Rescued By Nova

Chapter 11

I had been in Colorado for 4 months. Greg and Diana were becoming more and more like family, they made sure I was comfortable here and had everything I needed. I had grown to love them. They didn’t have any kids of their own and for the life of me I could not figure out why. They would have made great parents.

One night at family dinner, I decided to ask them why.

“Hey Diana, if you don’t mind me asking, how come you guys don’t have any kids of your own? Don’t feel obligated to answer.”

The table was quiet for a little bit and I felt really bad for asking the question. As soon as I said it I knew I probably shouldn’t have. Diana finally replied.

“I’ll let Greg tell you the story. I’m surprised he hasn’t already. He is much better at keeping it together until the end than I am. It is also the story of how he came to be so involved in Search and rescue.” She motioned to Greg and let him take over from here.

“We did have a child of our own. His name was Jeremy. He was the most adorable little boy. Always so full of life. And always on an adventure. If you turned away for 2 seconds, he was gone, always looking for something. We had gone to the national park for a family adventure for the day. He was 9. We stopped at lookout point for picnic lunch, he pointed out all kinds of things that he wanted to see, things he wanted to explore, we were having the best time. I was helping Diana pack up everything from lunch and when we turned back around, he was gone. We searched and searched but we couldn’t find him anywhere. Diana stayed at look out point in case he came back, and I ran back towards the campground to find a signal and call for help. Deputies arrived and volunteers started searching on foot within a few hours, but the closest search and rescue K-9 was over 6 hours away and wouldn’t be able to arrive until morning. The vast wilderness of the Colorado Mountains is too much for a small child. It’s too much for a small group of volunteers. By the time the K-9 team arrived the next morning it was too late. We didn’t find him in time. The overnight temperatures were too extreme, and Jeremy didn’t survive. Over the next several years I decided that I wanted to help make sure there were more K-9s available in the Colorado Mountain area. I wanted to make sure there were enough K-9s to be close and ready if the need for a search arose. If I could prevent another loss like Jeremy’s from happening, then that is what I wanted to do. When you first arrived, I told you I was one of four handlers in the area that would be called if a dog was needed. I trained 3 out of 4 of those dogs. I never want anyone to have to experience the loss that we did when we lost Jeremy.”

“I am so sorry that you guys had to go through that. I can’t imagine going through that kind of loss.” I didn’t know what to say to them. It was a tragic loss.

Diana replied with kind words “It took us many years to leave the house and rejoin society, but god still had plans for us. Greg has rescued many people with his SAR work. And if it wasn’t for SAR we wouldn’t have met you. Nothing will ever replace Jeremy or bring him back, but we will always cherish the time we had with him”

We finished dinner with less talking that usual. Their story was so tragic, but they were still amazing human beings. They didn’t let tragedy destroy them. They were good people, they didn’t deserve the tragic loss they suffered, but they chose to rise from ashes and help others. I admired them even more now than I did before.

As I walked back to my cabin, I had a million thoughts running through my mind. I had often wondered what the answer to that question was, but I never imagined it would be something like this. It made me question some of my actions. Did I take my parents for granted? Some of my life problems now seemed so trivial in comparison. It puts a new perspective on things. Gave life a new respect. Gives SAR a new meaning.

I called home every Sunday. I called my mom, both sisters, and my brother. This week I took a little extra time to really talk to each of them, no short and sweet conversations. I was trying to make a better effort to my weekly phone calls. Not just a quick check in. I did love my family, even if right now I had no desire to go home.

Nova was due for her yearly vet appointment. She needed a yearly checkup and shots and all the normal stuff. Greg recommended Dr. Stone. I had an appointment this afternoon. I arrived early for her appointment and was instantly impressed with the place. Dr. Stone was about my age and was a very nice lady named Scarlet. They were short staffed and busy. Everyone was so nice. So, I made split second decision and I decided to fill out an application. She came back into the room and said she had made a call to Greg, and I came with a glowing recommendation, and she hired me on the spot. I started the following week. I was excited to have a job. To be back working in Veterinary Medicine, it is demanding, and mentally taxing, but I miss it.

Scarlet and I became fast friends. She has a cadaver dog, a Belgian Malinois named Deke. He is beautiful. He has sleek long hair like I have never seen before. He is brilliant. Seeing him in action was amazing. Her fiancé is Ben, he runs the local shelter. He is hilarious, I could instantly see why she is attracted to him. They are perfect for each other.

My life was coming together in a way I never thought possible. I spent most days working as a vet tech forming new relationships. My evening, days off, and weekends spent training with Nova, spending time with Greg and Diana, and spending time with Scarlet and Ben. My life was beginning to feel full again. I was happy. My laughter was back in a way that was better that it had ever been before. It occurred to me that when I thought I was happy before, was not even a drop in the bucket to where I was now. I was 96 pounds lighter and a millions times healthier than when I believed I was happy. I have a purpose in life that I never dreamed I would have.

The only thing missing was Joey. Why could I not get this man out of my head? Every time life was going great, he popped right back into my thoughts, my dreams. At some point I would have to move on from this man that I didn’t even know. But the s*x, I think it was the magical s*x that I can’t get out of my head.