Free 1 A Paw-sible Theory by Anna Kern

out.” Alyx looked around, dazed and leaned back on the bed. “Alyx, you’re starting to fade out. I’m going to take off so you can get some rest. Is there anything you want me to bring you from home when I come back?”
    Alyx appeared to think about it, and then asked for a few things: toothbrush, hairbrush, lipstick and mascara, and some bedclothes that didn’t expose her to the world. She pulled the cover up to her neck while Maggie gathered her things and was asleep before Maggie left the room.
    Maggie didn’t say where she was going, and if she went home and didn’t find me there, I’d have a big problem on my hands. I faced a dilemma. When Bob had left, he said he was going to see David Hunter, and I heard him on the phone out in the hall making an appointment to meet him at an outdoor coffee shop within walking distance of the hospital. It was important that I know exactly what was going on with Ethan from the lawyer’s point of view and also ascertain if Alyx was in any danger. I started to think maybe I’d made a mistake by thinking I could handle it all. I quickly dismissed that negative thought and decided to take a chance with Maggie. I still had an hour before Bob’s appointment with the lawyer and decided to stay where I was for the time being.
    Alyx was lying with her back to the door, so she didn’t see anyone come in, and didn’t know anyone was in the room until she heard whispering. Her brother Tom and his wife Susan had entered and were at her side.
    “I’m sorry; I didn’t know you were here.”
    Tom squeezed her hand. “Glad to see you’re awake.”
    “We thought you were sleeping and didn’t want to wake you,” chimed in Susan.
    “I’ve been awake for a while. I was trying hard to remember anything that might shed some light on what happened. There’s something tickling the back of my mind and it just isn’t coming to the surface. How long have you been here?”
    “We’ve been sitting out in the hall for about ten minutes or so.”
    “We were here yesterday too,” said Susan as she leaned down to kiss Alyx’s cheek. “Anyway, how do you feel?”
    “Physically, I’m fine. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go home tomorrow.”
    “Ethan called and left a message but the message didn’t say much about what had happened and he didn’t have anything to add when we came to see you Saturday,” said Tom.
    “I think he was embarrassed that we caught him holding your hand and talking to you when we walked in,” said Susan. I told him I thought it was a good idea, that maybe you could hear him and help you find your way home. He just gave me a tight-lipped smile.”
    “So, what happened? Did you see who hit you?” asked Tom.
    Susan interrupted, “What about the police, do they know who might have done this or why?” and at the same time, Tom wanted to know what she remembered.
    Susan shook her head. “Very strange situation, if you ask me.”
    Although they had moved to Florida a few years before Alyx’s divorce and only lived thirty miles away, they hadn’t been there for Alyx when she needed support nor had they played a big role in Ethan’s life while he was growing up. In fact, Alyx hardly ever saw them and her reaction to the intrusive and irritating rapid fire questioning, was what I expected.
    “This is starting to sound like an inquisition,” and she quickly added, “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”
    “Yes you did,” Tom stated, “and you’re right.” He turned to Susan, “We should go. She needs to rest,” he said as he took her hand.
    Alyx followed their hesitant exit from the room, the sense of loss reflected in the expression on her face. I wondered if they knew that Ethan was in jail; they hadn’t mentioned it, so maybe they didn’t, but it didn’t matter; they probably wouldn’t visit him anyway.

    Both Alyx and Ethan liked to bring me along when they went on their errands so I knew my way around downtown, logically more