The Second Heart Page 5

  Chapter 5

  Vi volunteered to accompany Meredith to the vet clinic, and they began to get ready while Amelia followed them around the house, lecturing about how to drive safely in the rain. Meredith changed into the same shirt from the day before, and put on a red rain jacket that she borrowed from her parents’ closet. Then she went into the hall bathroom and took some more antacid pills, as her sore stomach was still nagging at her.

  Finally, they were able to leave, and Meredith and Vi were soon buckling in as they waited for the garage door to finish opening. Meredith eased the truck out of the garage, skirting past her own vehicle parked in the driveway. The truck was a white Dodge Ram with four-wheel drive and a tow kit on the back. With a diesel engine and manual transmission, it drove like a tank. Listening to the sound of the engine reverberate against the concrete floor of the garage, Meredith was relieved that she was taking the truck, and not her small sedan, out into the rain.

  The rain drummed on the roof of the truck as it poured off eaves of the house, making it almost impossible for Meredith and Vi to hear each other. Once the truck was clear, the pounding lessened considerably and they were able to have a conversation.

  “So this global weather change shit sure puts a damper on things, huh?” Vi said half-jokingly as Meredith turned the wheel and drove carefully down the street.

  Water streamed down the hill on either side of the roadway, and Meredith didn’t take her eyes off the road as she responded. “Kinda makes yesterday seem like a distant memory.”

  “Oh geez, yeah. The fires. Well if terrorists wanted terror, I guess they got it.”

  “You suppose they’ve got a great big weather machine socked away in a mountain somewhere?” Meredith chuckled as she reached the end of her parent’s street, flicking on her turn signal to make a left out of the neighborhood. There wasn’t another car in sight. She made the turn, staying alert and keeping an eye out for any hazards. With over three hundred sunny days per year, Arizona didn’t afford many opportunities to practice driving in the rain, and Meredith felt out of her element.

  Vi was quiet for a few seconds, allowing Meredith to concentrate on her driving. Then as she gazed out through the rain streaked window, she said, “Do you think your parents would be cool if I stayed over again tonight?”

  Meredith hazarded a glance at Vi, and saw that her friend looked drawn and unhappy. It was a rare glimpse into the emotions that Vi usually masked with sarcasm and humor. “I’m sure they would love to have you.” She patted Vi on the knee.

  Vi looked down at Meredith’s hand and then over to her face, plastering on a bright smile. “Good! If they’re especially unlucky, I might even offer to cook.”

  Guessing at the source of Vi’s sadness, Meredith asked, “Have you talked to your parents today?”

  “Nope. They haven’t called,” Vi replied briskly.

  It was clear to Meredith that Vi didn’t want to talk about it, but Meredith pressed on. “Well have you called them?”

  “Why should I have to call them? You’d think they’d be worried enough about their only daughter to call me.”

  Meredith fell silent, slowing the car to a stop at a red light. The windshield wipers swished furiously against the rain soaked windshield, and they seemed especially loud as the car idled at the intersection. Finally Meredith said, “Mom and Dad don’t know it, but we’re bringing home cats.”

  Vi burst out laughing, releasing the tension in the car. “Oh my God, your parents hate cats.”

  Meredith smirked. “I know.”

  They giggled as the light turned green and Meredith accelerated through the intersection. Soon they were pulling into the parking lot of the clinic, and as Meredith had imagined, it was completely flooded. The clinic was in a strip mall at the far side of the lot, and she was glad to have the tall and powerful truck to slog through the water. As she navigated through the deserted parking lot, Meredith enjoyed watching the water spray up in waves on either side of the truck.

  Pulling up to the front door of the clinic, the truck stood in water that was over a foot deep. It spilled over the curb and pressed against the plate glass storefront of the office. Water seeped under the front door, and Meredith wondered how far it had encroached into the veterinary clinic.

  Meredith opened the door and frowned at the floodwater at her feet. She was still wearing the jeans she’d put on earlier, and she was wearing her good sneakers. Decided, she quickly shucked off her shoes and socks and rolled up her jeans to her knees. Then she plunged into the cold water barefoot, sucking in a breath as her skin came into contact with the frigid rainwater. On the other side of the truck, Vi was following suit.

  They hurried and ducked under the overhang of the strip mall’s roof, and Meredith pulled firmly on the front door of the clinic. The door sloshed through the water at their feet, and Meredith could see that the entire waiting room was under at least an inch of water. The parrot, Mike, squawked from inside the cage that resided in the lobby.

