Charlie IV

Chapter 11

The stranger was gone and she only knew his name as Rick. However, this big dog was still resting its head on her stomach and she couldn't seem to stop petting him. Not that she was trying all that hard. He looked like such a good dog. Then her dad came back.

"Where am I?" All she knew was that this definitely wasn't her bedroom. It was UGLY! The walls were a sort of greenish brown color. The drapes on the window maybe a blueish green color and the valance on the window was hideous. Then there were the sheets. They were GOLD and not a nice gold. The bed looked brass, maybe? It was hard to tell. Then there was the dresser that was in here. It was white with a gold trim.

This entire room was butt ugly!

Jim moved the chair a little closer and sat down. Oh, God. Where to begin and not cause her to retreat back into her head again?

"You were involved in an accident." Jim started there. After all it was sort of an accident. Katie hadn't meant to be taken, beaten, and raped repeatedly. Hence accident.

"I was? I don't remember anything about that? And this room?" She didn't want to tell him it was hideous even if it was.

"You underwent emergency surgery for some of your injuries." Mostly her head in this case. The specialist had feared she was going to lose an eye from the beating they gave her. "After that you were in the hospital for months." Which was accurate. They had the bills to prove it.

"Months! But I hate hospitals. So where am I now?" This was clearly not a hospital room and since when did hospitals allow dogs in them?

"You were effectively in a coma all that time till today, suddenly," Jim told her since that wasn't all that far from the truth. It was theorized that a person in a coma existed in their own little world. Some people believed that a person in a coma could still hear people around them but didn't react like they would expect, so coma worked.

"Coma? I've been in a coma? How badly was I hurt? I mean most things move." She could tell that her toes were moving.

"You're going to need physical therapy just to walk again, Katie. You've been trapped in a bed for a little over 3 months, more or less."

"Three months! …My legs!" Kate willed her legs to actually move. She thought they did but not like she expected them to respond, not like she willed them to do. She expected to kick the covers off, but she didn't. Or even come close.

"They're fine, Katie, you're fine. It's called muscle atrophy. You haven't moved your muscles enough for long enough that your strength has lessened considerably. But we can fix that. Everything can be fixed with time." Jim felt and then saw his wife come back and she had a bowl in one hand sitting on a hot pad. Behind her was Rick carrying a glass.

"I'll let you eat, then go back to sleep and rest. You've had a big enough shock for now." Jim retreated but moved the chair right up next to the bed.

"Charlie, down," Rick called out and Katie lost Charlie; she felt that loss instantly. She didn't understand why, but that dog meant so much to her. Plus she had only just met him. So she didn't understand.

"I heated up a can of chicken noodle soup. We don't have any tomato soup." Jo set it down on the chair. "We need to get you sitting for this."

Between Jo and Rick they had every pillow the bed had behind her and she was sitting up. "Here's your soup." She hadn't found a breakfast in bed tray so they were going to have to do this the hard way. Jo did her best to put the bowl of soup in a position where Katie wouldn't spill it but could still eat it.

"Thanks, Mom." Just the smell alone had her stomach grumbling for everyone to hear. "I'm really hungry for some reason. Dad said a coma?" She was still trying to wrap her mind around that.

"Did he? You just eat and get better. We can talk when you're feeling better," Jo told her instead. "Yell when you're done." Jo needed to talk with her husband. They needed to get their story straight.

"Come on, Charlie." Rick called for Charlie to come with him.

"Can the dog stay?" Suddenly his leaving almost had her in a panic and she was worried and scared.

"I need to take him outside so he can do his business. But I promise to bring Charlie right back once he's done."

"Oh…okay." She could handle that. She hoped.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Kate finished her soup just as Charlie walked back in and sat next to the bed. She had the bowl in her lap so his head wouldn't fit there. He was well trained. "Hi Charlie!" She instantly felt better.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"Coma?" Jo questioned her husband.

"How do you want to explain to her that she was beaten and raped. That she couldn't handle it and retreated into her own mind and almost killed herself because of it, Jo? Being in a coma solves most of those questions." Jim defended himself. "I just said accident and coma." Besides it had been an instant decision since neither of them had talked about this day yet.

"I suppose it works. No one here knows what happened except Rick. So we need to talk to him. We're going to have to tell the local hospital what exactly happened and beg them not to talk to Katie about it. What if she retreats back to where she was if they do?" Jo still had a lot of worries.

"Are you okay here with just Rick and Charlie? I need to go find out what the inspection of our business suite came up with and what it will cost to fix it. Based on the house needing a new roof, roofs don't come cheap." They needed to start the repairs after they signed the rental agreement. They would get a reasonable reduction in the rental fees for the duration of their lease.

