The Second Heart Read online

  Chapter 4

  “Wake up.”

  Meredith felt herself being gently prodded awake. She opened her eyes, confused because it was still dark outside. Alarmed, she sat upright in bed. “What is it?”

  Vi sat up next to her and pointed to the window. “Look.”

  Meredith’s glanced over, and saw that streams of water were pouring down the glass pane. “It’s raining,” she said stupidly. And then, “Oh! It’s raining! That’s awesome!”

  She jumped up from the bed and ran to the window, peering outside. She couldn’t tell whether the fires had been put out by the rain, but she still felt like it was a good sign. She broke into a relieved smile before turning back to face the bed.

  Next to Vi, the clock on the nightstand displayed 1:38 in glowing red numerals. Meredith stretched her arms above her, shivering at the night chill, before climbing back into bed. The covers had retained her body heat, and it felt warm and inviting to get back in. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and snuggled into her pillow. “The best part of waking up in the middle of the night is getting to go back to sleep again,” she noted sleepily.

  Vi patted her head and said, “See you tomorrow, kid.”

  Soon they had both gone back to sleep, reassured by the rain that drummed softly on the tile roof above their heads.

  When Meredith opened her eyes again, pale, watery light was making its meager way into the room from the window. She glanced over at the clock, assuming it was still very early in the morning. To her surprise, it was well after nine. It was still raining heavily outside, and yesterday’s concerns about all the fires seemed almost silly.

  Vi still slept beside her as Meredith grabbed her phone from the nightstand beside her and checked for emails. There was an update from the university stating that classes were still suspended. She had another email from a classmate who was going to be hosting a “Fire Party” that evening at their house in honor of the closed campus. She stretched leisurely in bed and considered suggesting it to Miguel, though she knew he would probably want to stick to their dinner plans.

  She lay in bed for a few more cozy minutes, noticing that she had a mild stomachache. Sliding out from under the covers, Meredith grimaced as the cool morning air hit her skin. She quietly opened the closet doors, glancing back at the bed to make sure she hadn’t disturbed Vi. She found an oversized gray sweatshirt hanging on the rack with the words “Grammar Queen” emblazoned on the front. Meredith pulled it over her head and then found her jeans in the pile at the foot of the bed, yanking them on.

  She left the bedroom, gently closing the door behind her, and made her way into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she saw that her fair skin was even paler than usual, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She opened the medicine cabinet and was glad to find some antacid tablets. She popped several of them into her mouth, and still chewing, headed out to the living room.

  Amelia was sitting on the couch with her feet tucked up underneath her, sipping coffee and working on a crossword puzzle. She wore a fuzzy pink robe over a gray cotton nightgown and bright purple socks that had polka dots on the bottoms of the feet. She looked up as Meredith entered the room. “Good morning, sweetie. Sleep okay?”

  Meredith nodded. “Thanks for letting us stay over. I hope your generosity extends to a very large cup of coffee, too.” She smiled briefly at the irony of chasing antacids with coffee, but she knew she’d have a raging headache if she skipped her morning brew. Plus, drinking a cup of coffee was one of her most cherished daily routines.

  Amelia smiled. “There’s a pot on in the kitchen. Cream’s in the fridge, sugar’s in the pantry.”

  Meredith didn’t hesitate as she beelined for the coffee maker in the kitchen. The coffee smelled wonderful; Rob favored specialty coffees with caramel and cinnamon spice flavoring, so coffee at her parents’ house was always a special treat. Meredith found a mug in the cupboard and filled it, feeling nostalgic once again. The cup had a cartoon saguaro cactus on it, and it was one that her parents had owned since Meredith was a little girl. She had enjoyed hot chocolate out of it many times. After she doctored her cup of coffee to perfection with cream and sugar, Meredith returned to the living room and joined her mother on the couch.

  “So what are you going to do today?” Amelia asked conversationally. She set her puzzle aside and removed her reading glasses, turning to face Meredith.

  Meredith glanced out the window at the pouring rain. “Besides build an ark?” She relished the thought of having the whole day before her. It felt like the time she was ten years old and school was canceled due to a broken air conditioner--she had stolen hours that she could use however she liked. Her elation was short-lived, however, as she remembered that she had plenty of chores and responsibilities that could claim her time. Continuing, she said, “I don’t know. I’ll probably go home and wash everything in the house, and maybe do some of my anesthesiology homework. I’m not scheduled to work today, but if I have time I might go in. There’s a little puppy with parvo that could really use some extra love.”

