I take a cat-nap

                                    

                                          
I watch Lucy and pace the short length of her room as she calls the guy back. Her legs are tucked under her, sitting on her bed, impatiently holding her phone to her ear. After one voicemail and three rings, the man picks up. I can't hear what he says, but the minute Lucy starts talking into the phone, I jump on her. 
                          
"Hello? Yes, it's me again! I'm calling about my cat." Her voice wavers as I jump on her bed and crawl over to her. With her back against the wall, I place my hands next to her shoulders and strain to hear what he's saying. Luce is frozen stiff. 
                          
"What's he saying?" I whisper to Luce, still unable to hear the man. 
                          
"No, no, the cat is actually my friend's. He put my number on the tag for some reason. But could you please tell me where I could meet you to pick him up? I can confirm that this is my cat." 
                          
"Who is it?" 
                          
"Yes sir. I can even tell you that the cat's name is Happy, and it is on an orange tag in the shape of a fish." 
                          
"What's happening?!" I whine into Lucy's other ear, getting impatient. Suddenly. Lucy jerks her body forward, bumping into my shoulder and slightly pushing me aside. I move over and sit next to her, still pressing into her body hoping to hear something of their conversation. 
                          
"What do you mean you can't find him?!!?!!?" Lucy's voice is stone cold, and for a moment I'm proud at how protective she already is over my cat... until I realize what she said. 
                          
"WHAT!?" 
                          
"How did you lose the cat you found?! What happened?" She's sitting straight now, and I rest my chin on her shoulder, my ear against her hand and her phone. There's no way she can't be as warm as I am right now, as I keep trying to hear what they're saying. 
                          
Finally she pulls the phone away and screams into it, "NO YOU WON'T GET A FREAKING REWARD, BAKA!" The phone line clicks, dead. Lucy rests her head in her hands, and I resist the urge to shout, asking where my cat is. When she looks up, I can see that all she wants to do now is sleep. It's written on her face. 
                          
"Are you ok, Luce?" I ask instead, in a soft voice. 
                          
"I just had a tough night, and I'm feeling slightly hungover. I'm sorry you lost your cat." She gives a weak smile. 
                          
"Do you need anything? Medicine, water, sleep maybe? Have you been awake this whole time??" 
                          
She pushes herself back until she's resting against the wall again, her feet dangling over the edge. I reach across her lap and grab one of her pillows. She lifts her body as I place it behind her head. "I actually got a little sleep while you were knocked out. It's what, seven now? Sleep sounds amazing..." her eyes start to flutter, and I start to worry for her health. 
                          
"Luce, you should take a nap. I can look for Happy on my own. Just, get some rest." Lucy nods her head once, not moving as I pull her blanket from under her and drape it over her legs, tucking it in around her shoulders. She doesn't seem to want to lie down, so I work around that. Getting down off the bed, I unzip her boots and pull them off one at a time, leaving them outside her closet. 
                          
Standing, I look at her tear-streaked, makeup-stained face and turn to her desk. Among other things, I find some tissues, makeup remover wipes, and a bottle of water. I pull out one wipe and gently brush Lucy's cheeks, getting the makeup that dripped down. I hold her cheek with my other hand, not wanting to startle her. I gently run the wipe over her eye lashes, using different parts of the wipe as it turns black and pink. Eye shadow maybe? I don't know. I stare at Luce's long eyelashes and her small smile, still beautiful even after removing the makeup. After throwing out the wipe, I wet the tissue with the water and wipe down her face again, washing away the tears and anything else that I can pick up on the way. The smooth of her skin and a soft, lavender scent. I toss that too, and take a seat next to her, moving her hair out of her face.