Veterinarian Rey Skywalker meets the man of her dreams while helping a wild hawk, and then loses him all within an hour. Is it still possible for her fantasies to come true from this missed connection?
Day 4 – Damerey Week Rated Teen
Prompts: Missed Connections AU, Green, Write a Story in a Different Tense Than Normal
I will always remember the day I met the man of my dreams.
It wasn’t really a memorable day up to that point, but I remember everything about it now, after the fact. It was a beautiful autumn day in the foothills of the Alderaan Mountains, with brisk but not quite freezing temps and a brilliant sun shining. It had rained the night before, and the mountains glowed with their first white coat of the season; the skiers would already be frothing at the mouth, wanting more. I was heading back toward my hometown of Farpoint after a scheduled out-call at a horse farm about ten miles from town. The best part about being a mixed animal veterinarian was the opportunity to get out of the clinic and into the outdoors; working with horses and livestock isn’t easy, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I wasn’t more than two miles from the clinic when I saw a dark orange Jeep parked askew, half on the road and half in the ditch. I slowed immediately, looking for the driver. I saw him next to the barbed wire fence wearing a dark green jacket, jeans, and a ball cap. He turned to face my vehicle as I pulled up behind his Jeep, then turned back toward the fence. There was something moving on the fence, and as I focused on it, I realized it was a large hawk. It was caught in the fence somehow, and struggling. The man moved in, closing his hands around the bird, trying to keep it still.
I jumped out and ran toward the back of my Traverse. “What’s it caught on?” I shouted as I opened the back hatch and started digging through my box.
“Looks like baling twine,” the man answered. His voice was pleasant but strained. I grabbed a pair of gloves, two pairs of scissors, and some vetrap, just in case, shoving them in the pockets of my coveralls. I rushed over to the man and bird. As I passed his vehicle, a black and white border collie inside started barking at me, his tail wagging like mad. I moved up next to the man.
I reached for the bird, a red-tail hawk. It had stopped struggling for a moment, but had started up again as I got close. “Here,” I said as I shifted the bird in the man’s arms. “Hold his legs right up here close to his body.” I arranged the bird’s back up against the man’s chest. “Keep your arms in close,” I added as I tucked the bird’s wings in. “That will keep him from flapping and breaking any feathers.” The man was bent over a bit, as the bird was essentially tied to the top wire of the fence and he couldn’t stand straight, but he did as I asked and was able to hold the bird effectively.
I pulled out a pair of scissors and looked over the bird’s feet and legs. The twine was wrapped all around its lower legs and its feet were twisted together. “How in the hell?” I muttered.
“He was just hanging here spinning when I drove up,” the man said.
As I cut the twine from the fence, which allowed the man to stand straight, I looked up at him for the first time, and I’m pretty sure I froze up for a moment. He was beautiful. That was the only word I could think to describe him. He had a strong jaw covered in dark stubble, a large patrician nose, and chocolate eyes. His lips looked as if they had been carved out of marble, yet they also looked so amazingly soft. The ball cap he wore sat low on his forehead, but it couldn’t hide the thick, dark eyebrows or the dark curls that escaped the edges of the hat. He appeared to be my age or a bit older, and though not much taller than me he still made me feel small and feminine, a rare thing in my line of work.
I gave myself an internal shake and focused on the twine. Carefully, I worked it around and around the feet and legs of the raptor, not wanting to cut anymore unless I absolutely had to; I didn’t want to risk cutting the skin. Soon, the bird’s toes began to flex and stretch, its talons grasping for something to hold onto. As I unraveled the last of the twine, I felt carefully all over the lower legs and feet, shocked to find minimal damage, only some minor scrapes.
“It’s a good thing you found him when you did,” I said softly. “He must have just gotten caught. His feet seem fine, no circulation issues and he can obviously use them well.”
“You would have seen him if I hadn’t,” the man argued.
