“I didn’t pick up my chalk,” Indigo told her.

“It’s okay, honey. I’ll help you with it later.”

“Where are we going?”

“Ashley’s,” Theo responded, making sure her inner office door was locked. “She needs our help, blue bird. You ready?”

“Ready!”

“Chuff!”

Ashley and Wyatt lived in a two-bedroom duplex on Third Street, about a block north of Hope Lutheran Church. The first thing Theo noticed when she pulled her Jeep to the curb was that no one had thought to clear the snow from the driveway or the walk.

“Jupe,” Theo said, climbing out of the driver’s side. “You be a good boy, okay? Don’t pee on anything.”

Jupiter whined in the back of his throat. The human had insulted him.

“Unhook,” Theo told Indigo. Indigo unbuckled the straps of her car seat and scrambled to the door. Theo lifted her out and Indie’s boots sunk two inches into the snow on the plowed road. She opened the back and Jupiter jumped out. “It looks pretty deep up there. You want me to carry you?”

Indigo shook her head. “Nope. I’m good.”

Both Indigo and Jupiter headed up toward the house with Theo close behind.

Theo didn’t have a key for Ashley’s house. She thought that might be a problem, but she found the door was unlocked when she turned the knob.

“Ashley?”

“I’m in the bedroom,” Ashley called back. Her voice was still raspy, and not very loud. Jupiter heard a voice he recognized and ran to find where it had come from. Indigo followed him.

Theo looked around the living room. The small space was dominated by a big screen television. She wasn’t sure, but she guessed it was at least seventy inches if not larger. There was a couch and a recliner in the room.

It was dark, and Theo thought that was strange. She didn’t know much, but she was sure plants needed light to grow. She was also sure there would be a lot of plants in Ashley’s home. She walked to the window and opened the blinds, allowing the crisp winter sunlight to fill the room. There were at least a dozen pots filled with bright green leaves and vines on shelves and the windowsill.

“I’m a mess,” she heard Ashley say as she walked into the bedroom. “I’m so embarrassed. I’m so sorry … I know I’m a pain in the ass, but I’m stuck.” Ashley was in her bed, clothed in a T-shirt and sweatpants cut off at the knee. “I’ve wet the bed,” she said, her voice quiet. “I can’t get into the wheelchair with my arm. I’m useless on my own.”

“Okay, sweetie,” Theo told her. “This is nothing that can’t be fixed. Lead me to the linen closet.”

After locating the towels, Theo put one in the seat of Ashley’s wheelchair. She then helped Ashley into it and stripped the bed. She dumped all of the soiled linen into the washing machine, noticing that there was a stench coming from the stack of dirty dishes that were piled in the sink. Her anger toward Wyatt grew the longer she was in the house.

She took Ashley to the bathroom and stripped her of her wet pants. She moved her carefully to the toilet, then looked around the room, spotting a stack of folded washcloths. She soaked one in warm tap water, then handed it to Ashley so she could clean herself up.

“How do you feel about coming and staying with us at the barn for a while?”

“You don’t need me there,” Ashley said. “You’ve already got so much going on. I knew I was hurt,” she said, her voice trembling, “but I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be just doing the most mundane things.”

“Where’s Wyatt?”

“Work.”

“When did he leave?”

“About six this morning.”

Theo checked her phone. It was almost two o’clock. “Have you eaten?”

“There was a sleeve of saltines on my nightstand.”

“That’s all you’ve had in your stomach today?”

“I hurt, Theodora,” Ashley told her, squinting to keep the tears at bay.

“Okay. I’m sorry. I’m in problem solving mode. I’m not scolding you.” She took a breath. “First things first. I’m going to get you something to eat so you can take your pain meds. Then I’m packing up some of your stuff. I can’t leave you here like this, Ash. I need to know you’re being taken care of.”

She found Ashley a pair of clean underwear and some more sweats. She got her dressed, grabbed the dirty towel from the seat, and moved her back into the wheelchair.

“You probably don’t want to hang out in the bathroom,” she said, wheeling Ashley back into the bedroom. “Come on, Indie,” she told her niece. “Let’s find Ashley a snack.” Theo expected Jupiter to follow them, but the dog had moved to sit next to Ashley. She had her fingers buried in the fur at his neck, and it looked to Theo as if he was protecting her. “Good boy,” she told him.

In the fridge, Theo found some turkey that had been purchased from the deli at Lowell’s Supermarket just a few days previous. There was also some provolone cheese and half a loaf of white bread. The tomatoes that were sitting in a hanging basket by the kitchen window felt soft, and Theo couldn’t find any lettuce. She made a sandwich with multiple layers of turkey and cheese, then grabbed one of the small bottles of apple juice that sat in the door of the fridge.

“There are cheese crackers,” Indigo said, surveying the pantry.

“That sounds good,” Theo told her. “Grab those. Do you see anything else?”

“There’s lots of cereal.” Indigo tilted her head to the side. “They have the sugary kind that I like.”

Theo peeked in over Indigo’s head. She could see boxes of rice, instant potatoes and stuffing. There were canned vegetables, tomato sauce and olives.

“I think we’ve got enough. We just don’t want her tummy to be sick. Thanks, sweetie.” Theo carried the sandwich and the juice and Indigo followed her with the box of crackers. “And I’ll buy you some of that sugar cereal.”

“You will?” Indigo asked, surprised.

“You’ve been a big help to me today. You deserve way more than cereal.”

While Ashley ate her sandwich, Theo found a duffel bag and began packing some clothes. She found Ashley’s medication and read the instructions. She shook two of the pills into the woman’s hand, then reached out to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“We’ll get through this, Ash. I promise you we will.”

The front door opened and all three of them turned toward the sound.

“Wyatt’s home,” Ashley said.

“Perfect,” Theo told her. “He’s just in time. He can carry you out to the Jeep.”

“Ashley?” Wyatt called. “Where are you at?”

“Well,” Ashley replied, “I can’t go anywhere on my own, so I’m exactly where you left me.”