19. Abigale

Once again,we are gathered at the town hall meeting. The mayor, after the first couple of meetings, requested we come to each meeting, even if we only speak for ten to fifteen minutes. He wants to keep the momentum going and thinks if we keep educating the ranchers and farmers on what we are doing, they might get more on board. Paisley reached out and at the last meeting had a person from the State Wildlife Services Office. The office sent out a young man by the name of Harrison Caddel. He was raised in South Dakota and lives off the grid. Immediately, the haters tried to pull him in, but I give Harrison credit because he truly believes in trying to live in harmony with nature. By the time he was done, he'd handed out the Rancher's Guide to Wolf Depredation. He took the time to go through how they determine if it was a wolf attack because they don't just give out money on the rancher's word. It was rather enlightening, even for me.

When it was our turn this time, I let Grey speak. He talked first about how every single person outside of Paisley at the Blue Sky Sanctuary is ex-military. Then he went into great detail on how the sanctuary was set up to not only help the men and women who have come home with issues but also animals, be it abused pets or wild animals who need help. When he brought up our little ranch, a little boy in the very back yelled out, "Did you bring Fern and Shilah so we can pet them again? I like the wolfies." This brought laughter from everyone, even the naysayers. When the mayor adjourned the meeting, we had folks coming up to us making comments and asking questions. Mom had printed up some flyers that went into great detail on what our mission is and what we do. Eventually we are going to have a few days a month where people can come and get a tour of our property. Mom and I talked at length because it's not only my home but hers, Nicholas's, and Jorgie's.

She's all on board for opening it up and asked if she could maybe have some of her baked goods up for sale. She's gotten quite the attention with her baked goods. She doesn't want to open a full-out bakery just yet, but when she had her home done, they added a smaller second kitchen in the addition, so that's where she does all her baking. Since the day Joshua and his boys came by with the injured animals, he's been courting Mom. It's actually adorable to see them together. Nicholas adores him, Jorgie is still on the fence. Joshua's sons are now a staple at the ranch, either helping in the pole barn or giving Grey a hand with the fields we are now planting. We've decided that whatever we grow, half of the field will be donated for those who are on hard times or need help. So whatever we sell the crop for, half of the money will be donated. Another way to help our community and more importantly our neighbors.

Speaking of our community, people in Timber-Ghost seem to be more accepting of our ranch now. With Ollie in the background and all that Blue Sky Sanctuary is doing for our soldiers, it's hard not to try and open your way of thinking. Not everyone though is drinking the Kool-Aid as they say, and that's okay.

For some reason today I'm extremely tired, so with the help of Benjamin I told him I needed some time. He told me he's more than able to handle the chores and even walked me to the house, making sure I got back okay. Once inside, I went from feeling not good to suddenly having my body shake as my head starts pounding. I go upstairs carefully, remove my work clothes, putting on my lounge pants and a sweatshirt. Last thing I remember is getting into bed and falling asleep.

When I finally wake up,I'm soaked from sweating but feel better. I reach over for my water bottle, gulping down almost a third of it. I had taken some Tylenol before I lay down and thank God it helped my headache. Sucks to be sick but it happens to the best of us. I throw the covers off and kick my legs to the side of the bed. Once up, I wait to get my balance then head toward the bathroom. Not sure of the time but don't want to be all sweaty and stinky when Grey gets home, so I turn the water on in the shower to warm it up, then remove my clothes, throwing them in the hamper. After stepping into our walk-in shower, I take some time to just let the water run over me. The heat is helping warm me, so I lather up quickly then wash my hair. Once done, I shut everything down and reach out for my towel. When drying off the shakes start again, so I head back to our bedroom and, with my robe on go, straight to the bed, lying down and snuggling under the covers. I'm guessing I caught a bug of some sort and if I remember correctly, Mom always says it sucks to catch something from someone, but try not to spread it even further. I reach for my phone to text Grey and let him know that not only am I sick but not cooking any dinner tonight. He replies with a "Don't worry, I've got this, be home shortly.'

I hear the door opening and the alarm being disengaged but can't raise my head. Grey comes up the stairs, probably two at a time. He's next to me within minutes, holding my hand, telling me it's gonna be all right at the same moment Mom and the kids burst in—with Joshua close behind—holding a steaming cup of something. Mom comes close, leaning over Grey.

"Baby girl, got some chicken bone broth for you. Don't worry about anything, this bug is going around, just rest. We'll all chip in until you're better, honey. Now rest. Grey, we're going downstairs."

Grey watches them leave then turns to me with worry in his eyes.

"I'm fine, just very weak. I'll be okay, just want to sleep. Don't overdo it, please."

He nods and sits by my side until I fall asleep. I'm so out of it I don't even feel him get off the bed. I toss and turn as my temperature goes up then down. Mom and Grey keep feeding me Tylenol and fluids. Mom and Jorgie give me sponge baths to try and bring my temperature down. Between shivering and then burning up, I'm miserable. Hopefully, this is a twenty-four hour bug because I can't imagine feeling this bad for a long period of time.

When Dr. Cora shows up with Spirit behind her, I'm getting worried that they are so concerned. I've slept for the last forty-eight hours with barely eating anything because my stomach is upset. Only reason I'm getting up to use the bathroom is the liquids my mom is forcing down me. I'm nauseous and my body aches like no tomorrow. After giving me a thorough exam, Dr. Cora explains she thinks I have a viral infection. Dr. Cora said plenty of fluids and rest. If I'm not feeling better in a day or so, she'll be back to check on me.

Glad that the room is quiet, I close my eyes and something dawns on me. Last year, I was alone before my mom and siblings came to live out here with me. Then I met Grey and since then it's been one hell of a roller coaster ride. We've had ups and downs but the bottom line is, I've found not only my family but my soulmate also. I can tell he feels the same. Both of us have grown and healed some long-time issues, mainly emotionally. To make it even better, our chosen family has grown over the last couple of months, which makes me happy. As I start to fall asleep, I feel the bed dip and I know who it is.

"Grey, don't get to close, don't want you to get sick."

"Shush, Abigale, go to sleep. I'm not leaving, need to make sure you're okay. Wake me if you need anything."

With that I drift off to a deep sleep where nothing can bother me because Grey has my back. Absolutely heaven.