Fly with Me

by Angela Verdenius

  Ryder had laughed his arse off, but Simon didn’t care. The dark wood was masculine, the wall paper giving it a soft, older-style finish. He’d seen it in a magazine and liked it, so he’d tried his hand at it. As far as he was concerned it looked great, warm and cool all at once. His home, his choices.

  He wondered what Elissa would think of it, if she’d like it. Huh, now there was a thought.

  Moving into the kitchen, he flicked the kettle on and left it to boil while he showered, returning to the kitchen in just a pair of boxers to make a mug of hot Milo and grab a packet of dried fruit and nut which he took to bed with him. Setting the Milo on the bedside table which he’d made himself - that had shut Ryder’s gob up good and proper - he settled into bed, picking up both his book and glasses simultaneously. As he slid the glasses on, he glanced around the bedroom while propping the packet of dried fruit and nuts beside his hip where he could reach it easily.

  Man, this room had been a pit when he’d first seen it. Sagging roof, huge hole in the wall, broken window. He’d fixed it all himself, sanded it back, repainted it, varnished the old wood frames and made the bedside tables. Again, he’d gone with dark wood furniture and light paint.

  Would Elissa like it? He sure as hell hoped to have her in here soon, but his intentions with that weren’t to check out his handiwork. Hell no. He wanted her in his bed, under him, buried deep inside her and then curling around that lush little body in that deliciously lazy, completed sated, aftermath.

  Okay, that thought was giving him a boner, not something he wanted when he didn’t have said lush little body to ease that sexual pressure. Right then, self satisfaction just wasn’t that inviting. Sure, it’d ease the pressure, but it wouldn’t ease his emotions or thoughts.

  Damn it, why didn’t she ring?

  Taking a deep, slightly impatient breath, Simon opened the book and forced his attention on the story. Just what he needed - mayhem, death, and a gritty detective.

  He spent a restless night, however, and was yawning widely while driving to feed Arthur early the next morning before going to the fire station. Admirably, he didn’t give in to the temptation to swing past Scott’s house to see if Elissa was out walking. But hell, he decided that if she didn’t ring tonight he might just have to cave and call on her.

  Turning onto the street leading to Mrs Tanner’s house, he spotted a figure kneeling on the verge. As he watched, the figure straightened slowly, holding something in their arms.

  Wait, was that Elissa?

  His heart beat picked up pace, delight flooding him at the thought of seeing her again, but then as he neared she turned and the delight was pushed aside by concern.

  There was no doubting the distress on her face, nor was there any doubting who she held cradled carefully in her arms. That black bundle was unmistakeable.

  Pulling into the driveway right beside them, Simon shoved the door open and got out fast. “Lis? What’s wrong?” His gaze dropped to the limp bundle of fur in her arms, his heart clenching suddenly. “Arthur?”

  “I was walking past and I saw him on the verge. Simon, he won’t wake up. I think he’s been hit by a car or something.”

  Simon ran his hand gently over the old cat, noting that he still drew breath. There were several cuts on him, blood still oozing from several. His fur was damp with dew. “Arthur, hey there, boy, gonna open your eyes?” Concern for the old cat bit deep. “We’re taking him to the vet.”

  “Okay.” Quickly but carefully, Elissa moved around the panel van to the passenger seat. When Simon went to take Arthur from her, she shook her head. “I can get in still holding him.”

  Not a bad idea, he really didn’t want to be shifting him too much, not without knowing how badly he was injured. Simon held the door open, steadying her with his hand as she carefully got into the car, sliding the seat belt carefully over her and buckling it in before straightening and hurrying around to the driver’s door.

  Phoning the vet as he pulled out of the driveway, Simon explained what had happened, relieved when the vet told him he’d be waiting for them at the clinic.

  Simon glanced at Arthur and Elissa, fear for the old cat eating at him, worry for the pale face of the woman. “Sweetheart? Are you all right?”

  There were definite tears in her eyes when she looked from the old cat in her arms to Simon. “Yes.”

  No. That was a definite no. She was ready to burst into tears, her face pallid and strained.

