Boosted Pt. 05

He smiled but didn't stop his leisurely caress and she didn't protest again. After a moment she rolled over and offered him a slow kiss.

"Sleep okay last night?" she asked as their lips parted.

"Like a baby."

"Good. You had a nightmare."

He never remembered his dreams. "I did?"

"Yeah. You called out a couple of times."

"What'd I say?"

She smiled softly, touching his lips with a finger. "I have no idea. I can never understand anything you say when you do that."

He kissed her again. "I need to get up."

"I know," she groaned as she stretched.

"You coming to the Craftsmen on Main?"

"Maybe I'll join you for lunch. I want to see if the candle guy is there. He makes the best smelling candles."

"If I see him, I'll send you a text."

She yawned and stretched again. "Do that."

He kissed her quickly and then rolled out of bed. Having her lying in the crook of his arm while propped on his chest was giving him ideas that'd make him late. He padded to the bathroom and started his shower. By the time he was finished he could smell coffee and bacon. She was wearing her robe as she stood at the stove, turning scrambled eggs over in a pan. He walked up behind her and nuzzled her neck for a moment as he caressed her stomach.

"Smells good."

"It'll be up in a few minutes."

"Yeah, the food smells good too."

"Flirt," she said, her smile clear in her voice.

He released her to drop two slices of bread into the toaster, pressing the lever down before pouring two mugs of coffee and placing them on the table. He was buttering the toast when Maggie began scraping eggs from the pan onto plates, adding three slices of bacon to one plate, four to the other. He dropped the toast onto the plates as she carried them to the table and placed the dish with four slices in his normal spot before setting the other at her place.

He was scrubbed and neatly dressed in his unofficial uniform. He had several standard police uniforms, much like his officers wore, except his shirts were white, but he rarely had a need to wear them. His badge was in his pocket, so he could show it or clip it on his belt if he was acting in an official capacity, and his Taser was tucked under his shirt in the small of his back. He wasn't carrying his service weapon today since he wouldn't risk firing it while in a crowd.

He might be casual, but he wasn't as casual as Maggie, her robe gapping open in the front in a most appealing way. She might be forty, but she could pass for ten years younger. He finished his breakfast, picking up his plate and moving it to the sink.

"I'll get that," she said as she continued to sit at the table and sip her coffee.

"I'll let you load the dishwasher," he replied before taking a last sip of coffee. He returned to the table and kissed her. It wasn't a full bedroom kiss, but he allowed his lips to linger. "I have to go. I'll see you at lunch?"

"Probably."

"I'll text you if I see a guy selling candles."

"Don't forget."

"I won't."

He kissed her again, more quickly this time, and then walked briskly to the garage. Slapping the button to raise the door on his way past, he dropped into his Dodge and backed out. The entire drive to his apartment he fretted over what he might find. If Marmalade had died during the night, he'd feel terrible. He pulled into his apartment complex, pleased to find his parking spot available. He didn't feel like messing with the chuckle-head that was parking in his spot this morning.

"Marmalade?" he called as he entered his apartment. He was halfway to his bedroom when the cat appeared. "Oh, good, there you are. You had me worried," he said, relief washing over him. "You ready to go to the vet?"

He retrieved the carrier from the closet. Marmalade was lying just outside the bedroom door, watching him. He almost hoped the cat would dash under the bed and hide, but the animal didn't move. The cat started to run as Sean reached for him, but he wasn't quick enough to evade Sean's grasp.

"Oh, no you don't," he said as he grabbed his pet.

Marmalade complained loudly about being put into the carrier, but he didn't struggle as he normally did. Once he was inside, he crouched and glared at Sean through the door, but his normal yowling and growling was conspicuous in its absence. He carried the cage to his car and placed it in the back seat.

"We're going to make you feel better, buddy," he said as he closed the car's door. The last time he'd taken Marmalade to the vet, the cat growled the entire drive, but the animal was silent this morning. Marmalade was clearly ill, and after the brief improvement, it was obvious he was suffering again. They arrived at the clinic minutes after it opened, and Sean carried Marmalade into the office. "Sean McGhee, I have an appointment."

"How's Marmalade this morning?" the woman behind the counter asked.

