Page 7 of Ink

She winces. That's all I need to say. The man is a nightmare and should be tasered.

"What did he let his poor dog eat this time?"

I take a deep breath before looking into her dark blue eyes.

"He let Mr. Fluff eat two kilos worth of dark chocolate." Her eyes widen in shock, and I nod. "The man shouldn't be allowed to own a fricking animal; he's lucky he didn't kill his dog."

She nods, "Alright, this is his third strike. I'll call the animal welfare agency this morning. He can't have that dog in his care any longer. You get off, and I'll see you tomorrow for your normal morning shift."

I nod and thank her before walking out of the examination room, heading out back to check on Mr. Fluff before grabbing my things.

Mr. Fluff, fricking Mr. Fluff, who even names their animal that?

Someone really fricking evil, that's who. Evil, I tell you, EVIL. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of my ridiculous thoughts. I'm so tired that I'm not thinking straight, although the man is evil. He gives you that kind of vibe.

I shake my head again. I need sleep. I've been working overtime to help Momma out.

She's working so hard lately; she needs a break.

After I quickly check on the poodle, I grab my bag before heading to the old, dark green Jeep that my dad bought me as a graduation gift. As soon as I'm in, I head to my Momma's.

Ten minutes later, I knocked on the big green door before entering my family home. "MOMMA?"

I hear her little chuckle at my shout, "In the kitchen, baby."

I smile before going through the house, smiling sadly at the picture of my daddy on the side table on my way past. He died three years ago; he lasted longer with his cancer than the doctors had thought, which was great, but seeing him slowly fade away hurt, especially my Momma. You could see the light slowly fade from her eyes as he faded. My daddy was her whole life; he consumed her, and now she's a shell of the person that she was, but still a great momma; she's still going for our own little family.

When I walk into the kitchen, I grin, seeing her make pancakes. I go over to her and kiss her cheek. "Hi, momma." She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes; it never does nowadays, but she still tries. "Morning, baby. Have a seat, sweetheart; breakfast is nearly ready." I nod before kissing her cheek again. I grab the syrup and the coffee pot while taking a seat, leaving Daddy's chair empty like I normally do. She sits next to me, placing my plate in front of me and then one in Daddy's seat before she squeezes her eyes shut and says, "Shit."

I grab her hand and say, "It's OK, momma."

She nods, her eyes holding apologies, but I shake my head and kiss her cheek again. Momma's been struggling since losing Daddy. She misses him more every day, and I can't say that I'm not worried.

She clears her throat. "How was your shift, baby?"

I sigh and shake my head. "Mr. Douglas was back again. Gave Mr. Fluff two kilos worth of dark chocolate."

Her eyes widen. "That man. He should not own any animals. I mean, someone who names a poodle Mr. Fluff is automatically labeled evil to me."

I snort out a laugh, making her look at me with a smile, which soon turns into a grin that reaches her eyes at my next words, "That's exactly what I thought."

We high-five before we continue eating while her eyes go over to my daddy's seat. The loneliness builds on her face, and my heart cracks for her. I miss my daddy every single day, and I can only imagine what she mustbe feeling without the other half of her soul. It's been three years, and her heartbreak continues to build.

Her phone goes off, and I'm brought out of my head while she sighs, "I've got to get going to work, baby."

I furrow my brows. "But you've just had a night shift at the hospital?"

My Momma's a care assistant and a damn good one at that, but she needs rest; she looks exhausted.

She turns to me and smiles a little. "I've got another job that I started a few months ago at a café two towns over." I lean back, my brows furrowed in confusion, and she clears her throat. "The mortgage; it's getting too much, and they've just upped the rate. I met with Todd; he's apparently getting ready to take over the bank from his father, but not soon enough for me; his father's set it in stone: I've got a month to pay off $10,000, or I will lose the house."

I feel all the air leave my lungs. Why didn't she tell me?

She sees the questions in my eyes before cupping my cheeks. "I didn't want to worry you, baby. It took a lot for me to convince you to move in with Leah, and now you've started working overtime just to help me with some of the bills." She wipes away a tear that's fallen. "I'm sorry, baby. I just didn't want to distract you from your dream. You'd already sacrificed a lot for me and your father."

I shake my head at her. It wasn't a sacrifice; I still managed to get my degree and become a vet, not through the fancy state school I got into but at a community college instead. It was worth it because I got that extra time with my dad. "I've got to go, sweetheart. I'll see you tomorrow, OK?" I nod while she leans forward, kissing my forehead before she gets up to leave. She stops by Daddy's chair, squeezing it before leaving while saying over her shoulder, "Don't worry about the mess, baby; I'll clean it tomorrow."

The air leaves my lungs again. She won't be home at all; she's going straight to her night shift tonight after her day job, dammit.