“Mary? What are you doing here?”
“Looks like I’m gunna be takin care of you, darlin. Now just relax. Did anyone come with you?”
“Yeah, Kevin.”
As if on cue, Kevin came back into the ER. “Mary?”
“Hey Kev. Now, no time for chit-chat, tell me what happened.”
“We were at rehearsals and...” Kevin started.
“Kev, I hate to interrupt, but I want to hear it from Brian.”
“Well, we were at rehearsals, and we were doing our dances and I got all short of breath. And then there was this pain, right here,” he said, putting his hand over his sternum. “I got all worried, after my surgery last year and all.”
“All right, Brian,” Mary said, looking over her charts. “Looks like you just got too exhausted. Not uncommon.”
“What should we do for him, Mary?” Kevin asked.
“Well, y’all are gunna hate me, but Brian, ya gotta take it easy for a little bit. If ya feel yourself tiring, take a rest.” Mary was interrupted. A nurse handed her Brian’s charts and she skimmed through them. “Looks like this isn’t the first you heard it, either. Brian, ya gotta keep it easy for yourself.”
“But, Mary, I love what I do, I dance, I sing... how could I ‘take it easy’ on that?”
“Bri, ya gotta do it. Which is more important, performing or your health? And I know that’s not the first time you’ve heard that either, your surgery was delayed a few months, I see.”
“All right...” Brian agreed, disappointment in his voice.
“Good, now stay here and relax for a few, I need to talk to Kevin.” She looked at Kev and walked into the corridor. “Kev, you gotta keep an eye on him.”
“I try to, but he’s stubborn... he loves what he does, what we do, it’ll be hard for him to cut back like that.”
“Just a little bit, Kevin, it won’t hurt his career.”
“All right, Doc... erm... Mary, what do you recommend?”
“An oxygen tank off stage, a comfortable couch or chair right next to it, and a relaxing night out with friends. And that last one is for tonight.”
“Sounds good, Doc. Erm... Mary. I keep forgetting...”
“That’s all right, Kev, you’re stressed. Now let’s go back in and deal with your cousin.”
“How’d you know he was my cousin?”
“The little girl I took care of loved you guys, remember?”
“And you?”
“Never really listened to your music, not enough time. And that’s the reason that band I was with got rid of me too.”
“You’re out of your band?”
“I wasn’t really important to them, they were looking for a trumpet player so I stepped in because their other one broke his arm. He’s healed now, so I’m out.”
“Wow, that sucks...”
“I don’t mind, I have things to keep me busy.”
“Oohh, like Howie?” Kevin elbowed Mary playfully.
Mary blushed. “Yeah, like Howard.”
...
Brian was released from the hospital and Mary’s care by the end of her shift. He was feeling much better and Kevin relaxed. On their way from the hospital, Brian asked Mary, “So, you mean what you told Kev earlier? A relaxing night out with some friends?”
“Of course I did, I thought it would help you.”
“So, would you be included in that group?”
“Depends, am I friends with all of you?”
“A friend of Howie’s is a friend of ours, even if they’re more than that...” he elbowed Mary lightly.
“All right, let me go home and get changed. And I don’t want to be out too late, I want to start writing a resignation letter.”
“From here? But why?” Kevin asked.
“Ask Howard about it. He’ll tell you.”
“All right, be back at our place in a half hour,” Brian said before climbing into Kevin’s car.
“Will do,” she replied before unlocking her own car and climbing in.
...
Mary knocked on their door right on schedule. Nick opened the door. “Mary!” he cried and picked her up into a huge hug.
“Hey Nicky, what’s up?”
“Not too much,” he said, putting her down. “Thanks for helping Brian today, and Howie the other day. We’re all really grateful, as Howie has probably shown you already.”
“If you mean treating me like a princess, yeah, he has. Speaking of, where is he?”
“Probably in the bathroom getting ready, or his room. Go on up.”
"Thanks Nicky,” she said and walked past him. “Hey guys.”
“Hey Mary,” AJ yelled from the couch. She stood and approached her, picking her into a huge hug, also.
“Wow, you guys like to hug, don’t ya?”
“Who wouldn’t want to hug a beautiful woman?”
Mary rolled her eyes. “Thanks, AJ.”
“No prob. And thanks for helpin the guys like ya did.”
“Don’t think about it, that’s my job.” She walked past him and up the stairs.
Brian and Kevin were in one room, talking. She knocked on the door and entered. “Hey guys.”
“Hey Mary, right on time,” Kevin spoke.
“Got nothin better do to.”