"Not good. He's not eating and he clearly isn't feeling well."

She carefully took the carrier from the counter. "Not feeling good this morning, sweetheart?" she asked the cat through the door, talking to him like he was a baby. "We'll see what we can do to help you feel better." She turned her attention back to Sean. "We close at noon today, but the doctor will give you a call before then," she said, her voice reverting to normal.

"Thanks."

He didn't know what else to say so he turned and walked out. He had a feeling the end was near, and he began hardening his heart for the inevitable. He sat in his car a moment, wondering if it would be days, weeks, or months before Marmalade crossed the Rainbow Bridge. The hell of it was, Marmalade wasn't even his cat, it was his daughter's. He'd inherited the cat when McKenzie left for college, and dammit, he'd gotten attached to the animal. Pushing the gloomy thoughts away, he started his car and put it in gear. It was just after eight. The downtown area will have been closed for an hour, giving the vendors time to set up before the event officially began at nine. He was on the other side of town from the event, but the nice thing about Brunswick was the 'other side of town' was only a few minutes away.

A few people were already milling about as he approached the downtown area, the event organizers directing traffic to parking places. He crept along with the vendor traffic before turning around and backing up to Fish's cruiser blocking the road, its strobes flashing.

"Excuse me officer, but can I leave my car here?" Sean asked with a grin as he stepped out of his car and set his radio on the roof.

Thomas Fisher smiled back. Fish was another of his young officers. In his late-twenties, he and Laura made a cute couple, and Emma, their baby daughter, could be on a Gerber baby food jar. "I guess it'll be okay so long as the chief doesn't complain."

"I know him. I don't think he'll mind. How's Emma this morning?"

Fish rolled his eyes. "I dropped her at Mom's so Laura could sleep. Emma, she's like a ninja. You have to keep an eye on her every minute or she's into something. Our house is like a prison now, with locks on all the drawers and cabinets, and the places I find Cheerios are amazing."

"She's crawling now, right?"

Fish nodded. "Yeah, and starting to stand up, which means she can reach more stuff. She tried to pull up using a floor lamp the other day and pulled it over onto herself. You should have heard the screams. You'd think it'd killed her."

Sean chuckled. "She wasn't hurt was she? How old is she now?"

"Almost nine months, and no, she wasn't hurt. It didn't hit her. Scared her is all, and broke the lamp. It was like it was happening in slow motion. I saw the lamp starting to tip, but I couldn't get there quick enough." Fish sighed in mock exasperation as he shook his head. "Babies are expensive."

"Wait until they start school. I remember when McKenzie was that age. You think you have to keep an eye on her now, just wait until she starts walking. It's amazing how fast someone with such short legs can move."

Fish grinned. "I don't see how she can get into more stuff than she already does."

Sean chuckled again. "In a couple of months, I'm going to remind you that you said that."

"No, you don't have to do that. Mom's got the 'I told you so' covered. I'm amazed that my Mom had four. She must be a saint... or crazy."

"Then she's an expert."

Fish nodded. "Yeah. I don't know what we'd do without her."

Sean picked up his radio. "I'm going to take a stroll. I'm looking for candles for Maggie."

"There's probably someone selling them. I think this is the biggest crowd I've seen yet," Fish said as he began pumping his arm to wave a Chevy pickup pulling a trailer past his car.

"Call if you need me for anything," Sean said as he began following the truck.

When he caught up with the truck, an organizer was pointing and waving, directing the vendor to a spot. He paused, watching as the driver slowly maneuvered his trailer into the indicated spot. This was Sean's second Craftsmen on Main event. All of the downtown area had been closed off to make enough room, and the weather was nearly perfect. It should be a big crowd. He walked through the chaos as vendors continued to set out their wares. The Backwoods Carver, the vendor he'd watched park his trailer, was running late unless it didn't take him long to setup.

He spent the next three hours wandering among the various tables. The variety of items on display was staggering, with everything from quilts, to wood carvings, to home-made soaps and candles, to metal yard ornaments, and everything in between. He'd sent Maggie three separate texts, with pictures, as he passed by vendors with candles on display.

