As promised, here is the update i know i've written much this week and now i would be able to update till next week itself.I had a week off as there was flood so no uni but now holiday is over ..
so enjoy this piece till then.
CHAPTER 11
zoya was out of the car and kneeling beside the back tyre within seconds, scraping her hands on the decorative rocks that lined the drive as she braced herself to peer underneath. Wedging the mud-flap against black rubber tread was a three-legged dog, lying lax, and ominously still. Grateful that the wheel wasn't actually resting on the dog, zoya scrambled back into the idling car, and with shaking hands slowly drove it forward until she estimated it was well clear of the fallen victim.
This time when she knelt on the driveway beside the dog, she was relieved to see its side shuddering and its head lift briefly before thumping back onto the rough concrete with an accompanying low whine.
Oh, God"' Stricken with guilt, she tentatively touched the trembling coat, wary of causing any more damage to broken ribs. It's all right,' she said shakily, daring a few, butterfly-light, pats. You'll be all right once we get you to the vet... he'll fix you up...'
She knew there was no way she was going to be able to lift the heavy animal into the car by herself, nor did she have any idea if there was a vet anywhere close. Murmuring foolishly to the dog that she'd be back in a moment, she ran around into Asad's paved front yard and hammered violently at his door. It seemed to take an age for him to open it and as soon as he did she gabbled wildly:
I've hit a dog with my car. I think it might be badly hurt, but I'm not sure. It's just lying there, whimpering, and I don't know who owns it or what to do. Is there a vet around here, or a doctor I could take it to for help?' But in her panic she didn't think to wait for an answer, she was running back, anxious not to leave the dog injured and alone. If it died she didn't want it to die alone.
By the time she got there Asad was beside her, cursing under his breath when he saw the animal, crouching down and running his large hands over the hairy hide, running explora tive fingers through the thick pelt, eliciting a feeble flicker of the tip of the foolish tail.
It was my fault"I mustn't have looked properly,' zoya agonised. It ran behind the car when I was backing. Thank God it wasn't a child!'The thought made her feel ill. I can't have been going very fast but I think maybe it went under the wheel"'
Him,' said Asad tersely, cutting off her semi-hysterical spate of words.
What?'
It's a "him", not an "it". He's obviously a male,' he said, his face oddly desolate and blank of expression as he gently manipulated each of the three big paws and quieted the broken whines with an indistinct murmur.
Oh, I wasn't sure...with all that hair,' zoya quavered, 'Do you think he'll be OK?' she asked anxiously.
I don't know. I can't feel anything broken but we need to get him to a vet as soon as possible in case he's bleeding internally. There's a clinic about thirty kilometres away. what about you, are you okey?'
He looked more shaken than she had ever seen him, fighting some inward battle for calm, and she realised he must be worrying about concussion. She put her hand over her belly, freshly aware of the fragility of life, and grateful for her habit of caution.
No, I was wearing my seat belt, of course, and anyway, as I said, I wasn't going that fast"'
He lifted the dog and moved in opposite of her car.
Where are you going?' she cried, almost tripping as she hastened on his heels.
He's obviously not going to fit in your car lying down. I have a four-wheel drive with very good suspension"he'll be less likely to be cramped or jostled. Go and get my keys from Tanveer, and tell her to call the vet"the number's in the red index on my desk.' she did as she was asked to and came back.
Wait!' said zoya, scrabbling at the back door handle as he gunned the ignition.
He frowned impatiently at her through the open window. There's no need for you to come. I know where I'm going"' zoya's shaking hands succeeded in getting the door wrenched open. Of course I have to come,' she said, shocked I injured him; I'm responsible for him. I can't just abandon him for others to look after!'
Nobody's accusing you of abandoning him. You got help, that's as much as you could do.' He swore. Damn it, I don't have time to argue"'
So stop arguing and start driving,' ordered zoya, climbing in behind him and shutting the door with a snap. She eased herself down on the bench seat by the dog's head and squirmed her way into the seat belt, being careful not to entangle the animal.
The dog was lying on its side, and its panting breath moist ened her bare thigh below her khaki shorts. She fondled a floppy ear and brushed the woolly strands of fur away from the single visible eye, which glistened dolefully, making her feel even more guilty. For once she was grateful when he gave her leg a disgustingly gooey swipe.
Oh! He licked me. Do you think that's a good sign?' she said hopefully.
Licking you is always a sign that something good's about to happen,' came the mocking response.
zoya's glare drilled into the back of his head above the headrest. How can you make jokes at a time like this?'
What better time to try and deflect thoughts of doom and gloom?' he said harshly. Humour in the face of adversity is a very useful human defence mechanism.'
Of course it was, and particularly so for Asad, she realised.
