Page 82 of Fractured

“Hi.” I welcome him as I move aside to allow for the outlandish floral spray he’s carrying. I watch as he places a vase the size of a Volkswagen Beetle onto the kitchen table and moves the wilting flowers previously in this location next to the trash can. He turns to me and smiles tentatively, keeping his distance.

“Can I hold you, Kat?”

I just nod, overcome with emotion for this amazing man.

Pulling me into him, I shiver at the cold still attached to his garments. “I’m sorry, let me take this frigid thing off.”

He removes his coat and drapes it over the armchair in my den. Turning back to me, he grabs my arm and pulls me back in for another hug. Whispering into my ear, he states, “I’m on-call until six tomorrow morning. I have everything I need in the car if I have to go in. Can I stay here with you?”

“What? Really?” I peer up into his dreamy hazel eyes, astounded by his continued desire to care for me in spite of all of my whacked-out behavior.

“Yes. I don’t have any office patients.” He trails his finger along my forehead, playing with the fine stray hairs that have escaped the bun sitting atop my head. “I usually work on office stuff, but there’s nothing pressing. I’ve only gotten one call so far, and it was something Ava could handle.”

I nuzzle his neck with my face, trying to warm his skin with mine. “I’d love it if you stayed. But can you fill in those blanks while you’re here? I don’t want any more time lost.”

“Of course.”

* * *

Hours later, and Nick’s connected all of the dots from the night before.Holy crap. I owe this man so much.I could’ve ended up in jail. Or dead. I’m definitely flushing those pills today. There’s nothing that could tempt me to use those hallucinogenic white tablets again.

Nick also shared finding the book. There’s no hiding my infertility. He’s aware and he’s still here.

After finally excusing myself to clean up and change, I return to put on a pot of soup. Nick gathers things to make grilled cheese sandwiches. You’d think we were an old married couple. This thought triggers my memory.

“Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“Once things are better, are you still going to take me on a date?”

Chuckling, he answers, “Ah. I haven’t figured out the details, but I’d love to take you on a date, Ms. Kelly.”

“Not any time soon.” I correct. “I’m still trying to deal with, well…”

“Kat, I understand. This was a major life event. I don’t pretend to understand what you’ve had to endure… how you’re feeling. But you aren’t doing it alone anymore. I’m not going anywhere.”

I can’t help but sniffle at this statement. He knows I’m unable to have kids, and he’s still here. He knows what a hot mess I am yet refuses to leave my side. I don’t understand it, but for now, I’m simply grateful. I watch as Nick places the ingredients by the stove and comes closer to where I’m standing. He cups my face with his hands and waits for me to look up into his mesmerizing eyes. They look so serious.

“This is a process. Healing is a process. I hope you take as much time as you need from work and focus on yourself. See your counselor and take care of yourself. I don’t want you alone at night right now. I’ll sleep in your guest room if you want.” He pauses briefly to kiss me before resuming. “I don’t want you to think I’m taking over your life, but I need to know you’re okay. If you want to spend time with your family or friends, I’ll be here when they can’t. But you aren’t pushing me away anymore. We’ll worry about dates once we can focus on each other. For now,I’mfocusing on you.” He stresses theI’m, kissing me on the nose as he finishes speaking.

A tear trickles down my cheek, but this one, I don’t mind. It’s not the prelude to agonizing sobs but the acknowledgment of Nick’s tender heart and kind words. He bends down to kiss my wet cheek and lifts to kiss my temple before returning to making our sandwiches as if this is just another day for us. As if he didn’t just arrive to painstakingly heal my tattered heart.

“Nick, thank you. For putting me back together.”

“Ah, kitten. I’m good at fixing the broken, I just never thought you’d be the one to heal me,” he replies tenderly.

“You?”

“Kat,” he exhales, “I was an angry, controlling loner until you came flying into that parking space. I fought it tooth and nail, but there was no staying focused on work and my ordered, routine life once I got a glimpse of you.” I watch as he runs his hand through his now tousled hair, demonstrating the seriousness of his words. “Hell, I avoided visiting my dad because I couldn’t handle seeing how losing my mom had made him so detached. Yet, I was turning into the very thing I despised. I shut myself off from the world so I wouldn’t get hurt. But I was living an irritable, isolated existence. I thought I could continue to live that way until you came along.”

I try to absorb his words, my mind reeling. It’s hard to grasp someone as genuinely caring as Nick could’ve been living a life similar to mine. It seems unfathomable. You never know if someone else is suffering in silence.

We spend the next half hour eating and chatting about less serious topics until Nick receives a call from his service about a consult. As I open the door for him, he bends to kiss me and says he’ll be back when he can. I lean against the doorframe, watching him walk to his car. The wind is whipping his overcoat as he struggles to open the door. As he backs out of the drive, he gives me a tender smile before turning the car and driving up the road. I suddenly feel more content than I can remember as I twist on my heel to head back inside.

As I start to close the front door, I notice the return of that black Ford F150 parked by the curb. It’s sitting closer to my house than the last time I spotted it. I still find its presence odd, as I’d never seen it here before. Looking toward the windshield for the gray-haired gentleman who was driving it last, all I see is smoke. It appears the driver has lit a cigarette. As I scold myself for being a busy body, I notice the driver’s side window must have been lowered a crack because the smoke is starting to trail out of the car. Just as I’m about to close the narrow opening of the front door, the air within the car clears enough that I make direct eye contact with the driver, Mark Snow.

Quickly locking the door, I walk back to my bedroom to calm my nerves. Why is he here? Did someone tell him what happened? Jake wouldn’t dare share my situation with anyone at the fire department without asking me. Unless he and Mel said something to Huggie, who let it slip? Is he here to check on me?Heck, I can’t handle a visit from him to my home.Especially now that I know the Rohypnol test came back positive. If he comes to the door, I’m staying right here. I’ll call 911 if I have to.

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