Free A Thousand Yesses by Jane Henry Page B

her in his strong arms as he settled her
back down to the couch.
    “My
head hurts,” she said. “I can’t see out of one eye. It’s all blurry. Where are
we?”
    Maverick’s
eyes met Celia’s. “Call 911,” he said, but she was already dialing.
    * * *
    They
decided in the brief interval between the ambulance arriving and the phone call that it would be best for Celia to stay with
Marianna. The paramedics arrived in record time, and as Maverick explained the
symptoms, the young EMT nodded his head. “Let’s get her in,” he said. “Sounds
like she’s suffered a stroke.”
    By
then, Celia had Marianna in the kitchen, and was heating up leftovers in the
microwave. “You like sauce on your pasta, honey?” Celia asked. Marianna nodded,
staying right where she was, planted in the seat she always used, the one near
the window. She could look into the living room from where she sat.
    “Where
are they going?” she asked softly.
    “They’re
here to help your mom,” Celia said. She knew Marianna was subject to panic
attacks, and that it was important to distract her. “Cheese, honey?”
    “Yes,”
Marianna said, biting her lower lip. “I want sauce and cheese.”
    “Say
please,” Celia reminded. Maverick was constantly reminding Marianna to remember
her manners, and Celia knew it would help if she kept to the normal routines.
    “Please,”
Marianna said.
    “Good
job,” Celia praised, as she settled the bowl of food in front of Marianna. The
paramedics had already taken Maverick’s mom out the door, and Maverick ran back
to the kitchen.
    “You
girls good?” he asked.
    Celia
nodded. “I’ve got this, Maverick. Go,” she said.
    He
looked at her, one silent look of thanks, before he reached out and gave
Marianna a quick hug. “Celia will take care of you,” he said. “You be good for
her, and I’ll bring you a surprise home. Yeah?”
    Marianna
nodded. “Yeah,” she said with a sigh.
    And
he was gone. Celia felt a little twisting in her stomach.
    Why
couldn’t he give her a hug goodbye? She blinked back the tears that
threatened to fall.
    It’s
not all about you. He needs to focus on his mom and sister right now. And he
doesn’t think of you that way anyway.
    They
ate a quick dinner, and Marianna kept asking about Maverick and her mom. Celia
checked her phone, but hadn’t gotten anything, so she brought Marianna into the
living room and put on a movie. Focusing specifically on keeping her charge
content and happy, Celia felt that it was best thing she could do for Maverick.
It didn’t matter that they weren’t a couple. He was her friend, and she cared
about him. She needed to do what was best for him.
    Wasn’t
that what it was all about, being a submissive, anyway? She didn’t know, and
she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get the chance to find out. But she did know she
needed to be a good friend, and she would do her very best to be just that. A
friend.
    “What
do you like to watch?” she asked.
    “It’s
Friday?” Marianna responded. Celia nodded. “We watch Disney movies every
Friday,” Marianna said, as her lower lip went out.
    We?
Did that mean Maverick? Celia stifled a giggle.
    “You
all do?” she asked.
    “Yeah,”
Marianna said, oblivious to Celia’s amusement. “Mom’s favorite is Beauty and the Beast . Maverick’s
favorite is The Little Mermaid . My favorite
is Cinderella but we just watched
that last week.’”
    The Little Mermaid?
    “Oh,
I love all of those!” Celia said, as she put it on. She felt a twinge of guilt,
as her heart began to pound. “Let’s watch The
Little Mermaid .”
    She
kicked off her shoes and sat on the couch, tucking her legs up under her. At
the back of the couch lay a crocheted afghan, the light browns and greens woven
into squares, hearkening back to the early days when Maverick’s mom crocheted.
Celia tugged it down, and placed the blanket over Marianna’s lap. Marianna
didn’t respond, her eyes trained on the