As Katherine stepped under the pulsing water, the last of her strain washed down the drain. She stayed in an extra ten minutes to let the streaming jets work out the last of her knots. Her weekend was beginning a whole lot better than her week had ended.
She threw leftovers in the microwave, then waited for it to signal it was ready, when her doorbell sounded.
No, she silently yelled. She wasn’t up for visitors. She wanted nothing more than to eat her dinner while getting lost in some comedy on television before falling into a deep sleep.
She thought about ignoring the person, but when the door chimed again, she knew she had to answer. It may be one of her neighbors who’d spotted her coming in. If she didn’t answer, they’d know she was purposefully ignoring them.
She slowly made her way to the front door, gritting her teeth when the bell went off for a third time.
“Have some patience,” she muttered.
She yanked the door open, really hoping her face didn’t show her irritation at being interrupted.
She was ready to say hello when her good start to the weekend, instantly crumbled.
She was left speechless as she looked across the threshold at the one person she’d been hoping to avoid at all costs.
Joseph…
His arrogant face took in her short robe, slightly gaping open at her neck, then slid down to her bare legs, before he leisurely assessed her flushed face.
His arms were framed in the doorway, preventing her from slamming the door shut in his face. He smiled like a panther would just before pouncing.
“I have a question for you that couldn’t wait until tomorrow,” he said as if they had spoken yesterday instead of five years previously.
She was sure her face registered shock, because his grin grew wider as he continued looking deep within her eyes.
“Did the man you cheated on me with make you cry out the way I did with nothing more than a kiss?”
“He did not say that!” Emily gasped.
Katherine blinked as she looked around the room full of people, feeling like she was coming out of a trance. She’d forgotten she was even telling a story. For those few minutes, she’d been back at that day. The day Joseph returned to her.
“Yes, dear, he did,” Katherine said with a chuckle.
“I really hope you slapped him,” Amy said.
“What happened next…” Katherine began before a monitor alarmed and everyone went silent, fear written on their faces. Several nurses ran into the room, including Kinsey, and began pushing buttons, before the noise stopped.
“It’s okay, everyone. One of his wires just came loose,” Kinsey quickly assured them.
“Thank you, dear,” Katherine said as she bent down and kissed Joseph on the forehead.
She finally looked around and noticed Bree and Austin had joined them. She’d been so focused on her past, she hadn’t noticed her niece and nephew step inside.
“Are you going to continue, Aunt Katherine?” Bree eagerly asked.
“I’ll tell you more tomorrow. I’m tired right now, sweetie,” Katherine replied. “Can you give me a ride to the house, Lucas?”
“Of course, Mom.”
Lucas placed her arm through his and she leaned on her son as he led her from the hospital. She hated to leave Joseph, even for a few hours, but she needed to clean up and gather more supplies. She knew, though, that she’d end up back at the hospital to spend the rest of the night beside her husband. She’d slept beside him too many years to do it alone now.
Chapter Six
“Are you ashamed of me, Esther Lyon?”
“That’s simply absurd, George.”
“Then why are you acting like a vampire and only visiting me in the middle of the night?”
“You know why, George. We agreed we wouldn’t say anything just yet.”
“Well, I’ve changed my mind, woman. I love you, and I don’t care who knows. If this accident taught me anything, it’s that we shouldn’t waste time,” George said in a huff.
“Are you snapping at me?” Esther asked with her sternest expression plastered on her face.
“That I am,” George said, acting just as stubborn.
“You know I love you, too, George,” she started, but quickly covered his mouth when he was about to say something. “But… this isn’t the right time. Joseph is still in a coma, the kids are all upset, and if I’m not mistaken, there are possible wedding bells in the future for your youngest son.”
“You know my family means the world to me, Esther, but you’re my family now, too. I want you to marry me.”
“You were just in a horrible accident a few weeks ago. You’re finally getting out of the hospital in a couple days, and you’re flying high on pain medication. On top of all that, your twin brother, who you love very much, is in a coma. People make mistakes when they’re dealing with one of these events, let alone all of them. I refuse to marry you because you’re feeling like time is running out.”
“I loved you last month, last week, and yesterday. I’ll continue to love you today, tomorrow, and fifty years from now,” he said, his voice growing thick.
“I’ll hold you to that if we’re still here in fifty years,” she replied with a watery smile.
“Is that a yes?” he asked with hope.
“No, it wasn’t. You get some rest. I’m coming in this afternoon, and I’m warning you now that if you give anything away, you won’t be getting any of my sweet apple pie when you get home,” she threatened.
“I’ll behave, but I can’t guarantee for how long,” he pouted.
“As long as it’s long enough for us to get you safely home.”
