She was asleep before Dot returned with the water.
Chapter Fifteen
Lu only got up once in the middle of the night. She drank the glass of water and took the aspirin Dot had left by the bed, then groped her way to the bathroom, eyes shut, and ran hot water into the bath. It took her a couple tries to get out of her clothes. I hissed when I saw the bruises down her arms and legs.
Some of those bruises were huge and swollen, others were fingerprint size, as if ghostly fingers had been pressing from beneath her flesh, trying to scrabble a way out from under her skin.
I sat with her while she lingered, eyes still closed, lights off, in the water, bunching up so it covered her chest to her chin but left her knees poking out of the water like two islands in a sea.
“I’m okay,” she whispered. “Just tired. I’m okay.”
“Yeah, you are,” I said, from where I had lowered myself onto the floor so that I was sitting next to her, but opposite, my feet toward her head, her feet toward mine. “Just rest. Just rest, love.”
She waved one hand through the water, her palm tipping up for a second. I would have taken it, but she shifted, crossing her arms over her ribs. Her breathing evened out as she slept.
I watched to make sure she didn’t slip down and drown, and after about a half hour, I was sure the water had cooled off, so I woke her gently, by calling her name and touching her cheek until she stirred.
She toweled off and, wrapping the towel around her, found her way back to the bed, tucking under the covers before falling asleep again.
“You are so going to regret not brushing your hair before you fell asleep,” I told her.
She didn’t stir.
I needed to check on Lorde, because I’d promised, and because I was worried about her, too, but I didn’t want to leave Lu behind.
“I have to go check on Lorde, love,” I said.
“I can watch after her,” Stella said. I’d forgotten she was in the chair still. “If anything happens, I can come get you.”
I didn’t want anyone looking after her but me, and certainly not the person who had been a big part of why Lu was hurting, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I nodded tightly. “I’ll be at the vet’s. In the back. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I moved, not waiting for her to reply, because I was still angry at her, even though that anger was unjust.
The world was a blur, empty to me, unreal, and then I stood in the vet’s office in front of Lorde’s kennel.
Leon was sleeping on the cot opposite the kennels, on his side facing them. Lorde was the only animal there tonight, and she lifted her head the moment I arrived.
“There you are, pretty girl.” I crouched and pushed my hand through the bars so I could pet her head. “How are you feeling?”
She wagged her tail, and her mouth opened, showing that ridiculous black-tongue smile of hers.
“Lu’s doing fine. I’m doing fine too. We’ll be here in the morning to pick you up.”
She made as if to move, but I scratched under her chin. “Stay,” I said. “Stay here. We’ll see you in a couple hours.”
I shifted my hand again to scratch behind her ears, then stroked her back, careful of the bandaging wrapping her leg. She finally settled back down, laying her head on her front paw, her eyes trained on me, slowly, slowly closing.
When I finally stood and stretched the stiffness out of my back, she was snoring softly.
I checked on Leon, who hadn’t stirred, then I returned to Lu’s side.
“She’s been asleep this whole time,” Stella said, as she continued with her knitting. “Dot peeked in once and put more aspirin and water by the bed.”
I grunted in acknowledgment. Even though I didn’t sleep, I was exhausted. So I settled into bed next to Lu and closed my eyes, letting the soothing clacking of ghostly knitting needles tick away the time.
* * *
“Really?” Lu grumbled. “You let me sleep on wet hair?” She tugged the brush, trying to get it through her tangled red curls. “You promised you’d never let me do this to myself.”
