Helping Hands

"It was so good to hear from you, honey. I can't remember the last time you called."

"I know, Mom. I'd rather email than call and I'd rather text than email. Calling seems like something from the Stone Age, you know?"

His mother laughed and said, "Yes, I do. Even your father and I text each other now most of the time. In fact, we sometimes text each other from different ends of the house rather than walk down the hall. It's just so much easier than calling and the other person can respond when it's convenient for them."

Zack understood why his mom and dad essentially lived on opposite ends of the big house he grew up in and let her comment stand on its own. "So they really can teach old dogs new tricks. And by old dogs, I mean Dad, of course."

His mother laughed again and said, "He misses you, honey."

"I know. Tell him I miss him too, okay?" There was a pause before he asked another question. "So how is Mrs. Kelly doing? It's been what—a year now?"

"Oh, more than that, sweetheart. Robert passed away a year ago March so that's...what? Fifteen months now? And to answer your question, Kendall seems to finally be doing better and I think it's largely because she stays so busy at the ranch. I don't think too many folks stop by to help anymore though, you know?"

"That's too bad. She's such a nice lady. I really thought she'd have sold the place by now."

"We all did, Zack. But she's a tough woman. I don't think I've seen her cry once after the funeral."

"Well, maybe she'll find someone else who can help her out in all the ways her husband did."

"She's certainly pretty enough. From what I hear, a lot of bees have been buzzing around the hive, if you know what I mean, not long after Robert was laid to rest. Bees buzzing around the hive. That must have sounded terrible, huh?"

"It's fine, Mom. I know what you mean. Shoot, I even had a crush on her when I was a kid."

His mother laughed and said, "You and about a hundred other boys from around here! So when will you be home?"

"I have finals every day this week until Thursday and that's it. I'll leave as soon as I can on Friday so I should be there early that evening."

"Well, I can't wait to see you! I'm gonna make your favorite dinner so don't eat anything after lunch, okay?"

Again, there was no reason to mention graduation or bother asking why his parents wouldn't be attending. Instead of bringing it up, he just said, "I won't, Mom. I promise. See you then, okay?"

"Okay, dear. We love you!"

He told his mother he loved her too, then hung up.

Zack Bartlett was finishing his final semester at The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Fort Collins, Colorado, and would be heading home to Pueblo to take a job with a veterinarian he'd known since childhood and who was also getting ready to retire soon. He also planned to take a trip out to Vineland to see how Mrs. Kelly was getting along knowing the crush he'd had on her hadn't ended back in high school.

She and his mother, Beatrice Bartlett, had been casual friends for years after Zack's mom had taken him to the Kelly's ranch to learn to ride horses when he was ten. He'd spent quite a bit of time there over the years and since he'd gotten a little older, Mrs. Kelly, or Kendall as he'd been allowed to call her since high school, was the best part about his visits.

Kendall had just married Robert Kelly, whose family had owned the ranch for four generations, when Zack went there for the first time.

Kendall was from a small town in Wyoming. She loved riding and taught everything from how to tack up a horse and ride for pleasure to dressage up to and including the fourth level.

Nothing other than basic riding—and Mrs. Kelly—had ever interested Zack and yet she always made it seem like he was her most important client anytime he showed up. Then again, she had a knack for making every client feel special. During high school, she offered to let him ride all he wanted in exchange for doing work around the ranch and Zack had jumped at the chance. He not only got pretty good at riding, he ended up learning how to do a ton of new things as well as learning important virtues like being on time, taking responsibility for his actions, and working with other people. Seeing Kendall was a side benefit; one he never got tired of enjoying.

Her husband wasn't nearly as people-friendly as her, and in some ways he reminded him of his own father, Zachary, Sr. Neither man was unfriendly, they just didn't show a lot of emotion. They got right to the point, said what needed to be said, and that was that. Kendall on the other hand, was not only beautiful but friendly, outgoing, and charming. Kendall dealt with the people and Robert ran everything else.