I glanced up at him. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t have been able to get him untangled by myself.” His eyes were intense and focused on me. I felt my face heat. “Thank you.”
“Now what?” he asked. “Do we take him to a vet?”
“No need for that,” I smiled. “I am a vet and I deem him fit to be released.” I stepped back. “Just lift up your arms and let him go,” I told him.
The man once more did as I asked, raising his arms. The big bird immediately spread out his wings and pushed away from the man, who let go at just the right time. The hawk’s powerful wings carried him up and away, and I smiled again as he flew off toward the mountains.
“Wow,” the man muttered next to me. “That was fucking amazing.”
I nodded. I had worked wild bird rehab for years, and I never stopped feeling a thrill whenever it was time to release one back to the wild.
I glanced over at the man, suddenly nervous. I shoved the scissors back into my pocket and looked back at the dog still bouncing around inside the vehicle. It had out-of-state license plates. I looked back at the stranger, only to find him watching me, his gaze once more intense.
“Uhm, thank you again,” I said, feeling a shiver slide up my spine. I wasn’t cold.
The corner of his mouth curled up. “I’m Poe.”
“Poe?” I asked. “As in Edgar Allan?”
He grinned, and I felt my breath catch. “Yeah,” he said. “My parents both taught literature.”
I gave a short laugh. “I’m Rey.”
“As in sunshine?” he asked, his lips quirking adorably.
I shook my head. “No, Rey with an ‘e’.”
“Oh,” he nodded. “Like a king?”
I shrugged. “My dad thought it was unique, I guess. I don’t think he ever gave thought to the Spanish meaning.”
“It is unique,” he agreed, his voice deepening. “I like it.” The tingling I felt intensified.
Suddenly, a phone from inside his jacket started ringing, breaking whatever spell he had cast on me as we both jumped. He huffed a laugh and reached into his pocket. “Excuse me.”
I nodded, and backed away. “I best get going,” I said softly.
He looked up from his phone and seemed disturbed by my statement. He held up a finger, as if asking me to wait, then answered. “Hey, Rose? What’s going on?”
Rose, I thought. Girlfriend? Wife? A man as attractive as him had to have a significant other. It was silly of me to assume otherwise. I smiled at him again and started to turn.
He looked as if he wanted to say something to me, but then the person he was talking to said something that grabbed his attention and he focused on the conversation. “Wait! What?” he demanded.
Heart racing, I headed back to my vehicle, smiling at the dog as I passed. He was quiet now, but was still wagging his tail at me, panting a happy grin. I slipped into the driver’s seat of my Chevy and started it up, looking back at the handsome stranger. He was concentrating on the phone conversation, but as I pulled away, he glanced up, an almost regretful expression on his face.
I drove away, intentionally not looking in the rearview mirror, not wanting to think too much about the ‘what ifs’ this unusual interaction with a stranger conjured in my mind. He was just passing through, I told myself. I’d never see him again, so there was no sense in wondering…
Unfortunately, castigating myself didn’t help. That night, I couldn’t help but fantasize about Poe. Dozens of scenarios ran through my tired brain, all of them ending up with him being single and asking me out. As I finally fell asleep, my imagination let me discover if his lips were as soft as they had looked.
******
I tried my best to forget the ‘hawk incident,’ as I had started calling it in my mind. But it was hard. The stranger had left an impression on me, and I just couldn’t get the memory of him out of my head.
Five days after the ‘hawk incident,’ my world was once more turned upside down.
It was a typical day in the small practice I co-owned with my partner and friend Dr. Finn Sargent. The morning was spent in surgery, mostly spaying and neutering dogs and cats, then while taking a short lunch break in my office, my cousin Ben showed up. His presence wasn’t really a surprise, as he had just recently begun dating one of my technicians, Kaydell, but at least he made the effort to stop and say ‘hi’ to me while he was there the share lunch with her.
It was mid-afternoon when the day went from normal to special. Kay came into the office after checking in my next appointment, a smile on her face. “You’re going to like this next one,” she said. “He’s a cutie.”
