“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you.”
“It’s okay,” she said although he doubted she meant it. “Trevor wasn’t the only person deployed. He wasn’t the only person lost in these damn wars. He told me about the soldiers killed in his unit.”
“Yeah. We lost our share.” He went quiet, unsure what to say. Finally, he couldn’t help himself. “Losing Trevor was the worst. I felt so helpless. I couldn’t help him, and I couldn’t help Maverick.” He shot a look at the dog who now lay with his head on his paws, looking morose, as if he understood everything that was being said. Maybe he did.
Mary Jane reached out and grabbed his hand. “I know you did everything you could. Plus, you’ve come here, despite your injuries, despite your own grief, to help me. To carry out your promise to Trevor.”
How was it she understood so clearly? She’d put into words why he was here and why it was so difficult. “I wish it had been me,” he said softly.
Her eyes widened in shock. “Oh, no, Rob. I hope you don’t mean that. Things happen, and we don’t understand why we lost someone we cared about, and why it had to happen. But as much as I loved Trevor, and as much as I miss him, I never would have wanted someone else to take his place.”
He put his head in his hands, covering his eyes, and struggling not to lose it. So preoccupied was he with his own emotions that he almost didn’t hear her next words, “Especially not you.”
Startled, he looked into her eyes. Eyes that brimmed with tears. He reached for her.
***
MJ felt engulfed by the strength and comfort of this man. He held her tight and stroked her hair. She could smell his masculine scent—some mixture of sandalwood and male. She felt the roughness of his beard stubble as his cheek brushed against hers. His words rumbled against her chest, but she couldn’t understand what he said.
She pulled back, leaning against his arms as she searched his face. “What? What did you say?”
“I said ‘thank you.’ God, Mary Jane, I miss him so much. I’m not sure how to go on. I know I have to, and he would have wanted me to, but damn, I’ve lost the thing that gave my life meaning. He was a brother to me. I don’t know how to go on from that. It’s such a useless loss. It has changed our lives forever. Maverick’s, too.”
“I know.”
“There’s something I haven’t told you yet. Something about Maverick. Something you need to know.”
Her eyes searched his apprehensively. “What? What is it?”
He swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
“Rob, you’re scaring me. What is it?”
“I think Maverick has PTSD.”
“How is that possible? I’ve never heard of an animal getting PTSD before.”
“They can. They experience things that are life-threatening and traumatic. It’s impossible for them to understand what happened. Maverick got hurt from an IED. He watched Trevor. He knew his partner was hurt. Despite his injuries, Maverick crawled over to comfort him. They took Trevor away in a helicopter, and he disappeared forever. Maverick woke up in a veterinary hospital, surrounded by strangers, unable to walk, immobilized for months. He didn’t see anybody he recognized until I went to get him months later.”
“And now, he’s stuck with me.”
“No, Mary Jane, he’s not stuck. He needs to get to know you. But he has trouble. At night, sometimes, he seems to have nightmares or flashbacks. He lets out this chilling howl that makes your skin crawl. He doesn’t know where he is sometimes when he wakes up.”
“Oh, Rob. How terrible! What are we going to do?”
“I went to the store you told me about—the one that’s run by a K-9 cop and his wife. I talked with her about Maverick, and she recommended a veterinarian who’s been in the army. She’s supposed to know about PTSD in animals, especially service animals. In fact, I made an appointment for us for tomorrow morning. I know I should have talked with you about it, but they’re only open till noon on Saturday, and I wanted to get an appointment as soon as possible. Because you’ll be his guardian, they want you to come too.”
She took a deep breath. This was a lot to take in. But what choice did they have? They needed to help Maverick, and maybe the vet would teach them what to do. She nodded.
“I’m not working tomorrow, so that should be fine.” She stopped talking, considering. “Rob, if it’s better for Maverick to stay with you, I’ll do whatever I need to do to transfer him. The Marines will let me do that, won’t they?”
“I don’t know. Let’s not cross that bridge unless we know more about what he needs and how to get it for him.” He pulled her toward him again to give her a hug. “Thanks, Mary Jane. I hope you know I want it to work out with you and Maverick. You both deserve to be happy, and I think maybe you can be good for each other.”
She gazed at him to judge his sincerity. Trevor was lucky to have had him for his best friend. She was glad he was here for her. She wasn’t sure how she would make it through what lay ahead, but with Rob in her corner, she might just make it.
Chapter Seven
Rob woke the next morning feeling more content and rested than he had in months. Both he and Maverick had slept through the night without being interrupted by nightmares and intrusive flashbacks. He stretched his arms and pulled himself into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. Maverick lay on the floor just below his feet, still asleep. This was a first.