Looking back it was obvious why he'd had such a huge crush on her. Her smile alone was enough to give him an all-day boner. Boner. "Who even uses that word anymore?" Zack thought to himself. He laughed when he thought about it, but it hadn't been a laughing matter back then. He'd often walked around with one for hours on end, day after day during those summers when she was outside where he could see her. There were times when he'd had...a boner...for so many hours, things physically hurt by the time he went home. But my oh my, was she ever worth the pain.

Kendall would be turning 35 this summer making her about 10 years older than him. Zack had just turned 25 last month as he'd managed to finish his BS in biology as an undergrad and vet school in seven years while most of the other students in his class had taken eight or even nine. Regardless of her age, Kendall was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and that included the several dozen cute co-eds he'd bedded during his time away as well as a female professor or two who'd found Zack as attractive as he'd found them.

It was one of those brief affairs with a very attractive, much older woman of 42 that had given him the confidence he now had to try and pursue a relationship with Kendall when he got home. He knew better than to come right out and directly tell her the way he felt about her—how he'd felt about her since high school. No, he'd just be friendly, make himself available, and wait patiently for an opportunity to present itself. Even then, he knew she might let him know in no uncertain terms she didn't feel the same way about him, but unless he found a way to make his feelings known, he'd never find out.

Zack had played high school football and ran track but wasn't even close to being good enough to play at the collegiate level. Then again, his course load kept him so busy he didn't have time for any team sports. Instead, he preferred to swim and work out on his own in one of the gyms on campus and that was more than enough to keep his 6' 0" frame in superb condition when he wasn't home working on Kendall's ranch during the summers. Zack certainly wasn't the best looking guy on campus, but he was well into the top 10% and had no problem finding female companionship—and plenty of it.

Between his hard body, his thick, dark hair, and perfect smile, getting a date or hooking up was a virtual given any time he wanted. As if that wasn't enough, Zack was also as a nice a guy as any girl could want to meet. He treated every one of them like she was the most important person in his life whether their time together lasted for several hours or several days and he often mentally thanked Kendall—and his mom—for instilling those values in him. It had paid off in spades as evidenced by the numerous notches in his belt over the last seven years. The notches were, of course, all figurative, as he neither kept track of the number nor ever bragged about his conquests to anyone. Each of them was something special to him in her own way. He'd laughed more than once whenever he remembered an oldie he'd heard many years ago: "Big, little or short or tall, wish I could've kept them all. Mmmm, I loved them every one." And he had. Not romantically, but they were more than just a number to him to be sure.

The difference now was that he was finally at a point where no hook up or brief affair could fill the deep longing in his heart for that special someone. Like all guys and many women, Zack loved sex, but sex for its own sake wasn't enough anymore. He had no way of knowing whether or not Kendall might be 'the one' or even interested in him for that matter. But he'd been around her long enough to know she had all of the attributes he wanted in a wife and if there was a chance, however small...

As far as her exterior went, that was a no brainer. What made her so special and so desirable was that Kendall also had the kind of personality he knew he wanted in a wife and he was finally at a point where he was ready to commit to one person. That didn't mean she was ready again yet, but he had every intention of finding out.

For her part, Kendall was simply gorgeous. She was a true blonde who had this kind of long, silky hair that looked like some sort of soft, spun gold. Her eyes were a bright blue and always seemed to be so alive they sparkled. Zack knew eyes didn't actually sparkle or even twinkle, but Kendall's were just so...spectacular. He never asked if, like him, she'd worn braces, but her smile was every bit as gorgeous as his and like him, she had those soft, full lips that looked so very...kissable.

Zack laughed again as he thought about how many pairs of white socks he must have stained yellow during his high school years jerking off to some fantasy about Mrs. Kelly who'd suddenly decided she wanted him to kiss her or...maybe even something more. He laughed even harder when he thought about his poor mom finding them and what she must have been thinking about her 'perfect' son. She'd never said a word about it though, and those days were well behind him as he had no need to take things into his own hands or more aptly...hand...anymore.