“What, hanging out with us is so bad?” Brian asked, pulling his face into a sad puppy dog expression.
“Not bad at all. And didn’t your mother tell you that your face could stick like that?” she asked and left the room. Their laughter could be heard down the hall. She reached Howie’s door and listened to see if he was in here. She heard him humming something, but she couldn’t tell what. She knocked and opened the door. “Hey darlin...
oh lord...”
Howie turned around quickly. “You certainly do know how to make an entrance,” he smiled.
“You know, darlin, you’re not too dressed...”
“Oh... yeah...” he blushed slightly, realizing he was standing in front of her in just boxers. “But you’ve seen me in less.”
“Yeah, my towel.”
“Exactly. Now, are ya just gunna stand there or are ya gunna come over here and give me a kiss?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” She quickly made her way across the room to Howie. He wrapped his arms around her and stared into her eyes. “I missed you today, Howard.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, his long hair flowing freely, tickling her arms.
“I missed you too, sweetheart.” He kissed her deeply and passionately. He pulled away. “I missed that, too.”
Mary slid from Howie’s embrace and sat on his bed. “I hope you’re going to get dressed for our night out.”
“Aww... I was planning on going like this...” he whined. He walked back over to Mary and took her hands in his and stood her up. “But you, my darling, look stunning, like always.”
“Thank you, Howard,” she put her arms around him and held him tight.
...
The group went bowling about a half hour later. No one knew what they were going to do, so they all looked dressier than usual. Jade met them at the bowling alley. Mary nudged Howie who was lacing his bowling shoes. “Who’s that?”
“Oh, right, you were asleep when she came over yesterday. She’s Brian’s girlfriend, Jade. Come on, I’ll introduce you two.” They approached Brian and Jade and Howie tapped her. “Jade?”
“Oh, hey Howie,” she smiled at him.
“Jade, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Mary. Mary, this is Brian’s girlfriend, Jade.”
They each extended their hands. “Nice to meet you, Jade.”
“You too.”
After a few minutes of chatting, the rest of the group had gathered. “All right, there’s seven of us, how are we going to split up into teams?” Aj asked.
“AJ, eight...” Jade started when she saw her friend, Melissa walk over.
“Hey guys!”
“Ok, there’s eight... How about... me, Kevin, Howie and Mary on one team, and Brian, Jade, Melissa, and Nick on the other?” AJ asked. “Losers buy pizzas of the winner’s choice.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brian said. The group agreed.
...
Mary realized early into the game that she couldn’t bowl if her life depended on it. Luckily, AJ and Kevin were good, and Howie was decent. Their team easily beat out the other. AJ jumped around like a little kid on Christmas. “We won! We won! Haha!”
“All right, all right. How about we order the pizzas from here and by the time we get home, they’ll be ready?” Brian asked.
“Kool beans, yo,” AJ said.
“Kool beans?”
“Yeah, kool beans.”
“Who said kool beans?” Mary asked, slipping off her bowling shoes.
Brian pointed. “AJ said kool beans.”
“AJ said kool beans? Where’d you hear about the kool beans?”
“Kool beans are kool, yo,” AJ smiled.
The group shook their heads listening to Mary and AJ battle about the 'kool beans'. They were almost arguing, but from the same side, so no one really won.
“Ok ok, enough, what kind of pizzas do y’all want?” Jade broke in.
“I’m fine with anything,” Kevin said.
“Yeah, me too” from Howie.
“Pepperoni and sausage...” AJ said, rubbing his hands together.
“Nuh uh, boy, Hawaiian,” Mary answered.
“All right, one Hawaiian, one sausage and pepperoni, one cheese, and one pepperoni for you guys...” Jade spoke, thinking.
“Hey, how’d you know I liked pepperoni?” Howie asked.
Jade simply pointed at Brian. “And... uhm... three cheese and a pepperoni for us. I’ll go call it in.” She turned and left for the payphones.
Mary sank back into a seat, tired from the day, tired from playing, and tired from thinking about her resignation letter. She felt someone sit beside her and she looked up. “Hi, I’m Melissa,” she greeted and extended her hand.
“I’m Mary,” she smiled back.
“Ohh, so you’re Howie’s girl? Brian was talkin about you tonight, how you saved his life today and all.”
“Aww, I didn’t save his life, just threatened him that if he didn’t take care of himself, I would kill him.” They both laughed.
Jade returned and they all headed back to the house. The pizzas arrived shortly. Howie and Mary found a spot in the corner of the living room and sat together, eating the Hawaiian pizza and chatting. “Darling?” he asked.
“Yeah?”
