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“Yeah, I've noticed it a couple of times too. It didn't seem to have great steering, though, as he took the corner pretty wide, and he wasn't going fast enough to have lost control.” Mark commented.
“That sounds like Stuart. He bought the Monaro as a status symbol, but he rarely drove it. I always thought that car was wasted on him.”
“Have you noticed that car before, Allee? Especially near your place?”
“The first time I saw it was today.”
They discussed the appearance of the car a little more before ending the call. Allee was exhausted, so she headed upstairs to have a shower while Beth cooked up some scrambled eggs on toast for dinner. As she stood under the pressure of the warm water, Allee thought about her options. She was still undecided on whether she should leave again, albeit after the media launch. She was torn, as she had grown to love her little home, her office, and her friends, but she still felt a deep-seated urge to run and leave everything behind.
After a few minutes, Allee finished with her shower and slipped into a pair of pyjama bottoms and Noah’s shirt from the day before. She could still smell him on it, and it comforted her. She dragged a comb through her damp hair then headed back downstairs where Beth and Mark were waiting.
Dinner was subdued, with the strain of behaving normally taking its toll on Allee. Deep shadows bruised the skin under her eyes, and her shoulders slumped in weariness. Once they were done, Allee got up to clear the table, but Beth shooed her away, telling her that she and Mark would take care of it all, and that Allee should get herself up to bed and get some rest. They would remain downstairs for a while, and then they would make their way to the spare room.
Allee trudged wearily upstairs, crawled into her bed, pulled the covers up, and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Saturday was bright and sunny, and Allee wondered if the universe was mocking her or if it was a sign that things were improving. She had slept deeply, yet she had also experienced disturbing dreams.
Today she would see Piddle again, and she didn't know how she felt about it all. To keep herself going, Allee went into her en suite, brushed her hair back into a neat ponytail, brushed her teeth, and then made her way downstairs for coffee and toast. Mark was already up, and he'd pulled out the toaster and set the kettle to boil.
“Where's Beth?” Allee asked.
“I'm letting her sleep a little longer. We spoke to Andre last night. He's going to come over at about ten and pick you up. He's then going to go and get Sammy, and they'll go with you to the vet. We'll stay here until you all get back.”
“Mark, I don't know what to say. Thank you. Just...thank you.”
“You're our friend. Believe me, none of us is doing this grudgingly. We all want to help you out in whatever way we can.”
Allee nodded, a lump in her throat. If she were to run away, she would be leaving a group of wonderful and loyal friends behind, and she didn't know if she could hurt them like that.
Beth was sitting at the table, her hair mussed, her eyes still sleepy, but she smiled when she saw Allee.
“How are you feeling today?”
“I'm okay. I don't remember much about last night, so I must've slept like a log. The good news is I've been in touch with my insurance and got the ball rolling to get the money back for the doors and locks, as well as replacing the stuff Stuart trashed. They're also covering Piddle's vet bills.”
“Oh, sweetie, that's great news! Did you want me to contact Laura and get another telly for you?”
“Thanks, but not yet. I want to wait a little bit and see how things pan out first.” Beth nodded, finishing her coffee.
“Have you eaten yet?”
“No, she hasn't,” said Mark, “I'm making you both some toast now. Would you like another coffee, Allee? I'm making another one for Beth and me, so it's no trouble.” Allee handed Mark her mug, grateful for his offer.
The next twenty minutes passed swiftly, and when Allee's intercom buzzed, she didn't even jump. Mark got up and let Andre in, then took Allee's mug to clean up while she headed upstairs to get the rest of her things. By the time she came back downstairs, Andre was sitting at the table, chatting with Beth. He looked up at Allee and grinned.
“All ready to go and get your fur-baby?” Allee nodded, hugged Beth and Mark goodbye, went and collected Piddle's cat-crate from the garage
Half an hour later, Andre, Sammy, and Allee pulled up in front of the Eight Mile Plains Vet Surgery. Andre parked next to Noah's Astra and then got out to open the rear door so that Allee could grab the cat-crate. Sammy followed closely behind, going and waiting at the front of the car as Noah got out of his. He walked over to Allee, searching her face, and then held his arms out. She stepped into his embrace, exhaling in comfort as Noah enveloped her in his warmth. He kissed the top of her head before pulling away slightly.
“Let's go in and bring Piddle home,” he said.
Allee nodded, her stomach suddenly full of knots. After being asked to wait while they spoke to the vet, Allee and Noah were soon called to collect the cat from the examination room.
“Hi, I'm Simon Williams; I operated on Piddle. She lost quite a lot of blood, but we stemmed the bleeding. She still looks a bit of a mess, but she's been responding well, and all her vitals are good. Her tail was broken in several places, but it doesn't seem to have impacted her bladder or bowel functions. We've set the tail, and it'll take some time before the nerves heal completely, so just be aware of that and careful of it. She's also had several burns, the most dangerous being the one near her eye. We've had to put a dressing on to cover it, as we thought she might lose it, but so far, it seems that it's healing without too much fuss.
“You'll need to give her a course of medication; pain killers, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatories, and if she becomes lethargic at all, or you notice any blood in her urine or stools, bring her back to us immediately.
“She's one fortunate little lady. Have the police had any luck finding the maniac who did this?”