"I'll be fine. Katie will probably get tired soon and go back to sleep. We still need to talk about that 3 month difference between this house and the one we bought if they stay on schedule. I know we agreed not to go spy, but it's hard not to." That was their future home.

"I was thinking about driving past it, nice and slow. Not actually stopping or asking questions." Jim was curious as well.

"Take the camera with you. This is going to be a long two months." Jo grumbled a little.

Jim simply gave her a kiss and headed for the Explorer after finding their camera and making sure it still worked. "Just a few quick shots before I get spotted," he told himself.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Jo was in the kitchen with Rick and even Charlie was was being fed treats by Jo when Jim walked in. "And?" Jo wanted answers.

"The house looks the same as ever. However, the spiral staircase was being picked up by someone from the sidewalk and trying to get it to go into the back of his truck. It was just the two of them and it looked heavy. So I'm guessing they're gutting the inside first. Probably need to wait for an opening for the roof to be replaced just like us."

"I didn't take any pictures since nothing changed that I could see from the street. Maybe later. As for our business, here's their report." He handed it to Jo to read. He had already read it and didn't see anything that would stop them.

"So you're right; the entire roof needs to be replaced. Twelve grand doesn't sound so bad for a hot roof. Maybe some rot that needs replaced after the existing roof is gone. We can afford the rent so it sounds like we go forward. The middle of town sounds like a good spot.

"I'm thinking we do it," Jo told him.

"We both need to sign the lease," Jim reminded her.

"I'll watch her or I should say Charlie will watch her," Rick offered since it sounded like they needed to leave. "She's just sleeping."

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Jim and Johanna weren't back yet when Rick poked his head into her room to see her awake and petting Charlie's head like always. "Awake again, I see." Rick stepped inside. "His name is Charlie," he told her in case she had forgotten.

"I remember. Do you know what happened to me? Exactly?" Kate didn't feel like it was an accident.

"Exactly?" Rick shook his head. "I'm not sure anyone does. Really all I know is that you were unconscious for a long time. Charlie's a Therapy Dog and I take him to hospitals so people who are hurting can receive a little love. Bring a little bright spot into their lives. That's where I met you and your parents.

"Even while you weren't really awake you started petting Charlie so we kept coming back. Not really sure but Charlie here might be why you are awake now or you might still be sleeping."

That got Kate to look down at Charlie who was just resting his head on her stomach while she petted him and looked up at her from time to time. "I can't seem to stop." Kate just kept petting him.

"Charlie has that way with people. He'll soak up all the attention you care to give him. We've been to hospitals, assisted living facilities, airports, bus stations, the beach. Pretty much anywhere that's new and has lots of people. He seems to be a magnet for people so pet him all you wish. …Are you thirsty?" He was supposed to be looking after her with them being gone.

"A little," Kate admitted and watched Rick leave and then eventually return with a glass of ice water. "Thanks. So where are we? This isn't my room." It was too ugly to be her room.

"You were in the hospital for a long time. Hospitals don't come cheap. Your parents decided to move to reduce costs. So we're not in LA any longer." Rick heard a noise. "Sounds like they're back. I'll tell them you're awake. You stay, Charlie," Rick said and left her room.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"Hi Katie, you're awake again." Jo didn't know how she was ever going to express just how happy she was that she was awake and in this world instead of lost in her own head.

"Where are we? This isn't my room. It's ugly," Kate told her.

"If you think this room is bad you should see our bedroom. The walls are dark green and don't get me started on the kitchen. But it's a rental so we just have to put up with it for a few more months.

"As to where we are, we're in Laurel, Mississippi."

Kate looked at her mom in disbelief. "Mississippi?" What in the world were they doing in Mississippi?

"Your insurance coverage was running out. We were getting closer and closer to the maximum of one million dollars so we had to make a choice.

"As to why Laurel? That's easy to explain. You remember our home right?" Jo watched her nod. "We bought a house here that's being renovated as we speak. It's bigger than our house in LA and when it's done it will only cost us $296,000."

"WOW!" Kate knew their house in LA was in the million dollar range. Her parents charged a fortune for work as lawyers so they could afford it as far as she knew. "How big is it?"

"Four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 4100 square feet with all the bedrooms on the second floor. It has a nice large backyard for us and Charlie. We get it fully furnished. It's going to take them 2 months to renovate it. It needs a new roof and has some rot in places. But wait till you see the kitchen, it's huge! Or so your father tells me. I haven't actually seen it yet." Jo was trusting her husband.

