Cry to Me

Dulci was on her seventh mile and second wind. She'd done three and a half loops around her neighborhood. She missed having a dog to run with, and thought that of Sam wasn't recovering from her orthopedic injury, she'd ask Sid if Sam could be her running partner. It had been three months since Ruthie, her greyhound, had died. She had considered adopting another dog for months, but didn't know if she had the time to commit to a new dog.Ruthie was perfect.She was literally a giant cat.She required little exercise or attention.She was content to sleep on her loveseat all day.Other than running, Ruthie would only get up to eat and go outside.

As she turned the corner, she was pulled from her thoughts as an unknown number called Dulci for the third time, each time stopping her iTunes from playing. Figuring that three consecutive calls in less than five minutes was important, she slowed down toward the sidewalk, pulling her phone out of her phone sleeve holder.

"Hello?" Dulci huffed out her greeting, her free hand resting on her knee as she bent at the waist to catch her breath.

"Umm. Hello. Is this Dulci?" It was an older sounding woman, one who's voice Dulci didn't recognize. The woman sounded slightly alarmed.

"Yes it is. To whom am I speaking?" On a couple rare occasions, Dulci would give special needs clients her phone number for emergencies.During most of the emergency calls, however, her clients would still refer to her as Dr. Hammett, not Dulci.

"This is Trina Crosby, Sidney's mother."

"Oh... Hi." Dulci stood straight up, blood rushing to her head, not sure exactly why his mom would be calling or what Dulci should say. This wasn't how she pictured herself talking to his mom for the first time, or if they would ever speak for that matter.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but something is wrong with Sam, and Sid left strict instructions to call you if anything happened." Duh. She told him it was fine for his parents to call with any concerns. Of course she wasn't calling to get to know Dulci. He probably left a note along the lines of, "call Dulci (veterinarian) if needed," followed by her number.

"It's no bother at all! What's going on with Sam?" Dulci scolded herself for sounding too upbeat and excitable. Deep down, she knew the perkiness in her voice was coming from her overwhelming desire to be liked by his parents.

"I was doing her physical therapy outside, and I think she swallowed a bug or something. Shortly after coming inside, she started rubbing her face against everything and whining. She looks like a manatee and she's got bumps everywhere. Can dogs get hives?" Dulci could tell Trina was nervous, she was talking quickly and her voice was shaky.

"Absolutely, and from what you're describing to me, it sounds like she's having an allergic reaction. Does Sidney have any Benadryl or diphenhydramine?"

"I think he has some in his medicine cabinet. She's not going to go into anaphylaxis, is she?" Dulci could hear her running up his stairs.

"It's unlikely. How long ago were the two of you outside?" At this point Dulci was walking into her house, gathering her emergency kit to take to his house.

"Maybe like thirty minutes ago, give or take?"

"Usually if an animal is going to have an anaphylactic response to an allergen, it happens almost immediately after the body tried to break down the protein.”

"Found some! How much should I give her?" Dulci sympathetically but quietly laughed as she heard vials of medications falling into the sink. She imagined this poor, terrified woman tearing the cabinet apart to find Benadryl. She'd witnessed so many owners panic over allergic reactions when they simply needed Benadryl.

"She's around seventy pounds. Give her one for now, but I'm on my way to Sidney's house now to give her a couple of injections. It'll help with her discomfort," Dulci told Trina as she backed out of her driveway.

"Oh thank you! When can we expect you?"

"Around twenty minutes." Dulci could hear her voice sound panicky. Who else was involved in the "we"? His sister? His father? Distant family members?

"You're a life-savor! See you soon."

Shortly after getting on the road, Dulci remembered she was wearing black running spandex and a black long sleeved Nike wicking shirt. She recently took out the change of clothes she kept for work. She looked at herself in the mirror at a stoplight. Her hair was a mess. It was originally in a crown braid, but the wind and strenuous activity made it frizzy and half fallen, bunching into a bubble on one side. Since she couldn't change her clothes, she had to at least fix her hair. First impressions were important.

Once she pulled into his driveway, she undid the crown braid and combed her fingers through the damp tangles and waves. She decided on a diagonal braid that eventually ended up in the ponytail. She threw some mascara on along with some perfume she kept in the car. As she was walking toward his door, she had a severe case of déjà vu. Just a couple of weeks before, she made the bold move of coming to see Sidney with the motive being seeing Sam, meeting his sister instead. Now, she was really going to see Sam, and would incidentally meet his mom, and whoever else was there. The thought of meeting them without Sid being there made her stomach flip.

