Eight years, two months, and seventeen days had passed since shed shut the door on her husband for the last time. Not that she counted every single daythe date had simply burned itself into her memory as the start of her real life. Their son, Jamie, had grown into an independent young man, studying his final year at a prestigious university and rarely coming home. Just phone calls, his familiar voice on the linestill dear, yet growing more distant with each passing day.
*”Mum, Ive got exams, then work, and Lottie and I”* shed hear, hiding the ache in her chest as she cheerfully replied, *”Of course, love. I understand. Im doing just fine!”* And it wasnt a lie. Her life had order. Meaning.
Dawn light, soft yet insistent, seeped through the sheer curtains, painting golden ripples across her sleeping face. It murmured, *”Wake up. The world is beautiful, and its waiting for you.”* Valerie stretched beneath the covers, savoring the lightness in her limbs after a deep sleepa hard-earned reward for years of discipline.
At forty-three, she felt thirty. Slim, toned, with clear gray-blue eyes, she looked years younger. The secret was simple: four years of unbroken routine. Up at six, a run, a cold shower, a healthy breakfast, then straight to the office. As a manager at a reputable firm, she valued her position. Her boss, a punctuality-obsessed man with an uncanny sense for tardiness, had no patience for excuses.
Shed seen it beforehim materializing in the hallway at 9:01 sharp before some breathless employee. *”Late again? Shouldve set the alarm earlier. Explanation on my desk by noon.”* His low, commanding voice sent shivers down spines, even of those whod done nothing wrong.
The team respected Valerie. Smart, driven, always ready to help, she was warm and approachable. Yet her personal life had stayed quiet since the divorce. Free time was filled with work, self-care, and her loyal companiona Labrador named Barnaby, whom she affectionately called “Barney.”
It was Barneys arrival four years ago that had started those life-giving morning runs. Hed become her alarm clock, her trainer, her truest friend. A chocolate-coated beauty with wise, attentive eyes and endless kindness. Never a nuisance, his gentle nature was the best remedy for loneliness. When shed first considered getting a dog, a friends husband had advised, *”Go for a Lab. You wont regret it. Theyre friends, therapists, and antidepressants rolled into one.”* He hadnt been wrong.
Growing up, shed always had dogs, but during her marriage to Richard, the dream had withered. *”If you bring some yappy mutt into this flat, Ill toss it off the seventh floor. Promise.”* The venom in his eyes left no doubt he meant it.
In the end, *she* was the one whod nearly thrown *him* outwhen hed raised a hand to her in a drunken rage. She hadnt had the physical strength, only the shattered will to sob in the bedroom while he raged in the living room. Then hed slammed the door himself, taking the bags shed packed for him. Fifteen years together, the last three a waking nightmare. Richard had failed as a husband, as a fatherselfish, bitter, never satisfied. That final blow had been the last straw. Thank God Jamie hadnt been home that night.
*”Its better this way. Well manage. My salarys enough. Better alone than showing my son a warped idea of love.”* She hadnt been wrong. Eight years of peace. Of rebuilding. Men had stayed at arms lengthRichard had soured her on relationships for good.
A warm August morning hummed with the last whispers of summer. Valerie rose and peered into the hallway. Barney waited by the door, leash in his mouth, tail thumping the floor. *”Theres my clever boy! Who needs an alarm with you around?”* She chuckled, slipping on her trainers. *”Right, lets go!”*
Their park was perfectionjust a short walk through the underpass, and there it was: an oasis of trimmed paths and dappled shade. Mornings bustled with runners, cyclists, fellow dog walkers. Valerie unclipped Barneys leash, and he bolted ahead, glancing back to make sure she followed.
She jogged at an easy pace, breathing in the crisp air, nodding to familiar strangersfellow dawn enthusiasts. Then, from behind the lilacs, a frantic yap. Valerie veered off the path and froze. Barney stood rigid, poised before a tiny black kitten, ears flattened in terror. Her heart lurched. She knew her Labrador wouldnt harm it, but instinct sent her rushing forward
And then the world flipped. Her foot caught on a hidden stone with a sickening *crack*. White-hot pain shot up her leg. She hit the ground with a gasp, vision swimming. *”Oh no not now”* She tried to lift her head, but her leg lay at a grotesque angle. *”Barney, look what youve done”* The kitten had vanished. Barney licked her cheek oncethen tore away into the bushes.
Fear clamped around her throat. Pain. Helplessness. Thoughts of work, of Barney, of being aloneall tangled into a suffocating knot. She tried to push up, but her arms buckled. Tears spilled freely.
Meanwhile, Barney raced down the path like a mad thing. He found who he was looking fora tall, athletic man he saw most mornings. The Lab skidded to a halt before him and erupted into sharp, insistent barks.
*”Hey there, handsome!”* The man laughed, startled. *”Wheres your owner? Something wrong?”*
Barney barked again, spun, and bolted back, glancing over his shoulder to ensure the man followed. At the bushes, he stopped and howled.
The manThomasparted the branches and saw her. Valerie sat on the ground, pale, face twisted in pain, tears streaking her cheeks.
*”Morning though I see yours hasnt been great,”* he said, kneeling beside her. *”What happened? Your four-legged mate here sounded the alarm. Brilliant dog.”*
Valerie gritted her teeth. *”My leg I think its broken. Cant move it.”*
*”Right. Ambulance first.”* His calm, steady tone soothed her frayed nerves.
The paramedics arrived swiftly. *”Yep, thats a fracture. Hospital for X-rays and setting,”* one said.
*”Hospital?”* Her voice wavered. *”But BarneyI live alone. They wont let him in, will they?”*
*”Absolutely not,”* the medic confirmed.
Thomas didnt hesitate. *”Hand me the lead. Ill take him.”*
*”Butweve only just met! Im Valerie.”*
*”Thomas. Its no trouble. Lets swap numbers.”* He said it as easily as offering to carry her shopping.
While the medics lifted her onto the stretcher, she saw Barney whining, straining toward her, but Thomas held him firmly, murmuring reassurance.
The ambulance drove off. Thomas stood with the dog. *”Right, mate. Youre with me now.”*
Barney trotted beside him, head low, missing his owner already.
Thomas owned an auto repair shop. Nearly a year divorcedhis wife had left him for a younger man. His father, ever wise, had insisted the business stay in his name. *”Lifes unpredictable, son. Trust me.”* Now, Thomas thanked him daily. The divorce had been clean but left him wary.
That evening, his phone rang. *”Thomas? Its Dr. Harris from St. Marys. Your friends stable, but its a complex fracture. Shell need time.”*
*”Do breaks come any other way?”* Thomas joked.
*”Plenty!”* The doctor laughed. *”You can visit soon. Shell need follow-ups.”*
Valerie lay in the ward, leg in plaster. The pain had dulled, but loneliness ached worse. She thought of Barney, of burdening a stranger. Then Thomas walked in, arms laden with fruit, juice, flowers.
*”Hey. Why the long face?”* He set the gifts down.
*”Im so sorry for this and Barney I dont even know how to thank you.”*
*”Stop that.”* He smiled. *”Barney says hi. Hes behaved impeccably. Misses you, though. Hurry up and healwere bored without you.”*
He joked, told silly stories, and before she knew it, Valerie laughed. Thomas noticed. Noticed how her smile lit the room.
A week later, discharged, she called him. *”Thomas, could you? Ive got crutches, I can manage a taxi”*
*”Already on my way,”With Barney nestled between them, tail thumping contentedly, Valerie finally understood that sometimes the hardest falls lead to the softest landings.
