Ignoring the man completely, Randi turned her attention back to Ms. Crawford. "Clarice came through just fine," she assured the woman, who hugged the vet in exuberance.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Meyers," she gushed. "I don't know what to say."

"It's all right," Randi affirmed, pulling back from the embrace. "I'm afraid it's going to take her a little longer to heal. I'd like to keep her here for a few days to keep a close eye on her."

Ms. Crawford nodded. "Yes, please. Whatever it takes." She touched the vet's arm. "I know you'll probably think I've lost my mind, acting like this for a silly animal. But, she was the last gift my father gave me before he passed away, and she means everything to me."

Randi nodded. "I completely understand." She gently disengaged the woman's hand from her arm. "There's going to be a significant scar, but barring any unforeseen complications, she should be good as new in a few weeks."

"Thank you again." The petite woman looked at the closed office door. "You're in a lot of trouble for what you did today, aren't you?"

"I could be," the vet admitted. "But don't worry about it."

A wicked smile covered the sweet woman's face. "I'm not, and neither should you."

"What do you mean?"

"This is that other doctor's clinic, isn't it? The name outside is the same as his," Ms. Crawford asked. At Randi's nod, she continued. "You just tell him my name, and what you did for me." She hugged the vet again, and turned to walk out the door. "I'm going to go make a few phone calls, Dr. Meyers. He's going to wish he never heard of me by the time I get through with him. Oh, and I'll be back a bit later to see Clarice, if it's okay."

"Uh, sure." Randi waved at the woman and looked over at Christina, who had a very large smile on her face. "What was that all about?"

The older woman shrugged her shoulders. "I’m sure I don't know, dear. Are you going home, now?"

"Not yet. I still have to listen to Dr. Asshole whine about something." Randi waved a hand and stepped into Dr. Wilde's office.

"Close the door," he ordered, leaning back in his chair.

Randi did as she was told, and leaned against the wood. "What is it that you want, Wilde? I was just on my way out."

"Truer words were never spoken, Dr. Meyers."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, stepping further into the room until she was standing directly in front of the desk.

The smile that crossed his face was anything but friendly. "It means, that once and for all you've given me the perfect opportunity to get rid of you, and there's not a damned thing you can do about it." Dr. Wilde placed his elbows on the desk and rested his chin on his steepled fingers. "You're fired."

"Fired?" Randi laughed. "I pulled your sorry ass out of trouble, possibly saving you from an expensive lawsuit, and you're firing me? On what grounds?"

"Grand theft auto, for one. I'm still trying to decide whether or not to call the police and press charges. I have several witnesses."

Randi placed her hands on the desk and leaned forward. "I don't think anyone will testify to that, you pathetic asshole. As a matter of fact, my witnesses will testify that you offered me the use of your car."

He frowned. "So what? I still want you out of this clinic, Meyers. When I get through with you, there won't be a place in this entire state that you'll be able to work. Now get out of my sight!"

"Fine! But when you're up to your ears in patients, don't come crying to me to bail your worthless ass out again!" Randi turned from the room and slammed the door behind her. She ripped her jacket off the coat rack and slipped it on over her scrubs. "Goodbye, Christina. I'll be back later for my things." Another wave to Joyce, who had just stepped into the waiting room, and Randi walked out into the cool night air.

 

Chapter 18

Kay slammed the phone down in disgust. It was just after eight o'clock in the evening, and Randi wasn't answering her phone. The confrontation with Lucy had upset her more than she cared to admit. The most upsetting part of all was that she hadn't gotten home in time for the phone call from Randi, which she desperately needed.

Depressed, she got undressed and climbed into bed, hoping that Randi would call her soon. "Where are you?" she asked the empty room, tears slowly tracking down her face. When the phone rang, she almost broke her other leg scrambling to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Katie. It's me."

Slamming the phone down in disgust, she fell back against the bed. "What part of no doesn't she understand?" The shrill ring drowned out her thoughts. "Hello?"

"Please, don't hang up," Beth pleaded. "I just want to talk to you."

"I think we said all we needed to say to each other earlier, thank you very much." Kay was about to slam the phone down again when she heard sniffling on the other end of the line. "Beth?"

