The Doctor Who Has No Chance (Soulless 11)

“Your son is so adorable.” The wife of the patient was so enamored of Ryan that she extended her hands. “Can I hold him?”

“Sure.” Dex pulled Ryan out of the carrier and leaned forward to hand him over.

She took him and balanced him on her lap, all her worries instantly gone. Her husband was smitten too.

Dex had a look of pride in his eyes, not that Ryan was such a cute kid, but that he naturally made people feel better the way he did. “He’s kinda like a service animal. Just makes people happy, you know?”

“He does.” She turned to her husband. “Remember when Andy was this age?”

He nodded. “I do.”

When patients left his office, Dex usually changed Ryan’s diaper and gave him some attention before he sat at his desk and looked over the imaging for the next patient. He actually taught him things too, although he was probably too young to understand. Dex would point to the screen. “See that? It’s your heart.” He pressed his hand to Ryan’s chest. “Your heart, the most recognizable organ in the body. Despite what people think, it doesn’t break when you get your heart broken, but it might feel that way sometimes.”

Seeing them together made me love Dex even more, because he was naturally a great father, so affectionate and warm, happy to make sacrifices for his new role rather than bitter about it. It definitely made my ovaries burn a bit. “I’ve got a couple more patients for the day. I think it might be nap time for Ryan.”

Ryan looked wide awake, and he shook his head when he heard the word nap. “No.”

Dex chuckled. “Sorry, Little Dude.”

“No,” he repeated.

It amazed me how smart he was, how much he inherited from his father.

“I’ll see you right after, okay?” He kissed his forehead, but he handed him off to me. “And after work, we’re going to do something fun, alright? I have a surprise for you, but you have to be a good boy.”

Ryan didn’t burst into tears, as if he understood every word.

After I put him down for a nap, I came back. “So, what’s the surprise?”

He grinned. “I thought we could go get that dog.”

We went to the shelter to search for a family pet, one that would be gentle with Ryan, with a warm and loving heart. There were a lot of great options, but Ryan only cared about an Australian Shepherd that stayed in his corner and ignored everyone who walked by. He was brown and white, with one blue eye and one gray.

“I don’t think he likes us, sweetheart,” I said as I kneeled beside him.

Dex did the same. “He looks tired, Little Dude. But there’re lots of other guys here who would love a home.”

“Puppy.” Ryan kept rattling the catch with his little hands. “Puppy?”

The Australian Shepherd lifted its chin and looked at him.

“Puppy?” Ryan repeated. He slid his hand inside one of the little holes.

The dog got up and walked over, in a defensive stance, clearly terrified, but not terrified enough not to investigate.

“Little Dude, get your hand back outside.” Dex gently pulled it through.

The dog came over and started sniffing.

Ryan giggled. “My puppy.”

One of the employees walked over. “I haven’t seen Riley interact with anyone before. She just stays in her corner.”

Riley continued to sniff Ryan, getting his face close.

“You guys want me to open the door?” the employee asked.

I let Dex decide.

He stared at his son for a while before he gave a nod. “Yeah, they should meet.”

When the door was unlocked and open, Riley ran back to her corner again.

Dex carried Ryan inside and kneeled so Ryan could stand in front of her, but Dex’s arms were there to snatch him up if things took a wrong turn. “Talk to him, Little Dude.”

“Puppy,” Ryan said. “Puppy…”

Riley watched him for a bit before she slowly came over again, eyeing Dex like she was afraid of him but not afraid of Ryan. She came closer and closer, smelled him all over again, and then Ryan fisted her fur.

Riley didn’t run around.

“Puppy!” Ryan circled his arms around her neck and hugged her.

Riley was totally fine with it and even started to wag her tail.

Ryan giggled as he dragged his hand over her fur then lay on her.

Dex watched and gave a deep sigh. “Well, looks like we found our dog. She’s gonna need some work, but I trust Ryan’s judgment, so…we’ll take her.”

We took Riley with us to drop off Ryan. On her leash, she walked with us, always a little tentative but warming up. We knocked, Catherine came, and she stilled when she saw Riley. “Oh…you got a dog?”

I held the leash while Dex held Ryan. “We thought it would be good for Ryan to have a friend.”

“Oh…” Catherine took Ryan from Dex and smothered him in kisses. “I missed you, baby.”