Despite saying she was hungry, Rabbit ate very little again. Even when I pulled her chair over and coaxed her, trying to feed her myself, I was only able to get a few more mouthfuls into her. ”You need to eat, Rabbit,” I pleaded softly.
She looked away. “I’m trying, Joshua. Please.” She shook her head.
I laid down the fork. I wouldn’t push her. And, I’d cook her a big dinner. “Maybe another snack later then, yes? After your nap?”
She looked at me, frowning. “We just got up. I wasn’t planning on taking a nap.”
I stood up and scooped her up, ignoring her protests. “I just got up. You’ve been up for a while. And, I didn’t let you get much sleep last night, so I want you to rest.” I placed her on the sofa and grabbed the blanket off the back, draping it over her. I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Please.”
“Where will you be?” I could hear the anxiety in her voice.
“Right here.” I indicated the other end of the sofa. I picked up my laptop and sat down lifting my legs so they were stretched out beside her. Bear lay down on the floor by her head, chuffing at her to let her know he, too, was close. Her hand dropped down and stroked his head quietly. “My protectors,” she mumbled sleepily, already drifting.
I squeezed her leg. “Always, Rabbit.”
She slept restlessly. I kept rubbing her leg and murmuring comforting sounds, letting her know I was close. I spent the time watching over her while on the laptop. I checked every news source I could find, looking for any leak about another disappearance of Elizabeth James. I was greatly relieved to find nothing. I contacted Cecilia and Trevor, confirming their arrival for the next day. I only referenced the other items Trevor was working on, but he did assure me things were going forward. I also spoke quietly via webcam with Daniel, who agreed to come out with them the next day and examine Rabbit after I told him of my concerns. He was horrified to find out she had not been examined properly while she had been gone and was thrilled to find out she was back with me and safe.
And, finally, I went to a website Cecilia recommended, wanting to order Rabbit a few more items of clothing. Not that I minded her wearing any of mine, but I was sure she would prefer things that actually fit her. I found the website and the vast selection highly confusing. What the hell were capri pants? And, why would someone want to wear stretchy denim? Wouldn’t that be sort of … saggy?
Finally, I found a page of casual clothing. But not before I went through the business casual section and the evening casual. I shook my head. No wonder it took women forever to shop. How the hell they even knew what these terms meant was beyond me. None of it looked very casual or comfortable to me.
The first thing that caught my eye was a pair of pink, fluffy slippers. Rabbit’s feet were always cold, so I added those to the cart. I grinned with the success of my first item. Then I read through the large number of shirts and colors and my confidence began to fade quickly. Clearly, I was out of my comfort zone. Apple Green and Celery? They looked the same to me. Mango? Watermelon? Candy floss pink? Did they name all their colors after food? And, the vast choices of fabric blends; I had no idea there were that many types out there or what Rabbit would prefer.
Twenty minutes later my cart was still empty other than the slippers and I was sure I had actually pulled some of my hair out. Why couldn’t it all be as simple as ‘fluffy’ and ‘pink’? Finally, I selected a few shirts that stated they were extra soft and chose colors I thought Rabbit would like. Including the candy floss pink.
I looked over at Rabbit, frowning. Her pants were black and she didn’t like black. I searched and found some more of the soft leggings she liked in more of the strangely named colors. How did they match them? I knew women were big on matching things. Thundercloud Grey and Barely Taupe seemed safe. I didn’t want her to ever wear black unless she wanted to. I almost shouted in happiness when I found the socks and they were simply labelled cream, white and pink. I knew all those colors! Finally!
I resisted the impulse to buy her a huge number of articles. I wanted her to pick things she wanted as well. I wanted her to make all her own decisions about what she liked, and be her own person. But if she had these then at least we were okay for a while. Once things were safer, we could try going into town. Cecilia always said for a small town there were some ‘lovely stores’ for shopping. But not yet. Not until I knew Rabbit would be safe.
Rabbit’s eyes flew open and she sat up, her chest pumping rapidly in her panic. Bear jumped to his feet, growling protectively. As soon as she saw me, she relaxed and placed a comforting hand on Bear’s head.
I stroked her leg in comfort, holding her panicked gaze. “I’m right here, Rabbit.”