Chapter 13 - THE PRICE OF LOVING SOMETHING
Ben hated hospitals.
Human hospitals.
Animal hospitals.
Any building where people said words like “mass,” “biopsy,” and “options.”
Ruby lay beside him in the exam room.
Her head rested on his shoe.
Dr. Collins placed the scans on the screen.
“The mass is near her mammary gland.”
“Is it cancer?”
“We won’t know until the biopsy comes back.”
“When?”
“Two or three days.”
Ben laughed without humor.
“Of course.”
Dr. Collins looked at him.
“What?”
“Nothing in life ever gives you bad news immediately. It makes you wait.”
He drove Ruby back to the restaurant.
Harold was sitting outside Ruby’s House.
When he saw Ben’s face, he stood.
“What happened?”
Ben told him.
Harold sat back down.
He looked at Ruby for a long time.
“Maggie had cancer.”
Ben glanced at him.
“I’m sorry.”
“Same place.”
“What happened?”
“We caught it too late.”
Ben looked away.
Harold’s voice became rough.
“I spent the last months of her life being angry.”
“At who?”
“Everyone.”
He rubbed his hands together.
“The vet. God. Myself. Her.”
“Her?”
“For leaving me.”
Ben said nothing.
Harold looked ashamed.
“Stupid, right?”
“No.”
“I wasted time being afraid of losing her while I was still sitting right beside her.”
Ben looked at Ruby.
She had rolled onto her back in the sun.
One puppy climbed onto her stomach.
Another chewed her ear.
Ruby looked completely happy.
Harold whispered, “Don’t waste the time.”
That evening, Ben reopened Carter’s Kitchen.
The line stretched around the block.
People ordered burgers.
Meatloaf.
Chicken soup.
Apple pie.
They took photos with Ruby’s House.
Ben put up one sign:
PLEASE DON’T DISTURB THE PUPPIES.
A second sign read:
IF YOU WANT TO HELP, DONATE TO THE CITY ANIMAL RESCUE FUND.
Business exploded.
For the first time in months, every table was full.
Then every table stayed full.
Two weeks passed.
Ben paid his employees.
Paid the electric bill.
Paid the vet.
Paid the loan.
He even replaced the broken freezer.
But none of it mattered when Dr. Collins called.
“Ben.”
He knew from her voice.
“It’s malignant.”
He closed his eyes.
“Okay.”
“The good news is we caught it early.”
His eyes opened.
“What?”
“We believe it’s operable.”
“What does she need?”
“Surgery.”
“When?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Do it.”
“She’ll need recovery time. And we need to discuss the puppies.”
“What about them?”
“They’re old enough to begin adoption.”
Ben looked through the kitchen window.
Four puppies tumbled over one another while Ruby watched.
His chest tightened.
“Adoption?”
“They can’t stay there forever.”
He knew that.
Of course he knew.
But knowing something and accepting it were different things.
That night, he sat beside Ruby.
“Your kids are growing up.”
Ruby placed a paw on his knee.
“Apparently they need homes.”
She stared at him.
“Don’t look at me like that. I can’t keep five dogs.”
Ruby kept staring.
“Absolutely not.”
Her tail thumped.
Ben sighed.
“You fight dirty.”
The next morning, the first adoption application arrived.
May you like
The name at the top made Ben stop.
WALTER MERCER.
