Page 3 of Little Girls Sleeping
He smiled, and the lines crinkling around his eyes gave him a concerned, fatherly look. “I cannot begin to understand what you’ve been through, Katie. I know it was the toughest thing you could ever experience.” He paused a moment before continuing. “So that’s why I did everything I could to make this happen. I hoped it would be done before you came home. And as the good Lord is my witness, it is.”
“Now you’ve really got me thinking…”
“C’mon,” he ordered.
As they rounded a corner, passing several sedans and trucks, Katie saw her familiar black Jeep Wrangler. Inside, jumping from window to window and barking with pure joy, was a large black German shepherd.
She dropped her backpack, ran to the car, and opened the door. “Cisco!” she exclaimed, choking back tears. The dog whined, spun around several times, then licked her for several minutes, before repeating the whole process again. His joy was clearly evident.
“I don’t understand,” Katie said, looking at her uncle teary-eyed. “How did you get him home so quickly? I thought I was going to have to fight for months to have him released to me.”
“I got started when you first told us that you were making arrangements to come home. I know about all the red tape and politics involved with the military. Cisco had already had two tours, so I just made a few calls, and then a few more, and the next thing you know, I received a phone call to pick him up at the military naval base in Concord.”
“How? Why would they? Never mind. Thank you so much for bringing this guy home. He saved countless people, including me,” she explained, still hugging the dog.
Wayne opened the back of the Jeep to load Katie’s luggage. “Let’s just say a friend of a friend knows someone in the White House administration. And it helps that they are all dog lovers,” he laughed.
“I guess you’ll never tell me the real details, but that’s okay, because this is the best surprise I could ever hope to receive.”
Her uncle shrugged his shoulders, grinning. “C’mon, get in. I’m driving. You just sit back and relax.”
The drive to Pine Valley took more than an hour and a half. Katie gave her uncle some updates at first, but otherwise the ride was mostly a quiet one. The excitement of having Cisco home made Katie the happiest she thought she could be under the circumstances. Optimism crept in and she anticipated that things could get back to normal—maybe even better.
After an hour, she drifted off to sleep and allowed the gentle motion of the road to keep her relaxed and comfortable.
“Hey,” her uncle said gently. “Wake up, Katie, we’re here.” He had parked next to his large white SUV.
Katie opened her eyes to see her familiar yellow house with its white trim. It always made her smile and reminisce about all the memories of growing up. It reminded her of long summer days and the many good times she had had with her friends and family.
Heavy breathing and several licks accosted the side of her face as Cisco seemed to pick up on her enthusiasm.
“Yeah, buddy, this is your home too,” Katie said. “Sorry, Uncle Wayne, I really conked out.”
“No apologies necessary. You’ll need a few days to rest up and get back on Pacific Standard Time.” Her uncle grabbed her bags out of the Jeep. “Oh,” he said, and stopped.
“What?”
“Actually, I have a bit of bad news.”
“What?” Katie repeated, this time with trepidation.
They walked up to the porch, and her uncle paused before inserting the key in the lock. “Last year we had some record rainfall, and…”
Dread overwhelmed Katie. “And?”
“Well, your house sprung a leak—actually, several leaks—in the roof. Before I checked on it that week, there’d already been a fair amount of water damage. I know you haven’t had time to address home repairs, and I’ve been so busy…”
Katie’s thoughts went to her things: her parents’ furniture, the photographs, and her huge collection of crime and forensic books. “How bad?” she asked.
“Well, we’ve fixed everything and salvaged what we could.” He opened the door.
To Katie’s surprise, most of the furniture, except a couple of pieces, still sat in the usual places. The smell of fresh paint lingered in the air. She noticed a few new things: some throw rugs and artwork.
“There are still some things drying out at home, and other things being professionally restored,” her uncle said. “The good news is that the roof is completely fixed. It should last you a good ten to fifteen years.”
Cisco ran around the living room, sliding on the newly refinished wooden floors, then headed to the kitchen. Within seconds, she heard him noisily lapping up water.
“Well…” she managed to say. “What about—”
