Rescued By Nova

Chapter 15

3 months have passed since Nebraska. Life had fallen back into its routine. Work, Train, Family, Friends, Repeat. My life was wonderful and by no means was I complaining, but I miss Joey more than I want to admit. Nova continued surpassing everyone’s expectations when it came to training. She is nothing short of amazing. Greg told us a few days ago there is a trial come up to get certified in structure and rubble searches. I didn’t hesitate to say sign us up! We are going to Salina, Kansas to a place called Crisis City. It's some kind of military base that has been built just for first responder training for natural disasters. Its will be a weekend long training. We will be staying in town in an RV park but only about 25 minutes from the base. I need something to do and am more than excited about the upcoming weekend. We didn’t have anything nearby that we could use for training on a regular basis for these kinds of searches, this weekend could be for more training than testing, but I was okay with that too.

Scarlet was also taking Deke this weekend for cadaver training with Deke. He had passed all his certification testing but this was a training weekend that he could use to sharpen up his skills. Scarlet used a service out of Denver to cover the clinic when she was out of town, she wanted to make sure her clients were always taken care of. We would leave Thursday evening and drive back Sunday evening as soon as we finished with training. The training was a full 3 days and would be the biggest training/testing event I had been to yet.

When I found out Scarlet was going, we decided to ride together and make it a mini girl's trip. We wouldn’t have much down time together, but we would take what we could get.

I have wondered several times if Joey might make an appearance this weekend. I have no idea what trials they usually attend and no way to contact him to ask, though if I tried hard enough, I could probably find one. My heart is all fluttery with nervous anticipation. If he didn’t make an appearance somewhere soon, I was going to have to buy a plane ticket to South Carolina and remind him what he was missing.

Scarlet and I had a blast on the way drive. After my talk with Greg and Diana the other night I decided to ask Scarlet about her story. I was learning that most people had one.

“Hey Scar, what made you decide to be vet and to be a cadaver dog handler?”

“Well one-story kind of leads into the other. As far as what made me want to be a vet, I have always loved animals. I grew up on a farm in rural Missouri, we had mostly cows and a few horses. A few dogs. A few barn cats. The normal things you would see on a farm. I always loved the animals. I spent every waking moment growing up outside with animals. I tried to save everything that was hurt or sick. I remember one time, I begged and begged my mom to let me bring the 250 pound pig inside because it was sick. I didn’t care about the mess it could make or the fact it was a farm animal. She didn’t budge. I tried to save baby raccoons, baby squirrels, baby skunks, I brought home a dog that had been hit by a car and had a broken leg and cried until my mom took it to the vet. I guess it has always been what I wanted to do. I couldn’t every imagine doing anything else with my life.” She was smiling as she stared out the window, reliving her childhood, enjoying the memories.

“So where does being a cadaver dog handler come in?” I finally asked.

“While in vet school I attended a seminar about working dogs. It encompassed all working dogs, SAR, cadaver, Drug dogs, Bomb detection dogs, Bite work, Protection Dogs, Apprehension dogs, Service Dogs, the list could go on for days. I was instantly drawn to it and wanted to know more. After the seminar, I visited with the instructor, and he said the best person to look to for information if Derek Anderson. He was a dog breeder and trainer that lived in Northern Georgia, he had bred and trained hundreds of working dogs that were now all around the world. The summer before my senior year I spent it in Georgia working with Derek, I tried to learn all I could about dog training. I don’t know why I found it to be such an interesting subject, but there was so much to learn. Every dog was so different. It was almost as if he could talk to them, he could understand what they were thinking, what they needed from him, he could connect with them on a level that I can’t even begin to understand. I wish I could explain it but I can’t.”

“What made you choose cadaver work?” I was curious why she chose to find dead people.

“Well, being a veterinarian made that decision for me a little bit. I couldn’t be handler for SAR and have a live find dog like Jake and Nova. For those kinds of case every second counts. I can’t pick up and leave at any time. I can’t be on call day or night for SAR. My patients have to come first, and I never wanted to be in the situation I had to make that choice. If I was in the middle of surgery and couldn’t answer a call, and because of that a child wasn’t found in time. I don’t know that I could live with myself if that was to happen. With a cadaver dog, time isn’t as essential. You can typically do a search on your next available day and it isn’t a life or death situation. It’s more about trying to offer a family closure. There is still satisfaction in a successful search.”