He was admiring the well covers that looked like miniature, old-fashioned, open wells, complete with a peaked roof over the base and a small wooden bucket attached to a crank with a length of rope, when he heard the voice behind. "Think I should get one of those for my well?"

He smiled as he turned. "To be honest, I'm surprised you don't have one. That looks like something you'd like."

Maggie smiled. "I've thought about it a couple of times. They're nicer looking than the plastic cover I have. The only reason I haven't bought one is I like the all wood ones, like these, but they require painting and upkeep, where the plastic cover I have now..." she shrugged.

They slowly walked away. "Did you get your candles?"

"Not yet. I'll get them before I leave."

"But you'll stay for lunch?"

"It's why I came."

"What do you want?"

She shrugged. "Surprise me."

He led her to a small food trailer. "Two tacos on a stick and two cokes," he said, speaking louder than normal to be heard over the humming generator providing power to the trailer. "I saw people walking around with these and they look good," he said to Maggie as the man turned away to prepare their order. Moments later, two long skewers with beef, grilled sweet peppers, onions, and cherry tomatoes were handed out, along with two large Styrofoam cups. Sean paid the man and picked up the two drink cups, exchanging one of the cups in his hand for one of the skewers in Maggie's.

"Thanks."

She pulled a piece of the meat off the wooden stake with her teeth. "Pretty good, but I need a place to set this cup down." They slowly wandered, nibbling at their lunch, until they found a comfortable looking curb to sit on. "How's it going?"

"Uneventful."

"So it's been a good day?"

"Very."

She smiled slightly as she carefully slid the food up to the tip of the skewer until she could pull it off with her lips and teeth. "Heard from the vet?"

He started. "No, not yet." He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. It was only a few minutes after eleven. "If they haven't called in twenty or thirty minutes, I'll give them a call."

"How was Marmalade this morning?"

"Draggy."

"Poor thing."

"Yeah. I think his time might be getting short."

"Don't say that!"

He shrugged. "Call it a feeling. I've never seen him so lethargic, and the doc said all they could do was treat the symptoms."

"Don't give up on him yet. He's got nine lives, you know."

"I know, but I wonder how many he's already used up?"

They finished eating, talking about other, more pleasant things. They were walking toward one of the candle vendors, so Maggie could pick out her candles, when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and accepted the call as he brought the device to his ear. "Sean."

"Mr. McGhee, Doctor Timothy Brewster, Brunswick Animal Hospital."

"Morning, Doctor. How's Marmalade?" Maggie slowed but he waved her on, plugging his open ear with a finger as he followed her.

"I'd like to keep him over the weekend so we can observe him."

"That's fine. He's not going to get better, is he?"

"We're giving him aspirin and Spironolactone to thin his blood and help with fluid retention, and Dobutamine to stimulate his heart. If that doesn't work, we have other drugs we can try. Have you been giving him his pills?"

"Everyday."

The doctor grunted softly. "I was hoping you'd say you were having trouble getting him to take them. We'll monitor him over the weekend to see how he does."

"But he's not going to get better?"

"He's not going to recover, if that's what you're asking. If we can get the heart working better, he'll have a few more months."

"Is he in pain?"

"No. He probably feels tired and weak, but he should start feeling better later today as the drugs begin to work."

"What do you recommend?" Sean asked, a cold lump forming in the pit of his stomach.

"Only that we monitor him over the weekend and see how he does. How he responds to treatment will give us a better idea of the next step."

The doctor was being careful to say nothing to build up his hopes or make him think the cat was teetering on the edge of death. "Okay. Thank you doctor."

"Don't give up on him yet. I get the feeling Marmalade is a fighter."

"I won't."

"Try to enjoy the rest of your weekend. We'll take good care of Marmalade for you."

"I'll try. Thank you," he said before he hung up.

"Bad news?"

"Not good, no. The vet wants to keep him over the weekend so he can treat him."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Nothing I can do but wait and see how he does."

Maggie nodded. "Why don't you stay with me this weekend. It might be easier."

He gave her a half-hearted smile. "Okay. I think I will. Thanks."

He hovered as she picked among the candles, sniffing them, setting some aside but putting most of them back into the neat rows. After she picked out four, she paid for her purchase and took the bag with her candles.

"Walk me to my car?"

"My pleasure."

