“Would you like a sandwich or something else to eat?” Dice asked. “I’ll bring it to you so you can go ahead and get in bed.”
I wasn’t exactly hungry, but I knew I needed to eat since I’d taken a pain pill. “Thanks. A sandwich would be great. Turkey and cheese or something like that if you have it.”
“I’ll be right back.”
While he was gone, I took the opportunity to change into something more comfortable and use the restroom. As I was washing my hands, I got a good look at my face for the first time since the attack. To my surprise, it didn’t look as bad as I thought. My lip was busted, and my left eye and cheek were starting to bruise. My torso was another story. Bruises were already scattered all over my abdomen and sides, and I knew more would appear.
Sighing with resignation, I left the bathroom and walked over to the bed, gingerly slipping beneath the covers. Seconds later, Diablo jumped onto the bed and made himself comfortable beside me. “What the hell is going on?” I whispered.
Diablo raised his head to look at me before lowering it back down. I swear, sometimes I thought he understood everything I said.
Too many weird things had happened to me over the last few months for them to be coincidental, but I couldn’t find any dots to connect. On the other hand, I had a hard time believing that a string of bad luck was to blame. Either way, something had to give. I could no longer chalk things up to minor annoyances or inconveniences. I just knew something more was going on, and that scared me.
Someone knocked on the door, causing Diablo to bark and jump to his feet.
“It’s me,” Dice said.
“Come in.” I patted Diablo’s back and quietly told him to lie down. He snuffled, turned in a circle, and laid down beside me as Dice opened the door.
He entered the room carrying a tray that he placed over me. “I brought you a turkey and cheese sandwich, chips, a brownie, and a Coke. Can he have a t-r-e-a-t?” he asked and tipped his head toward Diablo.
“Yes, he can, as long as it isn’t rawhide.”
“It’s one of those green dental chews.”
“Oh, he loves those. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the treat for Diablo. My heart filled with pride when Diablo looked at me for approval before he took the treat from Dice’s outstretched hand. At my nod, Diablo took the treat and jumped off the bed to devour it on the floor.
Meanwhile, I picked up my sandwich and started eating, or tried to. “Ow,” I groaned and brought my hand up to cover my lip.
“I have something that might help. I’ll be right back.”
He returned a few moments later and handed me a tube. “If you put a little on your lip, it will numb the area so you can eat.”
I exhaled in relief. “Thank you. I didn’t realize my lip would be an issue.” I squeezed some on my finger but hesitated before I applied it. “Can I ask why you have this?”
“I dropped a wrench on my face when I was working on a car and split my lip.”
“And this worked for you?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t realize I was checking to see if he had a cold sore or something else contagious and permanent.
“Yeah, it worked great. It doesn’t last very long, but it did the job long enough for me to eat.”
I gently rubbed the gel on my sore lip. “Thanks. I hope it works for me, too.”
I gave it a few minutes to work before I tried taking another bite of my sandwich. “Oh, that’s much better.”
Dice pointed to the end of the bed. “Mind if I sit?”
“Make yourself comfortable.”
“I wanted to talk to you about the attack this morning, if that’s okay.”
“Sure. What do you want to know?”
“Do you think it was random?”
His words caused me to freeze with my sandwich halfway to my mouth. Returning the food to my plate, I met his eyes. “No, I don’t,” I admitted quietly.