"Dulci! Thank you for coming! Please, come in!"His mother was very warm and welcoming as she opened the door.

"I'm happy to help," Dulci smiled at Trina, walking into the house with her emergency kit in hand. The apple didn't fall far from the tree in the looks department. She wondered what his father looked like.

"I apologize for my appearance. I was running laps around my neighborhood when you called," she explained as she shrugged off her vest to hang up. She prayed she didn't stink over top of the perfume.

"Don't apologize! You're doing Sammy and I a favor. She's in the living room," Trina walked Dulci through the entryway toward the great room. Dulci knew his mother was trying to be polite and lead her around her son’s house, but it made Dulci wonder if he’d even mentioned Dulci to his parents, and she tried not to outwardly frown. Her glum mood was instantly reversed as she saw Sam gimp toward her, still recovering from her surgery, swollen and bumpy, tail waging, panting happily as she saw Dulci.

"What happen to you big girl?" Dulci knelt down in front of Sam, scratching her face and ears as Sam voraciously licked her face. She did a quick exam before opening her kit to pull out two syringes and two bottles of medication.

"Mrs. Crosby, do you mind helping me? I'll need you to distract her while I give her two injections."

"Please, call me Trina. And I’d love to help.Where do you want me," she said enthusiastically, getting on her knees next to Dulci and Sam.

"Just scratch her head and ears. She's so itchy that she won't notice I'm doing anything," Dulci instructed as she drew up two syringes, one of diphenhydramine and the other of dexamethasone.

"Ok. I can do that," she said as she mimicked what Dulci said, whispering words of encouragement at Sam.

"Alright. All done." Dulci capped the syringes and threw them into her kit for later disposal.

"Already? That was quick!Where'd you do it?"

"The steroid injection was injected into her muscle, and the antihistamine was injected IV into her back leg. She's an easy patient," Dulci scratched Sam's back making her leg thump.

"I'm going to check her in thirty minutes to make sure the swelling and hives resolve, if that's ok?"

"Whatever you need, just let me know," Trina smiled at Dulci.

"Ok. I'm going to take this stuff out to my car and go grab some coffee. I'll be back," Dulci stood and started to move to the door.

"I've got fresh coffee here if you'd like some."

"That'd be great," Dulci nodded. She followed Trina into the kitchen, sitting at the island as she pulled down two coffee mugs. Trina handed a cup of black coffee to Dulci alongside two containers, one containing powdered creamer and the other contained sugar in the raw. After Dulci prepared her cup, she looked around, wondering who the other person or people were on the house. It was definitely big enough that multiple people could coexist without any knowledge of the each other.

"It was very thoughtful of you to watch Sam for Sid. She means the world to him," Trina broke the awkward silence, sipping some coffee.

"It was my pleasure.She’s such a sweet girl.The recovery period for knee surgery is generally twelve weeks. He has such a hectic schedule that it seemed like the obvious thing to do rather than hire a house or pet sitter," Dulci shuttered thinking about an inexperienced pet sitter being neglectful.She’d witnessed it first hand as owners brought their diabetic shock dogs in from the sheer neglect of pet sitters.

"Well, if Carly hadn't left, she could've sacrificed some time and watched her for his sake." Dulci laughed a little at the look of disdain on Trina's face when she talked about Carly.

"She's a good friend, but she would honestly be my last choice to leave Sam with. She loathes pets."

"Now, I know I've just met you, but you two seem like complete opposites. However were you friends?" Trina looked utterly confounded.

"Opposites have a tendency to attract. We became friends when I tutored her our first semester of college." Dulci started to feel awful again. She felt so guilty about being sexually and emotionally involved with Sidney that she called Carly twice, getting voicemail each time, to try and confess.

"She's something else, that one. I wasn't a big fan of hers."

"She's definitely an acquired taste, but deep down, she means well," Dulci added, taking a large gulp of coffee once she felt her nervous stomach could handle it.

"Did you always know you wanted to be a veterinarian?" Trina moved to the other side of Dulci and took a seat.

"Pretty much. I grew up with pets and witnessed a dog get injured. I knew I wanted to help them early on."