“Is there something wrong? You seem kind of... distant tonight, like you’re thinking about something really hard.”
“Nah, nothing’s wrong... but how good are you at writing resignation letters?”
...
After they finished their pizza, Howie and Mary went back to her house to write the letter. “I’m really dreading going into work tomorrow...” Mary moaned over the kitchen table.
“Only two more weeks, then you’ll have a week off and we’ll all be off on the tour. You are coming, right?”
“Why would I be writing this letter if I wasn’t, Howard?”
“Oh yeah...”
...
Hours later, Howie began to yawn. “Want to head to bed, darlin?”
"Nah, I want to go over this and type it up yet. I want to hand this in as soon as possible. But you go on,” Mary explained, not looking up from the papers.
“All right, but don’t stay up too late,” Howie said, yawning again. He stood, kissed Mary on the top of her head and headed into the bedroom.
Mary walked over to her computer and turned it on. Once the word processor was up, she began typing. After a while, she took a break and made a cup of tea. She stood in her kitchen and looked out of the open window next to her table. Suddenly, there was a noise on the ground, four floors below. She pushed past the table and opened the window, straining to see through the darkness.
“Sam?”
The figure on the ground looked up at Mary, looking straight into her eyes. “Oh, shit...” he muttered and turned to run.
“No! Wait!” she yelled into the darkness. “Sam! Please! Wait!” Mary ran out of her apartment in her nightclothes and barefeet, running after the figure in the night. “Sam! Please! Wait!” The figure stopped and turned around. “Sam? Is that you?”
“Yes...” he muttered. He looked up at her again. “Hi, Mary...”
Mary ran to him again. “Sam? Are you all right?”
“Yeah... I just wanted to see if you still lived here...”
“Oh Sam... I missed you,” Mary choked on the verge of tears, hesitating on hugging him. He instead wrapped his arms around her. “Please, come up, we can talk?”
“All right...”
Inside the apartment, they spoke quietly at the kitchen table. “I haven’t seen you since Chas died. I missed you, Mary.”
“I missed you too... I... I stopped to visit him the other day. I...” she paused, looking for words, searching for breath. “I lost another patient.”
“I’m sorry, Mary... I knew you never wanted to be a doctor. I’m sorry I messed up so bad that Mom and Dad forced you to...”
“It’s all right, I don’t blame you. I don’t blame anyone. I met someone through the hospital, though. He heard me singing one night and got hit on the head after I left. I stitched him up.”
“He must be a pretty lucky guy, he has you to take care of him.” Sam looked down at his hands. “I miss you taking care of me like you used to... I was always jealous of how you took care of Chas and Josh, how it was never me...”
“But I never stopped thinking about you, Sam,” she said, gently taking his hand.
“Mary? Are you out here?” Howie asked, stumbling into the kitchen.
“Yeah, Howard.” Mary stood and walked over to him, taking his hand, and leading him back to the table. “Sam, this is the man I told you about, this is Howard. Howard, this is my brother, Sam.”
“You never told me about your other brother,” he said, almost coldly.
“I didn’t think he was my brother any more,” Mary sighed. “He was in Chas’s crowd too, but was put into rehab a few months before Chas died. When he found out about it, we had a huge fight about everything... everything that had ever happened in our lives... I didn’t think he was part of my life anymore.”
“But there’s so much I don’t know about you, Mary...” Howie said, staring at the ceiling.
“We have time, though, don’t we? I thought you said we had all our lives...”
“We do, but I want to know you, Mary... I feel like I’ve known you forever, for how comfortable we are around each other, for only knowing one another for a few days... And then Sam arrived, I feel like I know nothing about you...”
Mary sighed and sat up in bed. “Want to know the whole story?” Howie finally looked at her and nodded. Mary stood and turned on the light. “What do you want to know?”
“I want to know about you, your family... I don’t even know how old you are...”
“Howard, I don’t know one of those things about you either...”
Howie reached up and touched Mary’s hands. She sat down next to him. “Please, Mary, tell me, and I’ll tell you.”
“All right...” she sighed and stood again. “First off, I have a lot of trouble trusting people... it takes a long time for me to learn to trust someone, so this... me and you... it’s kinda weird... I mean, I trust you, and it’s usually so hard for me to do that... I wouldn’t
say I had a bad life... but it was hard.” Mary began to pace back and forth through the room. “Chas died last year... He was everything to me... and Josh is still in jail, when he got out he did something or other, stupid stuff, and he got thrown back in. I think he crossed state lines on probation and robbed a store or something, I don’t know... I was born here, raised here... Since Chas and Sam were always screwups, I was supposed to be the great one, the smart one. I was the perfect daughter. I graduated high school a year
early and started college right after that... I went to college all year, even through the summer... got my Ph.D. in six years of college... I’m only 25 and I’ve already had two patients die... heh...” she paused and sighed, looking at her hands. Finally she looked up at Howie. “Anything else you want to know?”