Pretty much every guy he knew at college or vet school had a Kendall Kelly somewhere in his past. The gorgeous, older, untouchable woman they spent their nights dreaming about even when they were old enough to know it was never gonna happen. But a guy could dream, couldn't he? And if he was gonna dream, why not dream big? After all, sometimes dreams became reality, didn't they? Sure they did, and Zack new it.

Zack felt truly awful for her when he heard about her husband. He was a few years older than Kendall, but still way too young to die of a heart attack. There'd been no signs, no advanced warning. As he'd heard it, Robert hadn't come to bed with her that night and she didn't find him until the next morning when she saw him slumped over on the desk in their home office.

It was something called Acute Coronary Syndrome which was different than a heart attack. Zack now understood the difference and knew that ACS was a more sinister killer than myocardial infarction, the fancy name for a heart attack. The latter often gave warning signs like chest pain in men or nausea in women while the latter often happened without warning. Yes, in many cases involving ACS, there was angina—the chest pain associated with heart blockages. But often there was a rupture in a weak area of the heart no one knew about that killed the victim instantly and without warning. One could could quite literally get off a treadmill while hooked up to a heart monitor, pass the test with flying colors, and drop dead shortly thereafter. Regardless of the medical differences, the results were the same and Kendall had been left to run that big old place on her own.

He'd helped out all he could last summer when he was home, but she was still in a kind of state of shock. She tried to be herself around him, but he knew she was only doing her best to put on a brave face. It was clearly an act. He'd never lost anyone close to him so he couldn't know exactly what she was feeling, but he did know she was hurting. He also knew he'd have done anything to take away her pain. What he didn't know was there was nothing he or anyone else could do. This kind of thing required time and time alone was all that could help. Even time didn't cure anything, it just made it possible to live again by allowing the person slowly let go of their lost loved one.

He wasn't trying to be selfish as he drove home later that week wondering if enough time had passed for her to consider dating other people, let alone a younger man just starting a new career. He just knew it was the right time, for him at least, to finally let her know how he felt. For that matter, she may have already found someone else and that ship might have sailed. As with grief, only time would tell. Selfish or not, it was the biggest question on his mind followed closely by the many questions he had about starting his new career.

As he got ready to turn into their driveway, his mother came running outside as she'd been watching for him for hours. She hugged him so hard he thought he'd pass out before helping him carry his things inside.

After putting them away, Zack headed toward the study in their home to say hello to his dad. "Oh, look who's home," his father said. He didn't get up or even smile. "I know your mother is glad to have you home. She's been counting the days until you finished school."

His dad had been a certified master electrician who'd been seriously injured on the job when he fell from some scaffolding when Zack was in high school and had never been able to work—or walk—since. The man he'd always loved and looked up to changed overnight. He'd become withdrawn and distant. He'd never been as loving as his mother, but the reasonably close relationship they'd had was gone and while it tore Zack up inside, he was painfully aware that unlike his father, he could still walk and play sports and...make love to a woman so he accepted the new reality. He hated it, but he understood.

His father used the disability as an excuse not to do anything he didn't want to do and that included coming to either his college graduation or his graduation from veterinarian school. Because his parents weren't coming, Zack didn't bother going, either. They'd mail him his diploma which he didn't need to start practicing veterinary medicine. As long as the state had his certification on file—and his check paying the required fees—he was fine.

He and his mother talked almost non-stop during dinner with his father occasionally chiming in with an, "Uh-huh" or maybe, "Oh, I see." That was something both of them also accepted as part of their new reality since the accident.

After another home-cooked meal of bacon and eggs the following morning, Zack wanted to drive over to the clinic and meet with Dr. Weber and discuss getting settled and possibly taking over the business at some point. Zack had known Jerry Weber most of his life as he'd been his parents' vet when they had pets as Zack was growing up. After the accident, his father didn't want any animals around even though he'd privately cried when they had to have their Golden Retriever, Duke, put down a year later after suffering kidney failure.

