Chapter 12 #2
Emotion clogged my throat. Bobbi was offering me friendship.
Well, I thought that’s what she was doing.
The one thing I’d craved most growing up was to have a companion.
And Bobbi was neurodiverse like I was. I glanced to the phone.
How hard would it be to find a note app to write thank you?
Whatever magic Eric had, struck again, and as if he’d read my mind, he leaned in and whispered into my ear.
“If you don’t want to use the phone right now, you could use ASL. To sign thank you, you put your hand flat, palm toward you, touch your fingertips to your chin then sweep your hand down and away from you.”
Looking over at Bobbi, I did as Eric instructed, hoping I got it right. When Bobbi broke out into a grin, relief she’d understood had me smiling back.
“You’re welcome, Calla. Seriously, any time I’m here for you.”
Then she turned on Master Cord’s lap and started rummaging through the pile of stuff she’d brought with her.
“We grabbed some other stuff for you, for when you don’t want to use all the tech stuff.”
I cocked my head at all the different things on the table. Surely it wasn’t all stuff for me?
“Ah ha, got it.”
She thrust a notepad the likes of which I’d never seen before toward me and in a daze I took the sparkling purple thing from her.
Holding it up, I tilted it at different angles under the overhead lights trying to work out why it had bright purple sequins all over the front.
When the light caught on the edge, I noticed a different color.
Turning it further, I confirmed there seemed to be a dark pink on the underside of the sequins.
When Sadie stood from Master Derek’s lap, I shifted around so I was facing forward.
Eric’s hands moved with me, loosely holding my waist to keep me steady.
Sadie was nearly vibrating with excitement as she spoke.
“If you push the sequins up, they flip over to reveal a different color. You can make patterns and stuff, I have a couple of cushions in my playroom at the Big House with them. They’re so much fun!
And if you have the notepad with you all the time, you’ll have something fun to do if you get bored. ”
Sadie’s enthusiastic energy was contagious and I found myself grinning, excited to see if Sadie was right.
Running my fingers up the cover, the sequins easily flipped over to reveal more of the dark pink I’d seen before.
Sadie was right, this was fun. I got lost making patterns with the two colors until Eric leaned in to whisper in my ear again.
“Sweet girl, come back to us. Your new friends have a question for you.”
With a jerk, I dropped the notepad to the table, folding my hands over the top of it before, with burning cheeks, I looked up to see Sadie sitting back on Master Derek’s lap, giggling.
“Addictive isn’t it? I think I spent like an hour playing with the cushions when I first got them. So soothing.”
With an awkward nod, I slid a palm down the cover, smoothing them all out to purple before I returned my hands to holding Kimori, still in my lap. Bobbi leaned over and set a pen down next to the notepad, it was also purple, just without the sequins.
“So now you have a way to answer us. Your dragon stuffy is epic! Where did you find her? And what’s her name?”
Flipping open the cover of the notepad, I picked up the pen and started writing.
Her name is Kimori. Japanese for dragon protector.
I made her.
When I’d finished, I turned the page to face Bobbi, hoping she didn’t think I was weird for having made my own stuffy. Her eyes flicked over the page before they widened and her mouth dropped open. I dropped my gaze from hers when she looked my way.
“No way. You made Kimori? Crocheted all those little bits and put her together? That’s some crazy talent right there.”
I nodded, a lightness settling in my chest at her praise. Eric’s fingers tightened over my hips for a moment as he spoke.
“Wait till you hear about how clever Calla got with Kimori’s treasure.”
Instead of trying to explain in writing, I lifted Kimori to sit on the table, facing out, then pressed the crocheted area over her bag of treasure down so it was obvious there was something harder than normal stuffing underneath.
Sadie leaned forward, Master Derek only just catching her before she toppled off his lap, her eyes wide, “Holy smokes! You put her treasure inside her? That’s brilliant!
She’ll never be without her hoard and always know exactly where it is.
It’s the perfect hiding spot! Do you think you could make me a dragon?
I mean not exactly the same as Kimori, she’s her own dragon and I wouldn’t dream of insulting her by requesting we clone her. But a sister maybe?”
Nodding, excitement thrummed through me until I remembered that Jack had thrown out all my crochet hooks, all my yarn, stitch markers… everything I used to create things with, he’d tossed. Tears pricked the backs of my eyes, I couldn’t do it, no matter how much I wanted to.
It had been around my thirteenth birthday when Dad had brought home a box of random craft supplies for me.
Everything had been second hand, but I hadn’t cared.
To me, those half empty tubes of paint and poorly cleaned paint brushes that someone had probably thrown out, had been precious.
I’d spent weeks painting flowers and patterns on the walls of my attic room.
It had only been after I’d used all the art stuff, that I’d pulled out the bag of yarn and discovered the dog eared Teach Yourself To Crochet magazine and a handful of crochet hooks.
