Heal My Heart

S i x t e e n : S c o t t

A/N: Comment & Vote

Puppy clutched the cat kennel as I drove.

His behavior today hadn't been the best. Actually his behavior as of late hadn't been best. I'd let it slide but I needed to buckle down. I didn't need a rude sub.

At home I told him to put the cat in the guest room where we already had food, water and litter box set up. Lisa had kept close to the phone for my directions.

"But I want to play with Cheddar!" He protested.

I grit my teeth. "Puppy, my patience has worn thin. Follow my directions please."

"But you're being mean!" He protested angrily.

My hands clenched. "Puppy! You're making me angry."

He paused, taking a moment to actually listen to me. His face grew sad. "B-but I just--"

"You're still not following my directions. Do you want a spanking Puppy? That's where you're heading."

He flinched away from me. "I hate you."

"Puppy!"

He ran into the house, the cat meowing all the way. I stood there a moment and massaged my temples. Danny never gave me trouble. "Everything okay Scott?"

I looked at Kyle as he approached with an Arabian behind him. "No."

"How'd the doctor thing go? Is there something wrong with him?"

"A whole list," I confirmed. "Dyslexia, dyspraxia, slow cognitive processing...the list goes on."

He whistled. "Shit. So what comes next?"

"I really don't know."

"Think you're gonna give him back?"

I looked at Kyle in astonishment. "Of course not! He's not a horse I bought sick, he's a human being. He just... I just need to figure out how to deal with it and then...tell him."

"He doesn't know?"

"He asked but I said he was fine."

"You seemed pretty pissed at him."

I shook my head. "He just doesn't really listen to me. I'm just short fused."

Danny never had problems like this.

"Well a short fuse is never good. Never punish angry."

I snorted. "I can't believe I'm actually angry. I'm not mad at him...just the situation. Why did this have to happen to him? He's such a good boy..."

"You're acting like this makes him different. It's just who he is. He's still the same sub you picked. You just now understand his...quirks."

"Quirks?"

"Sure. The weird things he does. Now they make sense and they won't annoy you as much."

"I didn't really think about it that way." I rested my hand on the horse's side. "I haven't rode in forever."

"Why don't you take Charcoal out?"

"Bailey hates when people ride his horse."

"Bailey won't know about it and the horse needs exercise. You ought to saddle up Carmel and bring Puppy with you. He's been here for two months now and you haven't even began to teach him to ride."

"I'm not... I taught Danny to ride."

I tightened my jaw at the tightness in my chest. "The sooner you try over that hump I think it will get easier."