“Let me go give this info to Dr. Waring. She’ll join you shortly.”
Rob’s eyes met hers, and she saw the same grief on his face she felt inside.
He reached out and caressed her shoulder. “You doing okay?”
“I don’t know. I sometimes think I’ll never be okay again.”
“I know. But we’ve got to get through this. For Maverick. Our healing will help him heal.”
“Really? God, Rob, I’ll do the best I can. Maverick, I want you to be whole again. I want us all to be whole again.”
The door opened, and a petite, brown-haired woman entered the room, followed by the technician. “Well,” she said, having overheard MJ’s words, “we’ll do everything we can so all y’all can get whole again.”
She introduced herself, and turning to Maverick, crouched down next to him on the linoleum floor. “Hey, big guy. How you doing?”
He studied her with a serious expression, and MJ wondered what he was thinking. Did he understand any of this?
Dr. Waring ran her fingers over his body and through his coat, checking for any abnormalities. On a hip, she retraced her path several times. “I can feel the scar tissue close to this hip. Sort of triangular. Probably from shrapnel.” She examined all four legs, flexing them and moving them forward, backward, and side to side. “I feel a bit of restricted movement on this left leg.” She felt the joints and traced the ligaments connecting them. “You can tell there’s been damage, but it seems to be healing pretty well.”
MJ was amazed that Maverick hadn’t made a sound while being manipulated and having his space invaded.
“He’s used to it,” Rob said as if he could read her thoughts.
“He’s probably been poked and prodded by the best the military has to offer,” said Dr. Waring, glancing at MJ.
She listened to his heart and lungs and pronounced both sound. Eyes and ears also passed muster, although it seemed as if Maverick averted his gaze when the doctor looked him in each eye.
“How’s he coping?” Dr. Waring asked.
Rob looked at MJ almost as if apologizing. “He’s had to deal with a lot. His handler died in the explosion that hurt Maverick. They shipped him back to the US, and he spent months in rehab, away from anybody he knew. I finally got there a few weeks ago to pick him up and bring him to MJ. Trevor, his handler, designated her as his new owner, and the Corps agreed. Sometimes it seems like he’s having nightmares or flashbacks. He lets out this god-awful howl at night, and he’s not awake. He hasn’t become aggressive, but we’re a little worried about that. MJ doesn’t have any experience with dogs, and she has to learn a lot about how to handle a service dog, especially a military dog.”
She could feel herself heat as she reddened with embarrassment at being so inept and inexperienced. “And I don’t speak Italian.”
“Italian? I don’t understand,” said Dr. Waring.
“Trevor, his handler, taught him commands in Italian, spoken with a drawl. I’m not from here, so I’ve had to learn how to speak Italian with an East Tennessee accent.”
The vet couldn’t keep from grinning. “I’ll bet that makes things challenging. Where are you from?”
“Durango, Colorado. But I told MJ I’ll stay until she feels comfortable managing Maverick by herself.”
“That’s good. I’m glad he has the familiarity of having you around, Rob. I take it you were around during his last deployment.”
“Yes. It was my last deployment too. I’ve been medically discharged.”
“Any other issues bothering you about Maverick?”
“Not really,” replied Rob.
“How about you, MJ?” Dr. Waring turned an alert eye in her direction, studying her.
“I don’t really know what to look for, Doctor. As Rob told you, I don’t know much about dogs. But I’m willing to do anything to help Maverick. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
“We both will,” Rob added.
“Good. It will take a lot of patience, confidence, and determination to get Maverick through this and to trust again. It’s all about trust and safety. He’s experienced something life-altering that he doesn’t completely understand. You’ll need to be consistent and very matter-of-fact with him. He’ll depend upon you to ground him and help him if he has flashbacks. You’ll need to reassure him that he’s all right and convince him he’s going to continue to be all right. You’ll have to get him to trust you and believe that you can keep him from getting hurt again. That you can keep him safe. He’ll want to protect you both. He’s a warrior dog and has been both trained and bred to protect and serve. Eventually, he’ll need to go back to work in some form or another, but he has a way to go before he’ll be ready for that.”
They spent the next twenty minutes discussing how to handle what Dr.Waring called Maverick’s “night terrors,” through intense petting and soothing talk. In addition, she recommended massage and manipulation of his legs to increase his mobility, increasing his PT in small increments, and giving him plenty of time to adjust to his new owner.
“How long do you think it will take for him to get used to me, and for me to be ready to take care of him full-time?” MJ asked.
“It’s difficult to say. It depends how quickly he learns to cope with his new life here in Ridgeview. He’s used to being in a war zone. There isn’t the excitement, danger, and adrenaline rush he’s used to, but there also isn’t the routine, consistency, and sounds, smells, and people he’s used to. Let Rob be the bridge between that life and his new life here. I think you’ll all three know when it’s time.”
They met each other’s glance and nodded. MJ only hoped there would come a time when they’d