  She greeted the bird and then called toward the back, “Hey, I’m here.”

  “In the back!” Dr. Whitney’s voice came from the rear of the clinic, where there were kennels set up for animals that stayed overnight. Meredith carefully stepped through the waiting area, worried that she would slip on the wet linoleum. The water squelched between her bare toes, and she left wet footprints in the hall where the water had not yet reached. From somewhere in the clinic, Meredith could hear a cat yowling miserably.

  On her way to the back room, Meredith passed the four exam rooms, two on each side. She glanced into each room as she walked past, looking for anything of interest. She spotted Sammy, the small black office cat, huddled on top of the upper cabinets in one of the rooms, looking thoroughly ticked off. She pointed the cat out to Vi. “Do you feel up to trying to get her down? I’ll come back with a carrier for her.”

  Vi nodded and veered into the room, crooning at the cat. “Hello, Sammy, girl. Do you remember your Auntie Vi? Here, kitty, kitty.”

  Meredith left Vi to her task and continued to the back room. Dr. Whitney was in the process of stuffing another cat into a carrier. The cat was a large white Maine Coon, and it was resisting captivity with all of its twenty-two pounds of might. This was the cat responsible for the yowling that Meredith had heard from the front of the clinic, which it interspersed with angry hisses.

  Quickly, Meredith grabbed the cat’s front and back feet and held it firmly in the carrier while Dr. Whitney closed the door. At the last second, Meredith yanked her hands out so the doctor could latch it shut.

  “Thanks,” he said. “This is Sabrina. She’s your other charge.”

  Oh shit. “Charming, isn’t she?” Meredith said weakly. Her parents were not going to be happy.

  Dr. Whitney chuckled. “I’m sure she’s just out of her element. Once she gets to know you, she’ll be fine.”

  Meredith frowned skeptically. “I hope you’re right.”

  From within the cat carrier, Sabrina growled ominously.

  Shrugging off her misgivings, Meredith said, “Sammy’s in Exam 2. My friend Vi is trying to get her down. Where’s her carrier?”

  Once Sammy was safely stowed in her own carrier next to Sabrina, Vi and Meredith followed Dr. Whitney’s instructions as they readied the remaining animals for transport. There were two dogs, including the puppy with parvo, a pregnant gerbil, and the parrot. The puppy was the biggest challenge, because he needed to be kept on an IV to stay hydrated. Dr. Whitney planned to take all of the remaining animals home.

  Soon, all the animals were situated in Dr. Whitney’s dark blue Ford Escape, which was parked behind the clinic, and Meredith and Vi were able to take the cats out through the front to their own vehicle. As they walked back through the clinic, Meredith noted that the floodwater had come farther into the building, and it was now soaking the base of the front desk cabinetry and coming down the hall. Dr. Whitney was following them with some food and litter box supplies.
r />   “Do you think we should get sandbags or something?” Meredith asked.

  “Let’s focus on taking care of our patients,” Dr. Whitney responded, not unkindly.

  Meredith nodded and stepped through the front door. “Well, let me know if you need anything else, okay?”

  The rain still came down steadily, and Meredith saw that they would need to leave soon or risk being stranded in the flooded parking lot. They quickly put the cats and supplies on the back seat of the truck and then jumped into the cab themselves. Waving at Dr. Whitney, Meredith kicked her shoes out of the way and started the truck, pulling out slowly to keep from spraying him.

  Vi remained silent while Meredith drove carefully through the parking lot. The cats, frightened at being taken away from the clinic, started to meow pathetically in the back seat. Meredith tried to ignore them as she concentrated on her driving.

  The truck entered a depression in the asphalt, and the floodwater came up to the lower edge of the doors of the truck. They both held their breath nervously until they reached a shallower spot. Meredith turned to Vi and said with a guilty smile, “No need to mention that to my dad.”

  “You think?”

  They both sighed with relief when Meredith pulled up out of the parking lot and back onto the street, which was rain-soaked, but not flooded. Irritated at being ignored, the cats’ meowing increased in pitch and intensity. Adding to the cacophony, Meredith’s cell phone started ringing in her pocket. She let it ring, and continued driving, looking forward to getting back to her parents’ house and out of the horrible weather.

