Crissa's Mate

Chapter Seventy-Five

As the minutes seemed like hours to Crissa, the night dragged on until daylight could be seen outside. The sonic vibrations had ended several hours before, and with it the cries of the local wolves which were in the end, heard to be far in the distance. Checking on her surrogate patients, Crissa watched as each of them twitched in sleep and showed some signs of improvement with the passing time. When her phone rang that morning at seven thirty, she was surprised by the hour and the fact that it was her mother trying to reach her.

After numerous muffled rings, Crissa felt the call might be important and chose to answer. She quickly carried the device into the bathroom and shut the door to speak.

"Crissa?"

"Yeah? Umm, hi, mom!"

"I thought I'd catch you before you headed out to classes today?"

"What?"

"Your classes, darling. You do have a few on Monday morning, as I recall."

"Oh Yeah. Right . . . I was just about to get in the shower."

Crissa had totally lost track that the weekend had ended a day ago, and that she was still in the mountains. Her priorities had just shifted so extremely over the past critical days and nights.

"Well I won't keep you, Crissy, but just wanted to tell you. Your father and I will be traveling tomorrow."

"Oh? Great, mom . . . I mean, really? Where?"

"Your father has this conference. Some lawyer thing over at the Banff Springs Hotel resort. In Alberta."

"Where, Mom?"

"That fancy castle-looking place in Alberta? With the hot springs and famous. . ."

"Oh yeah. Wow . . . So far? And when again, Mom?"

She wanted desperately to get off the phone and back to her monitoring of David and Julie. She had no idea how their recovery would work should it begin to occur simultaneously.

"Well the first snows come there this week. And the conference is sort of a gala event. Should be just beautiful!"

"OK. Great, Mom. And so you're leaving . . .tomorrow?

"That's right, sweetheart. I know it's kind of sudden. But your father just decided to go."

Great Mom . . . but I really have to get to class now. So . . . how long you'll be gone?"

"Well that's just it, Angel. It's a full week in the Rockies . . . six or seven days."

"That's good. You and dad could use the trip."

"We'll be driving so . . . we might even take a few more days. Sightseeing."

"Nice. Well enjoy. Just tell dad to be careful driving on those mountain roads."

Crissa suddenly thought about the opportunity to have their second car.

Mom . . . tell Dad . . . I'll definitely need the car a few times while you're gone. OK? It's some club stuff for the college . . . and, you know, shopping."

"Well, I suppose he'll be OK with that. But you'll have to be very . . ."

"Careful, I know, Mom. So . . . on the kitchen table, OK?"