for him?”

Nick answered that one. “What can we say? The boy’s a slow learner. We’ve all but given up on him.”

She gave Spence a long look as he ignored his human friends and petted his furry one. “If Mooch takes a turn for the worse, send someone to get me day or night.”

Then she patted Spence on the shoulder and waited for him to look up. “And just so you know, personally, I always figure you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats animals.”

Spence wasn’t sure what to say to that, which no doubt only gave proof to Nick’s comment about Spence’s talent with women. When he finally looked up again, Amanda was gone.

“Spence, get some sleep.”

He shook his head. “I can’t. He might need something.”

Nick had just gotten back from a late-night trip to the john. Rather than return to his own bed, he wandered over to sit on the edge of Spence’s.

“How is he doing?”

Spence studied the dog, looking for any sign of change. “He whimpers every so often, but he seems to be breathing all right. It’s almost time to disconnect the IV the vet started.”

“After you do that, grab some sack time. You won’t be good for anything tomorrow if you don’t.”

“I’ve tried, Nick, but every time I shut my eyes, I hear him and wake up. I’m afraid I’ll miss something.”

The two of them stared down at the dog for several seconds. Finally, Nick said, “Go sack out in my bed. I’ll stand watch.”

Okay, that was the last thing Spence would have expected. “Are you sure?”

His friend slid down on the floor beside him. “Yes, consider it an order. After yesterday, I won’t be surprised if they don’t have most of us out patrolling the town to make our presence felt. If so, I’ll need you at your best.”

“Promise you’ll wake me up if he . . .”

He let the sentence drift to an end, unable to finish the thought out loud because the idea of Mooch dying sent a crippling pain ripping right through Spence’s chest. How could he have gotten so attached in such a short time? But then, combat had a way of heightening all emotions, good and bad. The two of them had been through a battle together, one that had almost cost Mooch his life and very likely saved Spence’s.

“I will. Now go, or don’t you trust me to keep an eye on him for you?”

Spence pushed himself up to his feet, stiff and sore from sitting in one position too long on the hard concrete floor. “I trust you, Nick. I always have.”

He stretched out on Nick’s bed, not really expecting to sleep. But as soon as his head hit the pillow, he must have fallen right into a dream world.

Either that, or Nick really was over there talking to Mooch and thanking him for saving his ass, too.

•   •   •

Three days later, Mooch was up and about, poking his nose into every corner of their quarters. Right now he was in the process of tugging the pillow down off Nick’s bed.

“Damn it, leave it alone, Mooch. Nick will kick both our asses if he catches you doing that.”

He’d just returned the pillow to its rightful place when there was a knock at the door. “Hide, Mooch!”

The dog immediately took shelter in the far corner of the room behind a couple of boxes that Spence had stacked there for just that reason. Mooch seemed to understand that not everyone who walked through that door was a friend.

When he was out sight, Spence opened the door to find Amanda Mann standing outside. She held up a few of the movies she’d borrowed and said a little louder than necessary, “I brought your DVDs back and wondered if I could borrow some more.”

“Sure, come on in.”

Once inside with the door closed, she handed him the movies. “Actually, I really came by to see how your dog was doing.”

Then she frowned as she looked around. “Where is he? Tell me you guys didn’t throw him right back out on the streets already. Because if you did, it would have been kinder to let him die from the gunshot.”

Spence shuddered at the thought. “No, ma’am, he’s here. We’re just trying to be careful about who sees him.”

He gave a sharp whistle, which brought Mooch trotting out of his hiding spot. Amanda immediately crouched down and held out a doggie treat. “You’re sure looking better, boy.”

Mooch sat down and carefully accepted her offering with a gentle wag of his tail, a far cry from his usual behavior. Earlier that morning, Leif had complained that the dog had almost taken his fingers along with the bits of bacon he’d brought back from the mess for Mooch.

The dog’s behavior pleased the vet as well. “You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you, Mooch? Have you been watching those romantic comedies with your buddy here?”

Spence was pretty sure his face had flushed red when she looked up at him. “I so wish Leif had kept his mouth shut about that. Note to self: Kick his backside for him as soon as possible.”

Amanda laughed but then her expression turned more serious. “Actually, I’m glad this little guy is fitting in so easily. Some of the strays our guys have tried to adopt have been too feral to make good pets. It makes me wonder if Mooch used to belong to somebody before you.”