“What about boyfriends?”
“Mom and Dad said I never had time for any... So I snuck out with this guy, Thom... he’s... God, he’s 31 now... I thought I loved him... ya know, older guy, high school sophomore girl... he said he loved me, I gave him my world, I gave him me... and then he left... Josh and I hooked up for a while when I was 20, then we broke it off,
decided it would be better if we stayed friends. He lived here for a while, slept on the couch until he was put in jail...”
“He lived here for four years?”
“Pretty close to it... I didn’t mind, I had my brother and my best friend, I thought I would never be hurt again.”
“So... the last time you were with a man was...?”
“Four years ago, with Josh...”
“You really miss him, don’t you?”
“Yeah, he was my best friend... then Chas and he was gone... and I never really knew Sam... He’s a year older than me, and Chas a year older than him. We just never really clicked, but I loved him, he was my brother... but when they started hanging around with that crowd... that hurt so bad... I hated them for everything they did to me, Chas’s stories of going out and gettin drunk with Sam and them, Chas coming home barely remembering his own name... After Chas died, my parents figured I had something to do with it... and Sam ran away... I was such a perfect daughter but yet, they won’t speak to
me now...”
“I’m sorry I asked so much of you, Mary...” Howie whispered.
She sighed, “I needed to get it out before I hurt someone again... Last time I did that, it was the three people I loved the most... I lost Chas, I lost Josh, and I lost Sam... I don’t want to lose him again, and I don’t want to lose you, Howard...”
Howie stood and walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “You will never lose me, Mary, I promise.” He sat her down on the bed and brushed her hair from her eyes. “Now, looks like I have some cheerin up to do.” He stood in front of her and struck a model pose. “My name is Howard Dwaine Dorough, I am 26 years old and I just recently moved into a house with four of my male friends...”
...
The next morning, Mary looked over her resignation letter and printed it up. “Howard, I’m leaving!” she called.
Howie ran from the bedroom and slid to a spot inches from her. He kissed her. “Have a good day, darling. And try to remember the looks on their faces when they get that letter.”
“Will do. Oh wait, let me say goodbye to Sam.” She pushed past Howie and went to Sam’s bedroom. She knocked... no answer. “Sam?” she called. No answer. She opened the door... No Sam. “Sam? Sam where are you?”
“Mary, you might want to come take a look at this...” Howie called from the kitchen. When Mary arrived, he spoke again. “There’s a note for you...”
Mary opened it and almost cried. “Dear Mary, Thank you for letting me crash at your place last night, I needed a good night’s rest. You know me, I’m a traveler, so I left early this morning so I wouldn’t upset you further. I overheard your conversation last night, and I’m sorry I hurt you like I did. Maybe things will be better this time. I promise to keep in touch. Love, Sam”
“Oh God, not again...” she cried. Howie instantly clutched her in his arms, comforting her.
“Has this happened before?”
“Right before Chas died... Sam left me... Chas left me... Josh left me...”
Before she could finish the sentence he knew she would speak, he held her tighter. “But I will not leave you, Mary.”
...
Mary finally stepped out the door and went to the hospital. She handed in her resignation notice. “But, Mary, are you sure you want to do this?”
“I can’t handle this anymore.”
“Don’t you like working here?”
“I can’t handle being a doctor anymore, this is not what I want to do with my life.”
“Well, it was great while it lasted, Mary. We have a few people wanting to get a job here, if we hire one of them before your two weeks are up, we’ll let you go sooner with your two weeks pay.”
“Thank you.”
“Howie, we can’t have many extra people coming along with us.”
“She can go on our bus, I know her, the guys know her, and we all like her.”
“But what can she do? Does she help with wardrobe? Makeup? Lighting?”
“She’s a doctor... She can help us if we get hurt... Any of us.”
The man thought for a moment. “But how do you know she’s so good? I want to see proof.”
Howie lifted a strand of hair from his forehead. “She stitched me up at the hospital two weeks ago and she’s taking the stitches out tonight. And when Brian was taken into the emergency room last week, she treated him there. She’s a great doctor.”
“All right, we’ll call you.”
...
Howie walked out of the office and couldn’t hide the disappointment on his face. “They said they’d call me. But you’re going with us, no matter what they say... Even if you have to follow us in your car.”
