Her last chance

by Danielle Lee

  Gail’s eyes twinkled as she held back a laugh. “Oh, Bill, honestly!” she said, then put her arms around him. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Not as much as I missed you, Gaily.”

  Katherine, ignoring their love professions, began, “We are not…I don’t have to justify myself to anyone! I’m leaving in a few days. Mom, can you get it into his thick skull that this won’t work?”

  “Oh, Katherine, I don’t think so. You see, I think there’s something between you two. You and Warren,” she said dreamily.

  “Oh, God, not you, too.”

  “The way he held you in the hospital and kissed your forehead almost made me swoon,” she said, laughing as Bill nudged her.

  Katherine rolled her eyes again. “I have to get some work done, when cupid leaves…let me know. I need a ride into town tomorrow. I have a prescription to fill.”

  Bill’s eyes lit up as she left the room. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

  Gail turned to her husband and kissed his lips. “I’ll get the phone!”

  Warren lay down on his bed thinking of the first night he’d spent with Kat. He brought the pillow up to his face and inhaled her scent. He could still smell her there, feel her in his bed. Why was she doing this to him? He knew that she was going back to New York, but he had thought that maybe she’d want to be home, liked being home.

  He was wrong. He’d heard what she said. If that was going to be his only night with her, he wouldn’t spoil it by stewing in his room. When he woke up, he’d have to find another way to convince her to be with him. Imagining her in his arms, he smiled and fell asleep.

  Ten minutes later the phone rang, and he groaned, then reached over to the side table and picked it up. “Hello?”

  “Warren,” Bill Daniels’ voice called.

  God, he couldn’t get a minute’s rest from this family. If he wasn’t thinking about them, they were calling. “I’m actually in bed—are you all right?”

  “Oh, sorry, son. You were sleeping? It’s only eleven. Wow…you need a hobby.”

  “Bill, is everything all right?” Warren asked shortly.

  “Sorry, Warren, I just…Well, Kat needs to go to the pharmacy in the morning, and I was thinking if you weren’t doing anything you could take her. Gail’s been pulling doubles, and I need my rest.”

  Gail smiled and leaned into the receiver, listening.

  “No, sorry, Bill. As much as I would love to help her out…you out…I can’t. I have to go. You call me if you need anything, medically. Goodnight.” His voice sounded broken.

  Gail shook her head and put her hand up to her mouth.

  “Oh, sorry, son. I hope everything’s okay. Gail and I will be thinking of you. Give us a call later and let us know how you’re doing.” He looked to Gail with an odd expression on his face.

  The line went dead.

  Bill turned to Gail. “The boy worries me. I’m going to go over there and talk to him.”

  “You can’t do that, Bill. You can’t fix everything. Let him mull it over for a while, then if we don’t hear from him in a few days, you can go over.”

  “You’re right, Gaily…You’re right.” He smiled to his wife and gave her a kiss. “Let’s do some kissing,” Bill said affectionately as he led his wife to the bedroom. “Doesn’t that sound good?”

  “Sure does.”

  ***

  Katherine sat in her room finishing the paperwork her lawyer had sent to her. In a few days she would have enough money to live for a few years without a job. She smiled thinking about all the things she could get with it for her apartment. She needed a new computer—no, scratch that, she wanted a new computer. She definitely needed some new clothes, and when she made it back, she would look for a better apartment, a bigger apartment. She couldn’t think about not having a job. She wanted to leave as soon as she could to see if she could find something—anything. She hadn’t heard from the Times yet about the open position, and that worried her. From what Tawnya had said a few weeks before, one of the applicants that had freelanced before would fill the position.

  She shook off her worries and started to worry about something else: Warren. She didn’t want to leave things the way they were; she knew he must’ve overheard her and her father’s conversation yesterday. She wanted to call him, to see how he was doing, but decided against it. Instead, she called the airline. Her plane would be in that Friday at five p.m. Four more days of Connecticut, then back home. Funny how it didn’t sound as good as it used to. She thought of him at least fifty times a day. The way he felt to her, the way his kisses pressed against her body. God, he was attentive. She stood, picked up the paperwork, and headed out the door. She had a few errands to run. She didn’t need a ride after all. Walking would do her good. She didn’t need any more lectures on her love life.

