to chase away what must have been extremely unpleasant memories of Warsaw in the wintertime. ‘Anyway,’ she went on, ‘I’ve got some hot tea on the stove and I know that there’s somebody here who’s just dying to see you. Oreo’s been doing nothing but crying for his mama all day and all night ever since you’ve been gone – not that I’m complaining, mind you. To tell you the truth, the company’s been kind of nice, what with Bob usually sleeping all the time. I swear to sweet Jesus above, that man could sleep through a hurricane.’
Dana laughed again and stepped inside the old woman’s apartment, even though what she really felt like doing right now was getting back up to her own apartment and taking a long, hot shower. A chance to scrub the antiseptic smell of the hospital out of her hair and skin and fingernails. A chance for her to be alone for a while.
Dana stopped herself mid-thought and gave herself a swift mental kick in the butt. Not only was she already looking forward to ending her visit with Maggie Carter, she’d also had the poor taste to show up on the woman’s doorstep empty-handed. She wished like hell she’d thought to bring along a gift for her as thanks for watching Oreo for so long, but it was too late to worry about that now. She’d need to do it later. Dana knew that the old lady was fond of chocolate and cheese, so she made a mental note to stop by Godiva and the deli tomorrow morning. Even with Godiva’s exorbitant prices, it was a small price to pay for the old woman’s kindness. As far as Dana knew, most kennels didn’t offer unlimited pet-sitting services for comatose pet owners who were stuck in the hospital following horrific plane crashes.
Dana stretched her neck eight inches to the left and finally felt some of the tension residing there loosen up a little bit. Then she paused and looked around the place.
The Carters’ apartment looked exactly like one might suspect an octogenarian couple’s living quarters to look like. Plastic-covered couches littered the living room. Matching, fabric-covered recliners sat in front of an old, cabinet-style television on the south side of the room. A teetering stack of National Enquirer tabloids was piled three feet high on top of the dining-room table, featuring such news on the covers as that of a two-headed alien being born out in Utah and Elvis Pressley being spotted stuffing his face at a donut shop in Sacramento.
Maggie Carter lifted the magazines off the table and placed them on an old wooden chair three feet away. ‘Have a seat, dear,’ she said. ‘I’ll be back with the tea in just a minute. Then we’ll go get Oreo for you. He has his own room, you know.’
The old woman beamed with this revelation, and Dana immediately knew that her cat couldn’t have been left in more capable – or loving – hands.
Twenty minutes later – their tea finally drunk, pleasantries exchanged and a thorough update on Mr Carter’s colitis condition delivered in graphic detail – Maggie Carter retrieved Oreo from his bedroom and placed the cat down on the floor in the dining room.
Oreo glanced up briefly at Dana to let her know he didn’t especially care for being abandoned for this long before he finally sauntered over to her and rubbed his portly body against her ankles. After a moment or two, he began to purr. Unlike dogs, Dana had learned, cat’s made you earn their affection. Not that it took all that much. Keep them fat and safe and warm and you had yourself a friend for life.
‘I missed you too, buddy,’ Dana said, leaning down to scratch Oreo behind his pointy ears for a few seconds before scooping him up into her arms. ‘Let’s get you home.’
Thanking Maggie Carter again, Dana exited the old woman’s apartment and headed for the elevator. Punching the button for the fourth floor, she held Oreo close, knowing she’d need him as a security blanket to get through this next part.
When the elevator reached the fourth floor with a high-pitched ding! a moment later, Dana exited the car and made her way down the hall to apartment D12 on shaking legs, purposely shifting her gaze away from the apartment located directly across the hall.
D13 had been Eric Carlton’s apartment and Dana still had his spare key stashed underneath the welcome mat in front of her