Trust Our Tomorrows

by Carrie Carr

  "Sweet." Jay dropped the blanket he had been holding. "Damned beasts scare the hell out of me. Do you think the vet will be safe?"

  Ronnie couldn't help but grin when he heard Oscar's response.

  "Well, if you had a big sister like Lex Walters, you'd have 'em following you around like a pied piper. I don't think Ronnie's got a thing to worry about."

  When Ronnie stepped closer to the gelding, it reared and angrily snorted. "Easy, there." He slowly held out his arms while he murmured gentle words of encouragement. "It's all right, big guy. No one wants to hurt you."

  THE OVERSIZED DIESEL pickup truck idled roughly as rust-colored leaves blew across the empty schoolyard. Lex tried to keep the grin off her face as she studied her wife's smaller frame in the driver's seat. Amanda had her left leg tucked beneath her, so she could see over the steering wheel.

  Amanda didn't even bother to look at Lex. "What's so amusing?"

  "Nothing."

  "Liar." Amanda shifted in the seat in order to keep her left foot from falling asleep.

  "You'd be a lot more comfortable if you'd use the cushion I bought for you," Lex drawled. "Or you could let me drive." She always got a kick out of watching Amanda try to see over the steering wheel of the Dodge.

  Amanda turned her head. "I don't need a booster seat to drive."

  "I never said you did."

  "And there's no way in hell I'm going to let you drive when you can barely walk."

  Lex crossed her arms over her chest. "I can walk just fine."

  "Lex--" The school bell rang, and both women looked anxiously at the front of the building. Amanda tapped the steering wheel. "I still wish you'd talk to Rodney again."

  "All he'd tell me is to keep using the stupid crutches, which I hate." Lex sighed when she realized how she sounded. She held out her hand, which Amanda automatically took. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I feel completely useless right now, and I don't mean to take it out on you."

  "You're anything but useless, Lex. Don't feel bad because you have to allow your body to heal. You're only human."

  Lex kissed Amanda's hand. "Thanks." The opening of the back door of the truck caused them both to turn around.

  Melanie slowly crawled into the truck and across to her place behind Amanda. She took an unusually long time to buckle her seat belt, while Lorrie hopped in and closed the door.

  "Mrs. Barrett says Jerry don't go to our school no more," Lorrie excitedly announced.

  Amanda exchanged looks with Lex. "Jerry doesn't go to our school anymore," Amanda corrected. "Did Mrs. Barrett tell you why?"

  "No, but my friend Shelly lives across the street from Jerry. He always throws rocks at her cat, but when her daddy told Jerry's mommy about it, they got into a fight and then she told me on the playground today that she saw a moving truck at Jerry's house the other day." She finally stopped long enough to breathe. "Do you think Jerry moved away?"

  It took Lex a moment to follow Lorrie's non-stop chatter. "Wait a minute. There was a moving truck at Jerry's house? When?"

  "I dunno. The other day." Lorrie bounced in her seat. "Are we still going to Gramma and Grandpa's? You promised that if we were good we could go see them today after school. I've been good." She turned to her little sister. "You've been good too, haven't you?"

  Melanie shrugged her shoulders but didn't say anything.

  Lex held up her hand to stop Lorrie before she could get going again. "Melanie? Are you okay?"

  "I don't feel good," Melanie mumbled.

  Amanda unbuckled her seatbelt so she could turn all the way around. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

  "My tummy hurts."

  Leaning over the seat, Amanda touched Melanie's forehead. "You're a little warm. When did you start to feel bad?"

  "I dunno." Melanie wrapped her arms around her body. "A while ago."

  "Maybe we should go on home," Lex said.

  "No," Melanie and Lorrie said together. Melanie sniffled. "I wanna see Gramma."

  Amanda looked at Lex. "What do you think?"

  "We could always take her temperature when we get to your grandparents', and then figure out what to do. And if we need to go to the doctor, it's closer than the ranch."

  "That's true." Amanda brushed the hair away from Melanie's eyes. "Think you'll be okay until we get to Gramma's? I bet she'll know exactly what to do for your tummy."

  "'kay."

  Amanda turned around and buckled up. "All right, girls. On to Gramma's."

  Lex kept her voice low, so the children wouldn't hear. "Do you think we should call the pediatrician?"

  "Why don't we wait until we can find out a little more? I'd hate to bother him if it's something as simple as constipation, or a stomach bug."