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to act like such a pain in the ass tonight. Are you all right?"

Kay frowned at the phone. This doesn't sound like Beth. I wonder what she's up to? "I'm fine, Beth. But I really don't have anything else to say to you." She heard what suspiciously sounded like crying. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," Beth cried. "I need you, Katie. You don't know what I've been going through these past seven months - it's been hell without you."

"You should have thought of that before you started screwing around, Beth." Kay closed her eyes at the open weeping the other woman was doing. "Beth, stop it. Crying isn't going to help."

The older woman continued to cry. "I can't help it, Katie. You mean everything to me. I can't stand the thought of you with anyone else. Please, please, give me another chance."

"I can't, Beth. I don't love you," Kay argued gently. "You don't want someone who doesn't love you, do you?"

"Just give me a chance, baby. I can make you love me again, I know I can."

Ouch. How do I tell her the truth? Just spit it out, I guess. "Beth, I cared for you, really. But I never really was in love with you. I'm sorry."

The crying stopped. "What do you mean, you were never in love with me? Of course you were - we were together for too many years."

"No, I wasn't. I cared for you, but it wasn't love." Kay looked at the clock. I need to try and call Randi again. She's probably worried sick. "Beth, hang up the phone. We can talk again when you're not drunk."

"I'm not drunk," Beth argued, then belched. "I've had a couple of beers, but I'm not drunk. Not really." She started to cry again. "And I'm not hanging up the phone until you tell me you love me, and that we'll get back together."

 

Oh, for God's sake. I don't need this tonight. "Beth, I'm never going to tell you either one of those things. Now hang up the phone, and get some rest. You'll feel better tomorrow."

"No."

"Please? I can't have my phone tied up all night." Kay could feel tears of frustration welling up in her eyes. First that fight with Lucy, and now this. I can't take much more. She held back a sob. I need Randi.

"Tell me you lo-ove me," Beth sang.

"I'm not going to do that, Beth. Please hang up the phone." Kay continued to fight her tears. "Please."

Beth belched again. "I'll be back in a minute," she said, then set down her phone. The sound of a car door opening and closing could be heard.

Damn. She's on her stupid cell phone. She could be anywhere. "Beth? Are you there?" But all Kay could here were cars driving by and drunken laughter.

***************

Randi paced the floor of the apartment, checking her watch. "I don't like this," she told Spike, who was sitting on the sofa watching her with thoughtful eyes. "What is going on? I always call at seven, and it's after ten, now. She can't be on the phone all this time." She had rushed home from her office after the vicious argument with Dr. Wilde, and still stalked around in her surgical scrubs.

With her nerves already shot from the confrontation, Randi continued to try and call Kay all evening with no success. She considered calling the police, but didn't think they'd agree that it was an emergency. Exhausted, she sat down on the sofa and pulled Spike into her lap. "Do you think I'm losing it, boy? I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation why her phone has been busy all night." She leaned back and closed her eyes, the day beginning to catch up to her.

Hours later, the feeling of being watched caused Randi to open her eyes. A familiar figure stood next to the sofa, his sad eyes focused intently on her. Randi wracked her brain to remember his name. "Jared? What are you doing here?"

"Kiki's so sad," he related, tears in his eyes. "She needs you."

"What do you mean?" Randi sat up and reached for him, but he backed away. "No, wait!" She fell back against the sofa. "Please, tell me, Jared. Is something wrong with Kay?"

"She needs you," he repeated.

Shit. Playing Twenty Questions with a boy who's been dead for five years isn't my idea of fun. "Okay, Jared. We've established that she needs me. But is she hurt? Is someone threatening her? What?"

He shook his head. "Kiki needs you. Her heart hurts."

"Her heart? Is she having heart problems, Jared?" When the boy started to fade away, she reached out for him again. "No, wait! Tell me, please! What's wrong with Kay?"

She needs you…

Waking up with a start, Randi blinked several times and looked around the dark living room. "Shit."

Spike woke up from his warm nest in her lap and looked up at her. He yawned and then dropped his head back down onto her legs.

