have a nervous collapse.”
Lily stood in the shower, the sound of the running water drowning out her sobs. There were onlytwo things she wanted — Charlotte, and her old life back—and both of them were as impossible toretrieve as the water that went down the drain.
She knew one thing for sure. If she didn’t find some lesbian friends soon, didn’t find a safe placewhere she could hang out and be herself, she was going to lose her mind. She was not psychologically fitfor this kind of intense, twenty-four-hour undercover work.
CHAPTER 12
“No oozing around the site of the injury?” Dr. Jack’s voice asked over the phone.
“No.” Feeling her throat constrict around the mouthful of yogurt she’d been trying to swallow,Lily wondered if there was a more unpleasant word in the English language than oozing.
“Any pus?” Dr. Jack asked, answering Lily’s unspoken question.
“No.” Giving up on eating any yogurt herself, she instead spooned it into Mimi’s gaping mouth.
“Okay, then, why don’t you just bring him into the office in ten days, and we’ll get those stitches out. Ifhe has any problems before then, be sure and call me.”
Lily knew that Dr. Jack was winding down their phone conversation, but she didn’t want to let hergo until she had asked her about another matter. “Dr. Jack?”
“Uh-huh.”
“There was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Uh-huh?” She sounded puzzled.
“I, uh ... I don’t think I mentioned this to you the other day, but I write and illustrate — that is,draw the pictures —” She mentally kicked herself for explaining what illustrate meant. The Dr. in Dr.
Jack’s name meant she probably understood the meaning of three-syllable words. “Children’s books.”
“Is that a fact?” Dr. Jack sounded mildly interested, but still puzzled.
“Yeah. I was thinking about what you said about going on farm calls with your dad when youwere a little girl, and I thought that a story about a little girl who did that might make a good picture
“Ha!” Dr. Jack laughed. “I don’t think anybody’s ever thought of me as literary material before.”She was silent for a moment. “Seriously, though, I like the idea. Daddy died last year. A book like thatmight be a good way to remember him.”
“We could even dedicate it to him if you wanted,” Lily said.
“Hmm.”
Lily waited for her to add something, but she never did. Finally she jumped in. “The thing is, I’mkind of a city girl, and I’d really need to spend some time around farm animals in order to draw themwell. So I was wondering if maybe I could go on a few farm calls with you. I’d stay out of your way, of