Janet by Peggy Webb

book she was carrying until she found the name
of their dog. “I guess you two came to see Harvey. Follow me.”
    As they fell into step, Janet looked at Dan
across the top of Billie Jean’s head. “What relationship?” she
mouthed.
    “Opponents.”
    Billie Jean jerked her head around. “Did you
say something, Mr. Albany?”
    “I said, it’s almost upon us, this visit with
our dog.”
    She beamed at him again, obviously content
that she had handled her job to perfection this time. No blunders
and attacks of acute embarrassment.
    “It sure is.” She pushed open a door and
swept through. “You two wait right here. I’ll get Harvey for
you.”
    They sat on straight-backed chairs designed
for torture. Janet, who never fidgeted, couldn’t sit still.
    “Something wrong, Doc?”
    “You might show a little remorse about
spinning tall tales for poor, gullible Billie Jean.”
    “Maybe it’s not a tall tale.” He winked. “You
never know, Doc. We could turn out to be Tupelo’s answer to Prince
William and his Kate.”
    “More the musical
Kiss Me Kate,
with
one big exception. You’ll neither woo nor tame me.”
    He laughed so loud, a hound dog coming in
with his owner started baying.
    “See,” she said. “Even the dog agrees with
me.”
    “
Woo
and
tame,
is it?” He
winked again. “I do believe you’re turning into an old fashioned
woman.”
    “In your dreams!”
    Billie Jean came back carrying Harvey, who
spotted his people and started wagging his tail.
    Janet jumped out of her chair, and to her
dismay felt a lump in her throat. Like all doctors, she’d schooled
herself to keep her emotions in check around sick patients. Still,
this was her
dog.
She stroked his fur and petted his head.
“How are you, old boy? Feeling better?”
    Dan didn’t try to hold back his emotions. He
leaned down and nuzzled his head against the big dog’s head.
    “Harvey, do you have any idea how much I’ve
missed you? You old cuddlebum, you’ve had me worried half to
death.” He took the dog’s face between his hands and bent toward
him, nose to nose. “You’ve got to get well so I can get you out of
here, boy. Do you know how many hot dogs I’ve had to throw away
since you’ve been gone? And there’s not a soul around to eat the
steak bones.”
    Janet was touched. Dan’s eyes had the
suspicious gleam of tears. She envied him. Just this afternoon on
her hospital rounds she had felt like leaning her head on one of
her sickest little patient’s pillow and crying.
    She cleared her throat and stepped back from
the table. She felt as if one tear, one word too sympathetically
spoken, would release a flood of emotion that she might never dam
up again.
    “He looks good, Dan. I think he’s going to be
fine.”
    Dan turned and gave her a piercing look.
    “Is that your professional opinion?”
    The way he said it, clipped and cool, made
the question sound like an accusation.
    “That’s what I am, Dan. A doctor.”
    “Is it also who you are, Janet?”
    He usually called her Doc. And he was usually
either playful or teasing or passionate. Now he was deadly serious.
The humor was gone from his face and his eyes were the cold blue of
winter lakes in an ice storm.
    Suddenly it was too much—Harvey, medical
school, the hospital, and Dan turning her inside out and upside
down.
    “You can tell Harvey goodbye for me.”
    She left quickly, her high heels making sharp
staccato sounds on the tile floor. She got through the reception
room and into her car, then had to pull herself together before she
could start the car.
    Somebody had obviously moved her apartment.
It took forever to get there, and by the time she did, she’d
developed a horrible a headache. Tucking her head against the rain,
she hurried into her apartment, then just stood there dripping
water on the rug. In a perfect world she’d have handled the
encounter with Dan Albany differently. There would be no kiss, no
sparring, just a neighborly hello. In a perfect