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“Sure. But I’m following you to the hospital. I’ll drop Killer off with Shirley,” Sam said. She was somewhere to Rarity’s right. “I’m sorrythis happened.”
“Me too. Why would someone hit me in your shop?” Rarity asked, but no one heard her since the EMTs were wheeling her out of the shop and into a waiting ambulance. Drew’s voice stopped her movement.
“Where are you taking her?” Drew grabbed her hand and leaned close. “Rarity, areyou all right?”
“Someone hit me in Sam’s shop.” Rarity relayed the obvious. “Killer, he’s still there.”
“We’ll take care of your dog.” Drew squeezed her hand. “I’ll check in with Sam.What hospital?”
“Flagstaff South. She needs scans, and the Sedona hospital isn’t equipped for that,” the EMT said.
Rarity felt herself wantingto go to sleep.
“None of that. I want to hear the story of how that cute little dog got such a big name,” the EMT said. “We needto get going.”
Rarity thought she really should figure out what his name was. She felt Drew let her hand go.
“I’ll see you soon, Rarity.” His words were tight. “I’ll call Archer.”
“Okay.” Rarity saw the EMT’s shirt and a nametag, or at least one of them, near her head. She squinted to read it. “Mark, do you have a dog?”
Chapter 14
By the time she’d arrived in a hospital room for the nurses to watch her and finally give her some pain meds, she decided she might have seen all sections of the hospital besides maternity and the cancer section. She’d come to the hospital for a scan a few months ago, but she’d been in and out before she could evaluate the place. That was the one thing about being a cancer survivor—you got to know hospitals and cancer centers well. Each one was a little different. Each had its own feel. But they were all positive, hopeful, and the white walls had upbeat posters both for staff and patients. Or at least the ones Rarity had been in.
She’d heard horror stories about other places, but she’d been lucky. Sam believed in the power of being positive, or at least she had before this Marcus thing. And Sam’s words had transferred over to Rarity. There was no need to add worry to the discussion until you had something to worry about. “One step at a time” had to be her motto. Breast cancer or a bump on the head, it didn’t matter. You didn’t cry wolf until you saw the drool dripping out of the jaws.
Sam hurried into the room as soon as the nurse had settled Rarity into bed. She’d given her a pain killer in her IV, and for the first time since she’d gone down in Sam’s shop, her head wasn’t throbbing. She smiled at Sam. “Hey, you didn’thave to come.”
“Of course I did. No matter how horrible I’ve been acting lately, I’m still your best friend. At least if you haven’t given up on me.” She pulled a chair closer and sat down, dropping her tote on the floor. “Shirley has Killer. He didn’t want to leave the shop with me. He kept barking at the door the EMTs took you out of, but Drew picked him up, and then I got him to Shirley’s. He’s not happy, but she had pumpkin dog treats, so that helped.”
“I wonder how much he remembers about Martha disappearing. Poor little guy.” Rarity felt the medicine pulling her toward sleep. “So who hit me?”
“We don’t know. Drew thinks they might have been waiting for me to come back from my smoke.” Sam blushed. “Sorry, I picked the habit up again when Marcus moved into the house. He smokes, and things werejust so crazy.”
“You’d been smoke-free for years.” Rarity shook her head, but then the pain hit. “I guess the pain’s telling me not to be judgmental. Just be careful. I don’t want youto get cancer.”
“I promise, I’m quitting again.” Sam sank into the chair. “Anyway, I heard Killer barking and ran back inside, but the guy that hit you was gone. Drew’s talking to the neighbors and pulling street camera footage to see if hecan find him.”
“I’m sorry I’m such a bother,” Rarity said, the sleep pulling her down.
“You’re kidding, right? You didn’t ask to be attacked.”
Rarity squeezed her friend’s hand. Sam was nice. She had always been there for her. But there was something she needed to tell her. The meds were making her eyes close. “You have a customer who wants something. I have her card in my tote. I think...”
“I’ll find it. One sale isn’t going to wreck me.” Sam shushed Rarity. “The nurse says you need to sleep so you can heal. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Archer...” Rarity said, then she closed her eyes.
When she woke up, it was night. The room was dim, but she could see someone sitting in the shadows. A man. Fear gripped her, and she reached for her call button, but it had fallen out of her hand, where the nurse had put it when she settled her into the bed.
“Rarity, what do you need?” the man asked, and as she watched, he stood and moved closer to the bed. It was Jonathon. “I sent Sam and Archer to get some food and told them I’d be here in case you woke up.”
“I—” She swallowed hard. “I’d like asip of water.”
He smiled at her, and she felt safe. A feeling that she hadn’t had before she moved to Sedona. Now, she had family. Sam, Archer, Drew, Jonathon, Shirley, the list went on and on. If she’d had a dog in St. Louis, she would have had to put him in a kennel if she needed an overnight stay in the hospital. Which was why she didn’t get a pet after Kevin moved out. Well, that was oneof the reasons.
Jonathon moved a glass of water toward her, and she moved the straw to her lips. The water felt cool going down, but then she started coughing, and the pain came back to her head. It wasn’t as strong thistime, though.