-oOo-

At three o'clock vendors began packing up their wares as the event started to close down. When he noticed the vendors packing, Sean ambled his way to his car. He wanted to get his car out of the way so Fish could open the street up as soon as the vendors were clear. He was also ready to go see Maggie. Thoughts of Marmalade had weighed heavily on him since the phone call from the vet. As he wandered among the crowd, he'd alternated between believing Marmalade would bounce back over the weekend, and dreading another call from the vet telling him there was nothing they could do, and Marmalade had died. He needed a distraction, and dinner and a movie with Maggie sounded like just the thing.

As he drove, he forced himself to not think about Marmalade. He thought about BIGS instead. He'd received no call Friday night, so whatever was happening was an on again, off again, type of thing. That was going to make it more difficult to catch them in the act. Thinking about BIGS occupied his thoughts until he reached Maggie's house.

Maggie met him at the door as he stepped into the kitchen. "How're you feeling?" she asked after her kiss.

"Okay. Bummed about Marmalade, of course, but other than that, fine."

"That's to be expected. He's fifteen?"

"Around twelve, actually."

While Maggie puttered around in the house, he walked out to look at her well. There was an ugly green cover squatting in her back yard that covered the wellhead and pressure tank. He poked around a little until he figured out how to open it. The lid was surprisingly thick and heavy, probably because it was full of insulation. Another thing to think about. He was pretty good with a hammer and saw, having lived in a 1920's house that was in constant need of repair and renovation. He thought he could probably build something that would work just as well but be more attractive than this big green lump of plastic. Even if he didn't build it, at least it would give him something to think about for a couple of days instead of worrying about Marmalade. He closed the lid and latched it.

"Sean?" Maggie called from the patio. "You okay? What are you doing out there?"

He was still standing in the yard, staring at the cover as he turned over ideas. "Yeah. Looking at your well cover thing."

"Why?"

"Just thinking is all."

"When you're done thinking, come here a minute."

"What?" he asked as he started toward the house.

"I wanted to see what was available on Netflix for tonight, but the stupid television is stuck again, and I need you to do that, whatever you do, to get it working again."

He smiled. Her television sometimes refused to log into Netflix. Before she'd do a hard reset on the TV to get it working again, but that required her to go through the configuration process for the television and log into her Netflix account again. The last time it froze he found a workaround on the internet that, with a series of button pushes on the remote, would reset the television but not lose the configuration or login information. It was far less hassle than her technique.

"Step aside, little lady," he said in his best John Wayne imitation as he ambled his way through the door, emulating Wayne's characteristic saunter. "This is man's work."

She waited until he was past and then followed. "Keep that attitude up and your John Wayne is going to be lonely tonight," she said, her voice teasingly cool.

He snickered. Check and mate. "Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we?" he asked, using the same voice he'd used before. He picked up the remote, looked at the notes on his phone, and pushed the left, right, up, and down, buttons in the proper order. The light on the television blinked twice, and he turned the device on. As soon as the menu appeared, he selected Netflix, and after a moment the Netflix splash screen popped up. He handed her the remote. "There you go," he said in his normal voice.

"Thank you," she said, offering her lips.

He took them in a soft but lingering kiss. He slowly pulled back from the kiss and smiled down at her as she melted into his arms. He pulled her close, her embrace comforting. No matter how bad his day, nothing improved it like having Maggie in his arms.

.

.

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THIRTEEN

Sean started as the ringing of his phone jerked him from sleep. He untangled from Maggie and grabbed the device from the side table. As sleep dropped away, he realized the ringtone was the one he set for work, not his regular ringtone. Besides, the vet wouldn't call him in the middle of the night to tell him Marmalade had passed away.

"Sean," he mumbled, trying to shake off sleep as he filled with dread. The last time the station had woken him in the middle of the night like this, there had been an officer involved shooting.

"Sean, it's Claire. Sorry to wake you but I thought you'd want to know. The alarm went off on your pub. Gavin checked it out and the rear door had been forced."

"I was broken into?"

"Looks like it."

"Well... shit," he muttered. At least it wasn't a shooting. "Okay. Let me get dressed and I'll get right down there. Why are you always the one calling me in the middle of the night to give me bad news?"