"That was creepy," Randi told the dog, who continued to ignore her. "Was it a dream? It sure seemed real enough," she mumbled, standing up and bringing Spike with her.

After splashing water on her face, Randi glanced at the clock in the bedroom and saw that it was almost one o'clock in the morning. Concerned, she picked up the phone and hit the speed dial for Kay's again. The obnoxious tones made Randi slam it down again in disgust. "Still busy? What the hell is going on?"

Spike jumped up on the bed and barked.

"You think so too, huh?" Randi picked up the dog and carried him out of the room. "That's it, buddy. We're taking a road trip."

***************

Pulling into the outskirts of Woodbridge, Randi rubbed her eyes and shook her head. "What the hell was I thinking? Driving halfway across Texas in the middle of the night, just because a phone was busy?" She looked down at Spike, who stretched and yawned. "Don't look at me like that. It was just as much your idea as it was mine." She drove the loop around the sleepy city and took the exit for the cemetery.

"I must be losing my mind, I've spent the last two hours talking to a dog." Since the Interstate was practically deserted, Randi enjoyed using the powerful engine to cut some time off her trip. She was quite thankful that the Highway Patrol had better things to do than run speed traps on the Interstate, although that wouldn't have stopped her from trying to get to Woodbridge as soon as she could.

The deserted road that led to Kay's house was so dark that she had to slow down in order to see, and she almost missed the familiar tow truck that was parked just this side of the entrance to Kay’s driveway. Randi reached across the seat and held Spike, slamming on the breaks. "Hold on, buddy. I need to check something out." She turned off the engine but left the lights on. "I'll be right back."

Walking up to the darkened cab, Randi pounded on the door. "Beth? Are you in there?" she yelled as she continued to beat her hand against the metal.

"Stop it," a pitiful moan begged from inside.

"Dammit, Beth! Open this goddamned door!" Randi continued to belt the door with her hand.

"Nooo."

Randi jerked on the handle of the door and was startled when Beth came tumbling out on top of her. She lay on the blacktop of the road, squirming to shove the dead weight off. The heavy smell of stale beer almost made Randi sick. "Jesus! What the hell are you doing out here?"

Beth belched and swallowed the bile that rose from her throat. "You're in Worth Fort," she groaned. "How'd I get there?"

"Get off me, you drunken idiot," Randi complained, finally worming her way out from underneath the inebriated woman. She grabbed Beth by the front of her shirt and pulled her into a sitting position. "Now what the hell are you doing out here? Is Kay all right?"

"I just wanted her to love me," Beth whined. "That's all." She struggled to stand up, glaring at Randi. "But no, she wouldn't. It's all your fault, you bitch!" Beth screamed, running at Randi and swinging her arms.

Although she was tired, Randi had no problem avoiding Beth's pitiful attempts at a fight. When the drunken woman charged her again, Randi used her hands to push her into the side of the truck, causing Beth to fall to the ground and cry.

"You're a mean bitch," she moaned, holding her head in her hands. "Kay deserves better than you." Beth continued to cry as Randi helped her back into the truck. "I love her."

"So do I," Randi admitted to her quietly. "Now just lie down and sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up," she lied. Waiting until Beth did as she was asked, Randi reached into the ignition and removed the keys. She placed them on the back bumper of the truck. I'll call her office and tell the dispatcher where the keys are, after she's had time to sober up. No sense in taking any chances. She sat back down in the Corvette and looked over at Spike, who was standing on the windowsill of his side of the car, his small tail wriggling furiously. "You know where we are, don't you, Spike?" His whine caused Randi to smile for the first time that evening. "Come on, let's go check on Kay."

Pulling up to the dark house, Randi debated again on whether to knock on the door, or wait until daylight. "What do you think, buddy? Now, or wait?"

Spike looked at the house and barked. His tail continued to quiver, and he kept jumping from one foot to the other.

"I guess that's a now," she laughed. "Come on."

Randi stood at the front door with Spike squirming in her arms. She raised one shaky hand and firmly knocked on the door. Come on, Kay. Be home. Be okay. Please. She was about to knock again when the porch light lit up and almost blinded her. The front door swung open, causing the animal in her arms to bark again.