I took the check-in sheet she handed me. “The dog or the owner?”
Kay giggled. “Well, I was talking about the dog, but yeah, the owner is cute, too.”
I smiled as I glanced at the sheet, then felt my heart start to speed up as I read the information on it.
Male Border Collie named D.O.G.
Owner named Poe Dameron.
Poe.
I looked up at Kay, panicked. “What does he look like?”
Kay furrowed her brows. “The dog?”
“The man!”
“Uhm, dark hair, kind eyes.” She shrugged. “Swarthy, maybe Hispanic?” She looked intently at me. “Why?”
This time I shrugged. “I, uhm, met a man named Poe a few days ago,” I said. “I didn’t think he was from around here.”
Kay’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, really?”
“It’s not like that,” I huffed. “We barely spoke to each other.”
“From the way he looks, he doesn’t need to talk a whole lot to make an impression,” she snarked.
I rolled my eyes at her and started out of the office. “Just vaccinations, huh?”
“Yeah,” Kay said as she followed me. “He said he just moved to the area and is looking for a new vet.” I could hear the grin in her voice. “Apparently, he found you.”
I took a deep breath and headed through the treatment room and into the hall. I walked to the closed exam room door, gathered myself, then knocked softly before entering.
It was him. As if I had any doubts by that point. He looked up from where he was sitting, D.O.G. next to him, and grinned.
He wasn’t wearing a hat this time, and his thick dark hair curled softly over his head. His green jacket was unzipped and he looked relaxed as he sat with one ankle propped up on the opposite knee. He brought both feet to the floor and stood as I entered, his dog jumping down from the bench next to him and trotting over to me with his tail waving frantically.
“I was hoping it was you,” he told her without preamble.
I smiled nervously as I bent to pet D.O.G. “You were?”
“When I made the appointment, I didn’t know any of the vet’s names,” he continued. “But when I got here and saw the sign, I read Rey with an ‘e.’ I didn’t think that was a coincidence.”
I bit my lip to keep a hysterical giggle from escaping. Instead, I focused on my patient. I squatted down to his level, rubbing his head as I started my exam. “Hello, Deogee,” I said softly.
“I usually just call him Deo,” Poe said. “My daughter named him.”
Daughter. Of course. That meant he did have a significant other. I felt my heart drop; he wasn’t flirting, he was just being kind.
“Do you want him on the table?” Poe asked.
“No, that’s okay,” I looked up at him with a smile. “He’s big enough he can stay down here where he’s comfortable.” As I continued to examine Deo’s eyes, mouth, and ears, Poe squatted down next to us. “Do you have any concerns? How has he been health-wise?”
He shook his head. “No problems. Maybe a bit stressed from the move, but I think he’s settling in better than me.” He grimaced a bit.
I put the stethoscope to my ears, listening to Deo’s heart and lungs. “Are your daughter and wife settling in well?” Dammit. My sub-conscious had taken over and was fishing for information.
“Ex-wife,” he said immediately. “And Bethany will be visiting for the first time this weekend; I have her every other.” His expression was sad, but he didn’t look upset that I had asked.
I nodded, not sure what to say. I was thrilled inside, now knowing he was indeed available, but I also knew divorce was rarely kind, especially when there were children in involved. I stood and grabbed up the loaded syringes Kay had gotten ready for me, then took the squeeze cheese bottle and sprayed some of the sticky substance onto the wood panel of the exam table. Deo promptly went over to it and started licking it off. While he did so, I quickly injected him in the scruff of his shoulders, Distemper on the left, Rabies on the right. Then when he had cleaned up the last of the cheese, I slipped the Kennel Cough syringe in the corner of his mouth and squirted it in. His tail never stopped wagging the whole time.
Poe had risen from his squat while I did this, and he looked at me with his eyebrows raised. “Smooth,” he said, sounding impressed.
