34
T his is fulfilling almost all my nurse fantasies,” Leo jokes when I bring him some bread and milk to go with his peanut butter for breakfast. “Are you actually a fever dream?”
I laugh and throw one of Tilly’s plush toys at him. “Behave. We’ll be having no sponge baths today.”
“Aw,” he whines. “Not even if I say please?”
“Even then. But it’s good to see you’re feeling a little better.” My face is threatening to change color, so I busy myself pouring him a glass of milk and then putting the carton back in the fridge. Should I bring up our online exchange at all? I’m desperate to know what things he was worried he had ruined.
“I slept like a rock thanks to a full belly last night,” he says, and the moment passes.
“You should still take it easy today. Jaz has things covered.”
He wrinkles his nose at me and cocks his head. “Did you really place her as a spy in my store?”
I lick a dab of peanut butter off my finger. “I had nothing to do with it. And even if I did, you should know she’s about as cunning as a… um… whatever is the opposite of a fox. Here you go.” I set a plate down in front of him.
“Thank you. Will you keep me company?”
I look at the time. I have a few minutes before I have to get the store ready to open, so I take a seat at the table.
He munches in silence, occasionally pausing to have a sip of milk. His complexion is not as pallid today, and there’s life back in his eyes.
“Think you’ll be able to train this weekend?” I ask.
“I have to or Tilly will lose everything she’s learned so far. Saturday probably, if that works for you. Maybe Sunday, too.”
“What’s her talent going to be? In the show?”
“I can’t tell you that.” He says it so matter-of-factly.
“Oh, really? Are you getting scared because I’m three-for-three so far?”
“Queen of Halloween was one. And the karaoke forfeit. What’s the third?” He wipes crumbs off his fingers with a napkin.
“The tunnel runs.”
“No, hold up. We never finished the tunnel runs because of Boris.”
“Cap had the most runs. That means I won, and you… what was that word again?” I finger-gun him. “Lost.”
His eyes narrow. “Fine. I’ll make my comeback when it counts.”
“Or not.”
He suppresses a laugh that threatens to turn into a coughing fit, so I go to fill up his glass with water.
“You’re pretty full of yourself this morning,” he says between gulps. “Feeling emboldened by my measly state?” He wipes his mouth. “I guess we’ll see what happens.”
I smirk. “I guess we will.”
I pick Micki up after work. She’s coming with me to see Harvey, and she’s not the only one. Cholula is snoozing in the back seat because I have a plan. Every time I’ve talked to Pop the past two weeks, he has asked about the dogs over and over. It’s not that he doesn’t think I’m capable of caring for them, but he’s used to them being around. Dogs fill your space with a certain kind of energy that combats loneliness like no other, and without it, there’s only empty space.
“You’re going to smuggle her in?” Micki asks when I tell her as much. “Isn’t that against the rules?”
“Oh, most definitely.”
Micki laughs. “Got to say, I’m kind of liking this side of you.”
When we park at Dalebrook, I tell Cholula to get into the large canvas tote bag I brought and then I hoist the handles of it onto one shoulder. “Be a good girl,” I tell her. “No barking.”
Micki shakes her head. “This will never work. She’s going to give us away.”
There’s a sign on the front door banning dogs from the premises unless they’re licensed guide dogs, but that doesn’t stop me. “Walk on my right so you cover the bag,” I whisper to Micki as we hurry past the front desk.
Halfway through the lobby, the receptionist calls out, “Excuse me.”
We stop short. Shit.
“You forgot to sign in.” The receptionist smiles. “Who’re you seeing today?”
We step up to the counter, me clutching the top of the bag closed with my elbow, willing Cho to stay still. “Harvey Morton,” I say as casually as I can. “Do you mind signing?” I ask Micki. “On account of my, um, wrist.”
“Oh, of course.” She springs into action, scribbling our names on a list.
Cholula isn’t liking the dark, it seems. The bag wriggles against my hip.
“Thanks.” The receptionist takes the clipboard from him. “Have a great visit.”
I set a faster pace than is probably inconspicuous down the hall while trying my best to shield the bag from view. It works. We reach Harvey’s room without incident.
“I thought for sure she knew,” I pant. “Okay, come on out, girl.” As soon as I open the bag, Cholula’s head pops out like a jack-in-the-box.
“Cora,” Harvey exclaims from his bed. He puts his book away on the side table. “And Michaela!”
“And a special visitor today.” I bring Cholula to the bed.