"Randi?" Kay gasped, dropping one of her crutches in shock. "Is it really you?" Only clad in a long tee shirt, she looked like she had just woken up. Which, considering the time, was highly likely.

"Uh, yeah. Are you all right? I got home a little late tonight, and didn't call when I was supposed to. Then, when I finally got home, I kept trying to call, and--"

Kay grabbed the babbling woman and pulled her inside. "Get in here, you nut!" Her other crutch fell to the floor as she wrapped her arms around the exhausted vet. "Oh, God. I'm so damned glad to see you," Kay cried, almost crushing Spike in the process. Both women laughed and Randi reached down to pick up the crutches.

Closing the door, the veterinarian put Spike on the floor and followed Kay over to the sofa. "I'm sorry to be barging in like this in the middle of the night, but I was worried," she explained.

"Is that dried blood?" Kay asked, touching the scrubs that Randi still wore. She shook her head at the sheepish expression. "It's not yours, is it?"

"Uh, no. I had an emergency surgery this afternoon. That's why I was late calling." Randi pulled Kay close to her and buried her face in the blond hair. "I really missed you."

"I missed you, too. This day has been awful." Kay wrapped her arms around the other woman and enjoyed the feeling of being in Randi's arms. "How did you know I needed you?"

Randi opened her eyes and frowned. "I'm not sure. It could have been a dream, or maybe a premonition." Or a little interference from a friend. "Can we talk about it more tomorrow? I'm really beat." After the adrenaline had worn off, Randi felt as if she had run a marathon - in mud. Her exhaustion was so complete, she felt as if she could fall asleep sitting up.

"That's a good idea. Tomorrow is soon enough," Kay agreed. She grabbed her crutches and stood. Reaching out, she smiled as Randi took her hand. "Come on. No more couch for you."

Suddenly awake, Randi blinked. "What? But--"

Kay laughed. "Don't look so scared, doc. Just come to bed with me. I'm not going to ravish you," she winked. "At least not until we can both enjoy it."

"Oh, boy," Randi muttered, a stupid smile on her face. She dutifully followed Kay into the bedroom and stood while the younger woman climbed into the bed and got comfortable.

"Well?" Kay patted the space beside her. "Take off your shoes and climb in. We'll worry about getting you something else to wear tomorrow."

Randi quickly shed her shoes and sat on the edge of the bed. "Kay, I--"

"Sssh. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" Kay waited until Randi had crawled under the covers and then patted herself on the chest. "Nice soft pillow," she offered, wanting the chance to hold the vet in her arms all night. "I promise I don't snore."

"Oh, boy," Randi repeated, snuggling up beside the smaller woman. She dropped her head onto Kay's chest and rested her arm across the flat stomach. "Just let me know if I squash you."

Kay started playing with the dark hair. "No chance of that, honey. Now get some sleep." The soft snores that answered her caused a tender smile to etch its way onto Kay's face. "Goodnight, my hero." She kissed the top of the unruly locks and closed her eyes as well.

Chapter 19

Caught between wakefulness and sleep, Randi tried to snuggle deeper into her pillow, then realized it was warm, and…moving? She slowly opened her eyes and saw lacy white underwear. Somehow during the night, Kay’s nightshirt had ridden up, and Randi had made herself at home on the younger woman’s bare stomach.Oh, boy. A quick glance up at Kay’s face assured her that she hadn’t been noticed, so Randi closed her eyes and relaxed.

Waking up lying next to Kay was one of the best feelings she had ever experienced, but Randi was still a bit uncertain about where their relationship was heading.Although, I guess I don’t have a job to worry about right now, she thought ruefully. Now that she was able to think more clearly, the vet realized that she wasn’t ready to give up everything she worked so hard for, so easily. I’ll worry about it later. Right now, I’ve got some serious snuggling to make up for.

It seemed as if she had just fallen back asleep when the blare of the alarm clock caused Randi’s eyes to pop open again. Her head was still comfortably resting on Kay’s stomach, and part of her wanted to stay in that position all day. Before she could move, she felt the gentle touch of fingers combing through her thick hair. Unable to stop a smile from spreading across her face, Randi felt her "pillow" move as Kay chuckled softly.