After the meeting, Mary went home to get some things organized, while Howie went on to his house to talk to the guys. “They weren’t excited about having her come with us...”
“Well...” Nick started, “isn’t she taking your stitches out tonight?”
“Yeah, she’s coming over about 8 tonight I think.”
“Well go back tomorrow, let them see your head again, when they see what a good job she did with that, it could help.”
“Nick that is the most intelligent thing I’ve ever heard you say...” AJ remarked, looking at Nick in astonishment.
“Yeah, and I can go with ya tomorrow, D, and tell them about how she took care of me in the hospital,” Brian added.
“All right... I just want her to go with us... I think I’m falling in love with her...”
...
Hours later, Mary knocked on the door. AJ answered, picking her into a huge hug. “Heeeeyyyyyyy!”
“Hey Bone,” Mary giggled.
AJ put her down. “Yeah, yeah, D’s in the living room.”
“Thanks Jay.” She walked past him and towards Howie, deep in thought. She put her arms around him from behind and kissed his cheek. “Hey babe!”
“Hey darlin... Are you early?”
“No, why?”
“Just curious.”
“All right, Howard," she shrugged. "You ready to get rid of those stitches?”
“Yeah, they’re annoying.”
“They could probably say the same thing about you, ya know.” Mary walked around to the front of the chair and put down a small bag. She crouched down and dug through the bag, pulling out a small pair of stainless steel surgical scissors. She took them out of their package, showing Howie that they were impeccably clean. She noticed the look of horror on his face, the color draining. “You all right, Howard?”
“Yeah... I’m... I’m okay...” he stuttered.
“You ready?”
“Can’t... can’t this... wait?”
“I thought you wanted them out, Howard. You said they were getting annoying.”
“Yeah... but...”
“Howard, I promise it won’t hurt. Remember my head? I had to stitch that up myself, and take the stitches out myself.” She crouched again and pulled out a small green bottle. “I thought you’d be scared, so I’ll put this on and it’ll numb it some.” She reached
into her bag again and pulled out a small bag of cotton. Wetting the cotton and putting it away, she stood again. “Ready?” Howie shook his head. “Come on, Howard, they’ll do more harm than good if they stay in there, you know that.” He shook his head again. “Fine, Howard. KEVIN!”
Kevin came running from the kitchen. “What? What?”
“Hold Howard’s hands down so he doesn’t fight me. I have to get those stitches out.” Kevin did as he was told and Mary climbed on top of Howie. “Now hold still or I’ll get this in your eye...” Mary put the green liquid on his stitches and he immediately calmed down. “See? Didn’t that help?”
“Yeah...”
“Good, now relax.” She took the scissors out of her back pocket and gently placed her left hand on his forehead. “Sit still, I don’t want to cut you.” Quickly but carefully, the stitches came out, one by one, and landed on the floor. “Good, all done.”
“I’m done? That wasn’t so bad...”
“Yeah, Howie, but you didn’t see the terror in your eyes,” Kevin laughed, letting Howie’s hands free.
“Now stay right there, don’t move.” Mary climbed off of Howie and dug in her bag again, pulling out an ointment. She applied that and put a small bandage on his head again. “Keep that there until tomorrow morning and it’ll heal fine.”
...
Mary and Howie cuddled on the couch most of the night. “Taking those stitches out wasn’t so bad... I was so scared of it though.”
“But there was no reason to be, you know I’d never hurt you,” she turned and poked him in the stomach, “intentionally.” They both laughed. “And I didn’t have anything to numb my head when I put the stitches in or take them out. You got off easy.”
“You put them in yourself? You never told me that.”
“Hurt like a buzzard, too.”
“Here, let me see your scar again.” He held a strand of hair back from her forehead. “That healed pretty nice, can barely see it.”
“Exactly, and no one will know that’s there on you, either.” She turned back around and snuggled back into his strong arms.
“Thank you for taking such good care of me, Mary,” he said, holding her tight.
“You deserved it.”
“And you have no idea how glad I am that I found you,” he whispered into her ear, kissing her neck. “Thank you.”
...
Days passed with no word from the man Howie spoke to at management. Soon, it would be too late. The Boys rehearsed day after day, for hours on end. Mary attended the rehearsals, so she could be near Howie, so she could watch over Brian. “Mary, if my cell rings answer it for me?”
“Will do, Howard.”
“Great! Thanks.” He kissed her on the cheek and ran back to join the guys. After an hour of rehearsals, the guys were not looking a bit tired, but more aggravated. The dancing, the singing, it was all becoming so routine that the Boys began to dispise it. Suddenly, Howie’s cell did ring. Mary quickly searched the pockets of his jacket.
