Home » The Archives » Chapter 12 » Playing with Fire
| Re: Playing with Fire [message #446 is a reply to message #445] |
Mon, 23 July 2012 20:58   |
artisticrainey
Messages: 1228
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Karma:
|
Field Commander
Switzerland |
|
|
The Cliff House, sometime after noon....
Luke yawned and stretched his arms over his head. Peering over at the lump next to him, he gave it a nudge. "Hey there, Rom. Up and at 'em." The dog gave a groan and tail wagging, rolled off the bed. Luke laughed at the expression on Rommel's face and stood up, pulling on a pair of cutoffs. "C'mon, mutt, let's get us some breakfast." He glanced at the clock. "Better make that lunch." He padded to the kitchen, Rommel plodding along beside him.
He filled the dog's water bowl and food dish. Rommel sniffed at both, took a few laps of water, then went back to the living room. He lay down with a "whuff" in the sun in front of the French doors.
Watching him, Luke sighed. He picked up the water bowl and carried to the dog, placing it next to him. "C'mon, buddy, the doc says you have to drink." Rom merely rolled on his back, clearly wanting his belly rubbed. Luke chuckled and obliged.
He made his way back to the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. He then popped a bagel in the toaster and a few minutes later, Luke was sitting on the couch, sipping coffee and closing his eyes in contentment. The only sounds were from the birds outside and Rommel snoring in the sun.
The ring of the doorbell startled them both. Rommel jumped to his feet, staggered a few steps, then sat down. "Easy, boy," Luke told him and answered the door. "Hey, Gordon, come on in."
Dressed in a brightly colored shirt and dark shorts, Gordon stepped into the apartment. "I didn't wake you did I?" he asked, taking in Luke's half-dressed appearance.
Luke shook his head. "Nah, I slept in this morning. Didn't get much sleep last night," he said, nodding over at Rommel.
Gordon walked over to the dog and kneeling down, ruffled the animal's head. "And how are you feeling this morning, big guy? Bet you slept well." Rommel responded by giving Gordon a thorough lick and rolled over on his back. "Yeah, you know you're spoiled, aren't you?" He glanced up at Luke. "He OK?"
Luke nodded. "He's fine. I called the vet as soon as we got back and she told me he'd sleep like a log for the night and be kind of groggy today. He should be back to his normal self by tonight or tomorrow. Hey, want a cup of coffee?"
Gordon frowned at the sudden change of topic. "Sure, cream and sugar, thanks." He watched Luke walk into the kitchen before turning back to the dog. "Looks like you weren't the one who had the rough night there, pup." He waited until Luke came back into the room, and taking the coffee mug, sat down on the couch. "Mmmm....Not bad!"
"One of the few things I can cook," Luke replied, taking his own sip.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Gordon spoke up again. "Mom said the vet thought it might be that Rom sensed the quake."
Luke nodded. "Yeah, that's what was upsetting him. We've never been in that type of situation before." He glanced over at the dog. "He did great yesterday, he really did."
"Yeah he did." Gordon paused a moment. "And how are you doing this morning? Because frankly, you look like hell."
Luke sighed and placed his mug on the coffee table, then ran his hands over his face. "Truthfully, I don't know." He got to his feet and paced the room. "I don't think I've ever been so scared yesterday." He glanced over at Rommel. "I mean, it's stupid to be so upset right? He's just a dog."
Gordon shook his head. "He's more than a dog; he's your partner and your friend. People can say what they want, but look at him." They both looked down. Rommel had opened his eyes and was watching Luke's every move. "You look into that animal's eyes and tell me he doesn't have thoughts and feelings. We used trained dolphins in WASP. Sent them in before us to scope out the area. After a while you could tell each of them by their quirks and personalities." He shook his head again. "I saw you out there, Luke. You were just as worried about him as if it had been one of us. And it doesn't make you a weaker man to admit that."
Luke took a shuddering breath. "Thanks, Gordon," he said softly. "This being my first big rescue with you and all...I guess I never expected something like this to happen."
Gordon took a sip from his mug. "Well, now we know what to expect. And Mom's talking about having a direct link to the vet in case something ever happens. He's as much a part of this team as you are, Luke. We take care of our own."
Luke smiled shyly. "Yeah, you do." He straightened his shoulders. "Hey, I was just about to whip up some eggs and bacon. You hungry?"
Gordon batted his eyes innocently. "I've already had breakfast and lunch, but if you're insisting, I suppose I could try and force something down."
Luke laughed and led him into the kitchen. "Yeah, right. C'mon, eggs are one of the other things I can cook."
Posted by lillehafrue on February 26, 2008
  
|
|
|
|
Current Time: Sat May 18 10:55:46 EDT 2024
Total time taken to generate the page: 0.01165 seconds
|
International Rescue: The Next Phase
Search
Help
Members
Login
Home
