Shadow Of The Past Trilogy ∞ THE DISPLACED

5 ∞ the shock

Day One ∞ Friday noon

GINA SAT HUGGING HERSELF on the front porch chair, staring beyond the rain. For a long time, she was still, her face frozen—she felt frozen. She didn't feel like being emotional, not just yet—she didn't have the energy. Ever since that smooth-haired fox terrier came to the family eleven months ago, it became her dog, more than Zorro could ever be. 

And a cougar killed him? In our backyard? 

Swallowing, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze fell on the spot next to her foot where Lad's head normally would be. Whenever she sat out here, he'd keep her company, sometimes using her toes as a pillow. She'd miss the feel of his warm fur on her bare feet.

She sighed and looked up as a brown Ford Maverick emerged through the trees and parked in front of her. 

Phil.

The door opened and an umbrella poked out, followed by a tall, slim man in a white shirt, pulling a black bag out with him. He ran up the porch steps, shook the umbrella, and put it down. 

"Hey, Georgie—"

Hearing him call her by his pet name for her brought tears to her eyes.

"—I can't stay long. I have to get back to the hospital, so I've got to make it—" He broke off when he straightened himself and found Gina's head pressed to his chest. "What..."

"Hold me a while, Phil." Her voice was muffled.

"Sure." He dropped his bag on a chair and wrapped his arms around her, slowly massaging her shoulder.

Gina closed her eyes against the pleats of his shirt, slid her arms around his waist, and inhaled his scent. It was fresh, with barely a hint of deodorant. He was always fresh. She liked that. They stood like that a while. Then she took a deep breath, blinking away the tears, and stepped back.

Phil cradled her face. "Hey, Georgie, what's wrong? You okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied, shaking her head. "Come. Your patient's upstairs."

∞

The knock on the door startled Danny. He rose, rubbing his eyes with one hand; he'd almost fallen asleep in the armchair. His sister entered the room with a familiar face towering above her. Relieved to finally have a professional to assess the situation, Danny nodded in greeting and gestured toward the bed. 

"Thanks for coming."

"Anytime for Georgina." Phil nodded in return and watched Gina leave. "What's up with her? She's unusually quiet today."

"Rough morning. We just lost one of our dogs. Gina's favorite, actually."

Phil looked back at him. "Oh? Sorry to hear. I know she's fond of animals. Runs in the family, huh?"

"Not really." Danny shrugged. He didn't feel like discussing animals. "Mom doesn't."

"Hm." Phil paused thoughtfully, turning his eyes to the sleeping figure. Then he put down his bag at the foot of the bed and got to work. "Tell me about the patient. What's her name?"

"We don't know."

Phil threw a glance at him while pulling on latex gloves. Danny noticed that he had a small eagle tattooed on his inner arm.