“Hello?”
“Hi... May I speak to Howie Dorough?”
“Uhm... He’s in the middle of rehearsals right now, may I take a message?”
“Sure. Tell him that I’m sorry I got back to him so late, but that it’s all right for him to bring that girl with him on the tour, as long as she helps out.”
“I’m going?!” she asked, practically yelling.
“Yes... that is, if you’re that girl.”
“I am sir, I am. Thank you so much, and I will help out where ever I can, I promise.”
“All right. Have a nice tour and tell the Boys the same.”
“Will do, thank you!” Mary jumped from her chair and ran across the room. “Howard! I’m coming with you!”
Howie stopped in his place. He turned and ran to her, picking her up, hugging her tightly. “I knew it would all work out,” he sighed happily. “But you have to get packing, and we have to find something to do with Pogo.”
“How much longer is your rehearsal?”
Howie looked at his watch. “We’ll probably be here for another three hours...”
“Even though y’all have to pack?”
“Mary, dear, we’ve grown accustomed to packing in minutes. But you get going, I’ll call when we get released.”
“All right, Howard, but don’t forget, all right?”
“All right, don’t worry. I promise.” He pulled her close again and kissed her passionately. “I... I...”
“Yeah, Howard?”
“I... uhm... I’ll miss you. And I’ll call in a few hours.” He kissed her again. Mary said goodbye to the guys and Fatima and left to pack.
Once Mary was out of earshot, Brian came up to Howie and put his arm around his shoulder. “And what was all that about, D?”
“Oh, Mary’s coming with us on tour, like, to help out, keep me company,” he smiled.
“No, no, D. I saw what you were going to say to her. You love her, don’t you?”
...
Mary arrived at her apartment and called for Pogo. No answer. “Pogo?” No answer. She walked through her apartment. “Oh, Pogo, you scared me...” she sighed when she found him on her bed. She looking through her closet. “I’m going on tour with Howard, baby. I’m sorry but you can’t come... But he said that his mother will watch after you, and it’ll only be for a few months. She has a cat there, you shouldn’t be too lonely.” She turned around and looked at her cat. Usually he would perk up at the sound of her voice. “Pogo?” She stepped closer to him and petted the top of his head. “You ok Pogo?” No answer. She sat down next to the cat and lifted his head. His eyes were shut and his nose was cold. “Oh my God! Pogo!” She picked up the cat and ran out the door.
The phone rang as soon as the door was shut. The answering machine picked up. “Hey Mary, it’s me... they’re letting us out of rehearsals early so... well, give a call or drop by when ya get back. Miss you.” There was a click and silence. “3:44 PM, Thursday.”
...
“Doc, please help him... I don’t know what’s wrong...” Mary cried to the veterinarian.
The vet took the cat and checked him all over. “Well, he’s still breathing. What happened when you found him?”
“I was out this afternoon. He was fine when I left him... I came home and I found him there on my bed...”
The vet took a needle from the counter. “I’ll just take a blood sample and check it out.” He stuck the needle into the cat and withdrew a vial of blood. “Be right back,” he said, walking out of the room.
“Oh Pogo, please... please come back to me...” Mary picked up her cat and cradled him in her arms. She cried for what seemed like forever.
Finally, the vet returned. “I’m sorry, Mary, but it looks like he might have cancer.”
“Cancer? But how?”
The doctor walked over to Mary and took one of Pogo’s paws. “Remember how I told you when you first brought him in about what caused cats to have extra toes?” Mary nodded, but she could have sworn that Pogo was just special... he was so cute with feet too big for him and extra toes he didn’t know how to use. “Cancer could just be another factor in this whole equation. Somehow, it slipped by us the first time. I’m sorry, Mary, but nothing can be done.”
Mary held Pogo tighter, sobbing. “But he’s just a baby...”
“I know, Mary... this is the first time I’ve seen cancer spread this fast in a nine month old cat. I’m sorry.” Mary clutched her cat, the life slowly slipping from his small body. His breaths shortened, his heart slowed. His body fell limp. Mary sobbed harder, crying louder. The vet walked into the other room and returned with a soft towel. He took Pogo, wrapped him in the towel, and placed him in a box. “I’m so sorry, Mary. Do you want me to take care of him?”