  Within a few minutes, Amanda pulled the truck into the Cauble's front drive. "All right, gang. We're here."

  Melanie started to cry. "Mommy, I don't feel good."

  Amanda turned off the truck, climbed out and opened Melanie's door. "Is your tummy still hurting?"

  "Uh-huh." Melanie waited until Amanda removed her seatbelt. "Will you hold me, Mommy?"

  "Of course I will, honey." Amanda hefted the child into her arms. "Come on. Let's get you inside." They were halfway to the house when Melanie cried out and vomited, covering both her and Amanda.

  Amanda coughed at the rancid smell. Strong odors had always been hard for her, and she struggled to keep from joining her daughter.

  "Ooh, gross. She got you good, Mommy." Lorrie kept her distance and stood partially behind Lex.

  "Hush, Lorrie." Lex playfully swatted their oldest on the rear. "Could you go to the house and get a towel from Gramma?" She limped toward Amanda to see if she could help.

  "Yes, ma'am."

  When she heard Amanda gag, Lex gingerly took Melanie away from her. A rancid fish odor emanated from the crying child. Lex used one hand to strip the soiled top off of her, effectively removing the majority of the mess. "Sssh. You're going to be okay, sweetheart." She tucked Melanie close to her and headed for the front porch.

  "Lex--" Amanda stopped, knowing that Lex would ignore her anyway. "Stubborn old thing."

  Anna Leigh followed Lorrie out of the house. "Lorrie told me what happened. What can I do?"

  "Mind if we borrow your bathtub?" Lex covered Melanie with the towel that Lorrie handed her. "Thanks, kiddo. You're a great help."

  "I'll start the water for you, Lexington." Anna Leigh moved ahead of the group.

  Lorrie wrinkled her nose as Amanda walked past her. "Want me to get you a towel, too, Mommy?"

  Amanda held her filthy blouse away from her body and hurried into the house. "I'll be all right." She focused all her energy on not throwing up, and followed Lex to the guest bathroom upstairs. "Let me carry her, Lex. You shouldn't be straining your knee like that."

  "I've got her," Lex argued. She ignored the dueling pains in her knee and back as she trudged up the stairs. At the sound of running water, Lex kissed the top of Melanie's head. "We'll have you cleaned up in no time, sweetheart. You're going to be all right."

  Melanie sniffled and buried her face into Lex's shirt.

  "That was so gross, Momma. I didn't know anyone could throw up like that. She spewed like a water gun, or something," Lorrie chattered. "And, wow. What a nasty smell."

  Anna Leigh stepped away from the filling tub. "Lorrie, why don't you go out to the workshop and see your grandfather? I'm sure he'd love to have your help on the table he's making."

  "Awesome." Lorrie rubbed her nose. "I bet it doesn't stink out there." She turned and headed down the stairs at a trot.

  "Thanks, Gramma." Amanda whipped her blouse off and tested the water. "Perfect."

  Lex stripped Melanie of the remainder of her clothes and carefully set her in the water. "There you go, sweetheart. Getting clean should help." She watched as Anna Leigh gathered the dirty clothes in a towel. "Let me take those to the laundry room. You shouldn't have to."

  "No need, dearest. But perhaps you should check the gues
t room dresser for spare clothing. I believe we have some pajamas that will fit Melanie." Anna Leigh left the trio alone.

  "All right." Lex bent and kissed Melanie on top of the head. "Guess I'll leave you two to get clean."

  Amanda already had her shoes and socks off, and was unbuckling her belt. "Thanks. Would you mind seeing if I left anything here the last time we stayed over? I can't remember if I did or not."

  "Sure thing." Lex washed her hands at the sink, and doubled-checked her reflection in the mirror. Not seeing anything amiss, she dried her hands and gave Amanda a quick kiss. "Holler if you need me."

  "We'll be fine," Amanda said, slowly sinking into the water. "Oooh. Nice."

  Lex stepped into the hall and met Anna Leigh. "Thanks for letting us invade you like this."

  "It's never an invasion." Anna Leigh tucked her arm around Lex's waist as they headed for the nearest guest room. "I believe we have several pairs of Mandy's sweats in the top drawer of the dresser." She gently guided Lex to the bed. "Why don't you take off your boots and stretch out, while I get what the girls need?"

