This was around the time Chrissy ran outside, and with quite some effort, pulled the rabid animal off of him, sent Ford to call for help, had Brad take the young ones inside, then he came back out to help her. He got the trash can set up, she threw the damned thing into it, they trapped it in there and waited for help to arrive.
They all ended up with various degrees of injuries from this, and all needed to be checked out as a precaution. I guess, luckily, the little bit of Ford’s finger that got bit was recovered from the grass, and he’s going into surgery here shortly. The doctor assured us it’s a minor surgery, and kids are quite resilient, so he should be all normal again once it heals, but good luck convincing a mother that her kid who’s missing part of a digit isfine.
My wife is awreck, and no amount of reassurances was calming her down until I got here. I’ve got her and the youngest ones wrapped in my arms now, consoling her as best I can, pressing kisses to her temple while she comes down from the adrenaline.
Brad, Ford, and Chrissy all had to get a couple shots, make sure they didn’t get rabies, but I’m not so sure Chrissy didn’t get infected from that look in her eyes when I first saw her.
It’s not until hours later, once Ford is out of surgery, all three other kids have been inspected and given the A-OK from the doctor, and both sets of grandparents, her sister, and Ellie have all arrived that I can convince her to be examined more thoroughly herself.
Begrudgingly, she leaves the kids with the adults they’re closest to. Jenny offered to take Sir Wags to the emergency vet to make sure he’s okay, and Chrissy made the grandparents and Ellie swear up and down not to let anything happen to her children while she’s gone, so I can finally escort her to her own exam room.
Turns out, most of her cuts are from rolling around on the ground, wrestling the psychotic little beast. She did get a couple of bites though, and we’ve got to keep an eye on those to make sure they don’t get infected.
They clean her wounds, dress them, and finally leave us alone and give us some space to just fucking breathe for two seconds.
I sit down on the bed she’s propped up in and turn toward her with one leg up on the bed and one foot on the floor. My hand comes out to trace her cheek, brush some hair off of her face, so I can look her in the eye.
“You were amazing today, Di.”
Her eyes fill with tears. “They got hurt. Because of me. I wasn’t there and they all, all four of them, got hurt. Ford—how is he going to do all that science shit without a finger?”
I let her run away with the dramatics on that one for just a second before comforting her. “First of all, he didn’tlosea finger, and the doctor assured us he’s going to heal just fine.” She rolls her eyes and sniffles. “You did all the right things, baby. I know it was terrible, but you were a real-life Wonder Woman today. Fighting off this creature, saving your kids, all on your own. You’re amazing, and I’m sorry this happened, sorry you had to deal with it on your own, but you were such a badass out there, keeping our family protected and safe.”
She rolls her head to the side, forcing my hand to fall off of it, and when she locks eyes with me again, there’s fury in her eyes.
“What are we doing, Chance?”
My stomach falls. “What?” Eyes rove hers for meaning, some sort of explanation.
“What. Are. We. Doing?” Her gaze is stone, but she uses her hand to gesture between us.
I sit back from her, thrown. “I thought…I thought we were making this work? That we’d turned a corner?”
Did she hit her head in that tussle? Get some sort of selective amnesia, where she forgot the last couple weeks, how far we’ve come?
Or does she just still feel like we aren’t compatible? Me not being there for her today, when she fucking needed me, did that seal the deal for her? She realized, once and for all, I’m not the partner she needs? Not able to provide, to protect her and our family?
“No, idiot. I mean what are we doing with this sixty days shit? I don’t need more time to know that you’re my person. I knew it a couple dates in a million years ago, and I know it even more now. We’re not dating. We’re damn sure not reevaluating our options. We’re us. We’re forever. Enough with this other bullshit already.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
The chains around my ribcage dissolve, oxygen finding my lungs again, and with my newly reclaimed faculties, I use them to inhale her scent, breathe her in. The single most energizing breath I’ve ever taken.
I surge forward, capturing her lips with mine, cradling her head in my hands, the most precious thing that’s ever happened to me.
My woman. My wife. The source of everything good I’ve ever had.
“We’re us,” I echo against her lips.
It’s not her against the world. It’s not me versus her. It’s us, as a team.
I’ll never let either of us be anything but one-half ofusever again.
EPILOGUE
CHRISSY
“Hey, on the way home, can we stop at that Asian market and get fish sauce? And we have peanut butter at home, right?”
