Page 45 of Strays
I grin the second I see it, Jo listed as Johane Elizabeth Larsen and everything. When I hand it to her, my brothers lean in over her shoulders, trying to read.
All four of us are smiling.
“Love my new name,” she says, studying the paper.
“My mother’s maiden name,” I tell her. “Program protocol says the pack takes the name of the leader. My legal name at the time was Williams, myfather’s name, but I asked if we could use my mother’s instead. They didn’t care, so we became Larsen.”
“Good choice,” she replies. “I like Larsen better than Williams.”
Minutes later, we’re driving out through the same gate where Alice had screamed at the guards. We’ve arranged to rotate drivers in Jo’s Corolla for the long trip, letting her recline the front passenger seat to rest. She says her ribs don’t hurt, but after another night of being held tight between us, we’re not taking chances.
Jay takes the first shift, so Shane and I follow behind in the truck. We haven’t been on the road long when Shane turns to me. “Did you like that white house Jo showed us? The one with the ugly bird on the mailbox?”
I know exactly which one he means. The house was incredible, but sitting on the mailbox was the strangest, ugliest bird we’d ever seen. Jo even zoomed in to figure out if it was real or some kind of sculpture, and we all agreed there’s no way that thing was alive.
“House was perfect,” I say.
“I liked it too,” Shane answers. Then after a pause, “Can you imagine, Kory? Us, living in a place like that?”
I think for a second. “Yeah, I can,” I reply with a smile. “We’re mated now, man. No more shitty bachelor apartments.”
Shane nods, grinning. We drive in silence for a while, until I can’t help myself: “Shane, did you imagine how perfect she’d be? All those weeks we were waiting to meet her? I mean, I hoped she would be, but I never thought… It’s just…”
Shane’s smile gets wider, a little boyish. “Her legs, man. I swear. And the way she smells, I never thought anyone could smell that good.”
We chuckle together, both of us stunned that we actually mated with Jo. Pretty, smart, stunning, hot-as-hell Jo.
We stop at the Delaware House Travel Plaza in Newark so Jay can switch places with me, and Jo uses the bathroom. I fold myself into her tiny car for the next stretch, surrounded by her scent while she scrolls through aegis-sized furniture on Shane’s phone.
By the time we reach the Vince Lombardi Service Area in New Jersey, she’s already found two stores in Bridgeport that sell furniture in our size and deliver to Milestone.
We’ve never been to New Jersey before, but Jo lived here for four years during med school, so she knows her way around. She takes us to Shake Shack for lunch and orders Shackburgers for all of us.
Shane drives the Corolla the last leg and just over an hour later, we roll into Bridgeport. Jo’s asked us to stay with her in her apartment until we find our new home, and we’re all eager to see where she lives and be part of her everyday life.
We pull up at a little three-story building just after three o’clock. With a resident’s salary in a city like Bridgeport, she’s had to be smart with money, butshe still found herself a good spot.
When we step inside her apartment, her scent is everywhere. The place is small but clean and beautiful. White walls, big windows, and furniture that looks cozy, even if it's much too small for us.
By the window, she’s got a table cluttered with a laptop, a pile of books, and papers covered in handwriting. The biggest thing in the room is her bookshelf, and I immediately spot Dr. Bureau’s name on a few of the spines. I want to check it out, but I’m still in my boots and don’t want to step on her thick rug.
The kitchen is so tiny, none of us could fit in the narrow walkway between the counters and the half-wall separating it from the living room. Her bedroom is small too, but bright and well-ventilated thanks to a huge window.
There’s no way in hell we’re all fitting in her human-sized bed, so later we’re heading to a sporting goods store she found online that sells aegis-sized camping gear. We’re planning to buy sleeping bags and crash on the floor for a few days while we house-hunt.
But it’s not just the bed: we don’t move well in a human-sized space. We’ve been here less than an hour, and I’ve already bumped into a table and knocked over a vase. I’m still apologizing when Jay sends her table lamp crashing to the floor. At this rate, we better find a place fast before we wreck her apartment or she kicks us out.
But even with all the bumping and broken things, the growls at each other every time more than one of us tries to squeeze into spaces too small, we’re all excited.
A few weeks ago, we were still in Greenster, losing hope of ever finding her. If someone had told me back then what my life would look like now, I’d have said they were completely delusional. But here we are, mated with her.
In the evening, after we get our sleeping bags, she takes us for a walk around the neighborhood. Her apartment is ten minutes on foot from Joseph Monson Hospital and she beams with pride as we pass in front of it. She tells us about her work, Kacy and Jenna — her friends and nurses at the hospital — and Dr. Lindstrom, her supervisor, her eyes glowing the whole time.
We grab dinner at a restaurant she likes. Nothing fancy, just a cheap local place she goes to when she doesn’t want hospital food, but the meal is really good.
At night, back at her place, we sit in the living room to watch one of her shows. The couch doesn’t fit all of us, so Jay sits with her while Shane and I settle on the floor, one on each side.
At first, they’re side by side on the couch. But Jay’s no fool. Little by little, he shifts closer, adjusting his posture, wrapping his hands around her, until she ends up in his lap.