Dr. Weber was now 68 years old and still in very good health, but he was ready to retire and finally do the traveling he and his wife had talked about all their lives. The practice wasn't huge, but he'd owned the entire facility free and clear for quite a few years and had managed to put away a sizable nest egg when the time came to call it quits. Looking down the road toward that end, he'd taken a personal interest in Zack when he told him he'd been accepted to a veterinarian program and last summer he'd offered him a partnership contingent on Zack's successful completion of school.

Zack smiled as he drove up and saw the clinic. For the first time ever, he drove around to park in the back where a sign with his name on it stood reserving him a spot. The black letters on the white sign read: Zachary Bartlett, Jr. DMV.

He got out of the car and walked up to the back door and that's when he realized he didn't have a key. He turned to start walking back around to the front when he heard the door open. "Zack! Hey, come on in!" he heard a female voice say.

He turned around and saw Cassandra Evans, Dr. Weber's new assistant, smiling at him. Zack smiled back and said, "Hey, Cass. It's good to see you!"

He hugged her and she said, "It's good to see you too, Zack." There was a funny look on her face for a moment before she said, "Sorry. Make that Doctor Bartlett."

"It's okay, Cass. Zack is just fine," he told her. Cassandra was maybe 21 and very cute in her own right, and she'd let Zack know the first time they met she was interested. She hadn't thrown herself at him or directly hit on him, but she did let him know she was free and available if he was ever so inclined.

"Well, thank you, but I won't call you by your first name unless we're alone," she said with a smile as she emphasized the word 'alone.' "You earned your degree and you deserve to be called Doctor Bartlett."

Zack smiled again as he walked passed her and went inside. He heard the sound of a dog barking as he wound his way through the patient care area. "Looks like business is booming," he said noting how nearly every cage was filled.

"Dr. Weber has really been looking forward to you getting here, Zack...sorry...Dr. Bartlett. He's been working six days a week for so long I'm not sure he knows how to relax let alone retire. So yes, we have been extremely busy."

He stopped to look at the dog that was barking and said, "This guy's in bad shape."

"Oh, yeah. That's Gizmo. He's 16 and he's being put down this afternoon. He went lame yesterday after barely being able to stand up—even with help—for the last two weeks. His owners brought him in early this morning to see if there's anything that can be done for him. Unfortunately, there isn't. They'll be back in a couple of hours and...this might be the first official thing you have to do."

"It comes with the territory, Cass. I've been dreading that part of the job since I started vet school, but sometimes it's the only humane thing to do. If the animal is in pain and especially if it can no longer walk then..."

"Zack! Boy am I glad to see you!" he heard a baritone voice call out.

"Dr. Weber!" Zack walked over to him and shook his hand but Dr. Weber pulled him in close and hugged him. "Congratulations, Doctor!"

Zack's own father hadn't even acknowledged his son's graduation let alone complimented him on his accomplishment. "Thanks, Dr. Weber," he told him.

"You can call me Jerry now, Zack. If you're comfortable with that."

"That might take some getting used to you so until that happens, I think I'll stick with Dr. Weber."

"Suit yourself," he said pleasantly. "Okay, let's go take care of the mountain of paperwork in my office then I'll take you to yours and let you get set up. You can start immediately or come back on Monday. I'm sure you've got a lot to do having just got home, so again, that's your call."

"I'm ready to go right now," Zack told him having been a little surprised to learn he was needed this soon but unwilling to put off getting started.

"Great! Let's get going on these forms so we can take care of all the things the state needs, whatever the insurance company has to have, plus self-employment stuff for social security, W-4 forms, and a whole lot of other—crap." He smiled and said, "Bureaucrats run the country and they're all a bunch of tree killers!"

Dr. Weber hadn't been kidding. There was a stack of papers over an inch thick , and Zack had to wade through every one of them. Many forms were excruciatingly dry and boring, but they all had to be filled out. By the time he was done he felt like he'd just finished a hand-written essay exam in a blue book, something he wouldn't miss doing ever again.

Zack's office was just a little bit smaller than his mentor's, but it was already fully wired and ready to go. He'd just need to personalize it and learn how to use the various programs and applications needed to document patient care, order prescriptions, and other in-house necessities and he'd be all set.