Page 62 of Chasing Fireflies

*

I walk up the stairs and into our bedroom. Sara lies sleeping. Exhaustion has finally taken over her, and I’m glad she can sleep. Maybe her high is over, and she’s had her blow up. I’m hoping that’s as bad as it gets. I walk back down and grab a beer out of the fridge before I sit down in front of the TV. I watch the game until I’m drunk and pass out on the couch. Happy fucking Thanksgiving.

Chapter Nineteen

Sara

While driving through town to go to my doctor’s appointment, I see Christmas lights being hung and a big tree being pulled upright by a few men and a rope. Turning into the doctor’s office, I park Old Blue and step out of the truck. It’s freezing today, and snow covers the ground still from the small storm we had last night. I open the door and step inside, grateful that there is only one other person in here.

After I sign in, I grab a cup of complimentary coffee to warm my insides. I was supposed to go to the doctor after Thanksgiving, but I just couldn’t get out of bed unless it was to go to work.

“Sara.” My name is called, and I stand up. Tossing the coffee into the trash, I follow the nurse to the back. The hallways are lined with old photos from way back when, and the smell of new carpet hits my nose. We turn, and I see Dannie’s office door is open. “She’s expecting you. You can go on in.”

I nod and walk into the office.

“Sara, how are you?” Dannie asks as she stands and points to the chair for me to sit.

“Good today, thanks.”

“Great, so what seems to be the problem?” She sits back down in her chair, and it squeaks. She links her fingers and rests them on the desktop.

“A lot of shift in my moods lately. My meds just make me sleepy, and once again they don’t seem to be working.”

“Hmm… How is life going at home?”

“Well, some days are better than others. I’m a lot to handle.” I kind of laugh, but Dannie doesn’t.

“I went a little crazy with the credit cards and flipped out at Thanksgiving.”

“Tell me all about it,” Dannie says. I tell her how Cash and I argued after we left the store because of the card being denied, how I walked out of the house during a snowstorm, and how I was on a high and snapped at Thanksgiving. Saying all of this out loud makes me feel crazy. But the good thing about Dannie is, she doesn’t judge.

“Well, let’s see what we can do, shall we?” she says.

*

Thirty minutes later, I’m walking out with a handful of new prescriptions. Yay me. I breathe in the fresh air as I walk to Old Blue, quickly jumping inside to get out of the wind. I crank him up and head to the pharmacy to fill my bottles of sanity. Coming to a stoplight, I see Leigh walking a dog that looks like he isn’t quite out of the puppy stage. With some elbow power, I roll the window down.

“Hey, dog walker!” I yell over to her. She turns my way and smiles, then quickly runs over to me before the light changes.

“Hey, yourself. What are you up to?”

“Just left the doctor.”

“Everything okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, I’m good. What you got there?” I ask, looking down at the brown dog.

“This here is Bear. He’s a Lab. He just showed up at the back of Banner’s Bar with no collar. Sweet as ever and smart, too.”

I look up when the light turns green, but there is no one behind me.

“Sit, Bear,” Leigh says, and he does. She gives him a treat from her pocket, and he takes it gladly.

I smile. “He seems like a good dog. Hate he has no home.”

“You want him?” She grins as a car horn blows behind me.

“I gotta go. I’ll call you later.”

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