CHAPTER SEVEN
"YOU HAVEN'T SEEN
HAMMY, HAVE YOU?"
( A RUNAWAY CAT )
"YES, I DID IT!"
There's one thing you should know about Natalie: if she could, or wanted, or even needed to teach herself how to do something, she would without question or hesitation. She would Google and read articles and sites on whatever she was trying to learn, maybe get a book about it and read that as well, and then call a few professionals just to make sure it was able to be done alone, or wouldn't endanger her in anyway. She taught herself how to change a tire one time. She had been on the side of the road with a grumpy eight year old, unable to call Kathrine because she was in an important meeting with a client and Natalie, once adamant on teaching herself, was too stubborn to call a tow trunk or someone else to help. So, she changed the tire by herself, luckily still having the tools she needed from when Ben stuffed them in her trunk in case of emergencies. She taught herself how to paint, how to cook certain meals, how to put together a bed frame and other various furniture, and other things. She even chopped up a tree that had fallen down in her back yard. Albeit small, a tree nonetheless.
So when she found the time, Natalie figured out what exactly was keeping her trunk from closing and fixed it. She just needed to adjust the trunk latch. It sounded simple, and maybe to a mechanic or anyone else familiar with cars it was. But to the 30 year old teacher who could care less how cars worked, it wasn't so easy. She had to wear protective eye wear and once she read that on a reliable website, she knew things wouldn't go smoothly. Now, it went smoother than she thought it would but, still. There was a reason Natalie was a teacher and not a genius on trunk latches and car parts and whatever the hell a latch striker is.
She was proud of herself, though.
The blonde grinned under the glowing light in the garage, eyes shining with pride as she looked at her car trunk which was now shut without the use of the cords Jennifer's husband gave her – Will, that's his name, right? She crossed her arms and took off the eye protection and put it plus the tools she had used back where she found them in the garage, looking out of the opened door and to the street where she had brought the trash cans to a few or so minutes earlier. Her brown eyes then went to the opened door that lead inside of her home, brows knitting together.
"Oh, fuck." Natalie's eyes widened and she rushed inside, searching everywhere in every nook and cranny, calling out for Hamburger. They never let the cat outside in the front yard; only the back yard, which was fenced in, and Hamburger was quite content with it. She climbed the few trees and the fence to sit on top of it and played around with cat toys, but she never left. Let out front, though, and she would disappear within seconds. There was no telling how long the door had been opened or how long it took for the feline to figure out, "Hey, I can go out front with out getting caught," and leaving to go on an adventure.
"Mom?" Holly's groggy voice caught Natalie's attention. "What time is it? And what are you doing?"
Natalie tried to smile as she stood up from looking under the couch for the fifth time. She was pretty sure it came out as a grimace, though . "It's nearly two in the morning, and I'm looking for Hamburger. She isn't in your room is she?"
Holly shook her head, yawning. "She wanted out around ten, right before I went to bed, so I let her. Why?"
The mother ran a hand over her face and through her face. "Crap. I left the door to the house and the garage door open while working on the trunk, she must've gotten out."
"What? Mom! She could be dead right now!" Holly yelled, suddenly fully awake at the mere thought of their beloved cat dead.
"She's not dead, just lost," Natalie attempted to assure her worried daughter despite her same thoughts, refraining from using the word 'probably'. "Go back to bed, okay? I'll go look for her."
Holly stubbornly shook her head. "No. Hammy's mine, too, we bought her together. Let me help look, Mom, please."
Natalie stared at Holly for a moment as she thought. On one hand, she could use the help to search for their cat because neither of them knew where she could have gone. On the other hand, both of them had to wake up early for school. In the end Natalie nodded, because Holly probably would have snuck out to search for Hammy anyway. Holly, at seeing her mother agree, rushed to her room and put on some sandals, not bothering to take her bright pink socks off – it was a clash against the dark army green, large t-shirt and the orange Nike shorts she wore.
