Dogs in the Park

[Isla Hudson]

How could something so simple be so complicated?  Just call the man and tell him where she'd be, then just wait.

But where to meet?  A burger joint seemed kind of tacky, but a steakhouse was way too expensive, after all, this wasn't really a date, and that was the reason to eliminate anything French or Italian...

And attire?  A sundress?  Jeans?  Nice slacks?  Tee shirt or shirt shirt...Isla had changed clothes three times before just telling herself to get over it and toss on something, grabbing blue jeans and a red shirt, then quickly combing her fingers through her hair.

Finally, she composed a text to send to the number on the card, her fingers trembling as she typed, back-spaced, typed a bit more, backspaced farther, finally sending:

Found a card laying around and thought you might like to get it back.  I'll be at the Totem pole in Lincoln Park in thirty minutes, by the hot dog stand.  Hope to see you there.  Isla (The Nurse)

Taking a breath, she hit 'send', then headed from her apartment to walk to the park.

 

@alex

[Deleted]

Alex was surprised when he woke up to a new text from an unknown number.  He scanned it and saw the name tagged on the end, a thrill going through him as he realized she had actually contacted him.  honestly, he hadn't considered he would get a reply, but he was excited nonetheless.  Noting the location specified on the text, he put his phone down on the nightstand to get dressed.  It was a warm day in Chicago, so he opted for some simple khaki tan shorts and a dark blue t-shirt.  He pulled on his favorite pair of converses, strapped his shield and his Glock 19 to his hip, and walked out to his entryway.  

He knew the park was dog friendly, so he wrestled his big black lab to the ground as he clipped Moose's leash to his collar.  His dog didn't get many trips outside, so it took all his strength to hold the big animal back as he pushed out the front of his building onto the sidewalk.  Then, Moose promptly laid down and basked in the sun.  "Get up you big loaf, we have a new friend to go see."  At the mention of friend, the black lab set off on a brisk pace, cutting though crowds with Alex in tow.  They arrived in front of the park Alex had googled, and was happy to see it was an off leash park.  "Alright buddy, free reign, but be on your best behavior."  Alex said as he took the leash off and started walking, big furry animal right next to him.  His dog was loving it, walking away for a moment to say hi to other dogs and people before returning to Alex's side.  Alex spotted a familiar face hanging out by a food stand and made a beeline in that direction.

Waving in Isla's direction, Alex grinned as he spoke.  "You know, I've seen some amazing sights in my life, but you have to be the most beautiful of all of them."  He said, laying down his cheesiest of one liners.  "I'm happy to see you again.  Doc did a bang up job on my noggin, can barely tell the scratch was there."  He said as he itched at the fresh haircut he had to get after losing half his hair.  Then, Moose made his appearance, trotting up to Isla and rolling over on his side for scratches.  Alex rolled his eyes and laughed.  "Don't mind him, hes an attention seeker."  

[Isla Hudson]

Isla was not the sort to be late to an appointment, she hated the feeling of being rushed and the thought of being late, or the last one to arrive. Of course, it could be argued that that attitude was just part of being a grown-up, but in any event, this was one of the rare times that she regretted her almost OCD habits.

Not that Alex was 'late', honestly, she would be a little surprised if he showed up at all, and a lit disappointed if he didn't! No, her problem today was that she had too much time to second-guess herself -- did she really want to do this, and what was she expecting? And what, exactly, was 'this'? What if 'this' didn't work out...and did that really matter, since there really was no 'this' yet, except for a meeting in a park, and why did she even have to make it so complicated anyway? After all, Alex seemed like a nice guy and...

Well, she was put out of the misery of her over-thinking head when she heard a familiar voice and turned to see Alex approaching her.

"You know, I've seen some amazing sights in my life, but you have to be the most beautiful of all of them."

A bright blush touched her cheeks as she shrugged. "I think you need to look around more!" Still, it was flattering, and a little embarrassing...in a good way! "And you look like you've been fighting bad guys!"

He was handsome under all the bruises and swelling, and she couldn't help but wonder what he looked like when he wasn't all battered.

"I'm glad you made it," she added, suddenly feeling awkward, the statement was kind of dorky!

"I'm happy to see you again. Doc did a bang up job on my noggin, can barely tell the scratch was there."

"Yeah, sure, if you say so!" Her grin widened. "And once those stitches come out, there won't be a scar at all." She took a side-step as a waggy, happy-drooly dog trotted over then flopped on his side, looking up at her pleadingly.

"Goodness! Who are you?"

"Don't mind him, hes an attention seeker."

"Oh, really?" Already, she was squatting down so that she could give the dog's belly a good rub. "Are you just looking for attention?" she addressed the dog, "or is that mean old man there just jealous?" Laughing, she looked up at Alex. "So, you thought you had to being a chaperone? What's his name?"

@alex