tell me to save my breath, so I rush to add, “And please, I need you to hear me out. I had no idea about Rome’s little brother. See…” I pause, rubbing at the back of my neck nervously. “We don’t know each other very well. I just moved in not too long ago, and I’m a bit…eccentric compared to him. I’m a tough person to handle, I know this.”
She leans back, giving me permission to go on.
“I didn’t understand why he was so moody, why he worked so hard and did whatever he could to keep his distance from me. And well, me, because I’m as nosy as they come, I couldn’t take it, so I inserted myself into his life. One petty thing led to another, and then we were pranking each other. That day…I slipped into his home and spray-painted washable paint on the walls. It was childish, I know, but I want you to know, he had nothing to do with it. I think a part of me wanted the attention from him. Wanted him to have a reason to talk to me, you know?”
A knowing gleam enters her eyes, and a small grin twists her lips. She shakes her head and sighs, toying with the paperwork on her desk.
“That isn’t my only issue regarding Roman. He was once incarcerated. He’s young and still prone to make mistakes.”
Rage fills me. “Isn’t everybody? Have you been in his house? Have you seen how hard he works? There is no one his little brother deserves to be with more than him. He’s worked his entire life to get himself together. To get his little brother back. That’s his blood, his only relative in the world. Just because he had a crappy past, parents who didn’t care, and had to make decisions to keep him and his little brother alive doesn’t mean he should be punished. They both shouldn’t be punished.”
“And you think Roman would make a fit parent?”
I nod vigorously. “I do. I’ve never seen anyone so determined. He loves his brother. You know deep down, no one is going to take better care of Ryder than he is.”
She nods slowly, processing, and a small smile curls her lips. “You must really like him. I haven’t heard one bad thing come out of your mouth, and honestly, after the way he yelled at you, this isn’t what I expected.”
Pressure builds in my chest. “We all have our moments. Why don’t you finally give him the one thing he’s been working so hard for?”
She pushes back from the desk, stands, and puts her hand out between us for me to shake. “Thank you for coming in, Ms. Hales. I appreciate you vouching for Roman. If you don’t mind, though, I have another meeting in about ten minutes. Have a nice afternoon.”
Deflated, I walk out of the building, feeling even shittier than when I got here. I thought, for sure, my speech was going to work. I thought she’d call him right then and there and tell him he got his brother back. But I should know better. Life isn’t like books or the movies. Life is unpredictable. It doesn’t care about feelings or ruining people’s lives. All it cares about is the balance. I just hope whatever that balance is, it works in Rome and his little brother’s favor.
After the meeting, I head back to the clinic to work the night shift with Travis and the rest of the second shift staff. I’m expecting it to be slow, but much to my surprise, it’s not as slow as it usually is this time of night. We’re busy enough that everyone has their hands full. Usually at least one of us has our hands free, but that doesn’t seem to be the case tonight.
“Olivia, I need you back here. Bring me a methadone IV and get him hooked up. Then I need you to keep the heat on his axillary, while keeping the light stable here.” Travis points down at the animal he’s working on. I jump into action, gathering everything I’ll need for the procedure. I crack open the disposable heating pad, placing it on the dog’s axillary, to keep his body temperature warm and stable.
“Here,” Travis says toward the end of the procedure. “Close it here and release the tab like so, exactly. Perfect.”
My hands shake as I do it, but I can’t keep the smile off my face. The rest of the procedure goes smoothly. We wait