  "Have you been taking sneaky lessons from my wife?" Lex removed her boots and sat back against the headboard. "Or maybe you're where she gets it from."

  Anna Leigh ignored her grumbling. She rifled through the dresser until she was satisfied with the clothing choices. "After I get these to Mandy, I think I'll have Jacob run to the store for some Pedialyte. That's usually the best thing for a sick little girl."

  "I can do that," Lex argued, swinging her legs off the bed. One look from Anna Leigh caused her to roll her eyes and resume her earlier position.

  "I knew you would see it my way, Lexington." Anna Leigh gathered the clothes into one arm and kissed Lex on the cheek. "Be a good girl, and maybe Jacob will bring back some ice cream, too."

  The ringing of her cell phone kept Lex from making a parting comment. She took the flip phone from her belt. "Lex Walters."

  "Lex? This is Ronnie."

  She gingerly stretched her legs out. "Hey, Ronnie. What's up?"

  "I've got a bit of a dilemma, and I was hoping you'd be able to help me." He cleared his throat. "You know anything about an abandoned farm out west of highway twenty-one?"

  Lex started to pick at a thread that stood out on her jeans. "Not right offhand, I don't. Are you looking to buy it?"

  "No, no. Nothing like that. But the sheriff's department came across an injured gelding that's going to need a lot of rehabilitation. And we don't have any empty stalls right now. So, I was wondering--"

  "If I'd mind you keeping him at the ranch, right?"

  Ronnie laughed at her tone. "Yeah. But, Lex? He's a real mess."

  "What kind of mess?"

  "I had to suture so many cuts on him, I lost count." Before Lex could ask, he explained. "We think he was inside a barn when it collapsed, which explains why we couldn't get him into a covered trailer. And, I think he was attacked more than once by a wild dog, because his legs are covered solid with infected bites. We had to cover his head with a blanket so I could get close enough to administer a sedative. Otherwise, we'd have never been able to get him out of the corral."

  Lex closed her eyes as he spoke. She had a bleak picture in her mind of the condition of the horse, and it made her sick to her stomach. "Take him out to the ranch and put him in the corral closest to the house. I'll help you any way I can."

  "Thanks, Lex. I really appreciate it. I'll talk to you later."

  After clipping her phone onto her belt, Lex sighed. "Never a dull moment, that's for damned sure."

  AFTER DRYING OFF and changing into the sweats that Anna Leigh had given her, Amanda helped Melanie from the tub. Before she could finish patting her dry, Melanie doubled over and threw up again, this time on the rug by the bathtub. "Oh, sweetie." Amanda tried to calm her daughter, who had begun to dry heave. "Lex!"

  Moments later, Lex limped into the room. She took one look at Amanda's pallor, and quickly rolled up the rug to get it out of the way. She picked up Melanie and used the damp washcloth to wipe her face. "Sssh, baby. It's going to be okay."

  "Momma, my tummy hurts," Melanie gasped, lying her head on Lex's shoulder. She coughed, but didn't throw up.

  Lex held her close and whispered to Amanda, "She's still running a fever. I think we'd better call Dr. Weisner."

  Anna Leigh appeared in the doorway. "Don't bother. I've got Rodney coming over."

  "Gramma," Amanda started to argue.

  "What's the use in having a doctor in the family if he doesn't make house calls?" Anna Leigh brushed her hand across Melanie's hair. "Don't you worry, little one. Lexington, bring her into the first guest room. Neither one of you can be very comfortable in here."

  Amanda reached for Melanie. "Let me take her, honey."

  Lex thought about denying her, but one look at Amanda's face changed her mind. "Sure. I'll finish cleaning up in here, then I'll join you." She kissed Melanie's forehead and gently passed her to Amanda.

  By the time Lex had rinsed the rug and cleaned the tub, she could hear Rodney's voice coming from the nearest guest room. She washed her hands and turned off the bathroom light, before joining the rest of the family.

  "Hey," Amanda murmured, leaning into Lex, who had automatically put her arm around Amanda's body.

  "How's it going?" Lex whispered into Amanda's ear. She kissed the side of her face when Amanda sniffled.

  Rodney carefully palpitated Melanie's abdomen. When she cried out, he shared a concerned look with her parents. "It could be one of several things. I may need to take her to the hospital for more tests."

  "Appendicitis?" Anna Leigh quietly asked.

