Heal My Heart

E l e v e n : P u p p y

Scott smiled. "No Puppy. The doctors are simply trying to bleed my insurance dry."

The man behind me chuckled. "I'll go see about those pants and that jello."

"Jello?" Scott asked.

"I like it!" I told him excitedly. "It's sweet but not too sweet and it doesn't hurt my tummy and it turns to water when you put it in your mouth!"

Scott laughed running his hands through my hair. "I guess you do like it. Well I'll make sure there's some at home when I get back."

"Get back where?"

"I have to stay here for little while. But you get to spend time with Bailey--won't that be fun?"

"Why can't you come home?"

"Well it's complicated Puppy. But just know that I'm perfectly fine and will be back home just as soon as possible. But until then you'll be staying with Bailey and Kyle. Do you understand?"

"I have to go be with Bailey cos you're staying here." I whispered after a moment.

"Very good Puppy."

"Will I be able to see you?" I asked worriedly.

"Maybe. But you need to promise me you'll be a really good boy for Kyle okay?"

"I promise." I whispered.

"There's a good boy. Would you like to sit with me until Kyle comes to pick you up?"

I crawled up beside him.

***

Kyle's house was much smaller than any one I'd been in before.

It had two stories but was so little! It was in the woods too and the grass wasn't as green. There also wasn't a garage. Maybe not everyone had as big of houses as I'd seen? "It's not much," Kyle said as he turned off the truck. "But it's home."

"Where do you put your car?" I asked, peering out the window.

"Right here. I thought about building a garage but the property taxes on it were...too much." He paused. "This place probably looks tiny to you."

"I thought it was rude to say that."

Kyle laughed. "As far as Masters go, you've gotten the best hand I've seen so far. Connor Briggs to Scott King--guess you lucked out kid."

"Scott is really nice. But I got him hurt because I didn't tell him I couldn't swim."

"In your defense it should have been assumed--I mean you can't even use a cup."

My tummy felt tight. Kyle knows I'm stupid. Bailey must have too. I felt tears weld up in my eyes. "Shit kid--I wasn't trying to be mean."

"I'm not very smart, am I?" I whispered after a moment.

Kyle looked at me. "You know smarts are everything. You've got a good heart--that's what Scott cares about."

"Sometimes I think I make him mad. Cos when I have a thought sometimes it takes me a while to get it all out and I can't listen when I'm thinking so he says stuff but I don't understand cos I'm trying to think so I can talk." I paused. "Does that make sense?"

"More than you'd know. Let's go in huh? I bet you Bailey is just filling the sink and starting dinner. Despite me being almost two hours late."

I got out of the truck looking around. The driveway wasn't paved like Connor's or covered in white stones like Scott's. It looked like the horse track--but less smooth and even. Dirt.