Intrusion: A Novel Part 9

CHAPTER SEVEN.

My dad was really upset because it had cost thousands of dollars to paint the exterior of the house last summer. He got the pressure-was.h.i.+ng hose out and started hosing off and scrubbing the house with the pressure washer, which had a brush.

The rest of us swept the water off the sidewalks and into the gra.s.s with big push brooms. Mom immediately picked up all the eggsh.e.l.ls so Gretchen wouldn't eat any. There were dozens, maybe even a hundred. I wondered if we went to the grocery store and asked if they saw anyone buy about ten dozen eggs if they would remember what the guy looked like. Then, I ditched that idea because, if he was clever, which I suspected he was, since he was so hard to catch, that he bought a couple of cartons of eggs at each of five different stores.

I kept getting the feeling that someone was watching me and I would turn around fast to catch them, but there would not be anyone there.

My dad saw me looking around and shouted, very loud, "Leave us alone! Do you hear me? Leave us alone!"

Gretchen barked at my dad because he was shouting and I put her in the house, as they got each other going pretty good.

After we cleaned up the egg mess, as best as we could, we went into the house.

"Do you report it to the police if we get egged?" Jacob wanted to know.

"No, stupid," Jordan said. "We just cleaned up the evidence."

I wanted to report it, but I think the police were getting tired of us.

"I think we will let this one go," my father said.

I could not believe that the stalker really did this. Why would he give flowers one day and egg my house the next? It was almost like he knew my dad took the flowers to the police.

I went in the house and then the back yard, looking for Gretchen. Her hair was sticking straight up and she seemed nervous. I guess she could hear what was going on in the front yard. I am surprised her barking didn't alert people. Maybe she didn't bark.

That was when I saw the huge raw steak in the yard. Thank goodness she didn't eat it. It might have poison in it. I yelled for my dad to come to the back yard. He ran to me and I told him about the steak. He said he was definitely going to take that to the police.

He got a BBQ fork and picked it up and put it in a baggy. He said it was too late to go to the police tonight so he put it into the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator.

I got the chills really bad, I still didn't feel well from my operation, and now all this was happening.

We were so lucky that Gretchen didn't eat that raw meat. I went and laid down on my bed because I had a headache and my neck hurt. My mom came in and sat by my bed.

"Honey, do you have any idea who is tormenting us like this?" she asked.

"I have no idea," I said.

"I just wondered if you have seen anyone creepy watching you at school," she asked.

"I would have told you," I said.

"I know," she said, "I just keep thinking this person must know us or live nearby or something," she said.

"I don't know anyone who would want to kill my dog," I said, and then I burst into tears.

"Aw, honey, your emotions are all messed up," she said.

"Mom, do you think you could change my bandage? My neck is hurting," I said sniffling.

"Of course," she said going into nurse mode.

She got some bandages and tape out of the cupboard and she also found some scissors that she sterilized by heating them on the stove, she took off my old bandage, which hurt.

"This looks a little infected," my mom said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Well, the area is really red and the st.i.tches are kind of yellow," she said.

"Do I have to go to the doctor?" I asked.

"I am going to clean it with hydrogen peroxide and then I will put some triple antibiotic cream on it. That should take care of the problem."

She cleaned my wound and the cream felt good. She then cut the bandage and the tape and then put them on my neck and it felt better. She got me two Tylenol and some water and told me to go to sleep. I decided to leave my phone off.

"Do you think I could change my phone number?" I asked.

"We could probably change your cell number, but I would hate to change our landline. It is really the only way most people get a hold of me," she said. "And your dad would have to notify his workplace."

"I know it would be a ha.s.sle and the stalker has only called me on the landline a couple of times. He is just blowing up my cell by filling up the voicemail box and then, he starts in on the landline," I said.

"Okay, we will go to Radio Shack tomorrow and change your cell phone number," she said.

"Thank you, Mom and rhank you for changing my dressing also."

Just then, our landline phone rang and I was too scared to answer it. My mom went out to the kitchen to answer it., she came back in and said it was a hang up, she said the number was unavailable and out of the area. Terrified, I tried to sleep.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

I didn't go to school again because my neck really was hurting. My mom said we better go to the doctor and have them look at it. We went to the walk-in side of the doctor's office and my mom put my name on the waiting list. The nurse very loudly asked what the problem was. My mom very quietly said I had had surgery a couple of days ago and the wound looked infected.

"Sit down and we will call you in shortly," the black-haired nurse said. Eve must have had the day off, as I didn't see her in the doctor's office. Before I could even sit down, the male nurse called my name and my mom went in with me and he weighed me and I was pleased to see I had lost the five pounds I had gained, I guess I was on the stalker diet again. The nurse took me to my room and my mom followed. He had me sit on the bed and he took my vitals. He then asked me why I was there. I told him I had just had surgery and it hurt. He wrote that down and said the doctor would be right in to see me.

