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Lincoln made his way up Cogswell Street. The pills were a wonder. He knew the moment they started to wear off. The pain would creep and nudge. If he left it too long it would flare. As long as he took the pills regularly, though, he felt pretty good. Better than good, he was tempted to walk on his ankle he felt so good; he just needed to make sure he didn’t take too many. Not again.
But he wouldn't, and he wouldn’t walk on his ankle. He'd tried it once, not a great idea, and if he pushed it, was out and up on his feet ... foot ... for more than thirty minutes or so the pain would seep through the effect of the drugs, making him groggy and weak.
Two weeks. He'd give it that long before trying to get back to life. An injury could linger for years if not treated properly. And for the life he intended to live, that would not work.
Romper's ears perked. A low rumble emerged from his throat. A rat scurried between two buildings. “Stay.” Romper obeyed, begrudgingly.
Before Romper, Lincoln wasn't sure he'd ever seen a rat outside of a construction site. But with Romper's keen sense, at least once or twice a week the dog would pick up on one. A city-wide problem, apparently. The papers had several articles in the past weeks about it. Especially with all the construction. A weird joining. Gentrification and rats. The two didn't seem to go together ... depending on how you looked at it. He chuckled. That had been him. Stuck in the rat race. Not anymore.
“Forty-eight hours?”
Lincoln looked ahead: Kali, not fifteen feet in front of him. The boy too. She stood talking to a man, yelling at a man, who looked twice the size of her.
“How in the world do you—”
“You don't have a lease.”
Kali stepped back. Lincoln patted his thigh for Romper to stay close. He got near enough to hear clearly, then stopped.
“I ... I have a lease.”
“You had a lease for Unit 407. You're now in Unit 307. You have no lease.”
“But—”
“You've broken your old lease.”
“Broken?”
“You vacated the premises.”
“To move into one of—”
“Listen, Kali.” The man looked worn. He shook his head. “I'm selling the building.”
Kali stood silent. Lincoln wished he could see her face. Her shoulders sank. Her firm stance slackened.
“I don't—”
“I got a great offer. More than this piece of junk is worth. You have no idea the upkeep—”
“But ... what about all—”
“Those on a year lease are getting two months. Those on a month to month, a month. You don't have a lease. Several people don't have leases. The faster I get them out, the faster crews can start gutting the place.”
“But ...” Kali's voice lowered. Lincoln crept closer. “Two days? How do you ...? What am I ...?”
“I'm not going to fix the mould, Kali, not going to do anything about the rats.”
“I'll take you to court. To the tenancy board and—”
“And it'll be months to get a hearing. You don't have a lease. And in those months of waiting, the rats will get worse. The mould will get worse. Construction will start on other parts of the building.”
Kali stood rigid. Her body shook.
“And you're right. You shouldn't be living here.” The man glanced at Theo, who clung to Kali's leg. “Your son shouldn't be living here.” He shook his head. “Consider this an opportunity. A push in the right direction.”
“I've paid 'til the end of the month.”
“I'll reimburse you.”
“Where are we supposed to—”
“You're smart. You'll figure it out.”
“My stuff.”
The man sighed. “My cousin has a van. I'll offer you his services.” He gave what was almost a smile. “I'm not doing that for everyone. Tomorrow night. He'll even help you lift.” The man backed up the steps and toward the door.
“You can't!” Kali shouted—venom, hate, leaking from her voice.
“It's done.”
“But—” Desperation now, so sorrowful it made Lincoln wince. The man shook his head once more and slipped into the apartment. Kali stood staring, shaking.
Forty-eight hours. Lincoln watched her, her head held firm in the direction of the parting landlord. It couldn't be legal, to evict someone like that. She spun, as if searching for something, and her gaze fell on Lincoln. That venom and hate he'd heard spread through her features and focused on him. “What are you doing here?”
“I—” Lincoln stepped forward and leaned heavily into his crutches.
“You think this is a show?”
“No.”
Kali eyed him. Her spine had regained its rigidity, but collapsed. “Forty-eight hours.” She looked lost. Weak. All the times he'd seen her, not once had she looked weak.
“What am I going—?” Her hands hung limp at her sides. Theo still stood by her leg, his gaze locked on her.
Lincoln stepped closer. “Do you have family?”
She shook her head.
“Friends?”
“Not that ... no. I mean yes, but, no. Not—”
Lincoln was close enough he could have reached out and touched her now. He didn't, of course. “He wouldn't change his mind?” He gestured toward the apartment doors.
“It wouldn't matter. We can't ... if he's not fixing ... not taking care of ...” She hesitated. “We can't keep living with those rats.” Her head scanned the street—looking for what, Lincoln didn't know. “I could go in a hotel or,” a pause, “maybe some places would be open mid-month.” She brought her gaze back to Lincoln. “Do you think?”
He shook his head. “I'm not sure.”
“But my stuff. My ... a hotel, I mean—there's storage, right? It's probably expensive. Do you think it's—”
“I don't know.” Lincoln's pulse quickened as he stood. Helpless. Pathetic. She stared past him. “What about my place?”
“Huh?” Kali looked to Lincoln. “Oh, to store my stuff ... that empty room? Would you mind?”
“To live.”
Her expression was vacant. Shocked? Uncomprehending?
“To ... I mean, just until you figure something out. I have that extra room.”
Her mouth slid open.
Lincoln raised a crutch. “If it sounds creepy, I'm not much of a threat.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“And I could use some help. I mean, I've got painkillers now. Which is great. But it's still hard to get around. I still ... you could help, maybe. Get the groceries. Take Romper out if I'm ...” Lincoln shifted. “A short-term thing, obviously. But you need somewhere to go, and I could use ... someone to come.”
She kept staring.
“You are a nurse.”
She nodded. A sharp nod. “Okay.”
“O—”
“All right. I'll pack up tonight. I work tomorrow, but tomorrow evening that dirt bag's cousin will bring our stuff over. Will you be home, to make sure we can get in?”
Lincoln swallowed. What was he doing? What had he said? He gave a quick nod.
“And you're not a rapist?”
He shook his head.
“A pedophile?”
“Are you trying to be funny?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“I don't even know how to answer that.”
“If you're not, you answer with a no.”
“No.”
Kali put her hand on Theo's shoulder. Her chest rose and fell. “This will work. I'll take out what I need, pile the rest in boxes. It may be cramped, but it will work. For a couple of weeks. Until ...” She paused. “It will work.”
She focused on Lincoln again. “I'll see you tomorrow.”
Tomorrow? At his apartment?
Lincoln stood, speechless, as Kali turned toward her building and walked up the steps.