"No... I’ll take him home...” Mary cried as she picked up the box and left the veterinary hospital. She cried the whole way home, tears blinding her view of the road. She barely escapsed many accidents. Finally, she pulled over, pounding her fists on the
steering wheel. “Why Pogo? Why my baby?” she screamed. “He was just a baby!” Mary sobbed harder as she looked over at her cat. “I loved him! Why did he have to be taken from me? He was just a baby!” After a few moments, Mary wiped her eyes and pulled onto the road again. She found herself driving to Howie’s, completely oblivious of what she was doing. She picked up the box and stepped out of the car. She slowly approached the house, crying. Finally she knocked on the door.
“Hey Mar... oh my God, Mary, what happened?” Howie frantically asked, pulling his arms around her.
“Pogo...” she sobbed.
“Mary, what happened to Pogo?”
“He’s gone...”
“Oh my God, Mary, I’m so sorry...” he gently kissed the top of her head and listened to her cry.
“I didn’t know where else to go... I couldn’t go home...”
“It’s all right, Mary. Ssshh... he knew you loved him...”
“But he was just a baby, he was my baby...”
“I know, Mary... I’m so sorry...”
“The vet said it was cancer... they didn’t catch it sooner...”
“Come on, Mary,” Howie coaxed, pulling her back outside. “Let’s give him a proper burial.” Mary could only nod. Howie grabbed a shovel from the garage and led Mary to the back yard. “One of us will always live in this house, you can always visit him.” Mary nodded again, wiping her tears.
They buried Pogo under a tree, far enough from the rest of the houses, but close enough that Mary could visit often. “I love you, Pogo...” she sobbed, sprinkling a handful of dirt over the box. Howie covered the box and filled the hole in silence.
The couple went back to Mary’s house. She cried the whole time they were inside. “But, darling, you know you need to pack...” Howie coaxed.
“I know... but he was my baby...”
“All right, you can wait here,” he said, sitting her down in the kitchen. “I’ll pack for you... Just take what I think you’ll need?”
“Yeah...”
While Howie was packing, Mary wrote a note to leave for her landlord. “Dear Paul, I won’t be staying at my apartment for a while. My boyfriend and I are going on a long trip, probably three or four months. I’m leaving you rent for the next four months,
please don’t rent my place out while I’m gone. I really like this place, and you’re a great person to work with in this situation. Thank you, Mary Goode, 354 Light St., Apt. 4”
...
“I’ll leave your bags in my closet,” Howie said, leaving Mary back into his house.
“All right...” she mumbled.
No one else was home They left a note saying something about last minute shopping. Mary stood in the living room, not really looking at anything, just looking through it. “Mary?” Howie asked, stepping into the living room.
She didn’t dare look at him. “What does this keep happening to me... What did I do so wrong...” Mary began to cry once again.
Howie scooped her in his arms and carried her to the couch, laying her down. He knelt beside her, placing his soft hand on her cheek. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Mary... I guess sometimes life deals you a bad hand and you have to deal with it...”
“But I’ve had the same hand all my life...” she sobbed.
“And things will get better, Mary, I promise.”
“But how can you promise, Howard?”
“Because you’ll be with me from now on, and I won’t let you get hurt.”
“I just feel so alone...”
“You’re not alone, though... Mary,” he asked, putting his hand under her chin. “I want you to look at me, all right? Please?” She turned her tear stained face up towards him. “I won’t let you be alone any longer, I care about you too much. And you’re not alone, either,” he paused, taking her hand, “you’re right here.” He covered his heart with her hand. “And I will never let you out of there.” Mary stifled a laugh. “Good, a smile.” He smiled back at her and put his hand back on her cheek. He drew her in for a soft kiss. “Mary, I... I...”
“Howard, you tried telling me something before, please, just tell me already...”
“Mary... I... It just seems so soon, but I can’t help it... I... I love you...”
“Oh, Howard,” she whispered, sitting up. She pulled him close to her and took both his hands. She pulled back and kissed him softly. “I love you, too.”
“Goodnight, my love,” he whispered.
“Goodnight, Howard. I love you,” she spoke sleepily. He gave her a soft kiss and left the room.
...
“Yo guys, it’s gettin late and we have an early day tomorrow, gettin ready to leave. I’m goin to bed,” AJ announced.
“Yeah, me too,” Nick seconded.
“I guess I’ll go too. Night D, night Bri,” Kevin yawned as he followed Nick and AJ upstairs.
“Hey, Bri, can I talk to you?”
“Sure, D, what’s up?”
“I told her...”
“You told her what?”
“I told her I loved her...”
“I knew you did! Did she return it, though?”
“Yeah... and I could tell that it was hard for her, to love someone, ya know?”
“I got ya. Hey, what was that all about earlier?”
“Her cat, her baby... Pogo... he died of cancer. We buried him in the backyard.”
