Pappy and his father were like two scalded cats as they took turns waiting for their guest to wake. Kyros outdid himself when he prepared a breakfast of Belgian waffles with fresh blueberries, macadamia-banana pancakes, and eggs Benedict, only to have to throw them down the garbage disposal when Sam slept through breakfast. Certain that she would be awake for lunch, he immediately prepared delectable crab cakes with a mango chutney, sweet potato curls, and a crisp green salad. That, too, went into the garbage disposal when Sam slept through lunch. Absolutely positive their guest would wake for dinner he prepared chicken Kiev with a melt-in-your-mouth potato-onion-cheese casserole, fresh peas, garden salad, and delectable yeast rolls with sweet butter drizzled all over them. When Sam was a no-show once again, he dumped it, too, muttering, “If I were you, I’d check to make sure our guest is alive.” Alarmed, Pappy ran off to check on her. To his immense relief, he saw that Sam was sleeping peacefully.

With nothing but time on his hands, Pappy walked out to his bench in the compound, with Alpha at his side. He fired up a cigarette and gave Alpha one of his favorite rawhides to chew on. “It’s like old times, Alpha,” Pappy said, with a catch in his voice. “I missed you, big guy.” Alpha stopped chewing long enough to lift up his head to stare at his master as if to say, “I missed you, too.”

The hours crawled by, one after the other. Alpha was on his fourth rawhide chew when the clouds overhead gave way to a full moon that bathed the compound in a silvery glow. The trees rustled softly. Somewhere, deeper in the forest, he could hear the night birds talking to one another. It was so peaceful. Pappy sighed. Alpha dropped his head down between his paws, eventually closing his eyes. Pappy sighed again. He’d never been more miserable or as unhappy in his life as he was right then. His only consolation was that Sam was sleeping in his bed, under his covers, wearing his pajamas. Yet, just what the hell was that going to get him?

At four o’clock in the morning, Pappy stirred on the bench. He looked around, panic on his face. Something woke him. What? He looked for Alpha, who was on his feet, the hair on his back standing straight in the air. He appeared to be listening for something. Pappy turned and saw her. She looked like a ragamuffin, in his too-large pajamas and her hair standing on end. She was barefoot, clutching the bottom of his pajamas in her hand. He wanted his voice to sound professional and courteous, but it came out jittery and anxious. “Are you all right?”