“Saving lives by day, helping families find closure by night, you are my superhero Scar.”

Her story was amazing to me. She was a full time Veterinarian. She rotated taking night calls with another local veterinarian. And she trained with a cadaver dog and did searches in her free time to help offer closure to families. She helped her fiancé at the local rescue facility. She was amazing. I looked up to her, she made we made we want to do bigger and better things with my life.

The drive to Salina wasn’t bad at all, it flew by with great conversation. We left at a decent time and arrived by early afternoon. We checked into the local RV park and set up the trailer. I had done this so many times, it didn’t take long, and we were ready for the weekend. We weren’t at the typical campground I was used to next to trails, so we opted to grill some dinner and visit with some of the other K-9 teams that had driven in for the weekend of trainings. Some of them were testing for certification. Some were just there for training. Some just needed to see some new obstacles that weren’t available to them in their area. We had any early morning so every opted to head in early.

Much to my disappointment, I had not caught sight of Joey anywhere this evening. That was okay though, as much as I wanted to see him, Nova and I has some training to do. We headed to the trailer for a good night's sleep.

The next morning, we were up before dawn and off to Crisis City. Not sure what to expect but eager to learn everything we could this weekend.

The drive to base was short but when we got there, I was shocked at the amazing training set up. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before. There was a full-size airplane crash that could be searched for potential survivors, a derailed train, A collapsed house, complete with a car underneath the garage rubble, Vehicles, A helicopter, Shipping containers built into an entire village, and most impressive part was the largest rubble pile I have ever seen. It was supposed to resemble a collapsed concrete building, but it was complete with a car and a bus in the mix with telephone poles and electric lines and the stability was questionable just like it would be in a real-life situation. It was amazing. I wish we had a training facility of this caliber close to home. It would take a lot more than three days to get some decent training here.

The first day of training started in a classroom. We spent the first few hours reviewing all the safety procedures for the training facility to make sure we could make the most of our training weekend in the safest way possible. Everything here was made as close to real life as you could make it, so there were dangerous areas that came with it. After safety was thoroughly covered, the head trainer for this weekend handed the schedule to everyone for when and where you were supposed to be for the weekend so everyone could train on every aspect of the facility and test on the areas they were ready for. This was unlike anything I every expected. It was so much more.

We quickly learned that Nova was still amazing, but this was much more that we were prepared for. We qualified and passed certification for structure searches. But we did not pass or qualify any of the other areas this weekend. But I am okay with that. We benefited more from the training we received than we could have anywhere else. We met so many people from across the country. Some shared stories, tips, and tricks. Some shared advice, success stories, and even some epic fails. It was a weekend I will never forget. The only thing missing was Joey.

I notice on the schedule sheet Joey was supposed to the instructor on the train derailment for day 2. During our break I went to look for him but found a woman name Marie instructing the group. I asked her if she knew what happened, she said she got called in at the last minute due to the SAR group Joey is a part of got called to a large multi organization search in Florida. He was unable to make this trip.

At least now I will quit looking for him and spend the rest of my weekend learning everything Nova and I can.

By the time we headed home Sunday evening, all 4 of us were exhausted. I am glad Scarlet was with me; she helped keep me awake for the drive home. We stopped once for gas and caffeine and made it home in record time. I dropped Scarlet and Deke off at her house. And then made my way home. I had never been so tired in my life.

I pulled in the driveway and let Nova out of the car to do her business. I stood there leaned against the front of the car, just staring at the stars. I was trying to find the energy to walk inside, but I was finding that a hard task.

We had been for home for 10 minutes and I hadn’t even glanced towards the cabin. When I did, I noticed something was not right. One of the lights in the living room was on and I never leave a light on. There was smoke billowing out of the chimney. I have never even built a fire in the fireplace. I called 911 and told them someone had broken into my cabin. They told me to wait outside and not to approach. I stayed on the line for a few more minutes telling the dispatcher everything I could from what I could see from my car. I couldn’t see anyone. But someone is in my house, I am 100% sure about that.