She felt a movement against her leg, the dog trying valiantly to shift its heavy head into her lap, as if attempting to comfort her with its trusting forgiveness. She squirmed closer so that she could help him lift his grazed muzzle across her thigh.
In between croonings she speculated about his ownership, undeterred by Asad's clipped responses.
I wonder who owns him. Do you know? A dog with three legs...he must be well-known in the neighbourhood"'
He certainly strays around"'
zoya was quick to cut him off. He's not a stray! Are you, boy?' she soothed the dog. look, he's got a collar. I wonder if he's ever groomed? Owners like that should be shot!'
I thought you were a proponent of non-violence?' His narrowed eyes met hers for a brief challenge before swerving away again.
It's just a turn of phrase,' she said impatiently. Pet owners have a responsibility.'
He's more like a nuisance than a pet.'
Now she was truly shocked. It's not his fault. He shouldn't be allowed to wander.'
Maybe he needs to roam.'
zoya gritted her teeth at his stubborn refusal to share her sensible concerns. How could she love such a hard-hearted man? And how could such a hard-hearted man ever make room in his petrified organ for the love of a child? She leaned across the dog's head, her tee-shirt tickling its nose into a messy snuffle. But it's angerous"'
This is the countryside; risks are assessed differently in remote areas,' he said as she quickly leaned back again. People here don't keep their dogs penned up.'
zoya's hands stilled their restless stroking, her eyes widening as the certainty hit her like a freight train.
He belongs to you!'
His eyes whipped back to the road. He's a stray.'
It all came together. The shocked curse. The grim examina tion. Having the vet's phone number handy on his desk. And, most telling of all, the hard carapace of flinty self-control.
Maybe he was a stray, once. But he's your dog now, isn't he?' Nobody wanted a hopeless mongrel like him.' He
shrugged. He would have been put down.'
She took that as a yes. Because he only had three legs?' He had all four when he first landed on my doorstep,' he said drily. He lost his back leg when he practically shredded it ripping his way through a chain-link dog-fence I put up to keep him "safe".' He glanced back just long enough to see her wince. Which of course only made him even more unattractive to your average dog-lover who either wants a purebred
or something useful or cute.'
'I've never owned an animal, but said I'd let him hang around at my place until something could be arranged that didn't involve a lethal injection. That was five years ago, just after I built the house. Unfortunately no one ever answered the ads, and I'm still stuck with him.'
And still deep in denial about it!
He had built the house with the proceeds of that first book, she realised. Prior to that he had been a wanderer, spending his money as he went. But as soon as he'd had the means, he had made a place for himself, and, although he might cate gorise it purely as a place to write, a temporary refuge, it was more than that"it was home. He had been secretly putting down roots.
What happens to him when you go away?' she asked cu riously. If he hates being shut up he obviously can't go into a kennel.'
I usually drop him off with a mate of the vet's.
Doesn't he pine?'
Not noticeably. He likes company but he's not particular. He doesn't like to be owned. Mostly he needs the freedom to come and go.'
So what's his name?'
He didn't come with a birth certificate.'
You must have given him a proper name.'
Since he never comes when I call him, it seems a bit pointless.'
So what is it?' She could see he was relishing her frustra tion at his evasions. She could also see that his hands were more relaxed on the wheel and the muscles in his jaw were no longer clenched. Let me guess.' She pretended to think. Rumpelstiltskin!'
He almost smiled.
No? How about Rover? Very appropriate to his nature.' There was no response from dog or man.
Prince.'
Prince,' she repeated. There was suddenly a huge lump in the middle of her throat. It could have been a mocking appellation, but from his shifty expression she guessed other wise. She looked down to hide the sting of tears. Asad might act as if he had no desire for commitment, but the existence of Prince suggested that at some level he did want to establish emotional ties in his life. He may not choose to love, but he could and did love.
And if one love could force its way into his well-guarded heart, why not another?
I'm very sorry I you hurt Prince,' she said quietly.
'It was an accident, zoya.'
The white-coated vet named Inmran came out to greet them with a metal gurney was a tall, thin man about Asad's age, with a long-suffering expression on his bright and humorous face. You're lucky I hadn't gone out on rounds yet, Asad. At this rate I should get a royal warrant to stick on my door. What on earth has Prince done to himself now?'
Not him"me"' zoya began, only to have her explana tions pre-empted by Asad's terse account as he lifted the whining dog onto the gurney. The vet's friendly air didn't dilute his brisk professionalism and he kept up his patter as he pushed the gurney through the doors and past the recep tion desk in the waiting room.
We'll take him straight through to the surgery and I'll assess whether he needs a scan. Are you all right?' said Imran, his eyes suddenly sharp on her pale face.
