“You got it.”
It felt strange to enter their home after so long away. The place felt frozen in time somehow. And yet, there was proof that others had been here. The gear she and Mitch had taken on vacation was laid out neatly in their gear room. Someone—probably Rain—had stacked the mail on the kitchen table.
She lugged their dirty clothes to the laundry room, sorted it all into piles, and started the washing machine. She was in the middle of opening the mail when someone knocked on the door. She had hoped to slip in and out of town without being noticed. But Scarlet had only about 1,500 residents, and her SUV was parked in the driveway for the first time in weeks. Someone was bound to see it.
Megs opened the door to find Winona Belcourt, who was now seven months along with her first child. She and her husband, Jason Chiago, lived in a house down the mountainside and were Megs and Mitch’s nearest neighbors.
Her face lit up. “Megs! You’re home?”
Megs ushered her inside and closed the door behind her. “Just for today. I need to do laundry and catch up on mail. How are you?”
Win touched her hands to her bulging belly. “I’m feeling good, though I’m tired sometimes. I got an intern from CSU to help manage the clinic.”
“That’s smart. Have a seat. Can I make you some tea?”
Win shook her head. “You do what you came to do, and I’ll make the tea.”
“The tea bags are in the cupboard to the left of the stove.” Megs went back to opening mail, the two of them talking about little stuff—Win’s wildlife clinic, the growth of aspen on the slopes that had burned in the big fire more than a year ago, Win and Jason’s growing list of baby names.
“We’re trying to decide whether to go with Lakota and Tohono O’odham names or whether to mix those with English names.”
“You could alternate—Lakota for one, Tohono O’odham for the next.”
“That’s a cool idea.”
“Oh, I’m full of cool ideas. Just ask me.”
Another knock.
Sasha bounded through the door, her hair in braids, a ski cap on her head. She hugged Megs and Win. “Is he coming home?”
“Not yet.” Megs gestured toward the table. “Win has some tea almost ready. Sit down. Tell me what’s going on.”
Sasha was training hard for the next round of world championships. The Team was operating smoothly. “Conrad is almost as strict as you are.”
“Almost?” Megs teased. “I’ll have to talk with him about that.”
Then Sasha and Win asked about Mitch.
Before Megs could answer, there was another knock.
Lexi waddled in, out of breath. “You’re home?”
“Not exactly.” Megs glanced at her belly. She looked so uncomfortable. “You’d better have that baby soon, or you’re going to pop.”
“Tell me about it.” Lexi sat. “This is my last. Never again.”
Another knock, and Vicki and Rain joined them, both bringing treats—a pie from Knockers and some freshly baked scones from the local coffee shop.
Winona made more tea, and they settled in the living room.
Megs updated them on Mitch’s condition. “I can see a big difference already in his confidence, in his vocabulary and speech, and his balance. Yesterday, he walked on the treadmill with minimal support from the harness. He has a long way to go, especially with speech. He gets so frustrated, and I can’t blame him.”
Lexi took a small slice of pie. “When do they think they can discharge him?”
“They’re hoping to discharge him by the middle of next month, but they can’t yet say whether he’ll go to a long-term facility or whether he’ll be able to come home and get therapy on an outpatient basis. He could easily spend six months or more in rehab.”
Everyone looked surprised except Vicki.