I called Nova told her to heel. I wanted her next to my side. I didn’t want anything to happen to my dog. I did find it slightly odd that she wasn’t alerting to danger or acting the least bit concerned. We stayed behind my car, so we were out of view if anyone came out the front door. The area I parked my car in was hard to see too much of the cabin from. 15 minutes later the Sheriff's deputy pulled up beside my car and 2 other deputies behind him. He instructed me to stay out of the way while they surrounded the cabin and apprehended to suspect.

The next few minutes seem to last forever. I leaned against the car, crouched down, and cradled Nova against my chest. Silently hoping that no one got hurt and whoever was in my cabin wasn’t there to harm anyone. A few moments later my silents thoughts were interrupted by one of the Deputies clearing his throat.

“Mrs. Zeller” he said. Snapping me out of my trance.

I looked straight at him, so he knew I was paying attention to whatever he had to say next.

“The man in your home claims to be a good friend of yours and was planning to surprise you when you arrived home. He didn’t intend to scare you and claims he doesn’t wish you any harm. Would you like to see him? If you don’t agree with these claims, I would be more than happy to take him down to the station.” He said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

“WHAT THE f**k?” I yelled. Deputy Jackson raised an eyebrow at me with my reaction to his explanation.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I’m too tired to filter my words.” He chuckled this time. But didn’t say anything so I kept talking.

“Is this a joke? Is someone playing a prank on me?” I asked him

He laughed again but he did talk this time.

“I’m afraid not ma’am. Just a very big misunderstanding. Come with me and you can decide if you want the gentleman to stay or if you want me to haul him away.”

I decided to follow Deputy Jackson. What other choice did I have? Who was at my cabin?

I walked around the corner of my car unsure of what to expect and met the eyes of the last person I expected to see. Joey was sitting on my porch. He stood and I ran right into his arms. His lips met mine and the passion had not faded even a little. I do not know how he found my cabin, but I had never been happier to see him. When I turned, I saw Greg standing at the edge of all the commotion and knew I would have to give him at least a brief explanation when the deputies left. I should have called him after I called the dispatcher.

Deputy Jackson had a giant grin on his face. “I guess you want him to stay?”

“Yes, I want him to stay. I’m sorry I caused such a mess. I had no idea he was going to be here in my cabin when I got home.”

“Mr. Hardee, I would advise you not to surprise the beautiful lady anymore, she doesn’t do well with surprises.” He chuckled after addressing Joey and walked off the porch. He waved a hand at Greg, spoke to the rest of the deputies, and they all got back into their cars and drove back down the driveway.

I turned back to Joey and kissed him again. He was here. He was at my cabin. He didn’t forget his promise. I’m not sure how but he had found me.

Greg made his way to my porch, and I forced myself away from Joey to offer him an explanation for tonight's events.

“Greg, this is Jo-”

“Mags, I love you with all my heart. You know that but how do you think he found your cabin? And who do you think gave him a key?” He smiled and chuckled but continued talking.

“We have been planning a surprise but weren’t sure when. His search concluded early this weekend, so he headed this way. He arrived early this morning. Diana made him spend the day with her at the house to make sure she approved before she gave him the key to your cabin so he could surprise you here when you arrived home. I’ll let him tell you everything else and answer any questions you might have. Diana and I approve. We love you, Mags. Have a good time tonight with Joey.” He winked at me turned around and walked back towards the main house without giving me a chance to say anything else.

I turned around and walked right back into Joey’s arms. For a moment we just stood there. Then I looked up at him and said,

“You have lots of explaining to do mister. But right now, I need to you somehow guide me to my bed and let me sleep for 12 hours with your arms wrapped around me. Then we can get to the explaining part. In about 5 minutes I’ll be asleep standing on this porch.”

“Your wish is my command, my lady.” He replied.

He scooped me up, I squealed in response. And he carried me straight to my bed. He gently set me on the bed like I was the most delicate item he had ever laid his hands on.

“I have missed you more than you will ever know. I have so many things to tell you. So many things I want to do to you. So many things I want to share with you. But I will wait until tomorrow for that. For tonight, I will wrap you in my arms and let you sleep for as long as you’d like. But tomorrow, all bets are off.”

“Promises, Promises.” I murmured as I drifted off to sleep wrapped in Joeys arms.

I slept better that night than I had in years.