  Reaching out, Simon gave her upper arm an encouraging rub. Personally, he’d have liked to just gather her close and hug her, reassure her, but truthfully he didn’t know if Arthur was all right. Right then all he could do was silently pray for the cat, try to be strong for Elissa, and drive right on the speed limit.

  The vet was waiting by the open front door, ushering them both inside and into a consult room. As Elissa gently placed Arthur on the examination table, the old cat opened his eye and gave a pitiful croak.

  “Hey, old boy.” A little relieved that Arthur was regaining consciousness, Simon gave him a gentle stroke. “How you doing?” Then he was forced to step back as the vet, who was new to town and looking a little harried, started to check Arthur out.

  A small hand slid into his in a show of silent support and empathy. It was so welcome. He gave Elissa’s hand a little squeeze, drawing her right up beside him, her warm softness steadying him in this uncertain time.

  Damn, he hadn’t realised just how much he’d grown to like the cranky old fart now lying helplessly on the table. Suddenly Simon realised that Arthur’s gaze was fixed on him.

  “It’s all right, boy,” he crooned.

  Arthur tried to push upright, managing to half lie, half sit, his gaze still on Simon. Immediately Simon moved forward, touching Arthur’s head lightly, amazed when a low purr broke out. It sounded like the puttering of a geriatric boat about to give out any second.

  “Good sign.” The vet looked from Simon to Elissa. “But he’s very sore. I’d like to run a few tests, do a couple of x-rays. He won’t let me touch his left front paw properly and I’d like to check for deeper injuries. He’s definitely been hit by a vehicle, his claws are shredded from gripping the bitumen.”

  Simon nodded. “Do whatever you have to.”

  “How old is he?’

  Simon paused. “Well, I’m not really sure. He belonged to Mrs Tanner who died a few weeks ago. I took over Arthur.”

  “Okay. Did she ever bring him here?”

  “Yeah.” A thought suddenly occurred to Simon. “You’re new here, so you probably never met her. She came when Den ran the clinic.”

  “Her records should be on our computer system then.” The vet winced a little. “I hope.”

  Not sure exactly what that was supposed to mean, Simon looked down at Arthur, who leaned his head against Simon’s hand. Geez, the only time he could be friendly was when he was hurt. Still, it was nice to know that right then he saw Simon as a friend and not an enemy, it made things easier.

  “Right.” The vet looked around at a sound from a back room. “Ah, Tish is here.” He carefully gathered Arthur into his arms.

  Arthur hissed but otherwise didn’t move.

  “I’ll check in later, old man,” Simon promised him.

  “I need some details from you,” the vet said. “I’ll just get him out to Tish and she can start getting him ready.” The sound of a phone ringing made him wince again. “If you two want to wait in the reception area, I’ll be right out.”

  Unexpectedly, Elissa reached out and stroked Arthur’s nose, just a light touch. Arthur didn’t move, just kept his gaze on Simon.

  Feeling like a traitor, Simon followed Elissa from the room. He could swear Arthur’s eye was burning a hole in his back, but when he glanced over his shoulder the examination room was empty.

  Standing at the counter, he looked down at Elissa beside him. “All right?”

  She looked up at him, her face still pale. “Are you?”

  “I will be onc
e I know he’s okay,” he replied honestly.

  “Same here.” She nodded.

  For the first time he noticed the smears of blood on her light jumper, the pale blue dotted with red and dirt. “I’m afraid your jumper needs washing.”

  “I don’t care about my jumper.” Her voice wobbled. “I care about Arthur.” She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “I care about you.”

  As worried about the old cat as he was, Simon could nevertheless feel warmth wash through him at her words. The concern for him was stamped all over her - the tears in her eyes, the way she clung to his hand, the way her other hand kept rubbing his arm in a gesture of comfort.

  Sliding an arm around her, he pulled her against him, resting his chin on her head. “I’m all right, Lis. Arthur is in the best of care. And I’m so glad you found him.”

  “Whoever hit him and then left him should be shot.” She sniffled.