  “Sounds industrious,” Amelia responded. “I also have a big day planned.”

  “Oh yeah? What?”

  “I thought I might sit at the other end of the couch, for a change. See how I like it.” Amelia laughed as Meredith stuck her tongue out at her.

  “Oh, to live the life of a retiree. Full of such glamour, such excitement!” Meredith took a long sip of her coffee, enjoying the taste. “Is Dad up yet?”

  “Yes, he’s been out in the garage working on a dollhouse for Ivy.” Ivy was James’s seven-year-old daughter. The spitting image of Meredith’s brother, Ivy had a shock of bright blonde hair and luminous hazel eyes.

  Meredith smiled at the mention of her niece. The last time Meredith had seen Ivy, they had gone bowling together while James went out on a date. James was a single father, and Ivy’s mother hadn’t been in the picture since Ivy was about six months old. Meredith enjoyed babysitting Ivy occasionally when her schedule allowed it, though she realized that their bowling outing had been almost a month ago.

  Just as they were talking about him, Rob came into the kitchen through the garage door. “Honey, can you give Frank and Lydia a call? Their van has a window open.”

  While Amelia went to the telephone, Meredith drained the last of her coffee cup and stood up, stretching. She carried the empty cup with her as she went to stand on the front porch. The air was cool and damp, and Meredith could feel mist from the splattering rain even though she was standing under the eaves of the house. She looked at her parents’ neighbors’ van sitting in the driveway across the street. It was an older model Chrysler minivan that the family had owned for as long as Meredith could remember, being passed down through their teenaged children as they learned to drive. It was an old relic that still had brown paneling on the sides and manual window cranks. From where she was standing, she could see that the front passenger side window was open.

  Rob came out and stood next to Meredith, wrapping his arm around her.

  Meredith leaned into his embrace, enjoying the warmth of his arm around her shoulders. “I don’t envy them that cleaning bill,” Meredith commented, wondering what the upholstery would smell like after such a soaking.

  “Do you think they’ll even bother?” Rob asked seriously.

  Meredith shrugged. The van certainly hadn’t survived three teenagers unscathed. It had more than a few dings, and Meredith knew firsthand that the interior had seen plenty of coffee spills and other mishaps.

  Amelia joined them on the front porch holding a green umbrella that she usually carried in her purse. “They’re not home, so I got Lydia on her cell and told her that you would go roll up the window.” She held out the umbrella expectantly, smiling sweetly as Rob looked at her with dismay.

  “In this?” he asked incredulously, gesturing toward the downpour.

  “Come on, Dad, you’re due for a shower anyway. You smell bad,” Meredith ribbed him.

/>   “Shut up, brat,” he said with a smile, before turning and scowling at Amelia. “He had better let me win a golf game for this one.” Rob and Frank had a long-standing weekly golf game that usually left Frank triumphant and Rob frustrated, but determined.

  Rob took off his flannel shirt and tossed it at Meredith before taking the umbrella from Amelia’s hand. He opened it with a sigh, eying its small size dubiously. Then he thrust the umbrella over his head and stepped out into the rain. The rain pelted him from the side as the umbrella failed to provide him any appreciable amount of shelter, drenching him within moments. His white tee shirt clung to him as he strode across the street.

  “I’m so glad he’s doing that instead of me,” Amelia remarked with a smirk.

  Meredith grinned and watched as her father yanked open the door and vigorously turned the window crank. Once the window was closed, Rob slammed the door shut and slogged his way back toward them, frowning and looking thoroughly miserable. Long strands of his reddish-gold hair were plastered to his forehead and large rivulets of water streamed off him as he stepped back under the overhang of the roof.

  “See? That wasn’t so bad!” Meredith told him brightly.

  “Not so bad? Come here!” Before Meredith could escape, Rob trapped her in a cold, wet hug. She yelped as the cold water soaked through her sweatshirt and nightgown to her bare skin.

  “Gah! Get off me!” Meredith pushed him away laughing as she saw Amelia steal back into the house out of the corner of her eye. “Coward!” she called after her.

  “Not a coward--just not stupid, either.” Amelia’s voice floated out of the house along with a taunting chuckle.