Spence didn’t like that idea one bit. The dog was his—period. He knelt beside her. “You saw how he looked the night we found him. He was half-starved and filthy. I’m betting it had been a long time since he’d been eating regularly.”

“Well, he’s yours now, there’s no doubt about that.”

She did a quick examination. Mooch basked in her gentle attention, not even complaining when she checked his wound. When she was done, she slipped him another treat as a reward.

“His wound is healing up fine, and he’ll be good as new soon. I’d even guess eventually his fur will cover the scar.”

As she petted Mooch, she gave Spence a considering look. “How much longer do you have left on your deployment?”

That was a problem. “A few weeks.”

“Lucky you. I’ve still got six months to go. But back to Mooch, what are you going to do about him when it’s time for you to go wheels up?”

That was something that had been keeping Spence awake nights. “I was going ask around to see if anyone had any ideas about what it takes to ship him home.”

“I figured you might be thinking along those lines.” Amanda pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to Spence. “Here’s the contact information for a group that might be able to help. I have to tell you, though, it’s not cheap or easy.”

“Money’s not a problem.”

Thank goodness that was true. His parents had left him a whole shitload of insurance money, and they’d had the wisdom to put their estate in the hands of a good attorney. If it had been up to Spence’s uncle, every last dime would’ve been spent on booze and cigarettes years ago.

“And who will take care of Mooch the next time you’re deployed? Do you have family or a friend who would take him if you can’t be there for him?”

A much harder question. Callie would be the logical choice, but she moved around even more than he did.

“I’m working on that part.”

“Good. Let me know if you need anything else.” She stood up. “I’ll return the rest of your movies in a couple of days.”

“No need. I have plenty, so keep them if you they’re ones you like.”

His offer clearly pleased her. “Are you sure? There are a couple I’d like to hang onto, but bringing them back was really just an excuse to stop by to give Mooch his first vaccinations. He’ll need them if he’s going stateside.”

Damn, he hadn’t even thought about that. “I don’t want you to get in trouble for helping me,.”

“I won’t. A vet friend ships me extra supplies when I need them.”

She stood up and dusted off her knees. “I’m glad Mooch is feeling better.”

“Me, too.”

Spence pulled out his wallet and dug out a few bills. The vet was already shaking her head. “You don’t owe me anything, Spence. I don’t charge for house calls.”

“Use the money to buy more supplies. We both know I’m not the only one around here with a four-legged roommate. Besides, I can afford it.”

She was still hesitant. “Take it, Amanda. If you can’t use it, give it to the group who helps bring the dogs home.”

Finally, Amanda accepted the donation. “I’ll see to it that the money is put to good use.”

She started to leave but hesitated in the doorway. “By the way, Spence, next time you have a movie night, count me in. Maybe you can practice some of those social skills on me.”

Before Spence could come up with a coherent response, she winked and was gone. Was she serious? It sure seemed like it. He took two steps toward the door before he stopped to reconsider. Yeah, Amanda was pretty enough with that honey blond hair and bright blue eyes, but what about Callie? The discussion he and Nick had had a few days back played out in his mind. Was he really serious about changing the terms of his relationship with Callie when he got back?

There was no way to know how that would play out until his deployment ended and he was back in the States. For certain, the emotional connection between him and Callie had always been strong and special, but was it enough to give rise to the kind of love his parents had shared? He hoped so, but he’d never find out until they were in the same zip code for a while. Then there was the fact she hadn’t hesitated to date someone else without mentioning it to Spence until it was over.

The bottom line for now was that Callie was half a world away and he didn’t really know where things could go between them. Considering his deployment was almost over and Amanda’s wasn’t, the most they’d share was a few movie nights and some laughs. As long as they kept things light, why the hell not?

“Mooch, stay here. I’ll be right back.”

He charged out the door and caught up with Amanda a short distance away. “Will Tuesday night work for you?”

Amanda didn’t hesitate. “Unless I have to be on duty, I’d be glad to come. I can also do the rest of Mooch’s vaccinations at the same time.”

Her response had him grinning. “That would be great. Any preference what we watch?”