Esther bent down and gently kissed George. With his good arm, he pulled her close and deepened the chaste kiss she’d started. She finally pulled back, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling.
“George Anderson, you make me feel like a twenty-one year old girl again,” Esther said with a giggle.
“As long as you only feel that way. I wouldn’t take a single day of your life away. Your years have added a beauty only time can give. I’ll get you to marry me, Esther, and soon.”
She said nothing further as she slipped out the door. Kinsey quickly jumped into the next room so Esther wouldn’t see her. Esther had what seemed to be a permanent grin on her face. Kinsey couldn’t wait to see Cassie and tell her what she’d overheard.
Kinsey sighed as she stepped outside and was instantly and irritatingly soaked. You’d think she’d be used to the Seattle rain by now. But she hated getting drenched, always shivering as she waited for the ‘consistently late’ bus.
No one else was standing with her as she did her best to stay dry. She was looking at the ground when she heard a car horn. She ignored it until it beeped again. When she looked up, her eyes locked with Austin’s. She sent him a miserable glare.
“Get in. I’ll give you a ride,” he hollered.
“No thanks,” she answered before turning away and looking down the street, hoping to see the bus down the block. She was out of luck.
“Come on, Kinsey. Am I really so bad that you’d rather get drenched than accept a ride? It’s too late for you to be hanging out on the street, anyway.”
Kinsey thought about it as another shiver racked her body. Finally, her low tolerance of the wet, cold and dark won out and she reluctantly rose. Though miserable, she took her time walking over and climbing in. She felt a bit of evil glee as she soaked his seat.
The blast of the furnace blowing hot air in her face made her feel like giggling. It was such a welcomed relief. As the heat started seeping through her clothes, she couldn’t stop the tremors racking her frame. The harder she tried, the worse they got. She locked her jaw, but her teeth kept on chattering.
Austin gave her an ‘I told you so’ look that she chose to ignore.
“Where’s your car?”
“In the shop, again,” she replied. Her car had a mind of its own and decided when and where it wanted to work. She really needed to get another one, but she couldn’t stand spending some of her hard-earned savings.
“Where you headed?” he asked as he put the car into drive and started moving down the busy street.
“I’m just going two miles down the road to the super center,” she replied.
“What a coincidence. I’m on my way there, too,” he said with a grin directed her way. She’d bet her next paycheck he hadn’t been planning on going to the discount center. For that matter, she couldn’t imagine him shopping, period. He probably had others do it for him.
They rode in silence during the short minutes to the store. Luck was on his side as he found a close parking space. As soon as he turned off the motor, she reluctantly jumped from the warm vehicle. Her still soaked clothes got even more wet as she ran for the double doors.
Just as she was about to reach the entrance, she caught her toe on the edge of the sidewalk and went flying to the ground, landing in a six inch puddle. The wind was knocked out of her as water flew up her nose. Kinsey was too shocked and numb to feel pain. She was sure her knees were bruised, if not bleeding, and her elbow was most likely going to have a nice scrape, as well.
Suddenly she was hauled into the air and pulled tightly against Austin’s chest as he jogged the remaining feet to the entrance of the store. He walked through the doors and took a sharp right, then gently sat her down on a metal bench.
He kneeled before her and lifted up her soaked scrubs to look at her knees. She was too cold and miserable to protest the inappropriate touching. Her teeth chattered as his incredibly warm hands ran down her sore legs. She glanced down, and sighed in relief to see the skin wasn’t broken - just bruised.
“I’ll be right back,” he told her before jumping to his feet and jogging away.
For once she didn’t argue. He returned in less than ten minutes holding a sack. Then he gently picked her back up and moved toward the bathrooms. Before she realized what he was doing, he walked inside the ‘family care’ room and shut and locked the door behind them.
Without saying anything, he stripped her coat off, dropping it on the large sink counter, then grabbed the bottom of her scrub top and hauled it over her head. When his hands reached for her pants, she regained some semblance of control and stopped him.
“What are you doing?” she tried to snap, but the effect was ruined by her chattering teeth.
“You need to get out of these clothes. You’re actually turning blue. I’ve never before seen someone turn blue, just heard the expression, but I’m worried about you getting hypothermia. I’ll turn my back if you want to finish, but the clothes need to come off, now,” he answered.
“F..f…fine,” she stuttered. Dang the chattering.
Austin handed her a new towel with the tag still on and she wrapped it around her arms, grateful he’d gotten a large beach sized one. Just getting rid of the jacket and top was helping her fight off the chill. With trembling fingers she gripped her scrub bottoms and tugged them down her legs. It was difficult since they were plastered to her body, but she finally managed to kick them off.