Rookie K-9 Unit Christmas: Surviving Christmas

“Yup,” she said with an echoing laugh. “Watch and learn, civilian.”

Another hand signal caused Freya to lie down. Patrick reached forward. She sniffed his fingertips, then licked them. He giggled. “Like me.”

“Yes, she does. And so do I,” Zoe said. As if on cue, the dog rolled over, tail still wagging, legs flopping wide. “She trusts you and wants you to scratch her tummy,” Zoe told the boy. “Go ahead. Her fur is really soft.”

He had to come out from behind Sean and squat to reach the dog’s stomach. Zoe couldn’t have been happier at his rapid response. She grinned up at Sean. “Okay. Your turn. She wouldn’t have rolled over if she was worried about you, so join the party.”

Sean began by crouching, then dropped all the way next to his son, keeping one arm around him. Patrick eased into his father’s lap, followed closely by Freya. The idyllic scene was the kind that made Zoe wish she could snap a photo without disturbing them. Father and son were hugging each other while the dog leaned against Sean’s chest and reached up to lick under his chin as if they had known each other for years.

He laughed. “As Patrick said, I think she likes me.”

“I’d say so. It’s a good thing her main training is in search and rescue. You might be ruining her if she was an attack dog.”

“Really?”

Because he looked worried she admitted to teasing. “No. Not really. But it is unusual to see her take to anybody so fast.”

“She knows we’re the good guys, right, Patrick?” Sean said. The boy nodded his agreement.

Zoe slowly rose. “Tell you what. After you put your things in your room and we go shopping for your favorite foods, maybe I’ll have time to teach Patrick how to brush her. Would you like that, honey?”

Again a nod, this time with a shy smile. Zoe had no quarrel with his medical diagnosis. She simply saw more to Patrick’s reticence than brain damage. In her opinion, he needed to be showered with love in order to be more confident, to blossom the way she felt he could.

Whether there would be time for her to help enough to matter was not up to her, it was up to her heavenly Father. She was beginning to suspect that Sean’s need to come to Desert Valley was not limited to one objective. There was healing here for him. And for Patrick. And, God willing, for her, as well.

It had been a long time since she’d actually looked forward to having free time and not concentrating on her job 24/7. Truth to tell, she sort of felt like a puppy that had just been let out into a big play yard for the first time. If she hadn’t been afraid of frightening Patrick she might have pumped a fist in the air and danced around the room.

THREE (#uf9a517b8-5467-5d65-bdec-dcea560e44be)

After a quick tour of the house, Sean agreed to ride with Zoe and Freya rather than drive separately to the grocery store. If she had been anybody other than an armed police officer, he wasn’t sure what he’d have done. He’d been so used to taking care of himself and being the only responsible adult in his son’s life, it felt odd to not stay in full control.

She glanced over at him and smiled. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Right. And I’m Santa Claus. Talk to me, Murphy. I know something’s bugging you.”

Shrugging, he smiled at her. “Actually, I just realized I can relax a little when I’m with you. It’s hard to accept.”

“What is? Relaxing or trusting me?”

“Not being in command. Since I got back to the States, I’ve had to do it all. Believe me, the Shepherds didn’t like most of my decisions.”

“Such as?”

Sean lowered his voice and glanced over his shoulder at the backseat where his son and the dog were having a whispered conversation that included a lot of face licking on Freya’s part. “Whether or not to bring Patrick home, for one. They wanted him to either stay in rehab or go to their house for private treatment. When I saw how unhappy he was in the hospital environment and how much better he acted with me, I decided to spring him.”

“What did his therapists say?”

It hurt to repeat the negative opinions. “They felt he had made all the progress he probably would, and it didn’t matter whether I left him there or took him with me.”

“Then you have no reason to feel guilty.” Zoe smiled. “Right?”

“Right. All I have to do is get my own act together so I can be a good father to him. If I keep having flashbacks, I may have to relinquish custody—for his sake.”

“And give it to whom? I remember when your mom and dad were killed in that auto accident during my second semester of college.” She arched her brows. “Surely you wouldn’t consider your wife’s parents after what you’ve told me!”

“No, no. Never them. They’ve already indicated that their idea of handling his problems is to overlook how much he needs love.” Although he wanted to turn his face away and retreat, Sean remained stoic. “I had no idea how bad things had gotten while I was in the service. Sandra told me she’d gone home to her family’s estate because she was lonely, not because she intended to stay stoned all the time and wanted Mommy and Daddy to watch Patrick.”

“That’s what happened?”

“Yeah.”

“So, you asked for a discharge?”

“It wasn’t that simple. I was on my way to the airport, ready to fly home because of Patrick’s accident, when one of my buddies drove over an IED. The explosion took out half the Humvee and killed two men. I was thrown clear. By the time I got out of the hospital, I’d been diagnosed with PTSD, Sandra had died from an overdose and Patrick was still struggling to recover.”

“Wow.”

Sean nodded soberly. “Yeah. My sentiments exactly.”

“You should be thankful you were able to get him away from your in-laws for this trip. I’m sure they didn’t like it.”

“I didn’t tell them. They act as though I’m the reason for everything that went wrong.” His jaw set. “Actually, they aren’t the only ones. I had a long layover in Minneapolis during the trip home and used the time to pay a condolence visit to the family of one of the men who’d been with me in the Humvee. They slammed the door in my face. I guess they blamed me since they had no one else around to be mad at.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“As they say, ‘No good deed goes unpunished,’ right?”

Zoe pulled into the supermarket parking lot, found a space and turned to stare at him. “Could they have been responsible for sending the thugs to harm you?”

“I can’t see why. Or how.”

“What about Sandra’s folks?”

“No. Violence is definitely not their way of handling problems. They have enough money to hire the best lawyers and sue for custody if they want me out of the picture.”

He saw her hands fist on the steering wheel as she asked, “Do you think they might resort to that?”

“Unless I can get a grip on my flashbacks and prove I’m stable, it’s a possibility. That’s another reason why I need the help of a service dog. I’ve seen for myself what a difference one of those can make. Guys who were hardly able to leave their houses are working again and leading fairly normal lives.”

“You managed to drive all the way down here. Are you sure you qualify?”

“I don’t know whether I could have made myself act if it hadn’t been for Patrick,” Sean said flatly. “Whatever I did, I did for him. And that’s what I’ll keep doing for as long as I’m able.”

She patted the back of his hand. “I believe you.”

The grocery store was crowded. Zoe grabbed a cart, wiped it down to eliminate germs and stood back. “There you go, Patrick. All ready.”