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He chuckled. “I don’t get drunk, as a rule.” His face tautened as he saw all over again Anyu on the silver table, lying so still and trusting as the life slowly drained out of her.
“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” she asked gently. “It’s all right. She’s all right. She’s chasing rabbits in the snow and laughing.”
He took a quick breath, fighting the moisture again. It was so damned painful. He’d be all alone now. Completely alone. He had nothing, nobody. His last link with Debby was gone forever.
“Lucy was saying last night that she wished she knew how to train a dog,” Abby mentioned without looking at him.
They ate in silence for a couple of minutes. “Lucy’s got a cat, doesn’t she?” he asked, puzzled. His mind was still cloudy.
She nodded, finishing a swallow of hot coffee. “Yes, but Don found an abandoned puppy in the snow. He brought it to us, after he took it to the vet to be checked. It’s a female. She’s snow-white with blue eyes. Lucy’s crazy about her. We could never have pets in Denver. She’s over the moon. A kitten and a puppy, all at once. Except we don’t know beans about how to take care of a puppy.”
His emotions were so raw that, at first, the words went right over his head. He finished the impromptu meal and sat back with his coffee, staring at her. “Lucy’s a sweet child,” he said finally.
“Yes.” She smiled. “She has a big heart. But she’s sensitive. It was horrible for her at the school she attended in Denver. There were gangs. A teacher was assaulted. A little girl, not much older than Lucy, was dragged into a bathroom by three boys and...” She stopped. “Well, you can imagine what happened next.”
“Were they found?” he asked tautly. He was outraged at the thought of what had happened in a school, where students had the right to protection from such things.
“Yes. And prosecuted. But they were all juveniles, you see. They went to detention and only remained there until they came of age. They’re probably out there, stalking some other poor child.”
“And the child?”
“Her parents took her to a therapist. The last I heard, she was doing very well.” She sighed. “It’s such a shame. It was in school, you know. Children are out of control in our society.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” he said. “The government has its hand in everything now. Parents who discipline their children are subject to arrest if the child calls family and children’s services and reports the parent. We have to have a psychologist interview children who witness traumatic events.” He managed a smile. “And anything you say will offend somebody, who may go on social media and tear you to ribbons.”
“They can be prosecuted,” she reminded him. “We can track down an IP number. It’s not even hard.” She laughed. “It’s amazing how many kids think everything they say online is okay, that they’re completely anonymous when they bully other kids. And they aren’t.”
“We had a kid last month that we arrested for harassing a student online. The victim tried to kill herself, and fortunately failed. Lawsuits were involved.”
“Good,” she said curtly.
He smiled. “You’re a good cook.”
Her face flushed a little and she laughed self-consciously. “Thanks.” Her eyes lifted to his bloodshot dark ones. She studied the grief, still evident there. “When I leave, you’ll be all alone here.” She looked down at her coffee cup. “We have a spare room. Hannah could make up a bed for you.” She looked up and met his shocked eyes. “I know, you’re a big, tough guy who doesn’t need a nursemaid. But you do need people around you, just overnight.” She cocked her head and stared at him, smiling uncertainly.
He drew in a breath. His eyes went to the sofa and he winced, because he’d never see Anyu there again.
“Hannah’s a really good cook. She’s making stroganoff tonight, too.”
His eyes shot back to her. “I love stroganoff.”
“So?”
He managed a smile. She was a sweet woman. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to be coddled, just for one night. Besides, there was Lucy, and he was already fond of her.
“Okay,” he said. He finished his coffee. “Thanks,” he added gruffly.
“Oh, you don’t need to thank me. I’m buttering you up.”
His eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
“If we feed you up nicely and take good care of you, you’ll come in with guns blazing if we ever get attacked by Martians.”
It took him a few seconds to get that. He threw back his head and laughed, a genuine laugh. “You are one strange girl,” he accused.
She grinned. “And I work at it, too. You aren’t on call tonight?”
“I’m too drunk to be on call.”
