A Week Later
Chase lowered his watch, shaking his head. “That you did. Glad to prove me wrong?”
“Very.” Alice grinned, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “
They went in together this time, Alice jumping in and out of every aisle on their way to prescriptions. “This better not take too long; Falcon shouldn’t be left in a car.”
When did she start giving him advice on dog care? “It’s winter, Alice. He’ll be fine.”
“He’s calmer when the radio’s on.” Alice told him, only confident in the fact because he’d shown her. They reached the line to the pharmacy counter, Alice dragging her fingers over a display of key chains. “Why’d your medicine have to change?”
“I don’t need such a powerful steroid anymore,” Chase explained, wrestling with his hair, damp from the snow. “This’ less of a dose.”
“So the doctors don’t turn you into a junkie.” Alice guessed- louder then necessary. Chase smiled at the elderly couple in front of him. Alice picked out a keychain; some mimic of a cone with tri-colored fuzz on top. She messed with it, and then eyed the couple with a grin. “He takes a lot of pills; that’s why we have to be careful.”
Chase hooked the collar of her coat, keeping his smile on. “No, no… it’s nothing like that.”
“Yeah, he actually needs these.” Alice smiled at them too. “He got shot.”
The husband huddled his wife away from them, forgetting their place in line. Chase made a pounding motion on Alice’s head. “You wanna announce it over the PA system?”
No, she didn’t. Yet, Alice repeated her stunt with the pharmacist.
“Chase Hornick.” Chase presented his ID.
“You heard he was shot, right,” Alice wormed her elbows on the counter, keychain clinking to add to her annoying voice. “There was a lotof blood.”
You weren’t even there! Chase thought, albeit relieved. The pharmacist, a wrinkly woman with permed hair and big glasses, watched Chase closely.
“He really shouldn’t be driving me around.” Alice was carrying on. “I think it’s child endangerment-“
“Birthdate?” the pharmacist asked, a skeptic brow on the bag she’d put the bottle of painkillers in. Chase coughed over the awkwardness, giving it along with his signature on the receipt. He eyed the keychain. “Are you buying that?”
“I can afford it.” Alice spilled some coins from her pocket. She counted, hesitated, then shrugged. Chase pulled a quarter from his wallet and offered it to her. “I’m confident you’ll pay me back.”
Alice smiled and took the quarter. The pharmacist rang it up. “Remember, every six hours.”
“He might do more.” Alice was back at it. “He gets these headaches-“
“Thanks so much.” Chase turned him and Alice away from the counter. He kept a hand on her collar until they were outside and in the clear. Falcon scrapped at the window seeing them, but Chase faced Alice. “You think you’re funny?”
“I think it’s funny watching you squirm.” Alice admitted, holding the keychain. “As an officer you should have better nerves.”
“And you should have better manners.” Chase shook his head. Alice went slightly rigid. “Says you.”
Chase dug out the keys. “Says your mother and I.”
Hand on the handle, Alice’s eyes sharpened. “That doesn’t mean anything. Youdon’t have a say in what I do!”
We were doing so well. Chase’s lips tightened with the cold. Alice talked with him on the rides home, let him know about her day, her friends. Lord, if I’m even getting a step closer…
“Believe it or not, Alice.” Chase sighed at her. “I do. I care about-“
“No you don’t.”
The firmness with which she said this hurt him. A lot of things she said did. She was a good kid; he noticed enough to say this. Alice was fair when playing with her friends or cousins. She respected Sydney’s final say and was even spot-on, while spoiled, with her grandparents. So, why him?
Meeting Sydney, he’d expected a few months, six tops for them. That’d usually been his pattern, thinking maybe marriage was for him then realizing it wasn’t. Only, Sydney had broken the cycle. It’d been a tough sell for both of them; Chase wondered if God might have actually broken a sweat, getting them together. But He did. Now Chase loved Sydney, was married to her, and was having his patience tested unlike anything injustice could ever throw at him. By an eight-year-old!
“Yes, Alice,” Chase sighed. “I do care.”
Alice’s eyes raged, shaking her head. Chase began to reiterate, but Alice yanked her door open, putting distance between them. “You married her! You didn’t care what I thought or wanted, you and Mom just did it!”
Chase tilted his head up, feeling the wind. Fine, she had him there. But Sydney had talked with her… maybe he needed to do some talking. “Your mom could do a lot worse.”
Falcon was out, sniffing their hands, oblivious to the tension. Chase raised his shoulders, at a loss. “Maybe you only put up with me for my dog, but am I really that bad?”
Alice watched the ground, scratching Falcon’s ear. Chase liked her discomfort. “No? I’m a pretty nice guy in fact, right?”
“Find someone else to be nice to.” Alice spoke more softly; perhaps showing she agreed. “It’ll make it easier for mymom and dad to…”
She didn’t finish; like she was hoping for something that she didn’t believe in. Too bad the hope was enough.
“Alice,” Chase blew his breath out. “He’s in prison. And your mother’s explained-”
Snow clumped off the roof as Alice hopped in, slamming her door. He knew it was a touchy subject, but he’d chanced it. Falcon whined, now feeling the cold. Chase rubbed the boxer’s back, going around the trunk. He let Falcon in, catching Alice’s hurt expression. A frustrating pain in the butt, whom he couldn’t bare seeing hurt, sad, or scared… and she could care less.
Yep, Chase mourned, joining them in the car. We were doing so good.
~To Be Continued~
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