Maybe I should speak to the Townsends and get their take on it? More eyes made for a safer Ari.
The conversation was now a full-blown argument about who was wearing what, so I leaned against the counter and snickered at the insults flying around. I had no idea why Elijah was so sure he had more of a ‘fall coloring,’ or even what that was, or why Tate insisted on spring, but it was funny as hell to witness.
Seeing Jerome back away slowly, doing his best not to get the women’s attention, I started to make my way toward him to speak about my suspicions, but of course my phone started going crazy in my pocket.
I knew by the tone it was work, but when I saw the text from the ER’s coordinator for the day telling me there’d been a four car accident not far from where I was, I groaned. We had paramedics on their way, but it said if I was close to the scene, I was to help out and then come into the hospital. The hospital was trialing a new system—there was a duty coordinator in the ER, a doctor, who would text out requests and updates to staff when things happened. There was a big boss above them, obviously, but with terrorism, viruses, and an increase in injuries, they were hoping this would help keep the ER running smoothly. Sometimes being good friends with Chris was great, other times—like when he knew where I was and how close I was to an accident like this—it made life that bit more complicated.
Moving quickly to where Ari was standing watching me, I pulled her in for a hug. “There’s been an accident not far from here, baby. I need to go.”
Pulling back, she watched me carefully. “Okay, but you stay safe. Don’t go turning over any burning cars or trailers.”
“I keep saying this, but it bears mentioning again—you’re great for my ego,” I snickered. “I don’t know any doctor who’d do that.”
Gifting me one of her soft but intense smiles, she raised up and gave me another kiss. “I’ll see you later?”
Like that was even a question. We’d spent every night together since that first night, and even though she’d told me I didn’t have to and that she was worried about me burning out on her, I couldn’t not be near her. I wasn’t going to burn out, she gave me too much oxygen for that.
Throwing out a wave at everyone else, I jogged out to my vehicle and headed to the accident scene. Halfway there, I broke the law by picking up my phone and dictating a message to Ari on it to go and collect her computer stuff from ‘storage’. I don’t know if it picked up what I’d said properly, but I hit send anyway, not wanting to risk wrecking my own car.
ArianaParker: Don forget to get you’re com poo ter shit, baby. Kiss kiss.
“Fuck me, I thought doctors knew how to spell,” Sadie muttered as I showed her the text I’d gotten from him. “Then again, with the way medications are spelled, it’s no wonder he has issues. I was on something called Mefenamic Acid when I was a teenager, and when I had to tell my teacher at school that I needed to take it, I didn’t have a clue how to pronounce it.”
Putting my phone back in my back pocket, I watched her as she fed a carrot stick to Gaynor. If she moved it away while she was chewing, Gaynor would do her ‘will survive’ bleat to get it back.
“What did you do in the end?”
Shrugging, she gave the last bit of the vegetable to the goat and then dusted her hands. “I just said I had period pains and needed to take the painkillers before I killed someone.”
Bursting out laughing, I moved over to the steps on the porch and watched the dogs chasing after the goats. To say I was relieved they were all getting along was an understatement. I guess I wanted to give them all a home where they’d all be loved equally, have fun, and be appreciated for the rest of their lives.
When I looked at small animals, I thought about them getting picked on or knocked over or maybe even overbred just for the money their babies would bring in, so I was trying to help some not live that life. When I thought about it like that, it sounded maternal and kind of freaked me out.
“Hey, Sadie, do you want kids?”
Sitting down heavily beside me, she moved all her weight onto one cheek and rubbed the one that’d taken the brunt of it. “Um, I guess at some point, but I don’t know if it’ll ever happen.”
Oh, shit, what if she couldn’t have kids, and I’d just asked that fucking question?