They were both given a ticket for reckless driving, and she was taken to the hospital because of the injuries she had to her neck.By the time he was ready to leave the scene, there were perhaps fifty cars backed up in the two lanes, and there were enough people standing outside of businesses and homes that he thought of extras in a movie set.People were going to have their opinions on what happened as well.Not that it mattered, he supposed.It was going to be up to the insurance companies to get any kind of money out of either person.He was headed to the office when he had another call he was required to go on.
By the time he was ready to call it a day and go visit Mac, he’d had two more accidents and a missing child.The kid turned out to be at the neighbor’s house having dinner when the call went out.The parents were pissed off but more than a little relieved that they had found their son and he was all right.Good ending for the day, he thought.
“Howdy.”He kissed Mac on the mouth when he got into the room and sat down on one of the chairs.She was talking to one of the nurses that were on duty, and he didn’t much pay any attention to what was being said.When the nurse left, he smiled at Mac and decided that all his days could end like this one if she was at the other end of the day he’d just had.“I get to go home tomorrow.I guess your dad has made it so that I’m going to their home until we can figure out something for the two of us to live in.”
“I asked him if it was all right.Just until we get you out of the cast.”She told him that she wanted it off, too, as she was sick of its weight.“I bet you are.It can’t be easy getting around in that thing.Not to mention how big it is, too.”
They talked about her moving in with his parents, and she said that she had not met his mom yet.He told her as best he could about his mom, but to him she’d always been an enigma.He loved her to pieces, but he’d never understood her.
“She’s closer to Zeno.Everyone is closer to him for some reason.Second child or something along those lines, I guess.I’ve always been the one who would rather read than talk or be social to anyone else.”Mac asked about his dad.“Dad and Reagan are really close as they’re both doctors.I think that I’m closer to my grandparents.They watched me a great deal before my brothers came along, and Mom stopped working.I still get along with them even though we’ve all spent time with them over the years.”
“I don’t have any grandparents alive.I had them, I suppose, but I don’t remember them.When I was two, my last grandmama passed away in her sleep, and that was the end of my older relatives.”He said he remembered her talking about her father and brothers.“Yes, not so good people they aren’t.Especially my two brothers.They’re younger than I am and seem to be always in trouble with one thing or another.”
“Do they come around much?”Mac told him that she’d not seen them in a couple of years, but didn’t seek them out much either.It had been longer since her father had been around, and she liked that just fine as well.“They won’t be giving you any more trouble if that’s their plan.I’ll take care that they understand that you’re under my protection now, and they’ll abide by my rules or see themselvesin trouble.”
“I’d like to say that I don’t think they’ll be in trouble, but you never know with them.They can be nice when they want something, but usually they’re up to no good, and it causes me trouble too.”She leaned back on her bed and looked at him.“You look tired.Did you have a bad day at the office?”
“Not really.”He told her about his day and what he ran into while being out of the office.“The only one that caused me any worry was the kid who came up missing.His parents should have kept a better eye on him.He was only five years old, but I know that even the most perfect parents have a hard time once in a while with children.”
“I know very little about children.Much less one that might be able to change into a tiger.I never babysat when I was a kid, and I’ve never had the occasion to change a diaper either.Not high back then on my list of things that I wanted to learn.So right now, if we have any kids, they’re going to have to raise themselves, or we’re going to have to get smarter about having and raising them.”He laughed, thinking of his little brothers and their antics when he’d been just a kid growing up with them.He told her that he’d never changed a diaper either and wasn’t looking forward to learning the trade in his life now.“We’ll both learn about it and have the best children ever born.If not, we’ll have to hide them away until they’re old enough to bring them out in public.How old do you think they’ll be before we can do that?”
“I don’t know.Perhaps teenagers.But then I’ve heard it said that teenagers aren’t all that fun to be around either.I say we hire a nanny and have them do all the diaper changing and training of the kids.That way, if they screw up, we can blame it on them.”She said she liked the idea.“I do as well.We will need staff with both of us working.Even if you don’t work, someone will need to be around to cook for us.I’m not sure what I can make that doesn’t have microwave instructions on it.”
“I’m the same way.I can cook if pressed into the job, but I don’t like it.And I hate cleaning up.”She smiled at him.“I think before we find a house we should figure out how much staff we’re going to need to keep it cleaned and us well fed.I can dust, but again, I don’t much care for it.It’s dusty.”
He burst out laughing.“Yes, dusting is dusty.”He took her hand into his much bigger one and looked at the difference.“I am worried about a couple of things that we should talk about.I’ve spoken to my grandda and he said that I could change you into a tiger, but I have to ask our pride leader.”He had to explain what a pride was to her and smiled when she frowned.
“How many are in a pride anyway?And what does a leader have to do with the normal day-to-day running of our lives?”He said the only time he’s seen him is when they have a pride get-together.And that was only about three times a year.“Okay, so he’s not really a ruler, more like a leader of your kind.Okay, I get it.What else worries you about us?”
