Free Tell Me When It Hurts by Christine Whitehead

up, but he said the sooner the better, given her age.”
    “ Uh, do you think it can wait for a few hours? I need a ride and I’m not sure . . .”
    “ No. If she’s already panting, that’s not good. He said she has to come in now.”
    “ Okay, I’ll have to . . . see about a cab, I guess. Well, thanks. I’ll get her there.”
    Archer clicked off. She held the phone to her mouth for a minute, then gazed at Hadley. For a cab to get up here, she’d have to unlock the gate—all well and good if she could drive to the gate, in which case she could as easily drive to the vet. But with a sprained right ankle, she could barely hobble with a cane, much less use the gas and brake pedals.
    “ Damn it. I can’t believe this,” she sputtered to herself, rubbing her forehead.
    Then she remembered. Glad to hear cell phones work up here. . . . Just dial c mccall. Staring at the phone keypad, she decoded the number from the letters of his name. Got it! 262-2255. But the area code? What area code? Then she remembered his driver’s license. Little Tempest, Wyoming. Who could forget that name? She quickly called information, got the Wyoming area code for Little Tempest, and hoped he had enough cell phone battery left to pick up one quick call.
    Archer hesitated, remembering dinner’s chilly end. She glanced at Hadley, then tapped out the numbers. Please answer. The phone rang four times. She slumped, losing hope of reaching a live person. Then a voice broke in.
    “ Hello?”
    “ Uh, is this Connor McCall?”
    “ Yup.”
    “ This is Archer Loh.” Dead silence. “You know . . . uh, your neighbor.”
    More dead silence.
    “ Hello? Hello? Are you . . .
    “ I’m here. I’ve been told I don’t have any neighbors, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want any neighbors at three thirty in the morning . . .” He stopped and asked, almost as an afterthought, “Are you okay?”
    “ Um . . . not really. My dog has to go to the vet, and I can’t drive yet. She’s got this condition, and I know it’s terrible calling you like this, but I didn’t know . . .”
    “ I’ll be right over.” The line went dead.
    * * *
    Connor was at her door in fifteen minutes.
    “ What’s wrong with her?” He bent to pet Hadley, who was now lying down but still panting and drooling. “It’s okay, Hadley. We’ll fix you up.”
    “ She’s got this endocrine condition that’s treated with shots every six months, but I guess it didn’t last, or something. When I woke up, she was like this. The vet said she needs the shot now.”
    “ Okay, well, I better take your car. My truck’s down by the road on my property. It would take at least a half hour to walk down to it, and I know you have a locked gate—I can see it from the road—so I couldn’t get up here anyway. You’ll need to give me the combination.”
    “ I can come with you,” she said, struggling up. “Just need to throw on some jeans.”
    “ No offense, but I think I’d move faster without you.”
    Startled but realizing it was true, Archer nodded. She wondered, though, if perhaps he just didn’t want her company.
    “ Right . . . you’re right.” Archer limped to the basket on the kitchen counter where she kept her keys. She handed them to Connor. “Here. The combination to the gate is nine one two three three. Turn to the right first. The vet is down on Route . . . ”
    He cut her off. “I know where the vet is. Berkshire Clinic, right?” She nodded. “The first thing I do when I go anywhere with Alice and Millie is find out where the closest vet is, just in case. You have a leash?” Archer pointed to a flowered leash hanging from a peg on the wall. Connor grabbed it and clipped it to Hadley’s collar. “Come on, puppy. Let’s get you fixed up.” Hadley looked back at Archer, then walked out slowly with Connor.
    “ I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He turned and left.
    Archer watched them head down the driveway. She wished she’d said more. She wished