I'm just a little dizzy,' she excused herself.
Are you sure it's only dizziness? Are you feeling sick again?' Asad never vacillated. He always knew what his priorities were and was never afraid to make harsh decisions.
Go,' she urged, freeing him from his agony of choice. I don't need you"Prince does. Go and find out what's happen ing to your dog.' And when he still hesitated, she gave him a physical push. For God's sake, go! I have to go to the bathroom, anyway, so there's no point in your hanging around here. Go!' And having given him the freedom to follow his heart, she went off to find her glass of water.
It probably wasn't much more than twenty minutes before Asad came back out into the waiting area.
zoya took one look at his shuttered expression and dry eyes and her heart sank. His body seemed tautly bunched under the woven cotton shirt and stonewashed jeans, simmering with unexploded tension.
Imran, who was steering him with a consoling hand on his shoulder, was more relaxed"although he must face this sort of situation fairly often in his professional life.
Well, that's it. I've done all I can. I think you'd better take this guy home and give him a stiff whiskey.'
He thought alcohol the best way to handle grief? zoya's heart swelled in her chest.
Oh, Asad,' she said helplessly, sharing his misery, I'm so sorry. Your beautiful dog!' She burst into tears and threw her compassionate arms around his neck, burying her wet face in his chest.
His arms came up to clamp around her shaking body, his strong, encircling arms almost muffling out the sound of the vet's next words.
Beautiful? She surely can't be talking about Prince"his ugly mug would win the booby prize at Crufts!'
zoya stiffened, her head bumping Asad's chin, unable to believe her ears. She could feel the chest under her wet cheek silently vibrating...oh, God, was he actually crying?
She turned her head and gave the grinning Imran a blistering look.
You call yourself a vet? What kind of thing is that to say to a man who's just lost his dog?'
Prince is lost? Are those tears of relief?' He grinned over her angry head at Asad. You should be so lucky!'
zoya's jaw dropped. Someone should report you to the"to the"'
The place where people report vets for making really bad jokes?' he supplied. I'm sorry, zoya. But it looks like Asad is going to have that ugly mug around for the fore seeable future.'
You mean he's still alive?' She jerked her head back to look up into Asad's face through tangled wet lashes.
He's more than OK. He's perfect.' The smile he was wearing was even bigger than Ken's. It hadn't been dammed-up grief, but fierce relief that he had been fighting to control when he'd walked out!
zoya suddenly realised she was still snuggled up against Asad, her stomach pressing into the buckle of his jeans, her breasts squashed into the narrow space between their upper bodies. She wedged her elbows against his chest and shoved herself out of his entangling arms"with difficulty because he seemed reluctant to cooperate. Probably because he knew what she was going to say.
You knew I thought he was dead! And you were laughing at me!' she shouted.
Not at you, sweetheart"with you,' protested Asad, ac knowledging his utter defencelessness to the charge.
You insensitive pig!' She scrubbed again at her cheeks to make sure all trace of her sympathy was gone. Unfortunately, so were her chances of appearing aloof in her displeasure. You and that"that...scrofulous hound deserve each other. I bet he was laughing at me too,' she said, remembering the lolling tongue.
Is she always so volatile?' asked Imran.
Asad's eyes darkened as he looked down at her, curiosity mingled with a dawning new awareness. zoya tensed, sure he was going to say something witty and suggestive.
I'm not sure,' he said slowly. She's rather difficult to get to know.'
I'm difficult!' Her momentary speechlessness gave the vet time to step in by smoothly suggesting that his assistant had had time to give the dog his antibiotic injection by now.
'so I hope this doesn't put you off your romantic visit..?'Imran comented
He was blatantly fishing, and zoya ignored Asad's restless movement to cruise by the bait. Oh, I'm not staying with Asad. I've rented my own house on The Beach...'
Next door to mine,' Asad chipped in, only to be totally ignored by his so-called friend.
Oh, really?' The blue eyes twinkled at zoya. Ever been out on a racing catamaran?'
No, she hasn't"she gets seasick in the bath. I thought you were going to get me that prescription? You have a sick tortoise over there who's been waiting long enough.'
Mmm, he does look a bit green,' said Imran. Hey, Asad! Are you still on for our usual Friday-night pool session?' The mocking lilt made Asad stiffen.
Why wouldn't I be?'
Oh, I don't know...I just thought you might have found more exciting things to do...'
Asad made a growling sound deep in his chest. What about Kiss-Me- zoya with the sexy silver eyes"will she be coming, too?'
She doesn't play pool.' Asad slammed her door with unnecessary force and got behind the wheel.
She could hold our drinks! see ya'
that is all for now
now send an overflow of comments.
Anupamaa
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