The paramedics arrived with gurneys and blood pressure cuffs, heading toward the kitchen, but I had to see for myself if Forrest was all right.
I fought to move them out of my way, but Sandwich was back in my line of vision again. “It’s okay, Stevie. Forrest’s gonna be just fine. We got the pizza delivery kid, too. He’s okay. Now, let the people do their job and make sure you’re okay. You took quite a shiner to the eye. Doc at the hospital’s gonna wanna look at that.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, I allowed the paramedics to put me on a gurney and wheel me out of the house to the ambulance.
“Do as Sardine says,” Win said. “I’ll be here the whole way. Promise.”
And he was, right up until the moment they wanted to admit me. But I had Belfry to consider and no way to explain his existence. So after giving the police another statement, I took the script for pain meds, promised to see the eye doctor for my trashed eyeball, tucked the sling for my sprained arm against my body and let Sandwich drive me home.
“Wish you’d have at least stayed the night, Stevie. Your eye’s all kinda colors,” he remarked with a smile just as dawn was breaking over the horizon, the drizzle of a new day arriving in the way of splotches of rain.
“What kind of accused murderer would I be if I couldn’t take a right hook to the eye?” I joked, forcing myself to keep things light.
“About that,” Sandwich said, his face somber, his eyes tired. “I was just doing my job. Sometimes it’s hard to separate that from friendship, Stevie. I have to keep things professional, but I never thought you hurt that nice lady.”
I smiled until it hurt my eye. “Are we friends now, Sandwich?”
He held out his hand and grinned. “You bet. Now lemme get you up this mudslide and inside where it’s warm.”
“And how are you going to do that with a sprained ankle? It’s enough you already did it once today. I’ll be fine, Sandwich. Promise. You go home and get some rest.” I propped open the door and dropped out of the police cruiser.
Sandwich held up a hand and waved to me just before I turned to fight my way up those crumbling stairs. “Driveway, Crispin Alistair Winterbottom. Before we put coffee-urinating sculptures of David and waterfalls in the kitchen—a driveway, please.”
He cackled his rich laugh. “A driveway for the lady it is.”
I successfully made it to the front steps to find Enzo waiting for me, steaming cup of coffee in hand, the first smile I’d seen on his face since I met him.
“Thought you could use this,” he said, gruff and short. “Heard all the commotion on the scanner and came right over. Took care of that mess, too. Police said I could after they finished up here. Didn’t want you coming home to that.”
Tears welled in my eyes, tears of gratitude. “Oh, Enzo, thank you so much. I…” I couldn’t finish my sentence as he led me inside where, as promised, everything was cleaned up.
“Nah, you don’t have to thank me. You go get some rest. I won’t be bangin’ around down here much today, but I’ll be here if ya need me.” With that, he sauntered down the hall to the kitchen, leaving me with more thank yous on my lips.
“Let’s get you your medication, a hot bath and then bed,” Win suggested.
I nodded, taking my coffee up the steps, avoiding the rope, and heading straight to my bedroom.
Upon entry, I was thrilled to find a small table by the bed with aspirin and a squeaky-clean glass for water. “Man, Enzo really thought of everything, huh?”
“He’s a prince among thieves,” Win remarked.
Belfry flew at me, landing on my shoulder and snuggling against my neck with a sigh. “That was some close call, Stevie! You scared the pants off me.”
I rubbed my cheek against his soft body as I made my way into the bathroom. “You don’t wear pants.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t scare me. You okay?”
Setting my coffee on the edge of the cracked sink, I nodded. “I’m alive, thanks to Win and you. If you hadn’t called 9-1-1, Bel…” I shuddered at the thought before forcing myself to shake it off.
“Say that again?”
“I said—”
“Not you, Stevie. Hold on one second. I’m getting something…”
Leaning back against the sink, I took a sip of the most delicious coffee ever and waited.
Suddenly, Win’s warmth surrounded me again, only this time it came with a very different feeling. There were all sorts of emotions mingling with the gentle nudge I’d come to realize was Win’s way of comforting me.
I stood up straight, the hair at the nape of my neck standing on end. “Win? What’s going on?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s Madam Zoltar, Stevie.” His voice was thick, chock full of the usual richness, but richer, if that were possible.
“Did you tell her we did it, Win?” I asked, my own voice hitching.
“I did. She says thank you. Thank you for everything. Oh, she’s brilliantly clear now, Stevie. She sounds smashing.”