Page 20 of Conri

She was too stoned out of her mind to understand anything that was being said to her.The doctor, when he finally showed up, said it was the best way to have her, or she’d be throwing food atpeople and cursing.So their solution was to keep her drugged up all the time so they’d not have to deal with her.It had merit, but he still didn’t like it.

He didn’t like Cindy at all, but that didn’t mean that he would tolerate her being treated the way that she was.Instead of sitting there being pissed off, he decided to contact his good friend and ask Brew if there was anything that could be done about this place.

“Let me check into a couple of things.I know at one time I owned one of those buildings, but I can’t remember off the top of my head.”When he got back to him, he was about as pissed off as he was.“I own that place.You’re saying that they’re telling you it’s state runned?It’s not.I donated millions of dollars to that place to have it run top-notch.I don’t even have a board that I answer to.My mother was in one of those when she was alive, and I, like you, was disgusted when I went to visit her.I’ll make some calls right now.”

“Thank you.We’re here with Cass’s sister, and it took them two hours to make sure that she had on a clean gown and the linens changed on her bed.”He told him what he’d been told, too.“I don’t like the woman, but I don’t want to see anyone treated like this.This is worse than my nightmares could have dreamed up.The staff was having a little party when we walked in this morning, and I found out it was one of the resident’s birthdays.But there wasn’t any of them around to have any of the cake and ice cream that was set up.I’m telling you right now, Brew, I’d be hard-pressed not to come in here as my wolf and kill all the staff off.”

“Don’t do that.We’ll call that plan ‘b.’I’ll make a couple of more calls and see what I can do about it.Oh, you’ve no idea how pissed off my Calla Lily is right now.She’ll be getting that viper’s nest taken care of in no time.”He was glad to hear that and told his best friend that.“She’d make a great vampire.I’m going to talk to her about a few things here, and you should see some changes soon.Oh my, tell your Cass how sorry I am that it got to this point and nothing has been done about it.I swear on the heart of my mate that it will be changed.Vipers.”

“Thank you, Brew.You’ve no idea how much I appreciate this.As I said, I don’t like the woman, but she’s not the only one here that is being neglected.”He looked at Cass and realized that he might have missed something while talking to Brew.Telling her what was going on so that no one could hear them talking, she smiled at him.

“I figured that you were taking care of things here.We might as well go.She’s not able to function right now, and I don’t like it here.Let’s go get some lunch and watch what happens here from across the street.There was a nice soup and sandwich place there.”He told her that he loved the way that her mind worked.

As they were leaving, he could see the head guy.They’d never caught his name on the phone.He was saying ‘yes, ma’am’a great deal, so he figured that Calla had gotten things rolling here.As they were badged out of the building, he could hear sirens coming up the street, and when they pulled in front of the place, he had to smile.Christ, this was going to be so much fun to have a front-row seat to.

People were being escorted out by the police at one point.As many as a dozen.They looked like they were the cafeteria crew and some of the nursing staff.The doctor that they had spoken to was then taken out in cuffs and chains.They both speculated what had happened to the older man when he tried to run from the police at one point.The place was gathering quite a crowd of lookee Lou’s, and they both thought that it was the funniest thing ever.He only wished that he’d remembered to record things for Brew when he saw the big vampire standing in the crowd with a lot of news reporters.

Brew didn’t join them before they left, and he figured that the man had enough on his mind right now and left him to it.There were other people going into the building now, and they were dressed in nurses’ uniforms as well as some of them looked like cooks.It would be just like Brew to be able to get an entire crew in place with the snap of his fingers.The man was that wealthy and that powerful.By tomorrow, he’d bet that it was as if nothing happened, and the people, the residents, would be getting good care and better food than they’d had since being put into the place.

~*~

Cass sat by the headstone that had only just been put in and decided that she could talk to her dad any place that she wanted, but here offered her the most peace.There were still bunches of flowers all over his grave, and she got down on the ground and straightened them up so they looked better.Once shewas done, he dusted off the top of his headstone that had her mom on it, too, for when she passed and smiled.

“You’d be so upset about all the fanfare that went on when you had your services.Flowers and condolences came from all over the world at your passing, and people are still leaving flowers at the funeral home that couldn’t be collected in time.”She brushed away a tear that had formed and looked around the cemetery.“You’re in such a lovely place, Dad.I know you picked it out for Mom, and she loves it as well.The big tree will keep you shaded in the hotter months and cover you with leaves in the fall.I remembered how much you liked to rake the leaves up when you had time.It’s beautiful out here.”

She saw a couple going to what looked to her like a gravesite for a child.It broke her heart that there were so many little children’s graves not far from where she was sitting.Perhaps her dad would enjoy talking to the little ones.She had to believe that there was a place that people went to when they passed on.Otherwise, her dad would just be gone like her mother someday.

“Conri is a little overwhelmed about the land that you left him.He keeps asking Howie if he wants it.It’ll make a great pack land for the pack that is growing now, thanks to the king of their kind telling people what a forward-thinking alpha he is.Me too, but I don’t do as much for the pack as he does.I’m the one that makes sure he has all his appointments in order.”She laughed a little at that.“He had so many meetings in the day I was surprised that he ever got anything done.Now he has them once a week and he’s sleeping better because he’s not so stressed about them anymore.”

