by Marla Monroe
* * * *
The slam of the kitchen door sometime later jarred Piper from dozing on the couch. Crap. She had fallen asleep and forgot about dinner. She hoped that it wasn’t ruined. She jumped off the couch and nearly collided with Keith and Tripp in the doorway. Tripp steadied her with his hands on her upper arms.
“Whoa. Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“To check on dinner. I must have fallen asleep.”
“It’s fine I’m sure. I don’t smell anything burning.” Keith winked at her.
“We’re going to take a shower. We’ll be down in about thirty minutes.” Tripp snuck a kiss then hurried up the stairs. Keith wasn’t far behind him.
Piper checked the food in the oven and pulled it out. It wasn’t dry, so she thought it would be okay. Then she added some water to the beans and put the top back on them. Maybe it would be okay. If not, they could eat sandwiches. She just hated to have been caught napping.
She was fixing a plate when the men walked back in the kitchen. Tripp took the plate from her and gave her a kiss in exchange. Keith grabbed a plate off the table and began to fill his plate as well. She just shook her head and waited for them to finish before she filled her plate and sat down with them.
“Sorry, baby. We were starving.”
“That’s okay. It was funny to see you grab that plate from me. I almost slapped your hand.”
“See, then I would have had to turn you over my knee.” Tripp winked at her.
“You’ve been promising that for a while now. I’m not sure I believe you anymore.”
He chuckled. “Just wait, baby. Just wait.”
They ate mostly in silence since the men were starved. They each got seconds then rinsed their plates and stuck them in the dishwasher for her. She cleaned up the kitchen then joined them in the living room.
They were talking about how nice the horses were, and they were surprised they had fared so well on the trip over.
“Tripp. Keith said you could teach me to milk a cow. Is it hard?”
“Keith can teach you, too, baby. I’ll teach you, though. Why? We don’t have a cow.”
“We’re getting one, though. Oh, and some chickens, too.”
“How did that happen?” He looked over at Keith.
Keith held up his hands. “Don’t look at me. I had nothing to do with this.”
“Rachel said they are giving us some of their baby chicks when they are old enough, and we’re supposed to put in for a cow and bring it back so we can have milk.”
“That’s it. You can’t go see them anymore.”
“Tripp. Don’t be ridiculous.” She frowned at him.
“Is that what had you looking like a deer standing in headlights?” he asked.
“I guess. It’s just all so overwhelming.” She told him the same thing she had told Keith earlier.
“Baby, you don’t need to worry so much. We’ll all work together and get everything done. Okay?” He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her.
“I told Keith, and I’m telling you. You are already working hard every day. You shouldn’t have to worry about the garden. That’s supposed to be my job. I’m just nervous is all. I’ll be fine once the time actually gets here. It won’t be huge all at once. It will start out small and build. By that time I will have gotten the hang of it.”
“I don’t know about you two, but I’m ready for bed. It’s been a long day.” Keith stood up and stretched.
Tripp yawned. “Looks like I am, too. Are you coming, baby?”
“I’m right behind you. I need a shower. I smell horse on me from earlier.” She frowned at him.
“Hey, you’re the one who came barreling into the kitchen.”
Tripp stood up, letting Piper climb off of his lap. They followed Keith upstairs. While the men stripped, Piper turned on the water in the shower before she pulled her clothes off. She climbed in to the stinging spray and quickly washed. She couldn’t help thinking back to what Rachel and Ashley had said about being pregnant and having their babies. It scared her. She hadn’t really thought much about it before now.
She dried off and slipped into the bedroom to find the men already snoring. She shook her head and climbed in between them, shimmying under the covers. She lay there for a long time before she finally relaxed enough to get sleepy. God, what if I’m already pregnant?
Chapter Eighteen
Nearly three weeks later, Piper was finally getting into the swing of the men working away from home. She had worried herself sick the first few days. Then she began to relax. Between the garden and working on the pamphlets, she kept busy, and that helped a lot.
Each night Tripp and Keith came home exhausted and dirty. As the days went by, they seemed to get used to it as well, and by the second week, they weren’t as tired when they got home. She made sure they had hot dinners at night and a filling breakfast each morning. She made their lunches and sent them with them each day.
Piper stretched as she stood up from pulling weeds. She hated this part of gardening. It was backbreaking work, and it was never done. Sometimes she could swear that they grew back as fast as she pulled them up.
She walked over to where she had a glass of lemonade sitting on a table and downed it. She pulled off the earbuds from her MP3 player while she looked over the massive plants that had defied all logic as far as she was concerned. The tomatoes had taken over one side of the garden and produced huge fruit. She had already canned twenty quart jars, and they had sandwiches with them as much as they could stand.
The currick plants were so full of beans that they almost fell over. The posh plants were full of fruit as well. She didn’t know where she was going to put it all. The cellar would only hold so much.
She put the earbuds back in her ears and turned her music back on as she walked down one side of the garden. Everything looked well watered, and most of the grass was pulled. She was ready to go back inside. It was probably time for lunch. She wasn’t really hungry, but she could use some water and maybe a nap.
