A Little Dinged Up (gxg)

Chapter 7

"You mentioned that Trish was the one that you're shooting in your dreams now?" Dr. Bennet, Georgia as she makes me call her, asked.

"Yeah, and they're more frequent," I admitted.

"What do you think that means?"

I sat on the couch in her office, no not laying down like in the movies, and just stared. Why was she asking me that? I wasn't the doc! "I guess because I'm not too happy with her, and it still feels like a fresh wound."

She nodded, a partial smile on her face. "That would make sense. She is another person that you've lost in your life, and in this case you don't know why. Perhaps subconsciously you feel guilty for her leaving, even if you don't understand her reasons."

"Okay, say that's true. What do I do about it?" I wondered. I liked Georgia, she always had a way of putting me at ease. But today it just wasn't working, and I was getting cranky.

"You need more things in your life that give you positivity. This new friend, Ava, is a good start. Perhaps you need something to care for too, have you thought about a pet? An emotional support animal might help you quite a bit. They need you to take care of them, but they also offer you love and support, which you desperately need," she suggested. "As much as I don't like to suggest retail therapy, spoiling yourself might do some good too. Maybe change your hair or buy some new clothes. Don't get a car and go crazy but find something small to lift your spirits. Just know that is a temporary fix, the pet would be better long term."

"A pet? I don't know about that. I tend to travel too much for that." I'd never had a pet in my life, as much as I always wanted one. Growing up, there was no way a pet would have survived in that house, and my aunt hated animals. Now that I was on my own, I was afraid I'd never be able to take care of them.

"Not necessarily. A small dog or cat could be a good travel companion if you make a schedule. It would be trickier if you went overseas, but here in the states it wouldn't be a problem. If you decide to get one, let me know and I'll help you start the paperwork to make it an official emotional support animal."

Would that work for me? The thought of curling up with an animal at night did have a nice image. Someone that wouldn't disappear on me but would love me regardless of what else was happening in their life. "I'll check it out. Any suggestions on what I should look for?"

"I would find an animal that you feel a connection to. One that responds to your scent or touch. You'll know the right one when you find it," she promised.

Honestly, it all sounded too easy. Could it be? When I left her office, I did feel a little spark of hope.

When I got to the parking lot, I sat on my bike before pulling out my phone and looking up places to get pets. There were a ton of them! Pet breeders everywhere and boutique pet stores that would probably sell me a damned alien for a pet if I asked. But there was also the LA County Pet Shelter. That looked promising, and it would just have whatever strays or pets might need a home. I fired up the Fireblade and got on my way.

The universe is a fucked up place. How many things had to happen to bring me to the shelter and be sitting down at a desk giving the kind lady on the other side my information to type into the computer for me to adopt one of their animals at the exact same time the biggest bitch in the galaxy walked into the shelter?

"You have to take this cat back!" she screamed, as soon as she walked in, holding up a tiny cardboard shoe box and waving it around. I looked at her in shock before standing and grabbing the box from her, just in case there was really a live cat in there.