Following the instructions in the magazine I’d quickly mastered the basics, and by the time I’d started crocheting actual things I could use, I was completely hooked.
There was something about the process of turning yarn into objects that was not only soothing but satisfying as well.
I’d felt useful, and happy to have finally found something I was good at.
The first thing I’d made was a small afghan from granny squares.
Then I’d made some other things from the magazine, like coasters, hand towels and potholders.
I’d also made stuff like hair-ties and headbands, but I’d hoped if I made things that Dad would find useful, he’d buy me more yarn.
More patterns. I’d been right, not only did the items I made last longer with how rough Dad was with things around the house, but it also kept me busy and out of the way.
Whenever my yarn stash would get close to running out, he’d come home the next day with more.
It had been at Pieces to Peace where Donna, one of the ladies who came in to do crafts with us, had shown me how to search online for free patterns and I’d spotted one for a dragon.
It had been Donna who’d helped me print off the pattern, who’d worked out what colors I wanted and had bought the yarn for me.
She’d taught me the stitches I hadn’t known.
I’d give anything to have all my things back, to be able to crochet more things.
I’d loved making Kimori and would love to make more stuffies.
That Sadie loved Kimori enough to want one similar?
It had my mind racing with dreams of a future where I could maybe have a small shop and sell what I made.
Perhaps even complete the business management degree I’d seen on the list of courses offered at Rawhide University.
If only Jack hadn’t thrown out everything, stealing my future from me again. Grabbing the notepad, my heart ached as I wrote with a trembling hand.
I would love to but I can’t.
I don’t have supplies.
Not anymore.
Eric had leaned forward, his arms wrapping around my middle, his hold tightening on me the more I wrote. After I turned the notepad to face Sadie, Eric shifted me back to being sideways on his lap with a growl that had me holding my breath, unsure what was wrong.
“He threw out your crochet things? Your stepfather seriously tossed out your craft supplies?”
Relaxing now I understood he was angry at Jack and not me, I nodded and reached for the notepad again.
First day: Crochet things. ADHD meds. Phone.
“That bastard.”
Master Cord’s low voice held ice that I was glad wasn’t directed my way.
Eric trembled beneath me. Tossing the notepad onto the table near where Kimori still sat, I cupped Eric’s face between my palms, tilting his head down before dropping one hand to his shoulder so I could press my cheek against his.
Closing my eyes, I just breathed with him, hoping he found the same solace in me as I did in him.
While I appreciated that he clearly didn’t agree with Jack’s actions, there was no need for him to get this angry over it.
I knew better than most that the past was set in stone and there was no changing it.
Sadie whispered, but I still heard her clearly.
“Starting to wonder who is gonna end up helping who more.”
“Sadie, love, that’s the beauty of Rawhide magic. It knows exactly what people need and provides it. There’s no more or less, only the perfect amount for everyone.”
So maybe it wasn’t Eric that was magic, but the Ranch. He turned his face a fraction and brushed a kiss to my cheek, making me shiver as heat fired through me, and confirmed that it was Eric who held magic.
Pulling away, I kept my gaze on Eric’s lips, not ready to face the others yet.
“Calla, we’ll make it right. We’ll fix everything he screwed up for you.
I’ll take you this afternoon to see Quincy Nelson, he’s the primary doctor for the Ranch.
Dr. Nelson can call Dr. Stringer and we can work out what you were taking and if we need to adjust it.
You’ve got your new phone, and we’re getting a tablet and laptop sorted for you as well.
Then tomorrow, I’ll take you shopping. I will find the biggest craft store in Montana and take you there to buy all the supplies you could want. ”
My breath caught as I tried to process that he was offering me everything I could need.
“That’s why we were so excited when we arrived, Calla. We’ve got all the cases and stuff for your tech. Eric told us you liked purple, so we went hunting for the coolest purple stuff we could find. We’ve also gotten a room over in the university dorms set up for you.”
Sadie stopped talking when I spun on Eric’s lap to look at her, panic rising. They were putting me into a dorm room? I couldn’t stay in the princess room I’d slept in last night? With Eric next door.
Sadie’s expression softened. “We’re not forcing you to take it or move in right now.
Just, well, no one wants to live in a resort room long term.
And Daddy mentioned you were looking through the courses to decide what you wanted to do, so it makes sense for you to live in the dorms. At least to start with.
And the dorms are super nice. We can go check them out later once you finish with Dr. Nelson.
You’ll have a bedroom all to yourself and share a common area with a few other students.
There’s currently only three others where I’ve got you set up. ”
While I understood everything Sadie just said, added to all that Eric had told me just prior, my mind spun into chaos, all the different threads trying to grab my focus.
I considered signing yellow or red even, so Eric would take me to the calm of the sensory room where I’d be able to retreat from the world and process everything.
But I didn’t want to end this experience just yet.
I’d never had friends before. Never had people so willing, excited even, to help me achieve my dreams. Ones that I’d been sure were destined to stay out of my reach until today.