  "Definitely a chance of it, I'm afraid." He looked back at Melanie. "What did you have to eat today, Mel?"

  "I dunno."

  "She had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a sliced apple, chips and a bottle of juice," Amanda said. "At least that's what I packed in her lunch bag this morning."

  Rodney turned back to his patient. "Is that right?"

  "Uh-huh." Melanie cut her eyes at Amanda for a moment, and then back to Rodney. "I didn't trade."

  Lex turned to Amanda. "Peanut butter and jelly? Are you sure?"

  "Why?"

  Crossing to the bed, Lex sat next to Melanie and gave her a no-nonsense look. "Because someone smelled a lot like tuna when she got sick."

  Melanie's eyes grew wide, as she was torn between telling the truth, and getting into trouble.

  "Sweetheart," Lex leaned closer to Melanie and lowered her voice, "please tell us what you ate. I promise we won't get mad."

  "But, Mommy said--"

  "Sssh. How can Uncle Rodney make you all better, if he doesn't know why you're sick?" Lex brushed Melanie's hair away from her face. "Did you trade lunches today?"

  Melanie shook her head. "No."

  "Mel."

  "I didn't, Momma."

  Lex sighed and rubbed her eyes with one hand. "Did you share anyone else's lunch today?"

  "Uh-huh." Melanie started to cry. "It was after recess. I was in line next to Bryan, and we was hungry. So Bryan gaved me some of his lunch sandwich that he didn't eat."

  Rodney bit back a laugh. "Warm tuna salad. Sounds like a mild case of food poisoning." He flipped through his bag. "Melanie, from now on you need to stick with what your Mom sends to school with you, okay? No more sharing."

  "Okay." Melanie started to cry when she saw Rodney remove a hypodermic needle and a vial. "Do I have to get a shot?"

  "It'll make you feel better a lot quicker," he said. "Does anyone have a contact number for Bryan?"

  Amanda stood behind Lex and put her hand on her shoulder. "I have a list of phone numbers for all her classmates in my purse. Would you like me to call his parents and see how he's feeling?"

  "That's a good idea. If he's sick, tell them I can drop by on my way home." Rodney put away his equipment and ruffled Melanie's hair. "I'll see you next week on Thanksgiving, okay? Be a good girl for your moms."

&n
bsp; Melanie blinked the tears from her eyes and nodded. "Okay." She yawned and rolled onto her side, curling her hand around Lex's wrist. "I'm sleepy, Momma." Her eyes closed and she dozed off before Rodney could stand.

  Lex smiled down at her daughter. "Whatever you gave her, I'll pay you a million dollars for a ten-year supply. Bedtime tends to be a fight at our house."

  He stood and stretched. "She was so worn out from the nausea and cramping, it didn't take much to help her rest. She should be fine in a day or so, but give me a call if she gets worse."

  "Thanks, Rodney." Amanda gave him a hug. "If you'll follow me downstairs, I'll make that phone call, so you'll know if you need to stop by Bryan's house." When Lex made a move to get up, she pointed her finger. "And you sit right there." She glanced at Lex's feet. "As a matter of fact, since your boots are already off, why don't you lie down next to Mel for a while?"

  Lex didn't feel like arguing, since she was hurting more than she wanted to admit. "That's a good idea. I'd like to stay close in case she needs anything." She winked at Amanda. "Don't think you've won this one, though. I'm only doing it for Mel."

  "Uh-huh." Amanda kissed the top of Lex's head. "You believe what you want, honey."

  A FEW DAYS later, Amanda opened the front door and smiled a warm welcome to the couple standing on the front porch. "I'm so glad you could make it. I'm Amanda. Please, come in. Let me take your coats." After placing her guests' coats on separate hooks by the door, she led them into the living room. "I know we've spoken on the phone, but it's so great to finally meet face to face."

  Rebecca Starrett rubbed her hands together to warm them. "Thank you so much for inviting us. It's nice to have a chance to visit with another couple, isn't it, Shelby?"

  "Yep." Shelby followed Amanda's lead and moved to sit on the loveseat opposite the sofa. "Hey there, Lex."

  "Shelby. Good to see you again." Lex began to stand, but a not-sosubtle glare from Amanda kept her seated. "How's that colt doing, Rebecca?"

  After she sat beside Shelby, Rebecca appeared to bounce in place. "He's wonderful. I've already gotten him used to a halter."