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“Can I come too?”
“Sure.”
“Yes-s!”
He grinned and ruffled her hair. “Get a move on, I want to leave in half an hour.”
It took her longer than half an hour to get ready. She knew David was sitting in the car waiting for her because she could hear the engine running. Flying down the stairs, she pushed her feet into her flat espadrilles and launched herself out of the front door.
“You earned a spanking before bed tonight. I am now running fifteen minutes behind. How professional d’you think that makes me look?” he barked as she climbed into the passenger seat. He put the car into reverse and they shot backwards. There was a sickening thump and a horrible shriek. David leapt from the car while Penny fumbled with her seatbelt. Finally free, she hastened from the car.
Rounding the back of the vehicle, she saw David crouched on the ground. Unable to accept what she saw, Penny froze. Honey lay in a pool of blood, whimpering and crying. David had his phone out and was speaking to someone in low, urgent tones. Blood pounded in her ears. She was responsible for this... rushing from the house. Oh, shit, she couldn’t have pulled the door closed! Honey had obviously followed her. The horror of what she’d done caused nausea to rise. Turning away from the scene, she vomited over the grass.
“Penny,” David called, “get over here!”
She wiped her mouth and moved unsteadily to where he knelt.
“Go fetch a pile of blankets; we need to keep her warm. The vet’s on his way.”
“Oh God, oh God, I am so sorry! Will she be okay? Is she going to die? It’s my fault! Honey, I am so sorry...”
“Stop it! Listen to me; we don’t have time for this because time is of the essence. Go get some blankets, now!” he interrupted her ramblings fiercely.
She nodded and dashed into the house. The door was ajar. Grabbing the throws and a flat cushion from the living room, she returned and helped David to gently cover their beloved pet. Taking the cushion, David slid it carefully under Honey’s head. The dog’s eyes looked strange. She was panting excessively. Tentatively Penny stroked the dog’s soft, golden head, mumbling apologies the whole while.
“Lean back, you are making her all wet,” David told her brusquely. It was only then she realised she was crying.
It seemed an age before the vet and an accompanying nurse arrived. The vet examined her and the veterinary nurse injected her with a painkiller. They set up a drip then David helped roll Honey onto a board, which they all used to lift her into the vet’s hatchback.
“Shall we follow you?” David asked.
“No, I’ll call you as soon as I have news. We will x-ray first then operate if needs be. I’ll be in touch.”
They stood silently side by side, and watched the car leave. As it turned the corner, David turned to her. “I am going into the factory. Make yourself a cup of something hot and sweet for the shock and wait in the house for the vet to call.”
Shaking, she wrapped her arms about herself and waited for him to drive away, all the while wanting to tell him to stay with her, knowing she didn’t deserve his comfort. Plodding inside, she kicked off her shoes and went into the living room where she flopped face down onto the couch. Burying her face in a cushion, she released a maelstrom of emotion. After a long bout of sobbing, she was literally unable to cry another tear and dragged herself up to sit. A single thought resonated in her head. David would hate her if Honey died... hell, she would hate herself.
Despondent, she got up and wandered into the kitchen, filled a glass of water, rinsed her mouth in the sink then gulped down another full glass. She filled the washing-up bowl with hot soapy water, took it through the house into the garden, and threw it over the mess she’d left on the lawn. Returning to the kitchen, she switched on the kettle and thought about phoning Allie. No, she decided not to speak to either her sister or her father. They would try to vindicate what she’d done, and she didn’t deserve their sympathy.
Her lack of adult care had caused this. She’d used her age-play role as an excuse to escape from the distress of finding herself in another dimension and had abdicated all responsibility. She needed to spend less time as a little and step up more if she wanted to keep David. Perhaps it was already too late? If Honey died, how could he ever forgive her?
The kettle clicked off so she made herself a cup of tea and added sugar. Taking her cup and phone into the living room, she mulled over what she would say to him when he came back. Would David still want to go on this trip for their wedding anniversary if Honey died? Realisation dawned that it wouldn’t work to go away after such a tragedy. Besides she didn’t deserve such a treat. She deserved a real punishment and to never be allowed in little mode again. Would her other self have taken the trouble to check the front door was secure if she’d been here?
“Of course she would!” she shouted into the empty room.
Damn it, she hated herself.
The phone shrilled.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Forrester?”
“Yes.”
“Jim Burrows. We have x-rayed Honey. She has multiple fractures to her left foreleg and appears to be suffering from some concussion. She may have brain damage, but at this stage it is too early to tell. I propose to operate on the fractures now and keep her under observation. You can call again this evening for an update.”
“So she will live?”