  “That she is not,” Rob said wryly as he took his flannel shirt from Meredith, using it to dry his face and arms.

  “I’ll go get you a towel,” Meredith offered.

  “Nah, don’t worry about it. I’m gonna make a run for it. Why don’t you go get your lazy friend up out of bed? I’m hungry for breakfast.” At that, Robbed jogged into the house and toward the master bedroom.

  Amused, Meredith shook her head and followed her father into the house.

  In the guest room, Vi was already dressed and making the bed when Meredith went in.

  “Hey Mere,” Vi greeted her. “Do you think you could take me home in a bit? I rode my Vespa over here, and I don’t relish the thought of such a wet trip home.”

  Meredith grinned as she pictured Vi riding her scooter in the pouring rain. “Yeah, sure.”

  Meredith helped Vi fold all of the clothes that had spent the night on the floor and then carried the packed overnight bag to the entryway, setting it next to the front door. Rob was in the kitchen cooking some eggs, and Amelia was just coming down the hall from the master bedroom. She had dressed in dark-wash jeans and a teal colored sweater, and her dark, thick hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

  “I cannot believe it’s still raining like this. I want to put on the news to find out how many inches it is,” Amelia said, striding into the living area. She stood in front of the couch and looked around for the remote control. After digging around in the cushions for several moments, she triumphantly pulled out the remote.

  “Because walking across the room was too much work?” Meredith teased.

  Amelia stuck her tongue out and flicked the button, turning her eyes to the screen. Amelia sat down on the couch as Meredith moved to stand behind her, resting her hands on the cushion behind Amelia’s head.

  The newscaster was middle aged with sleek gray hair and a sensible blue necktie. His somber voice filled the room.

  “...heavy rains in several parts of the valley are currently breaking all sorts of records and have left our meteorologists stumped, as they had seen no indications of an impending storm over the last few days. Sky Harbor Airport has gotten three and a half inches of rain since early this morning, with similar rainfall totals around the valley. The heavy rainfall is causing dangerous conditions throughout the Phoenix metro area. There are some key incidents that we would like to make you folks aware of.”

  By this time both Rob and Vi had come into the living room and were standing on either side of Meredith. They all stared at the TV with rapt attention.

  The newscaster continued as the video cut to an overhead shot of one of the major freeways in the city, where a mudslide had blocked several lanes of traffic. “On the Superstition Freeway at Rural, a retaining wall, unable to handle the extra weight caused by the excessive rainfall, has given way and flooded down onto the pavement. Several of the westbound lanes are covered in mud and debris, making the freeway virtually impassible. Traffic has been diverted onto Southern Avenue, and authorities are unclear as to when the freeway will reopen.”

  The newscast then showed footage of a family being rescued from the top of their car, which had stalled out in a flooded wash. “We’ve got flooded areas all over the valley, including several major intersections. Police have asked us to remind you to stay safe and to not enter any flooded areas, even if it seems passable. The flood waters can be much deeper than they appear, and currents do have the power to carry an entire vehicle.”

  The newscaster returned to the screen with a concerned expression on his tanned face. “Outside of the Phoenix metro area, we are getting heavy rain across North America, with several major cities experiencing mudslides and flooding. In fact, reports coming in from all over the world indicate that this is not a localized weather event, but rather a worldwide phenomenon. Experts at the National Weather Service believe that the rainfall may be related to global warming, as climate change scientists have long contended that weather events such as this one could manifest overnight.”

  The newscast concluded with footage of a press conference with the president, who promised that the nation’s top scientists were working overtime to understand the phenomenon, while all federal emergency aid resources were being deployed. Meredith tuned it out as she walked around the couch and sank slowly into the seat.

  After a few moments, a burning smell reached her nostrils just as Rob cried, “The eggs!” He rushed back into the kitchen to take the eggs off of the frying pan while Amelia, Vi, and Meredith stayed motionless, staring at the screen. Soon he returned and sat next to Meredith on the couch, reaching out and squeezing her hand.

  All thoughts of breakfast and going home were abandoned as they spent the rest of the morning watching newscast after newscast discussing the possible ramifications if the rain failed to abate. The outlook was dire as experts speculated about various topics, from where to house evacuees from flooded areas to the strain on global food supplies as flooding threatened crop stores and livestock.

  When the newscasters had reached their saturation point and were just rehashing the same information, Amelia turned off the TV with a sigh.