Piper headed toward the house, carrying the now-empty lemonade glass with her. Something hit her from behind and knocked her flat on her stomach. She screamed as something bit into her shoulder. She got a glimpse of fur and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.
Dorrie! Dear God, a dorrie has me. He’ll kill me.
She screamed and tried to roll to get it off of her. She reached back and dug her nails into something that squished, and the thing screeched like a banshee, but it let go of her. She struggled to her feet and staggered toward the door. She heard the thing growling behind her. It spurred her faster. She had trouble opening the door with bloody hands. They kept slipping. Finally she got it open and slipped inside, slamming the door against the creature before it could get in.
It screamed and growled as it rammed the door over and over again. Piper sank to the floor totally exhausted and dizzy. She could feel the blood running down her back from her shoulder, but where was the other blood coming from? She had it on her arms and hands. She looked down and recognized part of the glass she’d been holding. It was stuck in her shirt, near her other shoulder.
I’m going to die here all alone. The guys will find my body when they come home tonight.
She realized that the horrible screaming and growling was gone. The dorrie had left. What should she do? She needed to get up and finds something to get the glass out with. It took two tries before she was able to pull herself up using the doorknob. She was so dizzy. She leaned back against the door and felt something hard at her hip. She was almost scared to see what it was. Then it hit her. It was the radio.
She dug into her pocket and pulled out the black rectangular box and hugged it to her. Then she shuffled over to the kitchen table and sat down. She ripped what was left of her MP3 player earbuds out of her ears and pushed the button on the radio like Tripp had shown her how to turn it on and talk. She held the button down and called for Tripp.
“Hey, baby. What’s going on?”
<
br /> “Tripp. I need you. I need Keith.”
“Piper, what’s wrong?” His voice had changed to a more serious tone.
“I’m hurt. I need you. Please, Tripp.”
“Baby, we’re on our way. Where are you?”
She heard him yell for Keith.
“In the kitchen.”’
“Are you safe right now? Is there anything inside with you?”
“No. I’m alone. I’m all alone. Where’s Keith?”
“Fuck! Piper, don’t you dare pass out on me.”
“I’m so tired. I worked hard today. There was a lot of grass to pull.”
“Where are you hurt, baby?”
“It bit me on the shoulder and then I broke the glass and fell on it.”
“Hell. Piper, is the glass still in you?”
“Yes I can’t get it out.”
“Leave it, Piper! Do you hear me? Don’t pull it out.”
“Okay. I can’t anyway. It’s slippery. I’m going to lie down, Tripp. I’m really tired.”
“Ease down to the floor baby. Don’t try and stand up again. Tell me when you’re on the floor.”
She thought she heard Keith’s voice. She wasn’t sure because everything seemed so weird. She managed to ease down to the floor like Tripp had told her. She lay over on her side, and that hurt too bad, so she rolled over on her back. That hurt, too, but she didn’t have the energy to move again.
“Piper! Piper, answer me.”
“Tripp? I’m fine. I’m on the floor. It hurts, but I can’t move anymore. I’m tired.
She could hear Tripp calling her, but she couldn’t hold the button and dropped the radio. They were coming home. They would help her.
* * * *
Tripp climbed off the horse and tied it to the rail outside the barn. Keith was right behind him as he tore up to the house. He would have vaulted the fence if he could have, but he took the time to open it. By the time he made it to the kitchen door, Keith had caught up with him.
There was blood smeared all over the outside of the door and the doorknob. He opened the door and nearly passed out at the sight of his wife covered in blood lying on the floor. He knelt next to her and checked for a pulse with trembling fingers. He wasn’t sure he would even be able to feel one unless it was strong. What he did feel was a fluttery beat that told him she was alive, but in bad shape.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Tripp is she alive? Please tell me she’s alive.” Keith dropped to the floor and took one of her bloody hands in his.
“She’s alive, but not by much. Get her clothes off her, but be careful. She’s got a piece of glass in her chest over here. I don’t know how deep it is.”
“Piper, baby. You hang in there. We’ve got you.” Keith pulled out his knife and began to carefully cut away her clothes.
Tripp cut around the piece of glass and cursed. It was a large-looking piece, but there was no way for him to know how deep it actually was. He couldn’t afford to take it out. She could bleed to death in minutes if it had hit and artery or, God forbid, her heart.
“Aw, hell, Tripp. Look at her shoulder.”
Tripp looked over to where Keith had cut away the material from her shoulder. It was a bloody mess. The double rows of teeth marks told him that it had been a dorrie.
“Go call up the doctor and tell him we’re bringing her in and what’s wrong. Then call Andrew and tell him where the horses are and what has happened. Ask if they can come see about them for us. I’m going to get her ready to go.”
Keith looked reluctant to leave her, but he stood up and ran through the door to the living room. He’d seen tears in Keith’s eyes. He had them in the back of his.
Tripp hurried over to where they kept the first aid box and set it on the floor next to her. He opened it and started pulling out bandages and tape. He had to stabilize the glass so it wouldn’t move around and do more damage. Then there were the bites. They would have to be bandaged as well.
He worked quickly and soon had the glass as secure as he could make it. He was just about finished with her shoulder when Keith came running back.