  The warm breeze outside did little for her as she was walking. Sweat traveled down her back into her beltline. She felt oddly heavy as she walked to the post office downtown. The downside of walking was the post office being so close to Warren’s house. Maybe she would stop to see how he was doing. Subconsciously her body carried her there. She didn’t need to send the papers right away, but she supposed there was a reason for everything and tonight she had to see him.

  She completely forgot about stopping at the drugstore, which in this case should have been the first thing she did. Her birth control pills were running low and she didn’t want to wait to get them until she went back to New York. Not that I'll need them there, she thought. As she came around the corner of Fifth and Rosedale, she saw his home.

  His car wasn’t in the drive, but she saw a light on through the window. He must’ve parked his car in the garage. She pressed the doorbell and heard the faint sound of it through the outside.

  “Coming,” he yelled. He opened the door and his eyes rounded. “Katherine?”

  “Yeah, I thought I would stop by and—”

  “Warren, could you get in here, I need help with this damn zipper!” a woman’s voice called from the bathroom.

  Katherine’s eyes widened. “I, oh…” She took a deep breath. “I can see that I’m interrupting something.” She turned to leave as she saw Warren’s face redden as if he finally figured what that something was.

  “Katherine, don’t go,” Warren called after her, grabbing her arm.

  “I can see you work fast! You son of a bitch! Here I was feeling awful—guilty, even. I came over here to apologize!”

  “Warren, can you…” the other woman said as she came around the corner. Her smile went into a line and she looked at Warren.

  “Sydney, could you just hold on for a damn minute! Come here, I want you to meet someone.”

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing? I don’t want to meet your…”

  “Meet who exactly?” A beautiful blonde with legs to her ears walked around the corner dressed in a tight black number with the zipper all the way down to her waist—missing a bra, no less.

  “Nice, Warren! How old is she?” Katherine spat.

  Warren chuckled back a laugh as he looked at the tall blonde. “The secret’s out, Syd.”

  “What secret, who is this?” Sydney said, smiling.

  “Who am I? Who are you? Are you another wife, or…” She got quiet at the look at Warren’s face. She shouldn’t have gone there. Her eyes averted, then she turned.

  “I’m…” Sydney started, a little startled at the sudden outburst.

  “This is my sister Sydney. Sydney, this is Katherine. Katherine Daniels, we are in one of those 'no-relationship' relationships…You know the kind that I’m talking about?” He smiled a small smile, hoping Katherine would turn around.

  Katherine blanched at his words, then turned, red-faced embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. I…Nice to meet you, Sydney.”

  Sydney smiled, then realized her dress wasn’t latched yet. “Warren, please?” Then she turned and he zipped her dress. “Hot date tonight…I’m twenty-five, by the way.” She giggled at Warr
en.

  He shook his head. Katherine winced.

  “Looks like I’m interrupting the start of something hot myself. Nice to meet you, Katherine. Warren,” she giggled, then grabbed her purse and car keys and turned for the door.

  Warren looked over the threshold at the woman standing before him. “You coming in, or do you want to make a scene? I’m up for it if you are.” His eyes twinkled as he stood there. “By the way, you need to pay the toll. I heard a faint apology back there.”

  She smiled faintly, then walked through the door. “Warren, I’m so embarrassed. I didn’t mean what I said. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

  “You meant it. Women like you don’t say things unless you mean it. You were just wrong this time. I deserved it. That’s what you get when you aren’t honest from the beginning. Although I didn’t mean to hurt you, I must have.”

  “Well, obviously I hurt you yesterday morning. You left so quickly."

  “Yeah, well, I heard what you said.”

  She winced. She thought he must have.

  “I don’t see why you’re denying the obvious. We have chemistry, we work well together, you and I. You only get so many chances at love, Katherine. Trust me, I know.”

