Chapter 16

DD Comes Home

During the night, there came the sound of high speed tires on gravel, a bump, a thump, a squawk, laughter and a silence. DD was asleep on the hospital bed in the living room. The tires on gravel, the bump, the thump, the squawk, didn't wake her ... the laughter disturbed her healing mind. It was the silence that broke through and woke her. Something was clawing at her brain.

"Carl ... Carl ... Get me up, Carl."

"Wazzit ... Huh? oh ... DD ... DD? you need the bathroom, DD?" Yawn and stretch and scratch. Carl was used to sleeping through the night. He was taking care of DD while the Sutherland Twins were in Austin ... something about an Essay..."zzzzzzzzzzz"

"Carl!"

"DD?"

DD groaned ... she shifted ... her mind was on fire..."Carl, I need to get up. Please, Carl ... wake up. I need to be up ... NOW!"

It wasn't the sound of her voice that finally woke Carl ... it was the reaction to the sound of heavy breathing when she slid her legs off the bed ... remembered Lamaze training had Carl on his feet and looking for the 'baby now suitcase' before he even looked at DD.

DD was on her feet, fumbling for her crutches by the light of the MickeyMouse night light.

She found them, "thanks Mickey ... M--I--c- See you real soon--k--e--y- Why? Because we like you--M-o-u-s-eeee ... Oh Hi Carl ... help me. Please. I need to go outside."

"Outside? DD? What?"

"I NEED TO GO OUT SIDE ... NOW, Carl. OUT ... NOW." She clutched at her heat festering brain ... OW!! ... she was radiating. "I nnned to go out, Carl ... I need air ... help me Carl. OUTSIDE Carl..." She dropped - her - crutches. They fell so slowly.

The clatter was enormous ... she took a step ... now her hips were on fire ... she couldn't grab her head and her hips at the same time. Out of sheer willpower DD threw one foot forward and shifted her hips ... the second step wasn't so bad ... Shock? ... the third step was even better ... she had to get outside ... driven?

NO ... Called!

By the fifth stride DD was walking Zombie normal ... stagger stagger, straighten up, stagger stagger, straighten up,... 'Use your arms for balance' ... stagger step ... step stagger ... step ... step, stagger, 'stay up, girl you are needed ... outside' ... she was on the porch ... the steps nearly defeated her but she persevered ... step step step stagger... 'not now ... you're doing good' ... the fire in the brain is going out ... air ... cool ... air ... cool... ? 'Damn Cold, DD. It's fucking WINTER!'

DD had always slept nude. Satin sheets to lie on, girl ... feel the smooth...

'Oh yeah' ... she picked up a driveway border rock... 'I need it.' Step step step faster faster ... stepstepstep 'Fuck me, I'm running ... Go go go' ... there! at the edge of the road 'Faster.'

"I'm coming!!"

Down the road a car raced its engine ... tires flung a shower of stones ... DD and the car were after the same black form at the side of the road...

"Fuck"...

"Would you look at that"...

"She's running"...

"What a set of tits!!"

"What the fuck?"

DD was flying now ... racing the growling, skidding, swaying car, both bent on the same dot in the road.

She threw the rock ... like a major league pitcher with a hundred mile fastball ... it hit in the exact center of the pebble crack in the windshield.

DD did not throw this pitch like a girl.

The structural integrity of the shatterproof glass was already at risk because of the chip, the rain and ice ... that had separated the laminate...

The rock crashed through the windshield and hit the driver full in the mouth ... teeth shattered, he swerved ... missing both his target in the gravel and DD, who would have been a good second choice.

The power pole seemed to step right in his path ... the speedometer froze on impact ... Eighty Seven miles per hour on a quiet residential street posted for 20.