“Don’t pull out the glass. Stabilize it the best you can. Keep her feet up and cover her with a blanket to keep her from going into shock. They’ll be waiting on us.”
“Got it. Go pull the transport buggy around to the front door as close as you can get it then grab several blankets and a couple of pillows.” Tripp was doing everything he could to remain calm, and telling Keith what to do helped.
He lifted her legs and talked to her while he waited for Keith to get back.
“Piper, listen to me. You’re going to be fine. We’re going to the city to see the doctor, and he’ll take care of you. You’ve got to stay with me, Piper. You keep fighting.”
Several minutes later, Keith returned with the blankets and the pillows. Tripp didn’t like this part, but he had to get her in the transport.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. You open all the doors for me. I’m going to carry her to the transport and put her in the back with the pillows and blankets. Can you carry the pillows and open the doors?”
“I got them. Don’t worry about that. You just see about Piper.”
“Are you okay to drive?”
“I’m fine. You take care of her.”
“All right, let’s go.”
Tripp gently picked her up and was careful not to jar the glass in her chest. He carried her toward the living room and then the front door. Keith opened the front door and then ran ahead and opened the transport door. As soon as Tripp had her inside and had climbed up inside, Keith closed the door and went back to close the house.
Piper moaned, and Tripp immediately stopped what he was doing and leaned in close.
“Can you hear me, Piper? You’re going to be fine. I’ve got you. Keith and I are with you, baby.”
He adjusted the pillow beneath her head to keep some of the pressure off her shoulder where the dorrie had torn at her. Then he put a blanket and a pillow beneath her feet to keep them elevated. He covered her with two other blankets.
Keith started the transport and slowly pulled out. He soon had them flying across the ground heading toward the city.
“I talked to Andrew, and they are going to go see about the horses for us. We’re supposed to let them know how she’s doing when we know something.”
“Keith, she’s bad.”
“I know. But she’s going to be okay. She’s a fighter. You know she is.”
“She’s a fighter.”
Tripp kept checking every few minutes to be sure she was still alive. Her breathing was so shallow that he had to really look to see the rise and fall of her chest. She was pale and clammy. She didn’t seem to react to anything. He was pretty sure she was in shock, and that would kill her just as surely as the damn dorrie bites could. It seemed like more than a couple of hours had passed. He was quickly losing hope.
“We’re about fifteen minutes out. I’m going to slow down before we hit the city so I don’t bump her too much.”
“Just get us to that doctor’s office.” Tripp knew he sounded defeated, but she had been down for too long. He had no idea how much blood she had lost, but it had been a good bit.
“Tripp, Tripp. Did you hear me?”
“What?”
“We’re here. I’m about to pull up outside the doc’s office.”
“Okay. I’m ready.”
He was about to pick her up when Keith opened the door and two men stood there with a gurney. The men reached in and carefully moved Piper to the gurney before pushing her into the office. Tripp jumped down and followed them. Keith was a few steps behind him.
“Wait, where are you taking her?” Tripp jogged to keep up with them.
“To surgery. We have to get the glass out, and I’m not doing it without having everything I need beside me.”
“Are you the doctor?”
“Right, you can call me Jeff or Doc, whichever you prefer. I’ll come and get you as
soon as we have her stabilized.” The two men wheeled her into a room that was marked Employees Only.
Tripp didn’t like not being with her. He wanted to storm in and demand that they let him, but he knew it wasn’t in Piper’s best interest. Instead, he turned to Keith and hugged the other man. They were both scared that they were going to lose her.
He paced back and forth for the first fifteen minutes then sat in a chair for another fifteen. He went over and over in his head what he’d done for her and finally came to the conclusion that he’d done everything he could have. Then he tried to figure out when the last time they had checked the fence line had been. He turned to ask Keith, and the other man looked at him with a defeated expression.
“I don’t remember when the last time was, Tripp. I can’t believe I wasn’t checking it every morning. I guess I just got complacent.”
“It wasn’t just you. I didn’t check either. We were supposed to both check. It’s on both of us, Keith.”
“I can’t fucking believe it. I keep wanting to wake myself up and find out it’s just a dream, a bad fucking dream.”
“I know.” Tripp stood up and began pacing again.
When an hour had passed, he began to have a little hope. Surely they wouldn’t still be working on her if she hadn’t made it. She was a fighter like Keith had said.
“What’s taking so long? Can’t they come out and tell us what’s going on?”
“I think it’s just the two of them, and they are both busy with her. It can’t be much longer until they’re finished.”
“I don’t think I can stand it much longer, Tripp. My chest is hurting.”
“Mine, too. I feel like it’s going to burst open any minute now.”
A few seconds later, the door opened, and the doctor walked out with a grim look on his face. Tripp almost collapsed right then and there. She hadn’t made it. Keith grabbed Tripp’s arm and held on.
“Doc?”
Chapter Nineteen
“She’s still alive, but she’s lost a lot of blood, and she’s already having some problems from the bites. I need to give her blood. That means someone has to donate that is her type. I looked in your records and Keith, you match her blood type. I have three others ready to give if we need them, but I wanted to see if you wanted to first.”