  To take her mind off the stress of the noisy car ride, Meredith thought about how she would use the remaining hours in the afternoon. In her mind, she planned where to put the cats’ food and water dishes, along with their litter box, in the guest room at her parents’ house. She wondered how her parents would react to their feline visitors.

  Meredith looked at the clock on the dash and saw that it was already four-thirty. She realized the only things she’d had to eat that day were coffee and antacid tablets, though she still wasn’t hungry. Her stomachache had robbed her of any appetite she might have had, and she wasn’t sure she would want to eat dinner, either.

  After an uneventful ride home, Meredith once again pulled into the driveway at her parents’ house. She reached up and pressed the button to open the garage, and then pulled inside.

  Rob and Amelia came through kitchen door and out to the garage as Meredith was climbing down from the truck. Rob’s eyes darted around the truck, surreptitiously inspecting it for dents or dings. Amelia was more curious about the animals inside the truck, and she walked over and peered into the back seat.

  Upon seeing the cats, her lips pressed into a thin line, looking at Meredith disapprovingly. “Did you know it would be cats?”

  Meredith smiled ruefully. “I might have had advance notice, yes.”

  “And you knew that if you told us the truth, we would say no,” she surmised angrily.

  Meredith nodded, saying defensively, “If you didn’t have such a ridiculous and unfounded hatred of cats, I wouldn’t have had to.”

  While Meredith and Amelia argued, Vi retrieved one of the cat carriers and the bag of cat food and proceeded into the house.

  Rob came and stood next to Amelia. “It’s our house, and if we don’t want cats here, you need to respect that. We don’t appreciate being lied to and manipulated.”

  “Well it’s too late, now.” Meredith pulled open the back door of the truck and picked up the other cat carrier, while Rob and Amelia both glared at her darkly.

  “Three days, Meredith,” Amelia said. “They can stay three days, and that’s it.”

  “That’s ridiculous! There’s no way the clinic will reopen by then,” Meredith protested. Inside the cat carrier, Sammy, sensing the tension, had wisely stopped her lamentations. Meredith was glad her parents hadn’t witnessed the worst of the wailing.

  “Well, you should have thought of that before you lied,” Rob chimed in. “If you’d been straight with us, we might have said yes, for all you know.”

  Meredith rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.” She let out an exasperated huff and headed into the house, annoyed with her parents’ close-mindedness. She carried Sammy into the guest room, where Vi had taken Sabrina as well. Inside her cat carrier, Sabrina had calmed down, which Meredith was grateful for. She closed the door behind her and set the other cat carrier on the bed, sitting down next to it. “That was less fun in real life than I had imagined it in my head,” she observed.

  “So now would be a bad time to tell your dad that we almost drowned the truck?” Vi asked facetiously.

  Meredith chuckled and reached over to open the door of Sammy’s cat carrier. Vi followed suit, and the freed cats cautiously started to poke their way out into their new surroundings. Sammy padded across the bed and shoved her head under Meredith’s hand, demanding to be petted. Meredith indulged her happily, scratching under her chin, while Sammy nuzzled her hand and purred loudly.

  Sabrina turned and hissed at Sammy before jumping down onto the floor with a heavy thump. She sniffed the floor curiously, and then wedged her large body underneath the bed. Meredith stood up, saying, “We should keep them in here for now. I’m going to go get the rest of their stuff.”

  Twenty minutes later, the litter box was set up on the floor in the closet and their filled food and water dishes were set out on the floor against one of the walls. The cat carriers were stowed on the shelf in the closet, and the cats had disappeared to their respective hidey-holes in the room. Not anxious to face her parents again, and with her stomach still bothering her, Meredith lay down on the bed.

  Vi went out to the kitchen and offered to help with dinner, which was fine with Meredith. She wanted a little time to herself to think over the day’s events. Sammy jumped back up onto the bed from wherever she had been hiding and lay down on top of Meredith’s legs, settling in and closing her eyes contentedly. Meredith found the warmth of the cat’s furry weight comforting. She petted the cat absentmindedly as she wondered if the rain would ever let up.

  Suddenly she remembered her unanswered cell phone call, and she shifted to one side to dig the phone out of her pocket. Miffed, Sammy jumped off her lap and onto the floor, disappearing behind the partially open closet door.

  Meredith saw that she had a voicemail from Miguel, and she realized that she had completely forgotten about her dinner with him. She dialed his number without listening to his message. When he didn’t pick up, she entered the code to listen to his voicemail.