"Good morning," Kay whispered. She continued her light ministrations until Randi turned her head.

"Morning," Randi drawled, the soft tickle of her breath causing goose bumps to rise on Kay’s stomach.

Kay brushed the hair out of Randi’s eyes and then continued to caress her face. "You still look worn out," she observed. There were dark circles underneath the bloodshot brown eyes, and a resigned weariness that she hadn’t seen before.

"I am," Randi sighed. "But I guess I’d better let you up, huh?" She started to sit up, but was held down by Kay’s hand.

"No, don’t."

"But you need to get ready for work," Randi argued. "I don’t want to be the cause of you getting into any trouble your first week on the job." To her dismay, tears began to fall from Kay’s eyes. "Hey, what’s wrong?" She quickly scrambled into a sitting position and pulled Kay into her arms.

"It’s stupid," the younger woman sniffled. The harder she tried to get her emotions under control, the further away she felt them slipping. "Damn."

Randi held the crying woman close to her chest, murmuring words of encouragement and rubbing Kay’s back softly.

After several minutes, Kay finally calmed down enough to talk. "Ever since I started that job, the other women in the office have been pretty distant. I thought they were just giving me time to get settled in my job before they started socializing, but then I found out last night that wasn’t the case."

"What do you mean?" Randi asked, getting angry. "What happened last night?"

"My supervisor, Lucy, asked me to join some of them after work. They like to go to a small bar for Ladies Night, have a couple of drinks, and get together for a bit outside the office."

No wonder she wasn’t home when I called last night. "That’s great, sweetheart. So you went out with the ladies for a bit of fun?"

Kay nodded. "I didn’t want to, but Lucy told me that the other women thought I was being stuck up." She looked up into Randi’s eyes and frowned. "Me, of all people." With a heavy sigh, she once again leaned against her friend. "So, Lucy promised me that we’d only stay for a few minutes, then she’d take me home." Here Kay started crying again.

"What happened?"

"It would probably be easier to tell you what didn’t happen. The entire night was a disaster from the beginning."

Randi held Kay a little tighter. "Go ahead, Kay. Let it all out."

"One of the women, Irma, started in on me almost before we sat down. She kept asking me all of these personal questions which I wasn’t comfortable in answering."

"None of her damned business anyway," Randi grumbled. She looked down into amused hazel eyes. "I’m sorry. Go ahead." I may have to have a little talk with this Irma.

Patting her protector on the stomach, Kay continued. "Well, she and a couple of the other women got it into their heads that I was interested in Mr. Stone, just because he’s been so nice to me. Then they started asking if I had a boyfriend, and—"

"What did you tell them?"

"That no, I didn’t, and it wasn’t any of their business, anyway."

Randi snickered. "Bunch of dried up old prudes. Bet that went over well."

Another heavy sigh. "Not really. But then, I saw Beth come into the bar with a bunch of the guys she works with – didn’t take them long to get pretty wasted."

"Yeah, I know."

"What?" Kay looked back up at Randi.

"Nothing," the vet evaded. When Kay continued to look at her, she sighed. "I’ll tell you when you’re finished with your story, all right?"

Kay frowned, but nodded. "Okay." She thought for a moment. "Anyway, I was tired of the Inquisition, and asked Lucy if she’d mind taking me home. We’d almost made it to her car when Beth came up from behind me and stopped us."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah, uh-oh is right," Kay agreed. "She was on her way to being real drunk, and was pretty obnoxious. Grabbed my arm and threatened to hurt me and Lucy if I didn’t do what she wanted."

"That bitch," Randi growled, sitting up more. "Did she hurt you?"

Shaking her head, Kay showed her arm. There was a light discoloration, but it didn’t look serious. "She didn’t get a chance. Lucy waved her cell phone in Beth’s face and threatened to call the police. She took off after that."

"Lucy sounds like a smart lady."

"I thought so too, until the ride home," Kay related quietly.

"Why? What happened then?"

The wounds from last night reopened, and Kay felt her emotions crumble again. "I thought she was my friend," she cried. "But she’s just as narrow-minded as the rest of them."