Charlie awoke slowly, his head still throbbing. He sighed deeply and rolled over, encountering a strange cat in his bed.
He sat up quickly, flinching as the knives stabbed his left temple. Jenny. Oh, God. He'd gone to her house, and....
Charlie groaned as he realized he'd thrown up on her. It would be easier if she wouldn't forgive him for that, but she probably would. Jenny was an amazingly kind woman.
He remembered the whispers in daycare when they'd met. Abused they'd said. Sexual. Permanent damage.
All he'd seen was a bright and sweet little girl with beautiful green eyes. They'd had so much fun, playing tag, fingerpainting, and whispering during naptime.
They'd sent a wedding notice to the daycare manager at church, and ... the strange cat was back, purring and rubbing her head against his shoulder.
"Hi Kitty" he murmured, looking for Baby Girl. He thought he remembered Baby Girl licking his ear. He found her, sleeping in her "usual" spot by his left shoulder. Jenny had brought him his Baby Girl.
The big cat walked over to Baby Girl and began grooming her. Baby Girl mewed happily and tried to nurse. Charlie chuckled. The two black cats did look related.
Wait, he could see?
Dim light filtered in from the hallway, and Charlie looked around. He was in a small bedroom, dominated by a queen bed. The cat takes up a lot of room he recalled from her blog.
The bed faced a window, light-blocking curtains drawn over plain venetian blinds. He peeked out, seeing the dim outline of trees and some kind of garden in the moonlight. Something grew under the window, and up the side of the house.
Charlie slowly turned, his head throbbing. He now faced a dresser placed inside a closet with the doors removed. Shirts hung in a row above the dresser, a few slacks and dressers off to the side.
Jenny had lost weight he thought. She probably needed a whole new wardrobe. And he hadn't been there to help. Charlie cursed himself again. What else did Jenny need? How could he help her?
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