Page 73 of Deprived No More

“I feel better now, Dr. Miller. Thank you for seeing me.”

“Kat. You don’t need to go. You still have a few minutes left.”

Fidgeting in my seat, I’m suddenly feeling all kinds of claustrophobic in this room. “It’s okay. We’ve covered everything that was on my mind,” I say as I reach for my purse and stand. As I grab the door handle, I look over my shoulder. “Thank you for all of your help, Dr. Miller. Goodbye.”

He sits wordless at my remarks. Have I lost it? Why did it feel so uncomfortable today?

The cool fall air envelopes me as I open the front door to the parking area. As I make my way to my car, I notice the brilliant colors of the changing leaves. That’s the way life goes, isn’t it? Nothing stays the same.

Sliding into my seat, I turn on the ignition and rest my head. Change doesn’t have to be bad. With the end of winter, spring will come bringing new life. I need to focus on the positive. My life is leaps and bounds from where it was years ago. And for that, I’m incredibly thankful. I’ve confronted some of the demons from my past. I’m in a good place with my husband. And Dr. Miller’s right. I know I didn’t do anything to bring this on. The police are tackling this, and I can relax.

Heading home, I decide to stop at the store and pick up what I need to make spaghetti and meatballs for the kids. It will just be the five of us as Nick’s on-call tonight. He said he’s coming home during the overnight portion of his on-call shift as he’s not willing to leave the kids and me here alone. He’s within an hour of the hospital, which is still doable but stressful all the same.

I’m looking forward to being surrounded by my little maniacs. I know Grace will help with the littles, but it will keep my mind busy to feed and bathe them on my own. And nothing can keep my mind occupied like the crazy antics of my crazy crew.

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

Kat

It’s quiet. Too quiet. I can’t believe I’d ever feel that way with four children in this house. Yet once the commotion from dinner, baths, and story time is done, the house settles into an unnervingly calm space. Any other time I’d revel in it.

Looking at my watch, I notice it’s later than I thought. Focusing on a good book can always redirect my thoughts, but I probably shouldn’t have chosen romantic suspense. This one doesn’t have enough spice to keep me turning the pages, and the suspense portion has gotten me jumpy.

I want to wait up for Nick, but I have to admit my session with Dr. Miller has exhausted me. Maybe it was my full evening alone with the kids. Who knows? I’m just fighting to keep my eyes open.

Bzzz. Bzzz.

Oh, good. He’s at least letting me know he’s on the way. Then I can feel a little better about dozing off without him.

Opening the messaging app to reply that I tried to stay awake for him, my breath halts as I read the text.

Unknown number

11:17 p.m.

Unknown number: You should have told me you had a new phone.

Holy crap. What?

How is this possible? Rubbing my eyes, I reread the message, considering I’m having a nightmare. Been there, done that. But no sleeping pills have been used in this house in eight years. I won’t even use melatonin after my sleepwalking.

How is it possible they could know my new number? And what do I do? There’s no way I can tell Nick this until tomorrow. He’s already jumping through hoops to keep me safe by driving to and from the lake house while he’s on-call. If he doesn’t get a consult call that requires him to return to St. Luke’s before the morning, I’ll talk to him after we drop the kids off.

But how do I hide this from him? If I’d only been asleep before that text arrived, I could have addressed it in the morning. I’ll never get to sleep now.

“Hey.”

“Oh!” I scream.

“Baby. God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Nick says swiftly, coming to my bedside. Wrapping his arms around my shaky frame, he pulls me into his side before sitting down beside me. “You’re shaking like a leaf. What’s wrong?”

“I’m afraid to tell you,” I stammer. “You’re already driving to and from work so late to be with me, and now…” I drop my head in my hands, knowing I can’t keep this from him.

“Now what, kitten. Talk to me.”

“They have my new number.”

“What?” he shouts.

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