Promise To Keep

by Rainwater, Priscilla Poole

  The next morning started like any typical day, with Aisha getting up early and getting breakfast started.

  Just as the coffee finished brewing, Connell came in looking tired, and slumped down in his usual seat.

  Coming to the table, she poured him a cup and said, “You look like you had fun last night. Where’s Jonus? His breakfast will get cold.” she said as she sat a plate in front of him piled high with pancakes and a side of bacon.

  He sipped his coffee and rubbed his eyes. After returning home he and Jonus had sat up late into the night, talking, “We got back late, I told him he could sleep in. I can handle things this morning.”

  She sat next to him, picking at her food, and finally said, “I love the bear, thank you.” Leaning over, she kissed his freshly shaved cheek.

  “You mean that’s all I get?” he teased, giving her a mischievous grin.

  Smiling at him, she folded her arms and gave him a half serious look. “Ok, I’ll help you feed the livestock, then I’ll take Thelma and Louie for their walk.” she said, then laughed at his poor attempt to pout. A man his size couldn’t easily pull it off.

  “You really know how to make a man suffer.” he said sourly.

  Feeling playful, she slid her chair closer, leaned to him, and brushed her lips over his. When he reached for her she dodged him, grabbed her plate, and moved to the other side of the table. “Now eat. I have to go shopping. Do you want anything from town?”

  Leaning back, he gave her a hungry look. “Yeah, one of those Aisha Hungry Man dinners. I’ll have it now, matter of fact.“ he teased her right back, making it clear what he wanted couldn’t be brought in a store.

  Getting up out of his chair, he walked over to her, pulled her up from her chair, and wrapped his arms around her waist gently. He then leaned down and kissed her deeply as she sighed with pleasure.

  She enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms, she felt safe and very much needed, but she did feel guilty behaving the way they were in Jenny’s house. New York had been another world altogether, her familiar world. Pushing against his chest gently, she averted her face to stop the hot kiss. “We have to get the animals fed and, well, I have things to do.” she said weakly.

  He decided not to push it, reached down and gave her bottom a firm squeeze, then let her go. “Come, lets go.”

  ******************************************************

  As they worked in silence, Connell noticed that Aisha kept her distance. He was getting frustrated with her mixed signals, and wished she would just talk to him. As the morning progressed, he watched as she moved from one chore to the next, her pets following close behind every step of the way. Both the dogs had fully recovered, their ribs padded back out and their coats healthy, even the poor poodle. They were good-natured, and since both tended to not be destructive, he didn’t mind having them around.

  When Jonus finally showed up, she told them she was going to take the dogs for another walk, to the pond, and told Connell she would have lunch ready before she went into town.

  She ran to the house, both dogs barking at her heels, to retrieve and try out the new cameras she had bought on their trip to New York.

  She enjoyed the walk around the property, it always seemed to relax her. She snapped several pictures of the dogs prancing and chasing bugs, and pictures of anything that caught her eye. Birds, flowers, and even a doe she spotted near the pond. She got off what she thought was a superb shot before the animal got spooked and ran off into the woods.

  Approaching the pond, she stopped and watched as Thelma and Louie ran. Louie, the poodle, thought he was every bit as big as Thelma. He ran and nipped at her hindquarters, and she would get aggravated, then spin around and chase him.

  The first indication something was wrong was when the two of them raced to her side, both their ears laid back and teeth bared, growling, looking in the direction of the woods.

  *************************************************

  Aisha turned to see two large dogs, who were growling and slowly stalking towards her. She took a step back, afraid and turn and run, fearful the dogs would attack her from behind. Frantically, she tried to think of a way she could protect herself.

  Thelma and Louie didn’t back down, they took a fighting stance beside her, ready to defend their master.

  She didn’t want to leave them either, fearing the dogs would hurt or kill them. Suddenly both dogs charged them, one of them going after Thelma and Louie, the other charging at her.

  The dog leaped up at her, and pure reflex made her raise her arm up to deflect the attack. It’s jaws clamped down on her wrist, and searing pain shot through her arm causing her to scream. With her free hand she frantically swung the camera as hard as she could, hitting the animal in the side. The dog yelped in pain and let go of her arm momentarily, and ran a short distance away. Nearly hyperventilating with fear, she glanced around wildly and saw that Thelma and Louie were doing a good job holding their own against the other animal.

  Quickly looking down, she saw deep puncture marks in her forearm, blood oozing from the wound. Feeling faint, she turned and ran, trying to make it to the closest tree. Stumbling away, she didn’t make it very far before the dog charged her again and clamped down on her calf, almost making her fall. It began shaking it’s head violently back and forth, digging its teeth deeper into her flesh. Fearing the dog would kill her if he got her to the ground, her adrenaline kicked in. With all her might, she swung the heavy camera again, bringing it down on the dog’s head, hitting him so hard the heavy lens cracked.

