Page 28 of Tom's Chance
“What else? Tell me all of it, Tom.”
“Along with the burns, she has a crushed skull. When the firemen arrived, they found Mr. Bickers wielding a baseball bat and attempted to bash their heads in if they tried to get to his wife. According to Sheriff Jim, they, the Falco brothers, ended up turning the hose on him to knock him on his ass and away from his wife. As they rushed to her, the cops were there to take him away, and they rushed her to an ambulance. That’s when they found Rose andBaby. They stuffed them in their truck as they went back to fight the fire.”
“Damn, please tell me Mr. Bickers is in jail.”
“He is. Oh, and I don’t know whether this matters or not, but he was so drunk that his blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit. They tried to give him a breathalyzer, but he passed out, so they took his blood. He was cuffed to the gurney and sent to the local hospital, but not until they called for Mercy Flight to take Mrs. Bickers to Denver. He’s been in jail ever since being released from the hospital. The son of a bitch had nothing wrong with him, except for some soot in his nose and on his clothes. They’re not taking him before the judge until the fire investigation is complete.”
“Wow, I know you and I are only vets, but based on what you were told, what do you think the chances of Mrs. Bickers surviving are?”
“Less than ten percent.” He sighed heavily and looked at her sadly. “I would like to do something, but I would like you to be with me if you agree.”
“What’s that?”
“First, I want to make sure Rose survives, then I would like you to go with me and I would like to take Rose and Baby with me. I’m sure we can rig something up in one of our trucks to take the babies with us, but I would like to take Rose and Baby to the hospital and tell Mrs. Bickers that they survived and are safe. I don’t know if we can actually take themwith us, but I think if she knew they were safe then she can decide to fight or just give up. I can’t tell you why, but I think if she knew her animals were alive and safe, then she can rest easier.”
“How far is Denver from here? Forget I asked that, I flew into Denver. It’s a little over three hours.”
“Correct.”
“I can understand why you want to do what you suggested, but do you really think we should take them? If she’s in the burns unit and is in as rough shape as you say, they won’t even allow us in to see her. I’m sure it’s an extremely sterile environment.”
“You’re right, we can probably leave the animals here, do you think your mother or Grandmother would keep an eye on them? I’m sorry that I keep repeating myself, but I can’t seem to wrap my head around what happened. I think if I speak my thoughts out, no matter how many times I say the same thing, then I can grasp the severity of what happened.”
Lorissa laughed and ended up waving her hand in front of her face. “I’m sorry, it’s not a laughing matter, but Nana has already asked me when she could take one of the puppies. I didn’t know this, but when Mom was growing up she said she had a Yorkie. It turned out to live until he was twenty-two.”
“Wow, that’s a long time for a Yorkie.”
“That’s what I said, and though Grandpa found it abandoned on the side of the road at only a fewmonths old, he was supposed to be Mom’s dog, but Nana took him everywhere with her. She operated a nursery, and apparently Ralph was with her every day, all day, and he only hung out with Mom when he wanted to sleep.”
Tom laughed along with her and could picture it. He nodded and said, “Well, since we both know that Mr. Bickers probably won’t be getting out of jail anytime soon, and Mrs. Bickers has an extremely long road ahead of her, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you are now the proud owner of a dog and a cat. I’ll let you handle everything. If you want to keep them, then so be it, if you want to give the babies away, that’s your decision.”
“I think I’ll keep Rose and Baby for myself and see if I can’t give out the kittens and puppies when it’s time for them to go to their own homes. I will probably go to Erin and see if anyone on the farms wants one before I go to the general public. I know Nana wants a puppy, and I know Mom wants one, but I don’t know whether it’s a puppy or a kitten.”
“As I said, I’ll leave that up to you. Now, if I can call and make plans to go see Mrs. Bickers, would you like to go with me?”
“Yes. But I’m not banking on the fact that they will let us in to see her.”
“I understand, and I’ll think the same thing. I don’t want to be pushy, but dress nicely and I’ll take you out to dinner afterward.”
“Not at that fancy restaurant you told me about. I don’t want to be hungrier leaving the place than when I arrive.”
Tom threw his head back and laughed. “How about a genuine steakhouse?”
“I can definitely sink my teeth into that.” She laughed along with him, and after checking on Rose, Tom left with the promise to contact her when he had any news about whether they could visit. After he left, Lorissa ran up the stairs, opened her closet, and started going through everything she owned. She sat on her bed and refused to cry when she realized she didn’t even have a dress. With sadness in her heart, she went back downstairs, and after pouring herself a cup of coffee she sat there for several minutes before she picked up her phone and sent a text.
Thirty minutes later, her mother walked in the back door and took one look at her daughter and sighed. “Show me.” She headed for the stairs and an hour later, she looked at her daughter and shook her head.
“I’m not mad, but it does shock me that you don’t have any dresses, or even a skirt and blouse. How did that happen? I thought you had that nice dress for the celebration party.”
“It got ripped when Griff pulled that gun, and we all hit the floor. It was easier to toss it than to try to get it repaired. I hadn’t realized I stopped dressinggirly when I worked, because how many times can I wear a dress when I’m shoeing a horse.”
“I know and I’m sorry. Can you tell me why you want a dress all of a sudden?”
Lorissa explained the situation to her mother and after they shared some tears together about Mrs. Bickers, Laurie nodded and grinned. “What are you doing now?”
“I have to check on Rose, she’s awake, then I’m free, why?”
“Nana is home, should we get her to watch the babies, and we head to town?”