“No…” Harvey’s astonishment is priceless as Cholula attacks him with kisses. “Aww. Hello, my friend.” He laughs. “Yes, I’ve missed you, too. Aww. Yes, we’re so excited.”
Micki leans closer to me and says under her breath, “Okay, this reunion definitely makes the sneaking around worth it.”
“I thought she’d break up the monotony,” I say. “How are you doing?”
We chat for a bit about his rehab, the store, Halloween, and who didn’t get a rose on The Bachelor .
“They say I might be able to come home early December,” Harvey says. “I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed.”
Micki has been standing guard near the door, but now she looks at me as if she senses the flicker of concern Pop’s words have triggered. It means my window to prove myself is running out.
I put on a brave face. “You’ve had enough of being waited upon already? There are no bells to ring at home. No cute nurses to chat up.”
He waves me off. “I’m aging twice as fast in here. Don’t get me wrong, everyone’s fantastic, but a man wants his own.”
Micki cranes her neck toward the doorway. “Cora, someone’s coming. Maybe put Cholula away in case.”
“Yes, yes,” Harvey says, getting in a few last pets.
“Hurry,” Micki whispers, as footsteps approach.
Cholula gets in the bag at the same time the door opens.
“Well, good morning, gentlemen,” a stout, silver-haired nurse says. “And visitors. You must be Harvey’s granddaughter,” she says to me. “He talks about you all the time.”
“Morning,” I say, moving away from the bed, closer to Micki.
“How was physical therapy?” the nurse asks Harvey.
“Excellent as always.” He sits with his hands properly in his lap, but every so often he glances at my bag. Like Jaz, he’d make a terrible spy.
“Now let’s get you comfortable,” the nurse says to Charles in the bed next to Harvey. The man is awake this time but hasn’t said a word so far. “Is your sister coming in later?”
Charles doesn’t respond, but Harvey perks up. “Not until one. Sylvia’s getting a new washing machine delivered between ten and noon.”
Micki and I look at each other. Harvey knows a lot about Sylvia.
“Dog.”
The sound startles all of us. It sounded like a honk, and it takes me a moment to realize it came from Charles.
“You’re talking!” Harvey exclaims. He turns to us. “He hasn’t spoken since his stroke, and now Sylvia missed it.”
That’s exciting and all, but did Pop not notice what word was said?
“Dog,” Charles says again.
The nurse raises the back of his bed farther and takes his hand. “That’s very good, Charles. Do you miss your dog?”
Charles turns his head slowly to look at Harvey. “His dog.”
“Yes, Harvey has three dogs. What are their names again, Harvey?”
“Um… I have Boris, Cap, and—” Panic rises in Harvey’s eyes, and next to me, Micki is stiff as a board. My bag is moving.
“Dog,” Charles says in a louder voice.
“And Cholula,” Harvey finishes.
As soon as her name is spoken, Cholula pokes her head out of the bag and lets out a happy bark.
The nurse spins, mouth round like an O. “What on earth?”
Charles sags back against his pillow, one corner of his mouth turning up.
The color on the nurse’s cheeks is darkening. “Harvey, is this your dog?”
“I wanted to cheer him up,” I say, stepping between them. “He didn’t know.”
The nurse huffs and puffs. “And it’s an awfully ugly little thing, too.”
Harvey’s features harden. “She can’t help how she looks any more than you or me.”
“Dog,” Charles mumbles.
“At least she made him speak,” I try.
The nurse whips around and looks from Cholula to me and Micki. “Be that as it may, we have rules here at Dalebrook. I’m going to finish in here. In the meantime, I suggest you take that dog outside.” She looks at her watch. “I will meet you in the lobby in ten minutes.”
Uh-oh. Called to the principal’s office again. Leo will get a kick out of this.
At least I wasn’t the one to get you in trouble today , he responds when I text him later.
This is true. I’m choosing to look at it like we helped Charles regain his speech. Not that he was especially appreciative.
I’m sure he’ll come around. Maybe Harvey ate one too many of his puddings or something.
I chuckle. That would do it. This was definitely a personal vendetta carried out with more determination than I’ve ever seen. At least I wasn’t banned from the premises this time.
Leo: Ouch.
Me: You know what I mean.
Leo: On that topic, I told Dianne and Dawn we’ll be there Saturday. Good with you?
I type my response but hesitate before I send it. Then I do it anyway. Can’t wait.