  Relatively unfazed, the animal only bit into her harder. Slinging the camera a third time, she landed another hard blow on its head, and this time was relieved to hear a loud crack as the heavy instrument cracked its skull. With a yelp of pain, it finally released its hold on her, staggered drunkenly for a few steps, then collapsed.

  Raising her camera over her head once more, she ran towards Thelma and Louie, who were trying to drag the big beast down by it’s throat.

  Realizing his mate had been killed and he was now outnumbered, the beast broke free and ran away desperately. Thelma and Louie gave chase, but stopped and came running back as Aisha screeched desperately.

  Stepping around the dog she had just killed, she went to Thelma and Louie to make sure they weren’t injured badly. Nearly falling on the ground, she looked them over as they licked her hands. They seemed to be Ok. She sat down next to them, taking her flannel shirt off and tearing it with her teeth. She wrapped it tightly around the wound that was bleeding the worst, the bite on her leg. Thelma and Louie sat on either side of her, and she gave each of them a pat on the head and a hug. “Ohhh I love you two buggers, when I heal you’re both going to get a Honey Baked Ham, I promise.” she said as she closed her eyes, trying to fight the pain and dizziness. “Don’t suppose you guys could go get help too, huh? Could one of you play the Lassie bit, she always went and got help.”

  Wagging their tails slowly, they looked at her and whimpered, sensing her pain and misery.

  “Guess we’ll have to work on that later, huh?“ she said and laughed weakly. Hands shaking badly, she wiped off the sheen of perspiration that had formed on her brow. She rose to her feet painfully, knowing she should get help as quickly as possible in case the surviving dog returned to avenge his mate. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as she began hobbling in the direction of the house.

  Flanking her on both sides, her loyal pets fell in step.

  Lord, just help me make it home before I faint… she thought. Every step became more painful than the last, and the bleeding was getting worse. She felt her body slowly beginning to grow numb.

  ******************************************************

  As Connell and Jonus made their way into the kitchen, Connell could tell immediately that something was wrong, there was an eerie calm that nearly made his hair stand on end.

  “Aisha?” he called, but there was no answer.

>   Going upstairs to her room, still uneasy, he found it empty. Picking up the phone beside the bed, he dialed Helen’s number.

  “Hello?“

  “Hi Helen, it’s me. Listen, is Aisha over there with you?“

  “Uhhh, no, but we were supposed to meet in town in about thirty minutes. Why, what’s wrong?” she asked, beginning to sound worried.

  His heart dropped to his feet, and his worst fear was that the Harrington brothers didn’t take his warning to heart. Could they have somehow got on the farm and done something to her? He knew Leroy was in no shape to do much of anything at the moment, but Billy had simply been bruised up pretty badly, with no broken bones. Beginning to panic, he remembered she said she was going for a walk to her favorite spot, the pond. “Listen, I have to go, I’ll call you when I find her.” he told Helen.

  “Hey, wait up! What’s going o……”

  Her worried voice was cut off as he hung up the phone and ran out of the room, calling for Jonus. God, let her be alright…please, just let her be ok…. he thought frantically as he and Jonus raced out of the house. Leaping inside the Dodge Ram, he started the engine, and dirt and gravel flew from the rear wheels as he floored the gas and they sped off in the direction of the pond.

  They had only driven a short distance when they spotted her stumbling in their direction, the two dogs beside her. Her shirt was missing, she was clad only in a thin tank top from the waist up.

  Slamming on the brakes, he threw the truck into park and jumped out. Jonus followed suit, and still not certain what was going on, grabbed the rifle.

  Connell ran to her, nearly gibbering in fear when he saw the blood. He was so panicked it didn’t register that her missing shirt had been used to bind her leg, and he babbled, “Oh my God oh my God what happened did someone attack you was it those Harrington boys what did they do to…“ he stopped as he realized she wouldn’t even know who he was talking about. Grabbling her arms, he forced himself to calm down and said, “Honey, what happened?“

  With a dazed look in her eyes, she spoke slowly, as if in a trace. “Dogs…attack….killed one….other went away…I need to get a bath. So sleepy… can you show me the closet?“

  “She’s in shock, let’s get her in the truck, quick, and take her to the hospital.” he said as he looked at Jonus, then gently lifted her tiny body in his arms. “Grab the dogs too, I don’t want them alone in case there are more around.”

  Jonus ran to the tailgate, lowered it, and whistled. Thelma leaped into the bed, and he scooped the poodle up and set him beside her. Slamming the tailgate shut, he ran around to the passenger door, opened it, and threw the rifle in the back seat.”

  You dumb shit, you suspected wild dogs had killed that calf, and never thought to tell her to not take her walks until we had dealt with them….Connell thought miserably as he raced around to the open door and got in, cradling her like an infant in his arms. Shutting the door with one hand, he rocked her back and forth slowly, kissing the top of her head.

  She began mumbling something about a school play, and he kissed her damp forehead tenderly. “Shhhhh, shhhhh….everything’s gonna’ be Ok.” he whispered.

