He guided the dog down from the truck and walked with him to the porch. Maverick sat while Rob opened the door and gestured to enter. He’d just closed the front door when Maverick gave an uncharacteristic whine and began pulling him toward the kitchen. He hurried to keep up and almost lost his grip when the canine lurched through the doorway toward the figure on the floor.
“MJ!” He let go of the handle, and fell to his knees, elbowing Maverick out of the way. He patted her cheeks, relieved when he saw her eyes flutter open. “Hey there, what happened?”
She looked confused for a moment before bursting into loud sobs, her body shaking with the force of her emotion.
He leaned in and took her into his arms, holding her close as she released a deep well of grief he totally understood. “MJ. Let it out. It’s okay. I know.” He ran one hand in circles on her back, and she continued to shake and sob. Damn. She smelled good. He looked up and saw Maverick studying them both, his ears perked, and a skeptical look on his canine face. He nudged forward and licked Rob’s hand before moving in to nuzzle MJ’s neck.
She stiffened and pulled back to look at Rob.
“Maverick,” he said in explanation.
“Oh.” She sniffled and then reached over to pet the dog’s snout. “Thank you, boy. I’m sorry. You must think I’m a basket case.”
Was she talking to the dog or to him? He stroked her hair and leaned back to give her a bit of space. “Are you okay?”
She let out a sigh. “Yeah…no… I don’t know if I’ll ever be okay again.” She searched his face as if looking for a sign he understood, and he nodded.
“I know. Things can’t be the same.”
“I don’t understand why he didn’t say something earlier. We missed out on so much time. I don’t know what to do. It doesn’t feel like life can go on without him.”
“I understand. I do. But you have to go on. That’s what he wanted. That’s why he wanted you to have his dog. Knowing Trevor, he wanted you to help each other.”
“I don’t know if I can. I’m not sure I can be strong enough to take care of his dog. I don’t know how to take care of a dog like Maverick.”
What the hell? How could she turn down Trevor’s final wish for her and for his warrior dog? “Look, whether you feel comfortable taking on the responsibility of caring for this brave service dog or not, Trevor wanted you to have each other. If you aren’t up to it, say the word, and I’ll apply to take over his care. The Corps put him into your custody, but if you’re too scared to take it on, I’ll step up. I know what Trevor would have wanted for his teammate, and it isn’t somebody who doesn’t want the honor!”
She pushed him away and stood, arms akimbo and a scowl on her face. “How dare you talk to me that way? I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. I just need to figure out how to handle him. I think you’d better go.” She began to push him out of the kitchen and down the hallway, followed by a confused dog. Maverick let out several barks. Poor dog probably didn’t know what was going on. He’d been confused since Trevor’s death and his own injuries from the IED. He’d spent six weeks in the veterinary clinic in Germany. They were lucky to have saved Maverick’s life.
Rob suspected the dog suffered from some form of PTSD besides his injuries. Sometimes he looked around as if searching for Trevor. Sort of like Rob did.
“Calma, cane guerriero, é bene.” Maverick stopped barking, and lay down, his eyes continuing to watch MJ push Rob toward the front door.
Rob planted his feet and used his weight to make his body immovable. “Hold on, MJ!”
“Don’t call me that! Only Trevor and my family call me that. My name is Mary Jane!”
“Sorry. I didn’t know no one else called you that. Look, quit pushing me out the door. Taking on the responsibility of a traumatized canine warrior requires you to know how to handle him. Do you speak Italian?”
“No! Why would I?”
“Didn’t Trevor tell you? He trained Maverick to respond to Italian commands spoken with a Southern accent.”
“What?! That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yeah, well, Trevor thought it would make it tougher for Maverick to get confused by coalition troops that spoke German or Italian. Maverick obeys Italian commands that are spoken with an East Tennessee accent.”
Suddenly, Mary Jane cracked a smile. “That sounds exactly like something Trevor would do.”
They exchanged a look of mutual understanding. “Yeah. Anyway, how about I stop in tomorrow and bring Maverick’s things and the supplies he’ll need? We can talk about what you can expect with him and how to handle him. I’ll even teach you a bit of Italian.”
She gave him a searching look. “You’ll come back? Even though you don’t think I’m the best person to take care of Trevor’s dog?”
“I’m sorry, M…er, Mary Jane. I’m having trouble dealing with Trevor being gone, and it will to be difficult for me to hand Maverick over. He’s been part of our unit for a couple of years. Being with him makes me feel like Trevor is watching over us. This is what he wanted, so I’ll do my best to help you prepare for having him