I smiled. “Fear Free,” I told him. “It’s not a new concept in vet med, but it’s been growing by leaps and bounds the last few years.” I looked back down at Deo, who was still licking his chops, totally unaware that he had just been stuck with two needles. “Everything looks great on him,” I said. “His teeth are just starting to get some build up, so you may want to consider getting a dental done on him next year to stay on top of things, but otherwise he’s as healthy as can be!”
He smiled again and squatted down to rub Deo behind his ears. “Great! Bee will be happy to have you in her life for years to come, buddy.” I assumed ‘Bee’ was his nickname for Bethany. He stood again and looked at me, his eyes warm. “And if I succeed in winning full custody of her, I may have to get a cat. She loves cats.”
I moved over to type notes into the small laptop on the side counter, ensuring Kay had entered the charges for today’s visit as I did so. I looked at him. “Full custody?”
He looked startled, as if he hadn’t realized what he had said. “Uh, yeah,” he laughed softly. “I’m working on it. Probably more information than you needed to know, but I was thinking ‘cat’ and obviously I would want you to be its vet…” He shrugged. “That phone call I got, right after we saved the hawk,” he paused. “That was my friend Rose. She had been babysitting Bee and let me know that my ex had arrived to pick her up drunk or high or under the influence of something. Rose had refused to let Bee go with her.” His expression was dark. “It wasn’t the first time Zorii has done that.”
“Oh, God,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry. That’s scary.”
He nodded and blinked quickly a few times, then shrugged. “At least it’s just more evidence against her and in my favor.” He looked nervous suddenly. Deo was sitting quietly at his side, looking up at him with adoring eyes. Offering his own support.
“Hopefully she’ll be able to come home with you for good, soon,” I said softly.
His eyes met mine and he smiled. We stood like that, silently looking at each other, for a long while. It wasn’t uncomfortable, it didn’t seem odd. It was relaxed and pleasant. I didn’t want it to end.
The slam of another exam room door jerked us both out of the strange trance we had been in and I took a deep breath and stood straight. “Everything is good to go. You can check out at the front desk.” I moved toward the door.
“Wait!” His voice was soft but insistent. I stopped and turned to him again. He was rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, looking nervous again. “Are you..?” He took a deep breath. “Can I see you sometime?” he asked. “After we met the first time,” he started again. “With the hawk… I regretted not getting to know more about you. I considered putting a Missed Connection add locally, but I wasn’t sure if it would even be noticed out here.” He paused. “I… I don’t want to miss this chance.”
I felt my heart start racing again, as it had when I first entered the room. “There’s a sport’s bar right down the street,” I told him. “I go there a lot after work for dinner.” He tilted his head at me and I shrugged. “I don’t like to cook for just me and the food there is good,” I explained. “The clinic closes at 5:30 and I should have my paperwork done by six, so..?”
His smile was bright. “I’ll meet you there at six,” he said.
So, that was how I met the man of my dreams. And his dog. And not long after, I would meet the bright little girl with dark hair and green eyes called Bee, who won my heart just as quickly as her father had. She moved in with her father permanently less than three months after we met, and I was with them when they set out to adopt not one, but two cats from the local shelter. Deo took to them faster than they did to him; he loved having creatures to ‘herd,’ but they didn’t really like being herded. They learned to grudgingly put up with him, though.
And now, driving along with the surrounding countryside turning a brilliant green as spring grabbed hold of the land, I passed the spot on the country road where a red-tail hawk had been caught in the fence. I smiled as I remembered that day six months previously, anxious to reach the clinic so I could finish the last two appointments on the schedule. It was Friday, and Finn was on call this weekend. Tomorrow was moving day for me. I was leaving the little apartment I had kept since returning to Farpoint after vet school and moving into the little house on the edge of town, ready to settle in with Poe and Bee and however many animals we ended up adopting in the years ahead, not to mention the possibility of more children.
It was time to start the life of my dreams.
THE END
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