Chapter 4 #3
“Hey, freeloader, you hungry?” he called as he approached the raccoon’s living space they’d built on the side of the garage. Trevor’s masked face poked out of the enclosure, whiskers twitching and eyes bright. “I thought so. This is going on your tab, you know.”
While Trevor ate, Cody pulled the gas grill from the garage and lit it, then went inside to grab the chops. Demmy pulled in the driveway as Cody was removing the chops from the grill.
“Perfect timing,” Cody called. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Smells good.”
Demmy put an arm around Cody’s waist and leaned against him. Cody leaned down to kiss the top of his head.
“Long day?” Cody asked, one arm around Demmy as he switched off the burners.
“Yeah. And not seeing you all day made it feel twice as long.”
Cody kissed the top of his head again. “Saying things like that makes me think you like spending time with me.”
“It does? Dang, I need to watch what I say.”
Demmy stepped away to talk to Trevor but returned to help Cody carry things inside. They washed up at the kitchen sink and sat at the dining room table. The pork chops were moist and tender, and Cody made a mental note to thank Paul for the brine recipe.
After they’d each taken a few bites, Cody leaned back. He toyed with his fork, running the pad of his thumb along the handle. The overhead light sparked along the tines.
“You okay?” Demmy asked.
Cody looked at him, noted the worry lines in his forehead.
“I’m okay.”
“Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ in there.”
Cody shook his head but felt the small grin. “You know me too well.”
“That goes for both of us,” Demmy said. “Come on, what’s up?”
“I took Jugs to his appointment at Memorial today.”
“Yeah, right. How’d it go? Did Zenona release him from his neck brace prison?”
“She did. He said something about naked Candyland with Aggie.”
Demmy scrunched up his face. “How would that even work?”
“The less we know, the better.”
“Agreed. So, how was Zenona?”
“She was good. Like, really good.”
“What’s that mean?”
“I mean, she looks better these days. Still looking a bit rundown, but her hair’s fuller or something, and there’s, I don’t know, a glow to her.”
“Yeah? I haven’t really seen her much. Sounds like she’s pulling out of her grief over losing Michael.”
“It seems that way.” Cody picked up his fork and waggled it a few times.
“Hey, come on. Talk to me.”
He put the fork down, pushed his plate forward and leaned on the table. “It feels kind of wrong to talk about it.”
“Oh? Is it a secret someone told you?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s…a feeling.”
“A feeling you’re having for Zenona?”
Cody extended a hand, palm facing up, and Demmy reached out to take it. “Not like that. You’re stuck with me. Forever.”
Demmy’s face relaxed, the skin around his eyes softening. “I like hearing that. What’s your feeling?”
Cody explained about the woman receiving the blood and the two people in the waiting area.
“What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know, really. But…the blood transfusion and the worn out and tired people all made me think about last Halloween.”
“Vampires?” Demmy whispered. “You think they might have been attacked by a vampire?”
“That’s what’s bugging me. They weren’t acting like they’d been attacked. No fear, no panic or police involvement I could see. It was like they had a virus and were paying a visit to the ED.”
“That is weird. Did Zenona say anything about it?”
“Nope.” He shrugged. “She falls back on HIPAA a lot, so I get it, but…”
“But it’s kind of strange,” Demmy finished for him.
“Yeah. I mean, something’s going on around town, I am more sure of that than ever.
But Zenona definitely didn’t want me to pay much attention to the woman getting blood.
” He released Demmy and clasped his hands tight before him.
“I caught a glimpse, but that was enough, you know? The blood looked so dark and red and…thick.”
Demmy stood and walked around the table, standing behind Cody’s chair. He put his arms around him and rested his chin on Cody’s shoulder. “Tell me about it. What happened?”
Cody held on to his forearms and tipped his head slightly to rest against Demmy’s.
“It wasn’t too bad. Jugs called me out on it, so I talked with him a bit.
When I saw the bag of blood, I was right back in the DPW basement, you know?
I could practically feel the damp and smell the concrete and dust. I could feel…
” His throat tightened around the words. He swallowed hard.
Demmy held him tighter. He kissed the side of his head. “You’re okay. We’re both okay. That’s all over and we’re here and we’re healthy.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just sometimes, all of a sudden, it feels like I’m still in it.”
“I know. That’s when you need to do your grounding work, right? And talk with me, that’s what I’m here for.”
“You know that works both ways, right?”
Demmy kissed the side of his head of his head again. “I know. I love you.”
Cody smiled and closed his eyes. “I love you, too.”
Sitting in the chair beside him, Demmy took one of Cody’s hands in both of his, holding tight. “What do you think we should do?”
Cody put his head against the chair and rolled it so he could look at Demmy. “I think we need to have a talk with Zenona.”