Sheamus entered the home with a smile. It was good to be back from the road. His smile quickly dropped. He could hear Mali cry. He dropped his bag and hurried through the house. It didn't take long to find her. She was sitting on the couch, arms around herself as if her stomach was hurting, holding on to her cell phone. She must have gotten a bad phone call. His mind was racing. He had no idea what might have happened.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" He asked.
She looked up at him. There was so much hurt in her light green eyes. Her shoulder long, cinnamon brown hair was a mess as if she had constantly run her fingers through it or maybe even tugged on it.
"Oh, Sheamus," she cried.
She stood up and fell into his arms. There was always comfort in his big arms, but it wasn't enough today.
"You need to tell me what's wrong," he said.
"How could they do that?" She asked.
"Do what? Who did what, sweetheart?" He asked.
"They released Chamomile," she said.
Chamomile was a rabbit belonging to Mali's cousin. Her cousin's daughter wanted one so her cousin had bought one. Mali had tried warning her cousin about how a 10 year old girl might quickly get bored of a pet, and that her cousin better take care of the rabbit if that happened. Something that he could figure out by Mali's tears hadn't happened.
"Released her where?" He asked.
He was hoping she would say that Chamomile had been handed in to a shelter or a pet store, or maybe even been given to someone else. Anything but the thing he dreaded and somewhere already knew. Mali wouldn't be crying like this if Chamomile had gone to a good home.
"She called me. She was fucking smug about it. I yelled at her but she told me to stop being a drama queen. They released her in the forest. She can't survive on her own. They don't care. They think because they're not around to see what will happen, they can pretend nothing is wrong. She's gonna die out there, Sheamus. She's all alone. How is she gonna find food and shelter for the night? How the fuck could they do that to her?" She asked.
He didn't have to think about it for a single second. There was only one thing to do, and they were doing it.
"Put your shoes on," he said.
"Where are we going?" She asked.
"To the forest, damn it!" He almost growled. "We're gonna find Chamomile. I'm gonna grab some flashlights in case we need to be there all night."
He walked to the kitchen and opened the bottom drawer where they stored different things. There were several flashlights down there.
"Grab the blueberries too!" She yelled.
He opened the fridge and found a plastic container with blueberries. He grabbed that too and went back to the hall where she stood ready in her old sneakers. Worn out and dirty already. The perfect fit for a trip to the forest.
"Hey," he grabbed her hand. "I love you."
"I love you too. Thank you for doing this for me," she said.
"We're gonna find her," he said.
They got in the car and drove to the forest. They tried remaining calm as they walked inside and started calling for Chamomile. They had no clue where Mali's cousin might have dropped off the rabbit, but they figured she hadn't done much more than walk a few steps into the forest.
"Chamomile!" She shook the plastic container. "Come here, baby. I got treats for you."
"Maybe she'll respond to the name they gave her," he said.
"Cotton?" She wrinkled her nose. "She never responds to that. She always comes when I call. She likes me."
"She loves you," he chuckled. "I get why. I'm fully on board the loving you train. And you know how pets always choose their owner. Chamomile chose you the second she met you. It's just a shame she was stuck with your cousin."
"We gotta find her," she whispered.
"We will," he said. "Keep calling for her."
She called Chamomile's name again. He looked around and suddenly stopped. Something was moving in the bushes next to Mali. A white head peeked out.
"Look," he whispered. "She's right there."
She turned her head and saw the rabbit. She had to fight herself to not sob out loudly. Chamomile looked scared. They needed to be calm about this.
"Hey, baby. It's me. I'm here to take you home," she said.
She walked slowly towards the rabbit and finally squatted down. She reached her hand forward to let Chamomile sniff her. The rabbit took a step forward, and she quickly grabbed it.
"It's okay, baby. I got you. We're going home," she said.
They walked back to the car and got inside. While he drove them home, she opened the plastic container with blueberries and started feeding Chamomile. Her white sweater quickly got some blue spots from the messy eater.
"Your sweater is ruined," he said.
"I don't care," she smiled. "She's worth it."
They finally made it home. He parked the car and leaned over to peck her lips.
"Go inside and show her the house. I'll be back soon," he said.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"Where to you think I'm going?" He smirked. "The pet store closes in about an hour. We need a giant cage, lots of toys and food. And maybe one of those rabbit leashes so we can walk her outside."
Tears showed in her eyes again. Happy tears this time. She placed a hand on his cheek and leaned in for another kiss.
"I love you so much," she said.
"I love you too, sweetheart," he said. "Don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of it. And I'll bring home dinner too."
She opened the car door and got out.
"What are you gonna do about your cousin?" He asked.
She leaned down and looked in through the open door.
"I'm gonna post pictures of Chamomile all over social medias, and I'm gonna tell everyone what happened today and why she's with me. I bet the family's gonna have a field day with that information. No one likes her already, so she's in for some angry phone calls and texts," she said. "And I'm gonna tell my cousin exactly what I think about her, and tell her she can go to hell for all I care. And then I'm gonna block her everywhere. I'm done with that bitch."
"That's my woman," he grinned. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
He reached over and scratched Chamomile's head.
"You be a good girl now, Chamomile," he chuckled. "And welcome home."