To Love a Stray

Chapter 26 part 2

"I don’t care!" I cut her off sharply. "He had Rosy in a panic!"

"Micah calm down," Doc says firmly. "Rosy will pick up on the raised voices and tension and it will not help her to bond properly with her son."

I turn away and watch as Dwayne unlocks the small door and disappears outside. Cold damp air wafts in and I realise with surprise a light misting rain has started to fall. Suddenly I feel guilty, Wade was still recovering from his punishment and he had been locked outside in this, there was no way he would have been under proper shelter while he was trying to get back inside to Marissa. Warriors are supposed to look after and protect the weaker members of the clan, not lock them out in the rain.

"Marissa!"

I watch as Marissa steps into Wade's embrace and allows him to hug her before checking she is uninjured. His hair and shirt are wet and I retrieve a couple of clean tea towels from the shelf in the pantry.

"You’ll have to make do with these. I won’t have anyone going up near the towel cupboard and chancing disturbing Rosy." I say firmly as I pass the tea towels to Wade.

"I don’t expect you to," Wade says meeting my eyes over Marissa’s head. He looks away quickly and I frown but leave it at that for now.

I am aware of Doc talking quietly about how he believes Rosy will calm down and bond with our son over the next few hours or days. I can’t help the smile I feel curving the corners of my mouth as I catch myself thinking of the kitt as ‘our’ son.

It’s late afternoon when I knock on my own bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Sam demands tightly.

"It’s me, Micah," I say before I open the door slowly and look inside. Sam is sitting in a chair not far from the door and turns his head towards me.

"You want something?" Sam asks dryly.

"Is there anything in particular Rosy would prefer to eat?" I ask as I look at Rosy where she is sitting against the wall with her knees drawn up as she feeds Wynn. I can see the tops of her knees, the blanket covering Wynn’s head and Rosy’s head and shoulders.

"Mikkarl is just about to start cooking tea," I tell her.

"Some of those stir-fried vegies and a big steak," Rosy says with barely a glance my way. The fact she isn’t growling or yelling startles me, as does her having spoken to me. Doc had warned she wouldn’t want anyone in or near the room except Sam and maybe Mitchell for the first few weeks.

"Anything else you would like?" I ask quietly.

"Yes. More water," Rosy says sharply. "This last bottle isn’t cold anymore!"

"Okay, I’ll go get you some cool water and tell Mikkarl what to cook while I’m at it," I tell her soothingly before shutting the door. As the door snicks closed I hear what might be a soft snort from inside, I ignore it and head for the kitchen.

"When are you going to check if Rosy wants anything special?" Mikkarl asks from the sink, where he is peeling potatoes, as I walk into the kitchen.

"Your stir-fried vegies and a big steak," I tell him as I head to the fridge. We always keep a good supply of cool water in the fridge for drinking. I hesitate a moment as I think about how to keep the water cold longer.

"Did Rosy tell Sam what she wanted to eat before going to sleep or didn’t you open the door?" Mikkarl asks curiously.

"I opened the door but didn’t go in. She is awake but didn’t get upset when I spoke to her." I tell him evenly.