Quilt By Association

time to figure out what was going on.

She drove home turning things over in her mind and, hindsight being what it is, was starting to wonder if she'd done the right thing when she didn't tell Aiden everything right from the start.

Chapter 12

'Oh, my gosh,” Harriet screamed. “I haven't been to class all term.'

She wasn't sure who she was talking to, but it didn't matter. Her algebra final was due to start in ten minutes, and as a result of having not attended a single class, she didn't know where it was held. She had a schedule in her locker, but that location was evading her, too.

She felt needles pierce her face. She shook her head and was brought to consciousness by Fred's screech as she pushed him away. He'd apparently tried to wake her from her nightmare by slapping her in the face with the tips of his claws.

'Thank you, Fred, I needed that,” she said.

She reassured herself she had passed algebra long ago, not only in high school but in college; her “lost in high school” dreams were an indication of her anxiety level. This one was well-deserved, she decided.

She fed Fred then went back upstairs to shower. She was just returning to the kitchen when she heard a knock on the outside door of her studio, followed by the sound of the door opening.

'Hello?” called a male voice.

'Aiden?'

She hurried toward the door between the kitchen and studio; it opened and she fell into Aiden's open arms. He put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her, his unshaven face rasping her skin when he finally pulled away and gazed at her with his white-blue eyes.

'I've missed you so much,” he said.

He stepped to the bar and collapsed onto a stool, pulling her with him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned into her.

'You look exhausted,” she said.

He was dressed in his customary work clothes-surgical scrubs and washable canvas shoes. A rust-colored smear stained the left shoulder of his shirt. She didn't want to think about what it might be.

'I just need some coffee,” he said. “I've got to get back to the dogs.'

'You can't possibly do those dogs any good the condition you're in.” Harriet pushed out of his arms. “You need to rest.'

'I don't have time to rest,” he argued, but then he folded his arms and, leaning on the bar, laid his head on them.

'Come on,” she said and pulled on his arm. She freed one hand and tugged until he stood then led him upstairs to the guest bedroom.

'Wake me up in thirty minutes.'

'Okay,” she agreed, her fingers crossed behind her back.

'Promise,” he said, and lay down on the bed. The fact he didn't try to talk her into joining him was an indication of how tired he was.

Harriet took a down throw from an armchair by the window and spread it over him. He'd been asleep before his head hit the pillow. She tiptoed out the door and pulled it shut behind her.

The phone started to ring just as she reached the kitchen. She grabbed it, though she imagined it would take dynamite to wake Aiden at this point.

'Hello,” she whispered into the receiver from force of habit.

It was Aunt Beth, suggesting they ride together to Carla's for the Loose Threads meeting. She agreed, and wrote a note to Aiden explaining where she'd gone and that she'd left him sleeping because he needed it.

'Hey, chiquitas,” Connie greeted them as they entered through the kitchen door. “Would you two like a cup of my orange spice tea?'

'Sure,” Harriet said, even though spice tea wasn't her favorite. Aunt Beth agreed also, and Connie poured them each a steaming mug from a pot she'd just made.

'How are things going with your house guest?” Harriet asked when the four women were settled in the upstairs parlor. Wendy was perched on Connie's lap, playing with her earring. Carla was holding the receiver from Wendy's baby monitor, which indicated to Harriet that Kissa was asleep in the nursery.

'It's been like she's not even here,” Carla said. “Probably because she mostly hasn't been here.'

'What do you mean?” Harriet asked.

'She left a while after the shower, and I haven't seen her since. I fed the baby dinner and put her to bed when Wendy went down. Kissa woke up crying at around midnight, and I didn't figure Neelie was likely to get up, so I fixed her a bottle and rocked her back to sleep.'

'And you didn't see Neelie? No light under the door or anything?'

'No, but the baby is sleeping in the old nursery. Wendy sleeps in the room that adjoins mine. but when I asked Neelie where she wanted Kissa to sleep, she said the baby kept her awake at night and she'd rather have a room to herself. I figured I was going to be the one getting up in the night, so I put her in the nursery where there's already a monitor set up.'

'So, Neelie has been missing since last night?'

'We don't know that Neelie is actually missing, do we?” Aunt Beth pointed out. “Seems like all we know is that she isn't here.'

'Dios mio!” Connie said. “I knew that girl was trouble.'

'Did you tell Aiden she was here?” Harriet asked Carla.

'You said not to tell him until he was back, but I was afraid he would walk in and find them here with no warning.'

'What did he say?” Connie asked.

Carla looked down, letting her hair fall around her face.

'I only told him that the sister of a friend of his in Africa had come to see him, and that I'd let her stay here until he came home.'

'You didn't mention the baby?” Harriet asked.

Carla looked up, her cheeks crimson. She shook her head.

'I know you didn't want to-” she tried to explain, but Harriet interrupted her.

'That was good,” she said. “He did need to know someone was staying here, but you saved the big news until he could come home and see for himself. He hasn't been here yet, right?'

'No, he called and said he was going to be at the clinic and would probably just catch a few hours sleep on the couch there. He said it would take a while to get the vet techs up to speed on the hoarding survivors, and he said he would call when he was on his way here.'

'FYI, he's asleep at my house at the moment,” Harriet said. “He came by to say hi, but he was asleep on his feet. I persuaded him he wasn't going to be able to help his patients until he got some rest.'

The doorbell sounded, and Carla went downstairs to greet the arriving Loose Threads. Mavis and Jenny had come together, and while they were fixing their cups of tea and coffee, Sarah arrived followed shortly by Lauren. Harriet went downstairs to refill her cup as Lauren was taking her jacket off and hanging it in the coat closet in the front entry.

'Follow me,” Lauren said.

'What's up?” Harriet asked.

Lauren glared at her. “Could you keep your voice down?'

Harriet sighed but followed her until they were out of earshot of the others.

'What?” Harriet, following her.

'There is a spy among us,” she murmured dramatically.

'What are you talking about?” Harriet whispered.