Page 65 of Heart Me Up
“Got it. Okay, yeah, Craig, if you’d get my pain pills, I’d appreciate it.”
Craig had a strange grin I couldn’t read on his face when he went to get the pills, but when he came back he was all calm consideration, making sure Mal had water and asking if he needed anything else to be comfortable.
“Hey, Malcolm,” Callie said from where she was kneeling next to Mal’s cast. She was like a younger, even prettier version of Greg, and it was absolutely clear they were related when you saw them together. She asked, “This smudge or whatever on the front here. Do you know if it’s just dirt or if it’s oil-based?”
Mal grimaced. “It’s where that Mancuso asshole kicked me, so whatever was on his shoe. Sorry.”
I blinked at the dirty stain on Mal’s cast. I hadn’t noticed it before. Then I looked at Callie and her case of permanent markers. And then I looked at Craig.
I’d thought I was falling for him before, but now I knew. It was love. I didn’t care if I’d only known him for a month. This was it.Hewas it.
“Okay, I’m ready to get started,” Callie said.
“Hang on a sec,” Malcolm demanded. “Tell me what you’re drawing. Craig was pretty vague.”
“No, no, no. I told you the basic genre. You agreed she could do what she wants.” Craig ran to the kitchen and came back with a dish towel. “Here. I’m going to put this over your eyes so you won’t be tempted to make comments.” Mal opened his mouth, but Craig lifted a hand. “Callie’s the one getting graded, and if you complain you’ll throw off her concentration.”
“Fuck, fine. Hey, is this towel even clean?” Mal reached for it as Craig was laying it over his eyes.
“Yes, it’s clean. Fuck off, it was one time. Sheesh.” Craig put his hand over Mal’s so he couldn’t remove the towel.
During all of this Callie was sorting intently through the case of pens, looking like she was trying not to laugh.
I raised an eyebrow at Greg, but he just grinned and shrugged at me. Apparently everyone but me and Malcolm knew what Callie was going to draw on the cast.
I sighed and sat down on the couch before picking up my phone and researching things you can cover a cast with on Amazon.
Craig came over and sat next to me. “So this client came in last week with her new puppy.” He proceeded to tell us an elaborate story about the not-safe-for-work name a woman had given her dog, and the steps the staff had had to take to avoid saying it or writing it down. Greg chimed in with an impression of the girl at the front desk who had to call on the walkie-talkie for the dog to be brought up to go home.
While they talked, Callie worked on her drawing. Her very, verypinkdrawing.
When the story was done, Craig got up, walked over to Malcolm and lifted the edge of the dish towel.
“He’s out.”
I stood up from the couch. “Wait a minute,” I hissed. “What are you planning where he needs to be unconscious?”
Greg snorted, but Craig said, “Nothing! It’s… the design Callie came up with is a little more elaborate than I let on earlier, and, um, he probably won’t like it at first.But,” he held up a finger. “It’s going to be so fucking cheerful Malcolm won’t have any choice but to be in a good mood when he looks at it.”
I scrutinized what Callie had drawn so far and scoffed.
Craig sighed. “And if he really hates it, I’ve got vet wrap at work I can cover it up with.” At my questioning look he said, “It’s this self-adhesive wrap for injuries. It comes in lots of colors.” He went back to admiring Callie’s work.
Lots of colorsmeant Malcolm might not have to see Callie’s artwork anymore, but his cast would be covered in one or more colors he’d never ordinarily be caught dead in. I sat back down on the couch to search forvet wrap. Then I loaded my Amazon cart with a multi-pack of rolls in solid black. They’d arrive the next day.
Mariposa came out of Mal’s bedroom to find out what we were up to. By this time Mal was snoring slightly, and Mariposa made herself comfortable on his lap. Craig took a picture. I took one too, but I felt slightly guilty about it.
Craig steadied Malcolm’s leg when Callie worked on the back of the cast. We had a bad moment when Malcolm began muttering in his sleep and shifting around, but Craig put his hand on Malcolm’s shoulder and he quieted.
At last Callie was finished. I had to admit she’d created a masterpiece. Craig said he’d told Callie to use as many bright, happy colors as she could but had otherwise left the design up to her. She’d delivered.
At the bottom of the cast in the front, covering the smudge from Mancuso’s kick, Callie drawn a pink unicorn with a purple mane and tail standing on a bed of bright green grass. The tip of the unicorn’s multi-colored horn spewed a rainbow which spread around the circumference of the cast and dissolved into stars and smaller unicorns as it went up Malcolm’s leg. It was gorgeous and aggressively cheerful.
I wasn’t sure Mal was in the right mental space to appreciate it, but I had to admit I wanted to see his reaction.
I couldn’t stop smiling every time I looked at it, so maybe Malcolm would eventually come to like it too.
Craig and Greg both high-fived Callie, and I did the same. Craig took as many photos as he could. Eventually Callie packed up her pens and Craig removed Mariposa from Mal’s lap and the dish towel from his eyes.
