Page 50 of Saving Veronica
“Good. You?”
“Busy, but good. I started my last year of school last week. And, I’m working with the mustangs Sarge brought home, with Hector,” she said, when he went to say something. “Don’t worry, I sit on my ass all day. Right here.” She patted the scooter. “The only time I’m not is when I’m sleeping. I saw my own doctor yesterday, and he said he was going to send you the films.”
“He did and everything looks good,” Patch admitted, and forgot what it was like talking with her. It was like they’d been friends for ever.
Ronnie said hi to everyone that walked up to her, and slowly made her way through the crowd. She stopped when she saw Major.
“Hey, you big beautiful boy.” She held out her hand, and laughed as he lurched forward, and couldn’t stop wiggling enough to get his whole body rubbed. He crawled on the scooter between her legs, then laid his head on her lap, and sighed deeply. Ronnie continued to pet him and looked up into the handsome face of her former hostage. She stared at his eyes and traveled down, and when she saw his feet, she frowned.
“What happened to you?”
It shocked Finn that Ronnie didn’t know about his broken ankle. He slowly made his way forward, and held out his hand. “Veronica. You look a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing well. I’m healing right on schedule. But what happened to you?”
“No one told you?”
“No, they said you and Major were the ones that found me and stayed with me until the helicopter came, but nothing about you being hurt.”
“After Major found where you went down the ravine, I started down and slipped on something and twisted my ankle. I walked it off, then worked on you and stayed with you until the helicopter came. At one point, I even had Major keep you warm beneath a fire blanket. When we were taking you up to the helicopter, I slipped again, but by that time it was raining like cats and dogs, and my ankle broke.”
“You broke your ankle rescuing me? Oh my god, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry for that, but I’m so happy you found me and saved me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“But what did you slip on?”
Finn was embarrassed, so he leaned down and whispered for her only. “Afterbirth.”
“Oops.” Ronnie giggled and smirked at him. “You have to watch out for that, it can be a bitch to walk in, especially fifty feet down on an angle.”
“In the dark, and in the rain,” Finn added, and they shared a laugh. Major decided then to look up at the bird, and Ronnie brought the bird closer.
“Major, this is Captain. Captain, this is Major.” Major lifted his head, and sniffed the bird, which flapped his wings and screamed.
“Awk! Don’t eat the bird! Awk!”
Ronnie laughed and calmed them both down, which was hard, but Finn took Major off the scooter, and Ronnie put Captain back on her shoulder.
“What did he say?” Finn asked.
“Don’t eat the bird. I take him to the barn with me, and the cats try to chase him. I yell at them not to eat the bird. He picked up on it.” Everyone around them laughed. “Captain, be good to Major. He saved your Mama’s life. You should say thank you.”
“Awk! Thank you! Awk!”
“Awk! Major good boy! Awk!”
“That’s right, Major’s a good boy,” Ronnie said, as she rubbed Major’s head. She looked around and saw everyone, and then Stan and Norm walked up to ask how the scooter was working. They talked for a few minutes, then someone said the pig was ready to come off the spit.
“Grandpa, I thought you were joking when you said we were having a pig roast.” She watched as a pig was removed from a spit, and several men she’d never seen before began cutting it up, and putting the meat in bowls. She wheeled closer, and unable to resist, slipped her hand between two men and stole a piece. “Oh my, that’s good.”
“Thank you. If you can wait ten minutes, all the food will be out. Our wives and girlfriends are in the kitchen helping your Grandmother and some other ladies,” Norm said.
“Okay, I think I can wait ten minutes, but not much longer than that.” She grinned and rolled away from him. She stayed out of people’s way, and watched as everything seemed to be poetry in motion. The men cut up the pig, her grandfather was at his cooker taking burgers and dogs, for the kids off. Several women came out of the house loaded down with bowls and platters.
Ten minutes later, Gerald called everyone’s attention. Once he had it, he raised a bottle of water. “I want to thank everyone for coming today. As most everyone here knows, we were supposed to have this BBQ last month for my granddaughter’s birthday. Unfortunately, things beyond our control happened and we had to cancel it, so today is a combination of a late birthday, and a celebration of life. To Ronnie!” He held up his bottle to her. “Welcome back, I love you.”
“Love you too, Grandpa!” Ronnie called out, and everyone toasted her.
