Learning How to Bend

January 21

"We'll be in touch.  Plan on picking her up either before we close this evening or tomorrow."

"Thank you." Had I already said that?

"The vet tech at the front will take care of you."

I nodded and shook the man's hand when he offered it to me.  The vet had a firm grasp, which he tightened for the briefest of moments before he released.  Although he was not my normal veterinarian, he had agreed to see Chelise in a rush appointment, and for that, I would forever be grateful for him.  He seemed kind, from the sound of his voice.  Kind and confident.  He knew his stuff, and he presented it in a way which was easy for me to understand.  He escorted me out of the room and to the receptionist's desk, where I handed her my credit card when prompted. As soon as I finished with her, I exited the office.  I first called Joe, then Katherine, and finally, Thaddeus.  I spent the most time on the phone with him.

"How is she?" Thaddeus asked.

"She's going to be fine." I stifled a yawn.

"How are you?"

"Tired," I said honestly. "Chelise kept me up all night.  I'm sorry I'm running a little late to the office, but—"

"Go home and rest, Liliana."

"But I need to be there for the—"

"Go. Home." His tone left no room for argument.

I huffed dramatically into the phone's microphone, drawing out the word as I spoke. "Fine."

"If you're feeling better this afternoon, we can just do our meeting via a video call."

"Thank you for being so understanding."

"You're welcome."

"Would you be acting like this is I were anyone else?" I smiled.

"Probably not."

"So the notoriously apathetic Thaddeus Andino is letting his emotions impact his decisions?"

"With you?  It's impossible not to."

I smiled.

"Check in with me later," Thaddeus said.

"Of course, I will."

The phone call ended, and I put the phone into my purse pocket.  I did not always like to carry a purse, but it was easier to just lug everything around in a bag than stuff everything into my pockets when I did not have any.  It was far easier when I wore a jacket, but it was New York in July.  Wearing a jacket of any sort was asking for heatstroke.  I stood on the edge of the curb, feeling very naked without Chelise by my side.  There were people occasionally bumping into me from behind, but I was far enough away that they did not shove me into the street.  I thought for a few moments about calling Mike but changed my mind at the last minute and raised my hand to hail a cab instead.  The vet's office was not exactly close to Andino Incorporated, and I did not want to bother Mike to come all the way here.  By the time it took him to fight traffic to arrive here, I could already be home.

I heard a car drive up, and I clicked for the door to appear in front of me.  I opened the door and slid into the seat, immediately giving the driver my address.  Buckling my seatbelt, I settled in for the short drive to my apartment.  I had taken all the precautions with Mike's vehicle earlier before having him pick up Chelise and bodily put her in the backseat of the car, where I held her head in my lap, which was covered by a towel.  The seats had three layers of sheets on them, as well as the floor.  Chelise had made a mess of the car—and of me.  I smelled like all sorts of nasty things, and it took everything in me not to gag in the back of the taxi.

I needed to pay Mike for the cleaning of the vehicle.  Not only that, I desperately needed a shower and water.  And maybe food, as well, as my stomach was growling.  I had been so distracted by Chelise's illness, I did not even think of my hunger once.  Chelise was too much of a lifeline for me to lose her any time soon.  The dog brought me so much laughter and so much comfort, even in my worst of times.  Joe had brought her to the hospital after the whole situation with Marcus, and she had sat at my bedside the entire time.  One nurse—the nurse I had seen on Christmas Day, actually—had closed my room door so Chelise could jump up on my bed and cuddle beside my feet.  That had been the best day in the hospital, and I slept better that night than I did in ages.

I did not like to look back on those days after the incident, as they were some of the worst days of my life.  I remembered more than I wanted to, the pain medications doing little to inhibit my memory as I heard they did for many individuals.  The nightmares started even while I was hospitalized, and the staff had to give me sedatives at least twice, if not three or four times.  Joe and Katherine were there when they could be, but they both had to work.

I technically did, too, but I was completely out of commission for a time after my surgery...which reminded me that the medical leave definitely would have been listed in my employee file.  Sitting in the taxi, I could not remember how vague I had been regarding the reason for the sudden surgery.  The whole affair had been on the local news, although my name had been kept confidential.

Had Thaddeus been watching that day?

Had he researched me on the Internet as people could do for him?

He had connections and resources; did he know that the story had been about me?

I would have to ask him about it at some point, but not right now.  I was exhausted from caring for and worrying about my dog, and now that I had learned she was going be well once more, it was as though a million pounds of weight had been added to all my limbs.  All I could think of at the moment was going home to shower and sleep on the couch.  No way was I sleeping in my bed without the comforting warmth of a body beside me—that belonging to Chelise or Thaddeus.

Would he mind if I stayed at his place tonight, or he stayed with me?  I would have to ask him about that, too.  I should've asked him in our first phone call. Actually...

Thaddeus did not pick up his personal cell.  When the default voicemail message played, I rolled my eyes.  He would think it a waste of time to set a personalized one.  After a few moments, the telltale beep chimed, telling me I could leave my message.

"Hi, love"—Using the endearment caused a smile to spread across my face, despite my exhaustion—"I'm sorry to bother you, but this shouldn't take long.  With Chelise possibly remaining overnight at the vet...do you think I could stay with you tonight?  It's somewhat silly, I guess, but I haven't slept without someone—or something—in bed with me in...well, a long time.  I could stay with you or you with me, either way.  I could have talked with you about this later, but I wanted to do it before I forgot.  There's no rush to respond to this, so don't worry.  I'm on my way home now, and should be there within the next ten minutes or so.  I'll talk with—"

My driver yelled.

The tires screeched as the brakes desperately tried to stop the wheels.

The stench of burnt rubber blew into my nostrils.

Something slammed into our vehicle, my head bouncing against the hard glass panel which separated me from the front seat.  I also heard glass shattering as the windows practically exploded.

I was already fading into unconsciousness, so I felt little pain.  My last thought was how I was extremely lucky that Chelise was not in the vehicle with me.  I never suspected I would ever be thankful for her illness, but in that moment before I lost all semblance of understanding, I was relieved beyond explanation.  I would rather a hundred injuries happen to me than a single scratch to my golden retriever.

The darkness of my mind became too strong to combat by that point, and I blacked out.