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floor between Ellis on one side and Natalie kneeling beside her on the other.
    “Perfect.” Natalie petted Sam as she spoke. “If she’s never done it before, she won’t know to be scared, so she can sleep with me.”
    Mary spoke in a low voice. “A word of advice, Ellis. You cannot win by reasoning. If you don’t want the dog to sleep with her, it will be by enforced edict, not because you won the debate.”
    Ellis raised her hands, palms up. “I don’t care if Sam sleeps in her room. Do you care?”
    Mary looked heavenward. “If Natalie had her way, she’d have a dog, a bunny, a pony, a turtle, a gerbil, an ant farm, an emu, and an elephant sleep in her room every night.”
    “And don’t forget Swiffer,” Natalie said as she wrapped her arms around the dog’s neck and hugged her. “Oh, and my baby sister.”
    “It’s about your bedtime, missy.” Mary rose from her seat. “Remember your manners and say good night to Ellis.”
    “G’night, Ellis. I’m sorry you hurt your foot, but I’m glad you and your dog came to live with us.” To Ellis’s surprise, Natalie edged around Sam, leaned forward, and gave her a quick hug. “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite. If you see some on the wall, take your shoe and squish ’em all.”
    “Natalie, really,” Mary said. “Is that a nice thing to say to company?” She waved her hand toward the hallway. “Go on. Get into your PJs and brush your teeth. I’ll be in to smell your breath in a few minutes.”
    “Maybe I’ll just moosh some toothpaste around in my mouth. You won’t know for sure if I brushed or not.”
    “When all your teeth are lying in a pile beside your pillow, I’ll know, and then you’ll be sorry.” Mary swatted Natalie’s rump. “No stalling. Move it.”
    Natalie left the living room, and Sam hastened along behind her. Mary waited until she heard the hallway bathroom door close before speaking. She extended her arm so that she could rub the back of Ellis’s wrist with her index finger. “Thanks for being a good sport about letting the dog sleep with her.”
    “When Natalie finds out what a bed hog Sam is, she’ll regret asking.” Ellis grimaced as pain twanged in her ankle. “And as lousy as this foot feels, I’m glad I won’t have to try to find a way to bend my body around her tonight. Sam’s only about thirty-five pounds, but when she gets in the bed, she miraculously triples her size and takes up everything except my pillow and a postage stamp’s worth of space.”
    “Should be quite a contest, then. Nat’s the same way. I swear she grows four extra legs and three more arms when she falls asleep. She sprawls out like a mutant octopus.”
    “Maybe we should put a video camera in there with them tonight. Might be good for a few laughs.”
    “Better not,” Mary said as she shook her head. “Either the ASPCA or the welfare board would have us up on charges.” Mary rolled her shoulders, then rocked back and forth in the glider a time or two. “Excuse me while I go reenact Sherman’s siege of Atlanta and try to convince my kid that going to bed is not the single worst punishment inflicted on a living entity.”
    “Sure.” Ellis winced in pain. “How long ’til I can have my next happy pill, Mommy?”
    “You’re only supposed to have a pain pill every four hours, but the instructions on the bottle said you could take a second one sooner if you need it, as long as you don’t have more than six in a twenty-four-hour period.” Mary got up. “I’ll bring you another one after I get Natalie settled in.”
    “Good deal. If I knew any military secrets, I’d tell ’em if it meant I could get something to make this foot quit yelling.”

    ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

    “Your dog is an amazing creature,” Mary said as she breezed through the living room and into the kitchen. She was back in a moment and handed a bottle of water and a pill to Ellis, who was propped in the corner of the sofa. “Here. I promised you