“Aww D, tell her I’m sorry.”
“I don’t know if I was supposed to say anything about it, so don’t say anything to her, ok?”
“Yeah, but we all were wondering what was going on tonight, she seemed kinda distant, like something was wrong.”
“It’s a long story...”
...
Mary’s cell phone suddenly rang from inside her coat pocket. She rolled from the bed and tripped over to it. “Hello?” she asked sleepily.
“Hey, Mary?”
“Yeah?”
“Mary, don’t tell me you don’t know who this is?”
“You woke me up, give me time...”
“It’s Thom...”
...
Howie was about to enter his room when he heard Mary speaking inside. “She talks in her sleep? But she’s talking to someone...”
“How did you get this number?”
“Heh, that’s the good thing about large phone companies, they tell you what you want just as long as they’re not complaining about their services.”
“Listen, I gotta go, I have a busy day tomorrow...”
“Don’t lie to me, Mary, I know you don’t work at the hospital anymore.”
“I don’t, but I’m still busy. I’m going on a trip with someone very special to me.”
“And who’s that?”
“I’m not going to tell you...”
“Mary, please, I want to see you again. I know what I did in the past was wrong, but I miss you. Please meet me tomorrow?”
“I can’t, Thom, I said I was busy.”
“Then the next day?”
“We’re leaving early the next day. And I don’t want to see you.”
“Please, Mary? I miss you, I still love you.”
“Don’t do this to me again, Thom, don’t ruin my happiness. And please don’t call this number again. Goodnight.” Mary turned the phone off and put it on top of her jacket. She sighed and rolled back into bed.
Howie walked into the room. “What was that all about?”
Mary curled into a ball on the bed, facing away from him. “Thom called...”
“What did he want?”
“He wanted me to meet him, he said he missed me, that he still loved me... But I’m sick of his lies all the time, he only wants to use me...”
“Well, you know, you have five bodyguards at your disposal, and we have three more lined up...”
“I know... he just sickens me...”
...
Her cell rang again later that night. Howie grabbed it before Mary could wake up. “Hello?”
“Hi... uhm... could I speak to Mary?”
“She’s asleep, like any normal person would be. Who’s this?”
“Who’s this?”
“You tell me, you called me.”
“I called Mary, not you, buddy.”
“I’m Mary’s boyfriend. Who is this?”
“Oh nevermind. Just tell her I’ll find her some how. She’ll know who this is.” With that, the line went silent.
Howie hung up the phone. “Time to get Mary a new number...” He yawned and curled up against her. “I love you,” he whispered into her ear, thinking she was asleep.
A silent tear slipped down Mary’s cheek. “Thom’s never going to leave me alone now...”
...
The next day was spent packing, meeting with management, last minute rehearsals, pulling the house together and more packing. The Boys left to do what they needed to do, leaving Mary in the house alone. She cleaned the house top to bottom. She collapsed onto the couch and wiped her forehead. Suddenly, she heard her cell phone ring upstairs. “Ah, forget it, I’m too tired.” It rang and stopped. Moments later, it started again. “Fine, fine, I’m coming...” she grumbled while walking up the stairs. “Hello?”
“Mary, I told you I’d find you.”
“Thom, please leave me alone, I’m having a bad enough week.”
“Right, it’s so bad that you’re at your new boyfriend’s house sleeping with him.”
“Exactly. That’s exactly what we were doing. We were SLEEPING.”
"THAT’S NOT THE POINT MARY!” he screamed into the other end of the
phone. “THE POINT IS...” he cleared his throat, “the point is that you’re with him, not me. I still love you, Mary.”
“Thom, please leave me alone.”
“You can’t tell me that you don’t miss me.”
“Oh, but I don’t, Thom, I haven’t had that ‘I want to get hurt, maybe Thom will call’ feeling in about five years now.”
“But Mary, don’t you still love me?”
“No, Thom, I don’t love you. You hurt me too many times. Please stop calling me.” Mary turned her phone off and walked back downstairs. Suddenly, the house line rang. “Hello?”
“I told you I’d find you, Mary, and you WILL be mine once again.”
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” she screamed and slammed down the phone. She
grabbed her keys, locked the doors and ran out. She climbed into the car, locking her doors and windows. “How’d... how’d he know... the house number....” Mary started the car, threw it into reverse, and threw it back into drive. She sped away from the house, away from everything. Finally, she stopped. She walked a good distance, getting away from everything. She fell to the ground, crying. “Chas, please protect me... I don’t want to hurt anymore,” she cried, clutching the cold stone.