  “Totally agree, sweetheart.” He hugged her closer.

  Elissa’s arms slid around his waist, giving him a hug back. They stayed like that for several minutes, just drawing comfort from each other until footsteps sounded from the back room. Simon released Elissa enough to simply hug her into his side as they both turned to face the vet.

  “Okay, we’re ready to start running the tests very soon.” The vet looked at the computer, jiggled the mouse. “Sorry. I’m new to this system and Tish, my nurse, didn’t really spend a lot of time on the reception computer. Den’s wife ran the reception and she pretty much ruled it. Unfortunately, it means that now she’s left we’re battling to sort things out. I’m hoping to get my own system up and running shortly.” He glanced up. “I’m Grant.”

  “Grant.” Simon nodded. “I’m Simon and this is Elissa.”

  “Right.” Obviously giving up on the computer, Grant grabbed a sheet of paper. “I’ll get you to write your details on here and I’ll enter it into the computer later.” His grin was sudden. “I promise you I can operate the equipment out back.”

  “I’m holding you to that.” Simon scribbled down his name, address and contact details.

  Grant took it from him. “I’ll let you know how he’s doing.”

  Knowing there was no reason to linger any longer, Simon reluctantly left the clinic, holding the door open so Elissa could precede him.

  She glanced back at the clinic over her shoulder before turning her attention to him. “I’ll come and check on him while you’re at work.”

  “I appreciate that.” He opened the car passenger door. “I know Hank won’t mind me coming over at lunchtime, but it’ll be nice to know you’re also checking on him.” He smiled down at her as she slid into the passenger seat. “Thanks.”

  “No worries.” When he’d settled himself behind the steering wheel she added, “Grant seems nice.”

  “Yeah. He’s new to town, so I don’t know much about him.” Simon glanced at her. “Thanks for being there for Arthur, and for me.”

  She smiled a little. “No worries.”

  The drive back to Scott’s home was silent, Elissa seemingly occupied with her own thoughts as she gazed out the side window of the van. Part of Simon was wondering at her thoughts, the other part of him back with Arthur in the clinic hoping like hell he’d be all right. He’d grown fond of the cantankerous old cat, and the thought that he might die was, he admitted, painful.

  Knowing he risked running late for work, Simon dropped Elissa off in Scott’s driveway but didn’t go inside. He watched as she got out, wanting to ask her if she’d thought anymore of their conversation.

  Surprising him, Elissa walked around to his side of the car, bending over to look through the open window at him. Curiously, he waited.

  “He’s in good hands,” she said. “He’s in the best place.”

  “I know.” He nodded.

  She hesitated, then surprised him even more by leaning in suddenly, brushing her lips across his in a light kiss before she drew back with a flush on her cheeks. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Simon watched as she hurried across the driveway to the veranda, going up the steps before she gave him a brief wave before disappearing inside the house.

  “I’ll talk to you later.” So what did that mean? Reversing back onto the main road, he put the van in gear and drove home, his mind churning. Did she mean she’d talk to him about their discussion? Did the kiss she’d given him mean that she’d decided to give them a chance? Was he reading more into it than she meant? Was she just giving him more comfort? Did she mean she’d contact him later about Arthur?

  That brought his thoughts to Arthur. Poor old bugger, he was probably being x-rayed right now and trying to eat Grant and Tish’s hands at the same time. They probably had to drug him, but would they risk it with his injuries? Did Arthur think he’d been abandoned twice now, the first time by Mrs Tanner, the second time by Simon?

  Shit. Frowning, Simon assured himself that Arthur was in the best place. Grant was definitely a bit stressed by his computer system and reception area, but he’d handled Arthur with care and kindness.

  Pulling into the driveway, he had another thought, one a whole lot better. If Arthur was okay, he’d be coming straight home to Simon’s house. That fixed the whole having to trap him problem. Simon would just bring him here and shut him inside until he settled down.

  There was a silver lining in the bloody dark cloud after all.

  As long as Arthur made it.