“Changing you is tricky.I have to be my tiger and bite you a few times to make sure that you’re ready for the change.”She asked if it was painful, the changing into a cat.“Not for me, but then I’ve been doing it for most all of my life.For you, I don’t see any trouble with you adapting well to it.”
They talked about different things over the course of the night.She brought up things at completely random times, and he would answer them as best he could.He too didn’t stick to an agenda when talking out of order about things that he’d think of.
When he was ready to go home that night, he kissed her again.This time, she pulled him back for a deeper kiss, and he enjoyed the taste of her passion.Leaving the hospital, with the promise of showing up first thing in the morning, he was excited to have her all to himself.Of course, it would be at his parents’ home, but it was better than the hospital where she was currently.Tomorrow would be so much better than the past week had been, and he was looking forward to it immensely.
Chapter 8
Mac liked LouCinda Dresden.She was soft spoken, but she got her point across.She also loved the house that she was staying in.Her room was large and comfortable, clean, and the prettiest shades of blue that she’d ever seen.She called it the blue guest room.After the men who’d brought her home had left, she settled into the bed and looked around.It really was a nice room she was in.
“I have lunch at noonish.I can’t remember the last time I had it on time.Then, about three, I have tea and a snack.I’m to understand that you don’t much care for it hot.Or that’s what Aaron told me.”She said that she didn’t care for tea at all but would drink water.“That’s what Aaron said, too.I’m sorry, do you wish to be called Mac?”
“Yes.My name is Mackenzie Troff, but I’ve been going by Mac for so long that I don’t remember that my first name is Mackenzie.”They both laughed though LouCinda seemed to think it was less funny than she did.“My brothers called me Mac when they couldn’t pronounce my first name.It just stuck.I’m all right with it now.I don’t think of myself as anything other than Mac.”
She was babbling, and she felt stupid for it.Putting her hands under her legs, she bit her lip, trying to keep herself from doing it more.Emptying out her head was no way to make a first impression.And she desperately wanted to make a good one.She decided to speak when spoken to, and that was it.Aaron joined her in the room just as LouCinda was asking her if she wanted anything to tide her over until lunch.
“I’d love a glass of water.I’ve been talking all morning to groups of kids about keeping safe and letting your parents know where you are at all times.I guess someone called into the police station to have it done, and I was the only one available.”His mom said she’d have it brought right up.“Thanks, Mom.I have to go back around lunch time, so I won’t be getting anything to eat unless you have something that I can take with me.That would be great if you do.”
“You know that I always have things that you can take back to work with you.I have to do it for Reagan once in a while, too, when he stops by to help out your dad.I think they’re both trying to figure out if they can work together as a practice.That’s what it seems like to me.”Aaron asked what it would be like for her, having two doctors in the same building.“I’d work for them both when needed, but it wouldn’t be for a while yet.I like having my own time to do things that I enjoy.”
“And your club meetings.”Aaron nodded when he said that, and then he looked at her.“My mom goes to a monthly book reading club.They read different books and talk to each other about how they’d recommend the book to others or not.I’ve seen my mom tear a book up if she didn’t like it or something.”
“You’re making me sound like a monster, Aaron.I’d like to have a good relationship with Mac if you don’t mind.”He took her hand into his, and she felt calmed by it.It amazed her that he could do so much to her with just a touch.She wondered if all mates were like that.If so, it’s no wonder that they got along so well.“I do have a couple of things to do today.I have to run to the dry cleaners before five, and I have to go to the post office too.I don’t get there often, but I have a box to pick up.Then I have to go and get my hair done too.”
“As soon as I’m able, I need to get my hair done as well.It’s been like this since I broke my ankle the first time.”She ran her fingers through her hair and couldn’t believe how much it curled now that it was longer.“I usually have it back in a bun at the back of my head so it looks professional.That’s one of the rules that Gravestone had about women’s hair.He had all kinds of rules about women that I thought were out of this world.Like we couldn’t wear flat shoes.I think wearing heels was something that kept us from running when we might need to.Not that any of us ever got to go out on a call.We just—like you care.I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s all right.I knew Peter when he was younger than he is now.He always struck me as a man who didn’t live in this century.Or any even close to this one.His wife, Sharon, is a mousey sort of woman who doesn’t talk all that much.I think she caters to him a great deal.”LouCinda smiled at her.“I remember once when we were out to a gala or something like that, I was pregnant with Aaron at the time.She wouldn’t even look at my belly, and I was sticking out there.I don’t believe she thought that I should have been out in public the way that I was.”
“I believe that Peter thinks that’s all women are good for.Breeding and catering to their men’s needs.”She laughed with the other two before continuing.“He told us that when we were hired.That he’d have no breeding women in his office, or he’d make sure we didn’t see the light of day again.When one of the other women confessed that she was pregnant, the next day she was in another department.”