  “Hey Meredith, it’s me.” His voice sounded strained, and there was a lot of noise in the background of his message. “I hope you get this message soon, because I could really use your help. I was coming home from work and got in an accident. I’m fine, but my car isn’t drivable. I got a ride to the shop with the tow truck, but I need a ride home. Call me back as soon as you can. Bye.”

  Meredith glanced at the time, seeing that it was now well after five. He’d left the message almost an hour before. She tried calling him again, leaving a message when his machine picked up. She worried that Miguel was deliberately avoiding her call, since it was rare for him to not answer his phone.

  Trying to shake off her feeling of foreboding, Meredith rose from the bed, walking out to join everyone out in the living room. She carefully closed the door behind her so the cats wouldn’t get out of the bedroom.

  On her way down the hall, she detoured into the bathroom for another dose of antacids. She didn’t bother looking in the mirror, figuring that she probably was looking worse for the wear. “No need to depress myself further,” she muttered. She washed the antacids down with a few gulps of cool water from the sink and then left the room.

  In the living room, Amelia and Vi sat on the couch while Rob reclined in an armchair, sipping a glass of red wine. The TV was turned on to the news, though everyone looked up when she walked in.

  “Hon, you’re not look
ing so good,” Vi observed.

  Meredith made a face. “Yeah, I don’t feel that great. I think I might be coming down with something.” She sat down on the floor in front of Amelia, who reflexively started running her fingers through Meredith’s hair. Meredith leaned back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of her mother’s fingernails on her scalp.

  “Well, stay away from me,” Rob said, leaning away. “I don’t want to catch whatever it is you’ve got.”

  “Your empathy is overwhelming,” Meredith said sarcastically, without opening her eyes.

  Amelia smiled but said with a chastening tone, “Go easy, Mere. Getting sick at our age is a different story from getting sick at your age.”

  Meredith flicked her hand in the air dismissively. “Fair enough.” She opened her eyes and sat upright again, looking at the TV. “Any new news?”

  “Nope, except now they’ve moved on to trying to figure out who to blame,” Vi replied.

  “Hmm. That didn’t take long.”

  “It never does,” Rob added, standing up. He went into the kitchen and refilled his wine glass. “Anyone want some vino?” he offered.

  “Sure, I’ll have some, Mr. C.” Vi sprang up and joined him in the kitchen, pulling out a wine glass from the correct cupboard and handing it to him to fill. She knew her way around the kitchen as well as anyone else in the family.

  Having a few moments to themselves, Meredith said, “Hey Mom, I’m sorry about the cats. I just have a soft spot for anything with fur.”

  “Or scales, or feathers,” Amelia said with a smile. “Thank you for apologizing, sweetie. I’m serious about the three days, though. Got it?”

  Meredith nodded glumly, pulling her knees toward her chest in response to a stomach cramp. “Ugh, my stomach hates me right now.”

  “Did you get your flu shot?”

  “Yes, like a month ago.”

  “What have you had to eat today?” Amelia reached around and laid a cool hand on Meredith’s forehead. She shook her head slightly, as if to say, No fever.

  “Uh, not really anything. Coffee. I’ve just had no appetite with this stomachache,” Meredith explained.

  Amelia swung her leg up over Meredith’s head and stood up. “Well maybe you need to get something besides coffee in your system, hon. I’m going to make you some toast.”

  “Okay,” Meredith agreed pathetically. She turned her body and rested her forehead on one of the couch cushions just as Vi came back with her full glass of wine.

  Vi scoffed at Meredith as she sat down. “Milking it for all it’s worth, huh?”

  Meredith smiled abashedly into the couch cushion; Vi was right. It was nice being taken care of by her mom, even as an adult. Her voice was muffled as she replied, “You’re just jealous.” Suddenly she remembered their earlier conversation about Vi’s parents, and she looked up at her friend guiltily.

  Vi, understanding Meredith’s look, replied, “It’s okay. I’m doing just fine.” She reached up and petted her wine glass, making a purring sound.

  Meredith laughed, and then more seriously said, “Promise me you’ll call your folks tomorrow if you haven’t talked to them by then.”

  Vi’s face looked rebellious.

  Before she could say no, Meredith added, “Whatever is happening in the world is bigger than your pride, Vi.”

