“We’re back.”
“Oh, and Brian’s here. Yay.”
“How are you feeling this morning?”
“Ready to go home?” Cait’s mother charged to her side. “I’ll take good care of you. Fuss over you and you’ll be as good as new.”
“I got you flowers,” Grady said. “Nothing but the best for my big sister.”
“We’ll bring you a casserole from the station for a change,” Connor said, giving Brian a wink, since Brian did most of the cooking at the firehouse. “Give you a rest from cooking.”
“When we get home, we can look over wedding invitations and stationery,” Jenna said. “I love your idea for the hearts, flowers, and arrows motif.”
“And you can still be in charge of my New Year’s Eve wedding,” Melisa said. “In fact, I’ll follow all your suggestions.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Jenna snorted. “You ready for the open bar at the stroke of midnight?”
“Of course, I trust Cait to put on the most memorable shindig. Don’t you?” Melisa hooked an arm around Cait’s shoulder. “It’ll be fun, and I want Cait to feel useful.”
“We can all hang out and play cards,” Dale, their youngest brother, said. “I know a bunch of good games. hand and foot, thirteen, hearts, and spades.”
“Stop! All of you.” Cait shouted, putting her hands in a timeout position. “I have a concussion and all of you are giving me a headache.”
“Oh, that’s right, she has to rest,” Mother said. “In a darkened room with no stimulation. Is it true I have to wake you up every two to three hours?”
“I don’t need that anymore,” Cait said. “They monitored me last night and took a CAT scan. I’m all clear to go home, except I don’t want to go home.”
She stared from one family member to the next.
“Where are you going if not home?” Her father asked, raising his eyebrows.
“I want to stay with Brian at the cabin with the two dogs I found.”
“But, Brian has work the next few days. He can’t take care of you,” Mother said.
“I can take vacation,” Brian said. “If it’s okay with you, Connor.”
“Of course it is,” Connor said. “Are you sure Cait will have everything she needs at the cabin?”
“There’s no internet,” Grady said. “No television, no phone, Cait will be bored.”
“Hello. I’m recovering from a concussion.” Cait waved her hand. “I’m not supposed to be on the computer or watching TV. The cabin will be quiet, and I can take long walks and get plenty of sleep.”
“You sure you’ll be okay?” Her mother rubbed her shoulder.
“You won’t even have a phone to call for help,” Cait’s father said.
“Mom, Dad. Brian’s going to be with me, and I’ll be just fine.”