  Leaping behind the wheel, Jonus slammed the door shut, started the engine, and sped off in the direction of town.

  ****************************************************

  Coming to a screeching halt in front of the emergency room entrance, Jonus killed the engine, then leaped out of the truck. Running around to the passenger door, he quickly opened it.

  Careful to not jostle Aisha too much, Connell stepped out.

  Hearing the tires screeching only seconds earlier, a young nurse stepped out and asked, “What happened?” as she led them inside and called for help.

  “She was attacked by a dog, we think. Maybe several. We found her this way after it happened. She’s delirious, and in shock, I think. She wasn‘t making much sense.“ Connell replied as a male nurse wheeled a gurney up. Placing her on it carefully, he stepped back as the male nurse began untying the bloody remnants of the shirt she had wrapped around her calf.

  “Honey, can you hear me? I need you to tell me if any of the animals that attacked you displayed any of the following types of behavior, Ok? Were their jaws hanging open, or have any…excess saliva drooling from their mouths?” the female nurse asked as she took Aisha’s hand gently and leaned close to her face where she could see her.

  Her eyes fluttered open and she struggled to focus as she sensed, more than saw, someone leaning close to her face. All these damn questions, I just need something for pain… she thought hazily, becoming a little irritated.

  All the while Connell stood watching, and praying. First Jenny, now her…please, don’t let it be as bad as it looks.

  A third nurse arrived, a much older woman, and looked at the wounds. “I think she’ll be Ok, why don’t you go on in the waiting room, Doctor Boyd will be looking at her shortly.” she said as she looked up at Connell.

  Nodding miserably, he turned and walked away, continually looking over his shoulder as they wheeled her off.

  The small waiting room made him feel shut in, almost suffocating. He sat down next to a silent Jonus, dimly aware that the young man looked as scared and miserable as he himself probably did. Looking down at the dried blood on his jeans and hands, his stomach clinched. Even though the nurse had assured him she would be fine, he wouldn’t believe it until he had her back home with him. He closed his eyes, thinking about how her brown skin, her beautiful brown skin, had looked so pale. Why has all this been happening to me, or Aisha? he thought as the image of Jenny on her deathbed flashed in his mind.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the older nurse stepped inside, then approached him with a smile on her face.

  He jumped up and rushed to her. “How is she? She gonna’ be Ok? How bad was it? Could you tell if it was a dog bite? Does…will she catch rabies? Has she got it? Did the animal have it?”

  “Shhhh, shhhh, calm down.” she said as she gave him pat on the arm. She could tell that he was very much in love with the young woman, and she couldn’t help but think of her own son. He had met an African American girl in the Army, they had been married ten years, and were shortly going to be having their first child, her first grandchild. To her, the only thing that would make the upcoming birth more joyous would be if her husband would start speaking to his son again.

  Getting up, Jonus approached and stood worriedly beside Connell.

  “She’ll be fine, the doctor is with her now, we don’t think the bites did any serious damage. We had to give her some blood, but it’s nothing to worry about. The doctor wanted me to tell you that animal control is heading out to your place, we notified them, and someone should be there to show them where the attack took place. Well, where you think it may have taken place, I should say. The doctor will be out to speak with you as soon as he finishes. Oh, she’s awake and very much aware at the moment, she even promised me she wouldn’t cry if I gave her a popsicle.” she finished, trying to lighten the mood.

  Breathing a sigh of relief Connell thanked her, and she turned and left.

  Jonus cleared his throat and said, “Thank God. Listen, I’ll drive out to meet the people from animal control. I’ll call Ben and Helen too, let them know what’s going on.”

  Connell thanked him and sat back down to wait.

  *****************************************************

  It seemed like hours until Doctor Boyd came in, but in reality it had only been fifty minutes. Connell started to stand, but the old doctor motioned for him to sit and took a seat next to him. “We cleaned her wounds, got some blood in her, and sedated her. She’s in x-ray, and I’m waiting for the orthopedic surgeon, Doctor Nolan, to come and look at her, just to be sure. But it’s my opinion there were no crushing injuries to her bones, or damage to her muscles, nerves, tendons, and so forth. She has no loss of feeling or movement, and that’s a good sign. Even though she lost quite a bit of blood, a complete
transfusion won’t be necessary. We do have to wait for the tests on the dogs, or dog, if they find them, but my guess is they were just aggressive and hungry. There have been no reports around here at all about rabid animals, so I wouldn’t worry about that too much. Besides, she says she had a tetanus shot only a few moths ago, while she was in Brazil.”

  Standing, he put a hand on Connell’s shoulder and said, “So, let me finish up with her, and speak with Doctor Nolan. We’ll let you know what’s what as soon as we know ourselves.”

  “Thanks, doc.” he said.

  “You bet.“ he said, then turned and walked out.

  Settling himself in the chair, he knew it could be awhile, but he didn’t care as long as she was ok. Rubbing his tense neck, he heard footsteps and looked up to see Helen and Ben approaching, both looking worried.