  A host of emotions played across Vi’s face as she moved from denial to anger and then to reluctant agreement. “Okay, fine. But only if you will shut up about it.” She smiled at Meredith to soften her last remark.

  Meredith grinned and changed the subject. She told Vi about Miguel’s message and how he hadn’t answered his phone. Just as she finished talking, Amelia came back into the room with the toast.

  Amelia handed the plate to Meredith as Vi peered over and looked at the snack. “Uh oh,” she quipped. “You forgot to cut the crusts off.”

  Meredith rolled her eyes and took a bite of the toast, which was whole wheat with strawberry jam, her favorite. The snack tasted delicious, and she realized that she actually was quite hungry. She quickly devoured the toast, and then held the plate out for Amelia. At Amelia’s irritated look, Meredith grinned with a mixture of guilt and hope in her expression, lifting her shoulders slightly.

  “I’m not a maid,” Amelia stated disapprovingly.

  “I know, Mom, but I’m an invalid. Please?” She wiggled the plate gently in her outstretched hand.

  Amelia sighed and took the plate, returning to the kitchen.

  Meredith caught Vi’s eye as her friend scoffed. “You disgust me,” Vi said with a soft chuckle.

  Meredith shrugged, unconcerned with her friend’s evaluation, and returned to their previous conversation. “Do you think Miguel is avoiding my call?”

  “How should I know? Maybe his phone is dead. Maybe he can’t hear it because he’s busy walking home. In the rain. Probably without a coat. Or shoes.”

  “Way to make me feel better,” Meredith grumbled.

  Later, after a dinner of cold ham sandwiches and promises to go grocery shopping tomorrow, the girls retired to the guest room to keep the cats company. As they entered the room, Meredith could see the silhouette of one of the cats on the windowsill, and a dark blob was curled up next to the pillows on the bed.

  Vi flicked on the light, and the cats blinked at them in protest. Sabrina jumped down from the window and scuttled under the bed, while Sammy remained where she was, yawning widely. Meredith sat down on the bed next to Sammy, who meowed sleepily in welcome. “Hi sweet kitty,” Meredith crooned, stroking the cat’s glossy black fur.

  Vi crouched down on the floor and lifted up the dust ruffle, peering into the darkness under the bed. “Come on out, cat,” she commanded, matter-of-factly. Sabrina lay down against the wall under the center of the bed. Vi reached an arm under and tried to grab her, but she was just out of reach. The large cat tapped her tail impatiently, as Vi continued, “Come on you worthless sack of fur. I’m going to pet you!”

  “Wow, you silver-tongued devil,” Meredith observed sarcastically. “It’s a wonder she can resist your charms.”

  Vi stood up. “I can be very persuasive,” she countered. “Would you mind getting off the bed for a moment?”

  Meredith obliged her, pulling Sammy into her arms. The black cat snuggled against Meredith’s neck and purred loudly in her ear.

  Vi bent down and gave the bed a firm shove, moving it away from the wall. Quickly, she reached down and grabbed Sabrina, hauling her up onto the bed before she had a chance to run away. “Got you!” She grinned and looked up at Meredith. “See? Persuasive.”

  Sabrina lashed her tail back and forth, yowling in protest. “Oh shut up,” Vi said, holding the cat in place with one hand while petting her with the other. The cat continued to squirm and hiss, attempting to escape from Vi’s firm grasp.

  “Try under her chin,” Meredith said suddenly.

  Vi reached around and scratched the underside of the cat’s chin. Sabrina immediately relaxed her body and arched her neck back, allowing Vi full access. She began to rumble with a deep purr, and Vi smiled happily. “There you go, kitty. That’s the spot, eh?” Then to Meredith she asked, “How’d you know she liked her chin to be scratched?”

  “I don’t know,” Meredith said distractedly. “Lots of cats like to be scratched under the chin.”

  After that, Sabrina warmed up to both of them considerably, and they spent an hour or so chatting and playing with the cats. Meredith decided to go to bed early, since she still felt tired and queasy.

  Scowling at the flimsy nightgown that VI had packed for her, she decided to wear some of her father’s athletic shorts and a tee shirt to bed. That was more her speed.

  As she was snuggling in under the covers to sleep, Sammy curled up next to her on her pillow. Meredith smiled, happy that the cat would be her little companion for the night. After giving the cat a few scratches behind the ears, sleep overcame her.