CHAPTER 103
DAKOTA
The next morning, we return to the fort, our “car” carried along by Murr.
I have the bag full of cattle medicine with me, along with the book Aggie had found on raising livestock.
I’m tense the entire flight back to Fort Dallas, because I’m worried we somehow haven’t done enough.
That these drugs won’t work. That we’ll never be able to find the cattle again.
That Dottie will refuse it all and blame me for dragging her to a place she didn’t want to be.
“Quit fidgeting,” Aggie says to me as we descend for the landing, Murr flying over the barrier wall of the fort. “You’re making me nervous.”
I clasp my hands around the pack in my arms, locking my fingers to keep from twitching. “I just want everything to go well.”
“It will or it won’t. Twiddling your thumbs and making me crazy isn’t going to solve anything.” Her words are harsh, but she reaches over and puts her hand on my wrist. “You’ve done what you can. We’ll try this, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.”
“Thanks, Aggie.” I give her a weary smile.
She pats my arm. “Don’t thank me. You know if Jonah’s going to have one of the puppies, he’s going to need to come and visit several times to see which dog he has a feel for.
That means Thess and probably Samir, too, if he can steal away from the fort long enough.
You’re not going to be done with fort people even when you’re done with the fort, I’m sad to say. ”
The thought of visitors doesn’t bother me. I suspect if Rabbit’s crush has grown over the last day or two, we’re going to be seeing a lot of Jonah.
Rabbit. My daughter. I get all tense again. Did she miss me? Was she scared being parted from me? God, I hope she wasn’t scared. I chew on my lip, worried. Did anyone at the fort harass her?
Calm down, I remind myself. Or maybe it’s Murr trying to subtly influence me. Either way, I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I relax, just in time for the car to land on the ground with a gentle thump.
We exit the car and gather our things, and I notice we’re not too far from Jonah and Samir’s house.
We’ve been set down in a smaller clearing between houses, most of the trash and debris pushed to the sides.
I automatically take my cape off and hold it out for Murr, and when he shifts, he dresses quickly.
There are people watching us from their doorways, but their expressions seem more friendly than wary.
Aggie waves at everyone as we troop over to Jonah and Samir’s house and knock on the metal door.
Rabbit answers the door. She looks beautiful, her thick hair drawn into two tails over her shoulders, and she’s wearing her favorite hoodie.
I burst into tears and wrap my arms around her.
“Jeez, Mom,” Rabbit says, awkwardly patting my back. “I’m fine. I’m not the one that’s sick.”
“Yes, but you’re my baby,” I say between sniffles. I hug her again before letting her go. “How was it? Are you okay? Was everyone nice to you? Did anyone give you grief?”
She rolls her eyes and looks so much like a teenager that I want to cry all over again. “Everything was fine. I’ve been hanging out with Jonah and Dottie. Come on in.”
We enter the tiny dwelling, and the stuffiness of it hits me again.
The interior feels crowded, especially now that a full-sized hospital bed has been moved in for Dottie.
The head of it is propped up and she has another IV of clear liquid attached to her arm.
Her eyes are closed, her head resting on her pillow, and she looks wan and tired.
Jonah is seated farther back at the dining table, and there are two cups of tea in front of the chairs, as if Jonah and Rabbit were having some cozy time before we interrupted.
“Dottie’s sleeping,” Rabbit says in a low voice.
“Dottie’s not,” Dottie says, opening her eyes. She gives us a smug look. “Dottie just doesn’t feel like talking to people today.”
Aggie bustles forward to her friend’s side, her cane thumping on the rug-covered floor as she moves. “You look like shit. Where’s the doctor?”
“Busy helping someone have a baby,” Jonah says. “He’ll be back soon enough.”
“Did you find antibiotics?” Dottie asks. Rabbit skirts around her bed, touching the older woman’s arm before squeezing her way past to sit with Jonah again. Murr and I remain near the entrance, mostly because there’s not much more room to move around.
Aggie puts a hand on Dottie’s forehead and frowns at the heat.
“We did, but they’re for cattle,” she says, glancing back at me.
“Ain’t been tested on humans. But they’re just as expired as anything else the fort would have, so we figure it’s a crapshoot any way you look at it.
I know you don’t wanna be here, but you can’t go home sick, either.
Figured we can ask the doctor if the livestock drugs are all right, and if he says yes, how do you feel about being a cow for a day? ”
“Moo,” Dottie says, managing a smile.