  “So who else is thinking about their 72-hour survival kits that they didn’t bother packing?” Vi asked brightly.

  “Oh man, I bet Walmart’s getting cleaned out!” Meredith responded with a half-hearted chuckle.

  Just then, Meredith’s cell phone began to ring. Glancing at the screen, she saw that the caller I.D. read Sun Valley Animal Clinic, where she worked. She answered it quickly, wondering if she had been mistaken and was supposed to be at work today.

  “Hi, Meredith. It’s Dr. Whitney.” Dr. Whitney was in his mid-seventies, with a gray beard and bright blue eyes. His face was red and ruddy, and his overall person seemed careworn, though kindly. Meredith had often secretly thought that he looked like Santa Claus with a drinking problem.

  “Hey, Doc. What’s up?”

  “Well, we are getting a lot of rain over here, and the office is starting to flood.” Meredith wasn’t surprised. The office was in a run-down business park, and the parking lot looked like it hadn’t been repaired since it was put in during the sixties. The entire complex sat in a slight depression of land that was barely noticeable unless it rained, when the shallow basin filled with water.

  “Okay,” Meredith acknowl
edged, waiting.

  Dr. Whitney seemed a bit nonplussed, and if he had been hoping for a different reaction. He stammered, “Well, we need to evacuate the animals.”

  “Oh! Of course, and you need help,” Meredith offered.

  “Yes, exactly. Can you come?”

  Meredith thought of her small Toyota Corolla sitting in the driveway. She stalled for a moment, “How many animals and where are we going to take them?”

  “I’ve called several of the owners, so most of them will be going home. But there are a few that I didn’t get ahold of, and of course the office animals.” The clinic had a cat and a parrot that lived in permanent residence at the office. Dr. Whitney continued, “In particular, I hoped you might take Sammy to your house, along with another cat whose owner I can’t reach.”

  Sammy was the office cat, and an absolute sweetheart who knew Meredith well. The other cat would be an unknown, and Meredith wasn’t sure how skittish it might be. Meredith hesitated as she considered his request. Her apartment wouldn’t allow any pets, and her parents detested cats. “Hold on just a moment, Doc.” She looked down at her phone and pressed the mute button, and then turned to face her parents, who returned her gaze expectantly.

  “The clinic is flooded, and we need to evacuate all the animals,” she began.

  Immediately understanding where she was headed, Rob started to shake his head.

  “I’ll stay here and take care of them for as long as they’re here,” Meredith promised. She looked from her mother to her father hopefully.

  Rob folded his arms over his chest and frowned, locking down his expression into a thick brick wall that said, No way, and don’t ask me again.

  “Those poor animals have no place to go,” Meredith pleaded, turning her attention to Amelia. From past experience, she knew that Amelia was the likelier of the two to crack. “It’s only for a little while. Plus, then you’ll get to see more of me!”

  “Maybe, if it’s only for a little while,” Amelia ventured. “What sort of animals would be here?”

  “Uh, he wasn’t sure yet which ones still need a place,” Meredith fibbed. She watched her mother’s face carefully as Amelia considered the request. As familiar with the older woman as she was, Meredith knew the moment when she’d won Amelia over. She suppressed a smile and waited patiently, careful not to celebrate prematurely.

  At last, Amelia conceded, “All right, but only a few. We don’t need a zoo here.” She turned toward her husband with uplifted eyebrows. “Is that okay with you, Rob?”

  Rob sighed loudly and dropped his arms to his sides. “If I even get a whiff of animal excrement, the deal’s off.”

  Meredith grinned triumphantly and unmuted her phone, returning to her conversation with Dr. Whitney. After assuring him that she would be leaving shortly, she hung up the phone.

  Irritated, Rob said, “And I suppose you’re going to ask to borrow the truck, next.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Meredith saw Vi melt out of the room. She didn’t blame her friend, wishing she could leave, too. However, her father was right. “Well, Dad, the parking lot is flooded. I guess I could park on the street and wade through it, but carrying the animals back to the car would be pretty difficult.”

  Thankfully, Amelia interceded. “Oh for Pete’s sake, Rob. Why do we have a truck if we’re not going to use it when it’s needed?”

  Realizing he was beaten, Rob threw up his hands and headed toward the kitchen. “Just when you think they’re all grown up, they come back with their hand out for the car keys.”