  ~*~

  Going into the clinic that evening after work, Simon found Arthur sitting gingerly in his cage. A bowl of cat food sat beside him, but he was casting the litter tray scornful looks. As Simon neared, he eyeballed him.

  “Hey, man.” Simon stuck his finger through the wire, relief filling him when Arthur sniffed the tip of it before giving a small hiss. “Feeling a bit better, huh?”

  “Not the friendliest of cats,” Grant observed, leaning against the cage. “But then cats definitely aren’t like dogs.”

  “You can say that again.” Simon grinned, pleased when Arthur suddenly rubbed the side of his face along Simon’s finger before hurriedly pulling back and sniffing the food. “He’s looking better.”

  “He’s lucky. Bruising, a couple of cuts and scrapes and that’s all. The concussion seems to have left no ill-effects. He vomited a bit this morning but fine this arvo. No signs of haemorrhage, all tests clear.” Grant watched Arthur taste test the food. “I’d like to keep him for the night, make sure he’s okay.”

  “You’ll take him home?”

  “I live in the house out back, so I can check him regularly in here.”

  “I appreciate it.” Simon held his hand out. “Really.”

  Grant gave him a quick handshake and grin. “My pleasure. Nice to see pets whose owners really care about them. It’s what makes these parts of the job rewarding. Elissa came in several times today to visit him.”

  “She’s one of a kind.” Simon smiled.

  “I’ll say.”

  There was something in the vet’s voice that had Simon shooting a sharp glance at him.

  Grant immediately lifted his hands, palms outwards. “Hey, no offence. While we were discussing the reception job, she mentioned that she was your girlfriend.”

  “She what?” Simon stilled, unable to believe what he’d just heard.

  “We discussed the reception job. When she came in to see Arthur, we somehow got talking about the system on the computer and how I was going to advertise for a receptionist, and hopefully whoever got the job would be able to sort out the system. Your girlfriend mentioned she’d done some casual work for a veterinary clinic a few years ago. I showed her the system and damned if she hadn’t used the same one.” Grant shook his head. “I was sure we were buggered, but then Elissa sat down, sorted out a few things, showed me and Tish enough to get us by for now. Bugger a full interview. I’m desperate, she knows some of the system, and what more could someone want than the fact that she’s the local firie’s girlfriend?” Grant laughed. “Good e
nough recommendation for me, I can tell you. I doubt the three month trial will find me looking for another receptionist. From what I’ve seen of her, Elissa will do us just fine.”

  “You offered her a job?” Simon was stunned. “And she took it?”

  “Yep.” Grant looked a whole lot happier than he had that morning. “She had to speak to her friend first, however, because of this wedding thing. I told her I was happy for her to work just a couple of hours a day if needed until after the wedding, then come on fulltime. She rang me back after lunch to let me know she was accepting the job, and we’re sorting the paperwork out tomorrow.”

  Elissa was going to stay in Gully’s Fall and work? And she’d told Grant that she was Simon’s girlfriend? The warmth in Simon was jitterbugging with hope. That could only mean…

  He looked at Arthur gazing balefully back at him out of his one eye. Arthur was on the road to recovery, he was safe here for the night, if all went well he’d be safely ensconced in Simon’s home tomorrow.

  That left him with Elissa. Oh boy.

  Somehow, he managed to remain calm, spent a few more minutes with Arthur for which the damned cat didn’t look one ounce grateful, thanked Grant and managed to walk out to the van without actually running.

  It wasn’t far to Scott’s place, the town was small, but it still felt like the longest drive of his life.

  Pulling into the driveway, he had only just turned the headlights off and got out when the front door opened. The light in the hallway silhouetted the generously curved figure in the doorway briefly before she stepped out onto the veranda, the door closing behind her, the old-fashioned carriage lamp lighting up the veranda softly.

  Pushing down his first instinct to run up the steps and grab Elissa, Simon made himself walk sedately, easily, crossing the distance and stopping at the bottom of the steps to look up at her where she leaned against the veranda post.

  She watched him with a slight air of uncertainty, a little nervously, but also with a hint of anticipation.