My mom was sitting on the chair beside the bed and we talked briefly, after about five minutes, there was a slight knock on the door and the doctor came in, it was Dr. Sherrill, my surgeon.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" he asked me smiling.

"My neck hurts where you operated on it," I said.

"Let me take a look at it," he said, was.h.i.+ng and drying his hands, and then putting on some gloves.

He carefully took off my bandage and it didn't sting. His bedside manner was better than my mom's.

"Yes, it does look puffy and red. I even see a little pus around the incision," he said.

"Do I have to have another operation?" I asked, scared of the answer I might get.

"No, I will just clean it and put some Betadine on it. I am going to give you an antibiotic. That should take care of any infection you have," he said.

"It hurts really bad," I said.

"I will also prescribe a stronger pain medicine," he said.

"Thank you, Doctor Sherrill," my mom said.

The doctor put some cleaner on the wound. Then he rubbed Betadine all over it, afterward, he put a bandage over it it felt better already. The doctor shook my hand and handed my mom the prescription and my mom thanked the doctor and we left his office and we said goodbye to the receptionist and left.

We went to CVS and gave the pharmacy tech our prescription and we went and sat down.

"I wonder how your dad fared, bringing that meat to the police?" my mom asked.

"I am really getting tired of this whole stalker thing," I said.

"We all are, honey," my mom said.

I didn't know if I should apologize or not. I kind of felt like it was my fault, but I didn't know what I had done wrong.

"Mom, I am sorry I am so much trouble lately," I said.

My mom whispered fiercely, "You? You are no trouble. None of what has been going on is your fault."

"I know my wound getting infected isn't, but somehow I feel like I have done something to attract all this negative attention from the stalker," I said.

"I don't know what you could have done," she said.

"I try to be nice to everyone. I don't make fun of people at school," I said.

"I know, honey. Like I said, it is not your fault," she said.

The pharmacist called my name and we went up and paid for the medicine. The doctor had prescribed Vicodin for my pain and Amoxicillin for the infection and my mom handed over her credit card and the clerk rang us up we left the pharmacy and went into the store.

"Do you need anything?" my mom asked.

"Maybe some more ponytail bands so I can put up my hair and not get hair in my wound," I said.

We went to the hair aisle and got the bands and I picked the package with all different colors and we went to the store clerk and bought them. We then walked over to our car and got in. It was already getting hot, the school year would be over soon, we drove home and went inside. I was tired so I decided to take my pills then go to sleep and I slept for five hours. I dreamed some wonderful dreams. I woke up feeling a little groggy. I think the Vicodin made me sleep a lot. I went into the kitchen and my mom was making dinner.

"How does your neck feel, honey?" my mom asked.

"Fine, the medicine is really working," I said.

"I know Vicodin is a little strong, but you seemed to be in so much pain, I decided to let you take it," she said.

"I had such wonderful dreams," I said.

"I think vivid dreams are a side effect," my mom smiled.

"I can see how people get addicted to painkillers," I said.

"Yes, it is horrible how people get addicted to something that originally was supposed to help them," my mom said.

"Anyway, what is for dinner?" I asked.

"I thought we could have hamburgers and French fries. I was hungry for a hamburger so I pulled some meat out of the freezer," my mom said.

"That sounds yummy," I said.

I went and set the table for the four of us because my dad never ate dinner with us during the work week. I poured water from the refrigerator into gla.s.ses and then I decided to call Chanda to see how school went and then I remembered something.

"Mom, we forgot to change my phone number at Radio Shack," I said.

"I looked it up online and I did it on the computer," my mom said.

"You are so smart," I said.

"Your new number is on a piece of paper by the computer."

"Cool, thank you," I said, going over to the computer and picking up a piece of paper with a number on it.

I called Chanda on my phone and she didn't pick up and I guess she didn't recognize my number. I decided to run over to her house to tell her my new number before dinner.

"Mom, can I go to Chanda's really quick? I want to tell her my new number," I said.

"Sure, honey, just be back in five minutes, dinner is almost finished," she said.

I put on my tennis shoes and went next door and I felt afraid outside, I felt so secure in my house, I knocked on Chanda's door and she answered it.

"That was me who called before," I said.

"Oh, good, I was afraid I was getting some kind of prank call," she said.

"No, that is my new number," I said.

"That is a good idea to change it. Do you want to come in?" she asked.

"No, dinner is almost ready, so I will see you tomorrow. I am going to school, I think," I said.

"Are you still in a lot of pain?" she asked.

"Not with these pain pills," I said.