There were loud voices at the child’s headstone.The man stormed off and left the woman there.It wasn’t until then that she noticed that the woman was going to have a baby.She wished her better luck with this one.Not knowing what had happened, it was all she could do for now.

“I went to see Cindy.Conri said you were calling her that, so I am, as well.But we went to see her last week, and you’d not believe the state that she was in.”She told him about the visit, how she was dirty, and that people weren’t taking care of the residents.“It was awful, Dad.You’d not believe how nasty the place was.But Conri called his friend the vampire and told him what was going on, and now I guess it’s in perfect working order.Even Cindy is getting better care.I know that you’d want that for her.Even for all that she did to us, she’s still family, and I couldn’t stand to have her looking like a homeless person and not being taken care of.”

The man came back with flowers, and he handed them to the woman.She hugged him, but the man just stood there.She didn’t know what was going on, but she felt sorry for the two of them.

“I wonder if they’ll make it.I know that I will.”She plucked one of the flowers from the stem and held it up to her nose.The smell was heady, and she loved it.It reminded her of home when she lived there and the flowers that were forever in the front hall when she came home.“Conri and I are going to try for a baby the next time I’m in heat.It’s a terrible name for me ovulating, but that’s what they call it.Once I’m going to have our baby, I’m going to name him after you if it’s a boy.Conri Howard Valley.Conri loves that name.And if we have a little girl, I’m going to name her after his and my mom.She’ll be Elizabeth Ethel Valley.I love that name.It’s so old-fashioned, don’t you think?”

She remembered her list and pulled it out now to tell her dad what she’d been up to.When she was about halfway through the list, she remembered something else.Something about her big brother.

“Howie is dating again.No one special just yet, but he’s giving it a try.He’s seeing someone from the pack, and they seem to be getting along well.They’re not mates, her mate died some time ago, and she has three children.You should see Howie, Dad.He just dotes on those little ones like they’re his own.And he tells them about you too how you would have taken them to get ice cream daily just so they could be happy.He does it too, just so you know.”She laughed a little.“He’s bought him another house.It’s not nearly as big as the one he shared with Margaret, but it’s lovely.He’s been planting flowers in the front yard since he moved in.I actually think that he was planting them even before he unpacked the first box.”

Looking at her list again, she thought of Kendrick and how he’d been avoiding her lately.“I think he is thinking that I will blame him for you passing the way that you did.I don’t.You left thisworld just the way that you wanted to, and I couldn’t be happier.Mom is, too, by the way.Happy, I mean.It’s only been a few weeks since you passed, but she’s doing well.I think her being with you when you passed is what’s giving her the strength to go on.I’m very proud of her.”

She told him how she was learning to make jelly from Ethel, Conri’s mom.How she’d been at pack meetings with the women and was learning too how to cook for hundreds of people.Smiling sadly, she thought of her dad and how much he was missing right now, but she couldn’t be sad, she told herself.He was in a better place.

As she was sitting there, looking around the cemetery, a butterfly came and sat on her leg.The large monarch seemed to understand how special and beautiful he was and stayed on her leg for twenty minutes or longer.It was then that she remembered her dad and her on a walk in a garden once and him pointing out all the butterflies and bugs that they found on their trip.She knew it was a sign from her dad telling her that she was all right and would be from now on.

“Thank you so much, Dad.I love you.”Tears streamed down her face as the butterfly landed on the headstone by her father’s name.“I miss you so much, Dad, I can barely function at times.But then something like this happens, and I’m all right again.Thank you, and I love you very much.”

Walking to her car, she took a small glance at the couple again.They weren’t arguing anymore, but she could tell that the man was upset.He was stiff in his shoulders, and his face looked pinched.The woman was crying, sitting on the ground next to the child’s marker.

Since she didn’t know what was going on, she gave them a wide berth and went on her way.Whatever their problems were, she hoped they worked them out soon.A baby wouldn’t fix everything, so she hoped that they understood that.Getting in her car, she sat there for several minutes as she gathered her thoughts.She needed to go home; she had plenty to do, but she always felt so rested when she left here after talking to her dad for a few minutes.

Putting her list in the glove box with the other two she’d brought out here, she was on her way home.She didn’t know why she was saving the lists, but she did, and someday, she’d get them out and reread them and think of the time that she spent with her father.It was good for her to be able to do this.

Conri met her at the door when she got home.Smiling at him, he kissed her on the mouth.Asking him what that was for, he told her that he simply loved her and wanted to show her every time he saw her.Such a goof, he was, but she loved him anyway.

They spent the afternoon together going over reports from the pack.She was getting better at finding things on the report for the foodstuffs that they had stored away, and he was a great teacher, telling her what they should and should not have in their larders.It was for emergencies, and so far this month, they’d used up a good portion of it for when there was a house fire in one of the smaller homes.

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