Natalie grabbed a flashlight, her phone and keys, and waited by the door for Holly. She then closed the door, locked it, and the two blondes made their way out into the neighborhood to search for their runaway cat. They didn't go separate ways despite the fact that if they did they would cover more ground less time, but Natalie wasn't about to let her fifteen year old daughter wonder around alone in the darkness of the night. As they walked and searched, they called out for Hamburger – but not too loudly because they didn't want to wake up the neighbors. At one point they even went back to house and got cat treats, rattling the bag as an attempt to lure Hamburger back to them, but unfortunately that didn't do anything. The entire time, Natalie did her best to not show how worried she truly was in front of Holly but it was hard considering how much she actually loved the feline. Still, she kept a positive attitude for her daughter, reassuring her that they will find Hamburger, not voicing her worried thoughts of their beloved cat getting taken by owl or something, which probably isn't possible but, hey, anything could happen and that's what she's scared of the most.
An hour later, they stopped searching for the night. They both had to get up for school in a few hours. Holly hesitantly went to bed, Natalie reassuring her daughter once more that they'll find Hamburger before she fell asleep. The woman then set out a bowl of cat food on the porch once she knew Holly was asleep along with the cat's water bowl. She then looked for a few more minutes in the bushes by the house and even up a few trees, eventually stopping. Minutes later, Natalie was on the porch swing with a blanket and a pillow from the couch, laying down, too worried to stay inside in case Hamburger came back.
+++
"Natalie?"
The blonde peeled open one eye, brown meeting blue, and for a second Natalie was wondering why the hell someone was in her bedroom until she remembered the night before. She wasn't in her bedroom, but rather outside. She closed her eye again and groaned, forcing herself to sit up before opening both eyes and looking around. The sun was just starting to rise. She looked at Connor Thompson with half-awake eyes. He was crouched in front of her looking a bit concerned, still in his police uniform from his night shift. He looked tired. His usual short, near hair was messy and he had switched his contacts for glasses. They've known each other for years now; the man had been one of the officers to break the news to Natalie that her fiancé had passed and, feeling guilt for her, Connor checked on her as often as he could. The two even dated at one point, but it only lasted for a week before Connor realized he was very much gay. Now, they're neighbors, their houses just across from each other.
"Hi, Connor," Natalie mumbled. She pushed her hair out of her face. "What time is it?"
Connor lifted his wrist and looked at it. "A little after five," he told her. "What're you doing sleeping out here?" He moved to sit down beside her.
Natalie sighed and rested an elbow on her knees, resting her chin in her hand. Her eyes landed on the uneaten cat food. "The cat got out through the garage last night. I haven't been able to find her. You haven't seen Hammy, have you?"
He shook his head. "Just got home, sorry. Saw you sleeping out here and decided to make sure you weren't dead."
She gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Thanks."
"No problem." He paused and stood up. "But, listen, you need to go get ready for work and wake up Holly. I'll keep an eye out for Hammy, and I'll tell Danny to do the same. Don't worry too much, okay?"
She scoffed, leaning back. "Oh, sure, tell that to the woman who worries about everything," she sarcastically spoke.
Connor didn't roll his eyes. He wasn't the type to do so unless he was extremely annoyed. He just gave her a look that reminded Natalie of her mom, and the woman was quickly to mumble an apology and stood up. "Hamburger will come back," Connor told her as she gathered up the blanket and pillow.
"I... I know," she said. "Thanks for waking me up, by the way."
He smiled. "No problem. Now, get to work."
***
A/N— This chapter is on the short side of things, and I wanted to make it longer, but I got through everything I planned for this chapter a lot quicker than I thought I would, so... Sorry it's not long, but at least it's something! And meet Connor Thompson, Officer Thompson from the prologue. (His face claim/who he's portrayed by is Tom Hiddleston). He's just a sweet guy who looks out for Natalie a lot, and their relationship will be strictly platonic for many reasons – main one being that Connor's gay & in a relationship, so no one has to worry about a love triangle.
That's really all?? Uh... so yeah! I know this chapter was a bit boring, but the next chapter will be interesting since Spencer will be showing up again. Still, hope you enjoyed this!! Don't forget to vote and comment!! Love you guys x