After Shirley left, she turned the phone ringer off. She pampered herself with a whole box of macaroni and cheese that she kept in the back of the cupboard for emergencies, followed by a generous serving of cherry swirl ice cream. She let Owen lick the bowls. Then she lay down to re-read Dick Francis' "To The Hilt". Just like Scarlet in "Gone With the Wind," she decided to think about it tomorrow. She fell into a restless sleep of car-chasing-her dreams.
Chapter 4
Someone was coming through the rain as she crawled through bloody grass, moaning. Worlds changed and Owen was barking his most piercing greeting. His tone turned to ecstasy yips, so she knew it was a friend. In fact, it was her best friend, Cass. And from Owen's point of view, the true leader of their small pack.
"Are you in pain, honey?" Cass said, sitting on the edge of her bed, looking handsome as ever in a blue starched shirt and faded soft jeans. He smelled of the Aspen cologne she'd sent him for his birthday.
"I was having a dramatic and exaggerated dream of last night's reality, or was that the night before. Anyway, I should thank you for interrupting, the bad guy was winning." Her head was soaked in sweat and she felt grungy.
"Easiest rescue of the week."
"Next rescue is guaranteed more challenging. I need a shower and I'm not supposed to get this cast wet or take the rib wrap off for another day or so. Any ideas?"
"Let's start with a shampoo. That will make you feel better."
First, Cass had to give a few minutes playtime to Owen, who adored him. Owen had both of his dog toys in the middle of the room, nudging them and hopping back in expectation. You would never guess that he would soon be ten years old. After the amenities were out of the way, Cass helped her lean over the kitchen sink where she had a sprayer hose. He gave her a lovely scalp massage and brought her the oatmeal soap from the bathroom for her face.
With her head wrapped in a soft green towel, her face shining and tight, she finally felt more like the girl that loved inside, the one that never aged; the girl with a loving mother who bathed her and put her into a clean nightie and tucked her into bed.
The sun had set and the color spread across the bit of sky she could see out her window. Cass was making them a bite of dinner. The phone rang.
Cass had moved the phone close to her so she answered it. It was Lt. Wilson. He hoped the hadn't wakened her but could he come by and go over the series of events in the morning, say 9:30AM? She agreed. Then she noticed there was a message on her answering machine. She pushed play.
"Mari, this is Jorge. I can't believe what happened, honey. Please take as much time as you need to get well. Put this whole thing behind you. We'll cover your duties. Give us a call when you feel well enough."
There was genuine caring in his voice that made tears come into her eyes. She'd never been able to handle sympathy. She did better with a 'buck up' kind of response.
Cass was working on the 'feed me' response. He had set up the card table complete with place settings and candles. He'd fixed from scratch hash browns and Western omelets.
"When time are rough, revert to breakfast," he said.
"Who are you quoting?"
"Myself. Who was on the phone?"
"Jorge, the zoo administrator. He told me to take whatever time I needed and get well."
"Good. Eat up, omelets are an ephemeral food."
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