Page 37 of Collected By the Crow

“I’m glad you called,” she said when she could speak again.

They talked for a few minutes longer. When they hung up, she returned to work with a fresh well of energy in her heart center. Mark was right. She was courageous and strong. Always had been. She knew who she was, what she wanted. She was capable of having uncomfortable conversations. Obviously.

When Cass reached the level of her lab, there was a gaggle of people with all different colored badges crowded in the hallway. Her fellow techs were in tears, holding each other, while her boss wiped tears from smiling cheeks.

“It worked,” she said under her breath. “It worked, didn’t it?” She shoved and elbowed past the crowd, smacking her hand on the glass. “It worked! Did it work?”

She had no other words. By the time she made it through the doorway, she was drowned out by her peers, who rushed to hug and high-five her.

“It worked!”

“Dr. Billing, you did it. You did it!”

“Cassandra! We’re so proud of you,” Layla, her boss, joined in. “Come on. There’s someone who wants to congratulate you in my office.”

Dazed, Cass followed her. The corner office was lined with windows on two sides, the sun glaring in from the west. The room smelled like vanilla. Cass took a seat in the plastic-feeling arm chair, her focus drifting to the dusty pink macramé hanging behind her boss as she clicked around on her laptop.

“Mr. Manaham, she’s here. I’m turning you around.” The laptop turned and a wrinkly, white-haired man beamed at Cass from the screen.

“Mrs. Billing! You’ve done it. I hope you’re proud!”

Cass smiled. She didn’t correct his improper title. She couldn’t think of anything to say. His polite chuckle died off and then he clapped his hands once.

“How ‘bout you take tomorrow off. There’s still a road ahead. Assuming it withholds in the clinical trials, you’re going to be a very popular person soon. So rest up, and then Layla will contact you with the next steps. Don’t worry, we’ll write your speeches, when it gets to that point. Take a breather, you’ll need it! Hey, you did it! You did it!”

You did it. She endured the praise, but her stomach flipped into knots like the bohemian decor in Layla’s office. You did it. If she hadn’t cried her heart out a little bit ago, she would definitely be crying now. She gave her best smile and nodded at the corporate man until the laptop closed.

“Oh, Cassandra,” Layla said fondly. “I know you’ve been so worried. Take your time, okay? I can handle things for a while. As much time as you need.”

“Thanks, boss.”

Layla squeezed her shoulder before slipping past and calling everyone into the conference room. She winked at Cass as a flood of her peers shuffled around her excitedly, an uncomfortable amount of hands touching her as they passed. When the flow of people ceased, Cass watched the blinds of the conference room close. She tiptoed to the lab, casting a nervous glance around before sneaking inside.

Trials would take months. Everyone was acting like she’d singlehandedly saved the dogs, but what they weren’t saying was that it might still be weeks before a household dog received the cure. Luckily, she knew what was in those vials. She knew what that synthesized compound derived from. There wasn’t a chance in hell she would sit around and wait.

She nabbed the extra vial and syringe she’d set aside for Zero.

Still in a trance-like state, Cass made it home as the last vestiges of sunlight painted the sky an enchanting purple. It'd been a short autumn this year. When she reached the driveway, it wasn’t the bitter cold that made her goose bumps rise. She left her case in the backseat and sprinted to the front door, where a pile of glinting objects almost made her slip onto her ass.

Silver, gold, crystals, minerals, jewelry, coins; it spilled from the stoop onto the step and off the sides. She caught herself on the railing, her quickened breath coming out in little puffs of white. She pushed the door open and stepped over, dropping to her knees to scoop it all inside.

Zero was curled up in his doggie bed, which he’d only recently been lying in because everything else was too high. Cass roused him with a scratch under his ears. His bloodshot puppy eyes were full of love, and this time she told him the words she’d been longing for ever since this journey began.

“We did it, Zero. Let’s get you better.”

She administered the shot and disposed of the evidence.

By the time she’d collected a duffel bag of things and some food, Zero was sitting in his bed. She paused at the decorative mirror by the door to adorn the emerald hair piece, then proceeded to toss her things in the car. When she returned, Zero was on his feet, tail wagging.

“Holy fuck!” she exclaimed, dropping down to give him a thorough petting. She sniffed back tears and laughed as he licked her neck. “People are going to absolutely freak! If only they knew, right?”

“Arruff!”

Cass laughed harder. Zero rose, pawing at her chest until she fell over, then promptly licked her face. People were certainly going to lose their shit at how quickly this stuff worked.

“Okay, okay. You ready, goofball?”

You did it, Dr. Billing.

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