“I…” Rose looked down, clearly embarrassed. “I work part-time as a cashier at Money Slasher. I should say I worked part-time. I’m sure they won’t hold the job for me until I can walk again.”


“Do you have any skills? I mean, can you type or take dictation or anything like that?” The crestfallen look on the young woman’s face answered the question. “Well then, I guess you’re a clerk. It’s an entry level job but it’s better than bagging groceries.”


“But I can’t work.” She looked down at the casts covering her legs. “I can’t even walk.”


“The job will be there when you’re ready. Until then, you just concentrate on recovering.” It was so simple, why was she making it difficult? Veronica didn’t plan on this.


“Mrs. Cartwright?”


“It’s Miss, but please call me Veronica.”


“Why are you doing this? I mean, you don’t know me.” After a lifetime of being handed the short end of the stick, an act of such great generosity was too much for her to believe. There had to be something more to it. Everything had a price attached.


The raven haired woman thought quickly, running through the stories she had made up in her mind on the way over, discarding all of them as being lame. “I guess I just wanted to help. I saw you lying there on the street and I reacted. The only way to keep you here at the Med Center was to tell them you had insurance and the only way to give you insurance was to make you an employee. I run a large corporation that operates several smaller ones. Adding you to the rolls isn’t a big deal. I’m sorry, I don’t have a better explanation.” The only other explanation would involve the truth and Veronica couldn’t afford that. “Don’t worry about why I’m helping. Just let me. Now, is there someone I should contact to let them know you’re in the hospital?”


“Um…I guess Kim should know so she can hire someone else for my slot.” Rose said quietly, mourning the loss of the job she had worked so hard to get. It was too much for her to believe that she was being offered a job with a company as large as Cartwright Corp. “She’s the night manager at Money Slasher on Central. I have to turn in my smock in order to get my last paycheck.”


“Would that be the grey thing you were wearing under your jacket?” Rose nodded. “I’m afraid the doctor in the emergency room cut that to pieces when they were treating you.”


“Oh.” Another crestfallen look. “They charge eight dollars for ruined smocks.”


“Don’t worry about it,” Veronica said, not fully understanding how important the small sum of money was to the young woman. To Rose, that was her weekly allotment for groceries, almost half of which went to cat food. Through her drug filled haze, a thought came to her.


“Tabitha!” She exclaimed. “Oh my god, someone has to take care of Tabitha.”


“Would that be your cat?”


“Yes, how did you know?”


“I found your key in your wallet and went to your apartment hoping to find a name or number of someone to contact for you.”


“Did you feed her?” Her concern that someone was in her run down apartment was overshadowed by her worry over the one thing that brought some kind of joy to her life.


“Yes I did,” Veronica replied as Rose turned away, letting a long silence form between them. A lone tear made its way down the young woman’s cheek. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?

Do you need me to call the nurse?” Veronica’s hand was already reaching for the call button.


“No,” the young woman sniffed, wiping away the errant tear. “It’s just that…” She sniffled again,

“…if I’m not there to take care of Tabitha, they’re going to take her away.”


“No no no. No one’s going to take Tabitha away from you. I promise. In fact, she’s at my house right now. She can stay with me until you’re all settled.” Veronica’s heart lurched with the thought of how easily she had destroyed Rose’s life. In one move she had cost the young woman her job, her home, and far more pain than anyone deserved to have. Now she was sitting there, lying to her in order to protect herself. “I swear no one will take Tabitha away.”


“I…I can write you a check for her food. She doesn’t eat much. She’s very friendly.” The words rolled out of Rose’s mouth and there was no way that the older woman could miss the desperation in her voice.


“Don’t worry about it. Please, I want you to concentrate on getting better. Tabitha will be fine with me. I live alone, I’m sure I’ll enjoy the company.”


The dark haired woman was about to say something else when a firm knock on the door caused them to turn. Veronica’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of the blue uniform and shiny badge.

“Excuse me ladies. I’m here to take a report on the hit and run last night?” He stepped in and pulled a small notebook out of his shirt pocket. “You’re Rose Grayson, right?” He continued on without waiting for an answer. “Now I understand this happened on Madison Ave. around midnight?”


“I think it was more like twelve thirty,” Rose said.


“Yes, twelve thirty,” he repeated. “Now is there anything you can tell me, like the make and model of the car that hit you, the license number, the color?”


“No, I never saw it.” She turned her head toward Veronica. “Do you remember?”


“You were there too?” The officer queried. No one had told him there were any witnesses.


“I um…I must have come upon her just after the accident. I didn’t see anyone.”


“That sure was a hell of a storm last night. What were you doing out so late, Miss…?”


“Cartwright, Veronica Cartwright. I had a business dinner with Commissioner Grace at Sam’s and was heading home.”


“Cartwright, as in the car wash Cartwrights?”


“Yes, among other holdings,” she replied, annoyed that after all her hard work the most well known part of her company was the cousin’s stupid car washes.


“Well then…” He turned his attention back to the victim lying in bed. “I guess you’re pretty lucky to have had her come up on you. Looks like they hit you pretty good. Probably a drunk driver. Hard to believe the bastard didn’t have the guts to stick around and make sure you got help but I guess all that matters is that you’re alive.”