"You seem like you love what you do. I didn't expect you to come here to help me. It was a pleasant surprise."

"I love what I do. While I can't save all of my patients, the cases that I can fix make it very rewarding. Plus, who doesn't love puppies and kittens?" Dulci beamed as she talked about her passion.

Within a second, the mudroom door opened and Dulci could hear two male voices, one belonging to Sidney and the other belonging to a mystery man. The coffee became a horrific choice, and her stomach was angry with panic and anticipation. She was under the assumption that Sidney wasn't coming home until later that night. As the door leading into the kitchen opened in slow motion, Dulci locked eyes with Sid, who stopped halfway into the kitchen, looking very stunned.He obviously wasn’t expecting to see Dulci in his kitchen, chatting amiably with his mother.

"Hello honey!" Trina walked over to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek. Dulci felt herself blushing as he stared at her with so many expressions on his face at once. Then she saw him flush. Was he embarrassed of her? Unable to take his gaze any longer, she simply smiled, quietly excused herself as he and his parents talked, and walked toward the bathroom, locking herself in before sliding down onto the floor. She sat for a few minutes, lost in thought, until she heard Sidney and his mother conversing within earshot.

"Why are you so upset, dear?"

"Because I wanted to introduce Dulci to you while I was here, not away on a road trip," he sounded defeated.

"Things don’t always go as planned.You should know that.You didn’t do her justice.She's a sweetheart. I really like her."

"So do I. I'm just worried about him." Dulci hoped he wasn't talking about Henry. She already deleted his number out of her phone.

"I haven't said anything to dad about her yet. You know how he is. I want to see things through with her."

"Don't worry about your father. I'll take care of him. Now, go greet her properly. I raised you to be a gentleman." Dulci could imagine Trina pointing a threatening finger at his chest, and it made her smile.

"I will once I find her."

Dulci stood as she heard the voices disappear. Exiting the bathroom, she found Sam chewing on a toy on her bed. Her facial swelling had significantly decreased and the hives were completely gone.

She walked over to the front door, zipped her vest, and was in the process of tying her running shoes.

"You're wearing socks."

"Jesus," Dulci almost screamed, grabbing her chest. She didn't hear Sidney approaching.

"Were you hiding?"

"No.”Yes. “I just didn't want to intrude on your reunion with your family. Your mom called me about Sam. She was having an allergic reaction and..."

Sidney interrupted her with a soft kiss. It started out slow, but quickly gained instensity as he wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her as close as possible. Dulci usually wasn't one who approved of PDA.She thought kisses and caressing belonged behind closed door away from prying eyes, but she didn't care at that moment. His parents could be watching from the other room. She liked him, probably loved him, but she wasn't ready to admit it to herself yet. She hoped her kiss told him how she felt.

They both felt it, the moment where the kiss would become physical and they would up end upstairs into his bedroom.Sidney wanted nothing more than to peel her workout clothes off and show her how much he missed her, but wanted to properly introduce her to his parents.Instead, he slowed the kiss down before kissing her cheek and ended their romantic moment with a tight hug, leaving her mildly panting, lips swollen and face flushed.

“You smell good,” he said into her neck, placing a chaste kiss there.

“You’re not a good liar.I was running when your mom called.I didn’t have time to shower or change for that matter,” Dulci scrunched her nose as he swayed them from side to side, neither ready to end the hug.

“You smell like you do after we have sex.I like it,” he whispered into her ear, making her breath catch in her throat.

“Relax.You don’t stink.Trust me.I spend a lot of my time around sweaty men and rancid equipment.”He pulled her out of the embrace and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“You probably shouldn’t be so forthcoming about spending time with sweaty men,” she teased him.

“Touché,” he chuckled.“Do you have to leave now?I want to introduce you.”He took her hands in his and squeezed gently, asking her to stay.

“I can stay for a little while.”Once she answered, Sidney kissed her again.

“I have to warn you, my dad can be a bit intense.Tell me if it bothers you,” Sidney told her as he pulled her, hand in hand, toward the great room.

“Mom?Dad?This is my friend Dulci.Dulci, this is Trina, my mom, and Troy, my dad.”

Dulci kept the smile on her face as they fell into a brief coversation, but inside she felt like she was kicked on the stomach.Friend.

Notes