Mick ran to the exam room. The tech was prepping the dog for surgery as quickly as she could while Emily set up the surgical room.
"Em, does he have an owner?"
"No chips, no tags. The guy who hit him is in the lobby."
"Yeah, Parker."
"I don't know that and neither do you. The dog's films are up; he has some broken ribs, a large laceration across his abdomen, and a punctured lung. He's only about three years old so he's young enough to fight. We have to get this bleeding stopped. I'm ready to start when you are."
Parker didn't have much information to give to the receptionist who tried to calm the restless man.
"Doctor Carson and Doctor Lander are the best. They'll take good care of him." Her efforts fell on deaf ears. Parker was consumed with sorrow.
"I took my eyes off the road. I didn't even see him!"
"It was an accident. The main thing is, you got him here right away."
But Parker continued to beat himself up.
A few hours later, Emily walked out in the lobby with Mick and insisted he go get some rest.
"Emily, I'll stay and you go get some rest."
"It's okay, I'm wide awake. If you can come back around seven, I'll go home for a bit. Really, I'm okay."
"Are you going to be alright with him here?" Mick leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"Yeah, the staff is here so I won't be alone. The other tech is also on her way in."
"Good work as always, Em. I'll see you in a few hours." Mick walked out, giving Parker a stern look. Parker ignored him and went to Emily.
"How is he?"
"The surgery went well, and we think he'll recover. He'll be here for a while." Emily turned to leave.
"Can I see him?"
"Briefly. Come with me." Parker followed her to the back where the shepherd was lying. He quickly turned away.
"What's the matter?" She asked out of professionalism, not because she gave a rip about how this man, whoever he was, felt.
"I did this to him." Parker walked back out to the lobby and put his face in his hands.
Emily waited for a few minutes before walking into the lobby. When Parker heard the door open, he removed his hands. His eyes were watery.
"You don't have to stay; we'll take care of him. If you'd like to contribute to the medical cost, you can. Just speak to the receptionist."
"I'll pay for all the cost. I know it's not great timing, but can I talk to you?"
"Sure." Emily didn't want to cause a scene in front of the staff.
Parker followed her to the back and sat in one of the chairs at the table.
"Don't tell me you injured an animal just to get the chance to speak to me?" Emily wouldn't put it past him.
"Are you kidding me?! I may have really screwed up, but I don't hurt animals, thank you very much!"
"Who are you?" She had no intentions of letting this man feel welcomed.
"I'm Parker Davis, the same man you've been with the entire time. You were only near Russell two times; when you got your shoe stuck in the sewer and the day at the zoo."
"And I'm supposed to believe you?"
"Okay, ask me anything that the guy you were with should know."
"I'm not playing this. You can leave now." Emily turned toward the door.
"Ask me!" Parker wanted to grab her.
"What did you forget on our way to the cellar?" Emily knew he'd blow it.
"Water. I was going to go back for it but then I spotted the tornado in the field. I covered us up with a blanket and helped you lie down. The batteries were dead on the radio but--"
"Stop!" Emily's voice quivered.
"Throw me another one. You were NEVER with Russell. But I knew you hated Parker, so I became him to try and right all my wrongs."
"Where was I staying? Was that Russell's place? Did you make his wife and kids leave too just so you could play this game?!"
"Emily, the penthouse is mine. Russell put some of his mail there to help convince you I was him. Trust me, even though we're identical twins, he's a much better man than I am. He's happily married and has never strayed from Rhonda."
"The night we--"
"You were wearing a pink sundress. I helped slip it off of you. You were worried about your cast getting wet so I had you prop it on my shoulder. That was me, Parker..."
"What happened inside the restaurant the morning after the tornado?" Emily was breathing hard, trying not to lose it.
"I couldn't take it anymore. You drove me nuts all night long. I sat on your side of the booth and kissed you. Once outside I pressed you up against the wall--"
"Why did you rip off my grandfather?"
"Russell purchased the property. I didn't know anything about it until we owned it. He buys land, I do the property development. The more I learned, the harder I tried to give the land back to you."
"He shut the power off? Had my truck towed?"
"No, that was me. I'm the one who acted so ruthless. I can't apologize for that enough. When I found you at the bottom of the stairs--"
"Get out. I don't want to talk about this anymore. I have to take care of the shepherd. Thanks for causing me so much pain. Leave."
Parker watched her walk out of the room. He lowered his head and went to the receptionist's desk. Connie began to add up the cost, which would only partially cover the amount of care the animal would need.
"It's okay, I don't need a bill. When the dog is better, I'd like to adopt him." Parker pulled out a checkbook and began to write. He handed the check to the young woman and then quickly left the lobby.
Emily heard the front door buzz, so she knew that Parker had left. With his responses, she knew it was possible he was telling the truth. Connie's shocked face made her go behind the desk.
"Here, Em, you should look at this." Emily took the check and stared at the twenty million dollar donation. "Is this guy for real? He didn't even ask for a receipt. This has to be a bogus check--"
"Nope, it's real." Emily put the check in the safe, not knowing what to think. "Twenty million wouldn't put a dent in that man's wealth." Why would he do it? The only thing she could think of was he did it to get back in her good graces. Fat chance of that happening...
***
Parker thought it would be safe to drive the big RV to Emily's property so he could rest. He was too exhausted and still stressed over the events of the night. Guilt soared through him, and he couldn't get the images out of his head of the dog just lying there and crying out in pain. The sounds replayed over and over. Once on the land, he fixed the bed and then tried to fall asleep. But sleep wasn't on the menu. Not only did the dog weigh heavily on his mind, but memories of Emily and how cruel he'd been to her were hitting him like a sledge hammer. He wished more than anything for a do-over.