“Yes, I was very lucky that Miss Cartwright came along when she did. Who knows how long I was lying there.”


“Well, if I could just get your address and phone number for the report, we’ll be all set. I have to tell you that there isn’t much to go on so don’t get your hopes up. Unless this guy is stupid enough to be driving around with a lot of front end damage and admits to being on Madison last night, there’s not really much we can do.”


“I understand,” Rose said quietly. She didn’t expect them to find the man that hit her. “I don’t have a phone but my address is 98 Morris Street.” Veronica’s emotions alternated between relief at having such a disinterested cop investigating the accident and guilt at the fact that she was lying to protect her own skin at the expense of Rose’s peace of mind.


“Well, I guess if there’s anything I missed, we can find you here. From the looks of your legs I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere for a while.” Veronica bristled at the comment but Rose appeared unaffected.


“Thank you,” the young woman said. The cop turned toward the door and noticed a friend of his walking down the hall.


“Hey John, wait up. Ladies, thank you. I’m sure I have all I need right now.” He was gone before either could respond.


“They’re not going to find him, you know,” Rose said quietly. “I know life isn’t like television. They don’t even know what kind of car to look for.” She shifted slightly, grimacing at the pain that was now her constant companion. “Doesn’t matter anyway,” she sighed. “The damage is done. Even if they did find him it wouldn’t make my legs heal any faster.”


Veronica didn’t know what to say and was grateful when the television vendor walked in. “Good afternoon Miss…” She looked down at her clipboard. “Grayson. Would you like your TV turned on?”


“No thank you,” Rose said quickly.


“Why not?” Veronica asked, although she was certain she knew the answer.


“I don’t like television.”


“Uh huh.” The raven haired woman turned toward the vendor. “Turn it on and leave it on for as long as Miss Grayson is here.”


“It’s three dollars a day, twenty dollars per week.”


“Fine.” Veronica picked her attache off the floor and pulled out her wallet. “Here.” She handed the television woman two twenties.


“Very well.” She made a notation on her clipboard, then reached behind the TV and unlocked the attached box. A few seconds later the set hummed to life with Judge Judy yelling at the defendant on her courtroom style show.


“There, now you’ll have something to help you pass the time,” Veronica said after the vendor left.


“You didn’t need to do that,” Rose replied, feeling very uncomfortable. “I would have been fine without it. You were in my apartment. You know I don’t own a TV.” She sighed. “Besides, whatever they’re giving me for the pain makes me tired. I don’t know how much I would watch. Certainly not twenty dollars worth.”


“Let’s make a deal here, okay? You need help and I want to help. Now the television is paid for. You can either accept it and enjoy it or you can leave it off and stare at a blank screen all day.”


The noise from the television interrupted their conversation. “…and if you think for one minute that I believe that some stranger broke into your apartment and stole everything that belonged to your roommate here and left all of your stuff behind then you’re a complete idiot. I wasn’t born yesterday, Mister Richards. Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of six hundred fifty three dollars and twelve cents. Case dismissed.” Veronica looked over to see Rose watching with complete interest.


“It’s like being in court,” the young woman said, her attention never leaving the set.


“It’s a good show.”


“Is it on every week?”


“Every day, Rose. You can watch it every day at noon.” She smiled and whispered conspiratorially. “I’m too busy to watch it when it airs but I tape it and catch up on the weekends.”


“Thank you,” the young woman said sincerely, her green eyes smiling at Veronica. “It will make it easier to pass the time here.”


“It’s the least I could do.” She leaned her arms on the railing of the bed. “So are you going to tell me who I can contact besides your job to tell them that you’re here? Surely someone will miss you.”


The small smile that had been on Rose’s face disappeared. “There’s no one to contact.”


“No one? Not even a friend?”


Rose gave a sad smile. “I haven’t lived in Albany that long,” she said, not wanting to reveal the truth, that she deliberately avoided making friends because friends liked to stop by and visit and she was too embarrassed at her meager living conditions. She shifted and a shooting pain burned up her left leg, making her cry out. “Oh god that hurts,” she hissed. Veronica immediately reached over and pressed the call button repeatedly.


“What is it?” Mary asked as she entered the room.


“She’s in pain. Can’t you give her anything?”


“She’s receiving an appropriate amount through her IV but if she needs more I can give her a shot.” She looked at Rose, who was trying hard not to cry. “Miss Grayson?”


“Yes she is. Can’t you see she’s suffering?” Veronica answered testily.


“Miss Grayson?” The nurse repeated. Rose reluctantly nodded, the pain too much to bear any longer. To her surprise, a larger hand enfolded her own. Another twinge of pain shot through her and she gripped Veronica’s hand tightly. The nurse left and returned a minute later with a needle. She unceremoniously pulled the sheet and hospital gown back to expose Rose’s right hip and stuck the needle in. “This will sting for a minute.” The young woman gripped Veronica’s hand even tighter as the medication was injected. “There, all done.” The nurse looked up at the dark haired woman. “She’ll probably fall asleep in a few minutes.”