"You bought a house and haven't seen it?" Kate stared at her mother.

"You don't trust your father?" Jo questioned her.

"Just as much as you do, Mom." Which in her mind was about as far as she could throw him. "Um, Mom. Is there something in my… Am I wearing something down there?" She could feel something.

"You were in a coma so you have a catheter and you get to keep it till you can walk to the bathroom."

"Swell, what if I have to…Number two?" That only solved one problem. Then she saw her mother pull something out from under the bed.

Jo showed it to her. "Bed pan."

"GOOD LORD! Can't I just hobble to the bathroom? Wheelchair? Anything but that. Is that what Rick is for? Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?" Kate was almost ready to kill herself now.

Jo just grinned. "Rick's here because he owns Charlie that you're petting," Jo pointed out as Katie was still lying there petting him. "You were petting Charlie so we talked him into coming with us. He's going to rent a bedroom until he decides to move out and find his own place to live.

"We promised to find him a job after he quit his and sold his trailer he was living in. We're still working on that. But we'll find something." Jo knew they had to keep their word to him.

"I'm not using that thing so we're going to have to work out something. And how do you know I can't walk?" Kate demanded. "I haven't even tried yet."

That had Jo putting the bed pan back under the bed and going to the door. "RICK!" She waited till he showed up. "Katie wants to see if she can walk to the bathroom and you're young and have muscles."

"Wait!" Kate stopped them meaning mostly Rick. "Am I naked under all this?" She stopped petting Charlie and tried to lift the covers to look and realized that even that was difficult.

"Who do you think put you in the bed? Let alone in and out of the car all the way out here from LA? It wasn't your father and definitely wasn't me. And no, you're not technically naked under all that," Jo informed her.

"Oh!" She hadn't thought about it like that. So she let them pull her covers down and she saw she was dressed more or less in a pair of her old pajamas instead of one of her preferred night shirts and panties.

Kate found out really fast that just standing next to the bed was impossible. Rick was the only reason she was standing at all. "Fine. You made your point." Kate let them put her back in bed and put the covers back in place.

"Any more questions?" Jo glared at her daughter.

"No." Kate decided to lay there and sulk. "So how do we fix this?" She didn't want to be an invalid for the rest of her life.

"Physical therapy just as soon as we find someone to come here to help you. Likely a trip to the hospital first. And don't look at me like that, Katherine Houghton Beckett." Jo saw the look Kate was giving her. "We may be in small town Laurel but you haven't seen the hospital they have here. It looks brand new. We drove past it while out looking at houses."

"Sorry." It was just she had never lived in a small town before. Only a big city and Laurel, Mississippi sounded small. And yes, she was thinking broken down and backward. Might not even have a movie theater. With Charlie here it was a one dog town.

"You'll get used to it. We all will. So what can we get you and don't say a TV because this room doesn't have a TV outlet." They had already looked. Besides they had a movie room with a really big TV in it.

"I could put her in the wheelchair and take her to that movie room I saw earlier," Rick suggested.

"I think we'll start with a book or two," Jo told Rick. "Your father or I have to go grocery shopping anyway now that we have another mouth to feed."

"Thanks a lot, Mom." Kate took that as an insult. "So what was I eating given that I was and still am starving to death?"

"Baby food, fed by hand," Jo said.

"Sorry I asked. Go, go, I'm hungry still and I'm not using that thing," Kate reminded her.

"We'll see, Katie." Jo grinned at her and left to go find her husband since one of them had to go shopping and that person was probably her.

"Up, Charlie." Rick patted the bed thinking Charlie would put his head back in her lap. Instead he jumped up onto the bed and tried to figure out where to lay down. Then he did and Kate let out a HUFF of air when he landed on her a little. "That's not what I meant, Charlie." Not that Charlie was paying him any attention now.

"He's fine." Kate ran her hand over Charlie's back. "A little big and lots of hair."

Rick explained Charlie yet again. "Seventy pounds of dog. When I found him he was just a puppy. Full of fleas, ticks, and worms. Some woman had 50 dogs and they took them all from her including Charlie here. He's something special."

"Wow!" Kate was impressed now. "You're a good boy, Charlie. You can sleep in my bed anytime." She went back to petting him.

"Careful what you wish for. I'm going to go find something to drink. You want something?"

"Sure, I'd love a soda," Kate replied.

He left her in her ugly bedroom with Charlie in her bed who was just lying there looking at her as she petted him. "So what's Mississippi like? And why am I asking you? You're a dog." It didn't stop her from petting him, though.