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a considering look. “I’m tempted to say one of those mushy chick flicks your friend sent you. However, I’ll settle for anything good as long as you serve some decent refreshments, preferably involving caramel corn and chocolate.”

“It’s a deal. See you after dinner on Tuesday.”

Spence watched her walk away, enjoying the view for several seconds before heading back inside. He glanced back one more time and caught Amanda watching him. She blushed and quickly looked away.

His mood much improved, he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Okay, then, this is going to be fun.”

Inside, Mooch was stretched out on Nick’s bed and watching the door. “Damn it, dog, I keep telling you that Sarge doesn’t want you on there. Now get your worthless ass over here.” Spence sat down on the bed and studied the business card Amanda had given him. Mooch joined him, curling up on Spence’s pillow, staring at the small piece of paper as if he sensed it was important.

“Guess there’s only one way to find out, Mooch.”

He reached for his laptop. Nick and Leif walked in as he was waiting for it to boot up. Mooch perked up and jumped off the bed to park his backside right in front of Leif. He’d already learned which of the other two was most likely to have a treat in his pocket for him. Sure enough, Leif pulled a stick of beef jerky out of his pocket.

“Damn dog, how do you know I didn’t buy this for me?”

Even as he groused about it, Leif peeled off the wrapper and broke off a piece to feed to Mooch. The dog, happy with his portion, hopped back up on Spence’s bed to chow down. Leif waited until he’d finished off that much and then handed him the rest.

Nick stowed his gear and dug up a bottle of water. “Was that the vet stopping by again?”

Spence brought up the website of the rescue organization. “Yeah, she brought some of my movies back as a pretext for checking on Mooch. She’s happy with how he’s healing up, and she’ll be back in a couple of days to give him the rest of his vaccinations. We thought we’d schedule a movie night to cover the real reason for her visit.”

Okay, that was almost the truth. “Hope that’s okay, Sarge.”

“Yeah, sure.” Nick wandered closer. “What are you looking at?”

Spence pointed to the screen. “There’s an organization that helps soldiers bring home the cats and dogs they’ve adopted over here. The vet gave me their contact information while she was here.”

“So you’re thinking about bringing Mooch back to the States with you.”

Spence nodded. “Yeah. I sure as hell can’t leave him here, not after he saved our collective asses the other night.”

Leif tossed Spence a bag of candy, his favorite kind. “What’s it say?”

“I’m still reading.”

He swallowed hard when he saw the cost, but it wasn’t as if he had anyone else to spend his money on. It was the other requirement that had him cursing. Mooch whined and sidled closer to put his head in Spence’s lap.

Both men parked on the side of Leif’s bed to face Spence. “What’s wrong, Wheels?”

Nick hazarded a guess. “I’ve heard rumors about the program. The cost per animal is in the thousands, not to mention the logistics of getting the animal to where it can be picked up for shipping. Seems like a lot of money to spend when there’s all kinds of animals already in the States that could use a good home.”

Okay, that pissed Spence off big time. “But those dogs didn’t save my life, did they?”

Nick held up his hands. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t go for it, Spence. I’m just talking about the cost.”

“Yeah, it’s pricey, but I can handle that part.” Spence tried to minimize the worry in his voice because Mooch was picking up on it. “The problem is finding someone on the other end who’ll take care of Mooch until I get home.”

“What about Callie?”

“She’d do it for me, but her job in Portland is short term. There’s no telling where she’ll go next when it ends or how she’ll be living. Sometimes she’s only on the job for a couple of weeks. When that happens, she stays in one of those motels with a kitchen. Even if they’d take pets, that’s no life for a dog, even temporarily.”

“How about her parents?”

“Again, they’d probably do it if they’re going to be around. Ever since her dad retired, they’ve been traveling a lot. Part of the year they live in Snowberry Creek, but the rest of the time they follow the sunshine. Last I heard they were planning on taking a long sweep across the South in their RV. I can’t ask them to give that up.”

Mooch licked his hand, offering his own brand of comfort. “Don’t worry, guy. I’ll figure it out. Wait until you see the Pacific Northwest. All green and gorgeous. Not like this place at all.”

Nick was about to say something when someone pounded on the door. Mooch automatically abandoned his place on the bed to duck into his hiding spot. Spence closed his laptop to hide the nature of the website he’d been looking at.