Page 8 of Wicked Healing

“Thank you, very much.”

As a treat, she drove through Starbucks and got the dogs Pup Cups. She took a short video to send to Luca, laughing as Sophie buried her little head into the cup, getting whipped cream all over her fur. Wicked emptied his cup in a couple of long licks, then swiped his tongue over Sophie’s head, knocking her off the center console where she was standing. Giggling, Erin helped the little dog up, then let Wicked finish her cup. Erin could tell that the dogs were enjoying themselves.

When she got home she sent Luca the video and told him about the appointment. He responded almost immediately, telling her how much he enjoyed seeing his buddy. Then he told her that it was a pretty special day on his end as well. He was being released from the hospital this week and moving to La Jolla rehab facility.

He still hadn’t told her exactly what his injuries were, but it sounded like he was healing fairly well. Erin knew from relatives being in car crashes that rehab facilities were a good step. He was obviously getting stronger. Not bad when they’d been unsure if he would live or die at first.

Her mother came over that night for dinner, and Erin told her about the sailor.

“Maybe you should take Wicked to the facility when he gets his leg.”

She thought about her mother’s words all that night, wondering if it was a crazy idea. Traveling all the way to California would take a lot of time. Not nearly as much as the drive from San Antonio had been, but…

For shits and giggles she scrolled to the Maps app on her phone. Six and a half hours. Across the desert. She sighed.

After he got the prosthetic she would see what Luca said about it.

---