  Love. She felt it in his look, his touch, the tension in the room.

  “Warren, you can’t…”

  “Whether you want me to or not, Katherine, it happened. And yes, I do love you. I love you.”

  She looked away from his eyes, not wanting to see the love in them for her. She didn’t deserve it. “I…”

  “Have to go? I thought as much.” He bent down to kiss her on the head. “I’ll miss you. Please be careful in New York.” His voice gave out on the last word, making it almost inaudible.

  “Warren,” she pleaded, not knowing what was coming next. Tears streamed down her face. She had been doing that a lot lately.

  He walked out of the room, then into his bedroom.

  God, I’ve made a mess of things. She pulled at her hair in frustration. She didn’t want to leave. She couldn’t understand it. He gave her the out she needed, but she couldn’t take it—not this way. She felt comfortable here, at home.

  She couldn’t concentrate upstairs, looking at all of his wife’s flowers and pretty things, so she opened the door to the basement and walked down. She looked around at his things. So many of his possessions reminded her of herself. She liked the same things he did, listened to the same type of music. They really did connect. She wondered if she did love him. She guessed she always knew, from the moment when she first saw him, and when they’d first touched. The feeling that she had then was just as strong as it was now, and he didn’t deny it, so why would she? Because she only had four days left, that’s why. But she didn’t have a job anymore, and the Herald was hiring. Oh, God, not her, too. The Herald? What a joke. She went over to his movie collection and found one of her favorites, Serendipity. The movie choice was anything but ironic. She started the DVD as she heard his bedroom door open.

  Warren ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. The woman was just like her father: stubborn. He had known that going into it. He stood up and opened the bedroom door, then heard the surround sound from his basement. “What the hell?” He opened the door and ran down the steps. “Date not go so well, Syd?”

  “No, it didn’t,” Katherine said meekly.

  “Katherine,” Warren said. He thought his heart would leap. She was still there. “What are you doing? I thought…”

  “I know…I just couldn’t go like that. I’m sorry.”

  Warren choked back and pointed to his lips. She came across the room in a rush as he held his arms out. She hugged him as tight as he hugged her. They stood there, feelings pouring out of them. “I’m so glad you stayed. I didn’t think I would see you again.”

  He bent down to kiss her. The kiss was rushed, hard; he wanted to show her how much he wanted her, how glad he was that she had stayed.

  “I don’t want to think about that,” she said, coming up for air. “I just want to be here with you. I only have four days and I want them to be making love with you.”

  Warren sighed and pulled her in closer. “No more talking about leaving,” he said, kissing her once again.

  She could feel it all the way down to her toes. This man knew how to kiss.

  “I love you so much.”

  She swallowed hard. There it was again. When she heard him say it, she knew it was true. She could feel it from his heart, see it in his eyes. She deepened their kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stumbled backwards to the couch and lay down on his back with her arms still around him. Their hands were wild, tugging at each other’s clothes. He pulled at her shirt and she went straight for his belt.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered. “I…I love you, Warren.”

  He took her face in his hands. His eyes were warm and he kissed her lips. “I love you,” he said. Then his arms went down to her sides, feeling down her skin.

  She looked down her eyelashes, smiling at him. Her eyes were seductive, bedroom eyes.

  He finished with the last button on her shirt and brought it down her back. She wore a pink lace bra that shaped her breasts nicely. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?” His hands went to the back where the clasps were and pulled it off her. She was so damn beautiful. She moaned as he took her in his mouth.

  As she straddled him, he moved her pants down her legs slowly, and she kicked them the rest of the way off. Then his hands went to her matching panties and slowly revealed her center. His fingers slowly made their way to her core, making her squirm. Her breathing was ragged, her breast heaved as he felt his way inside of her. His tongue ravaged her body, sending chills down her spine. She was only too aware of her body around him. He sent sensations down her skin that she’d never felt before.

  ***

  “Mmm,” Warren said, smiling as he brought his lips to hers. “We will definitely have to do that again.” Pulling her into his arms tightly, she lay on top of him still.

  “Mm-hmm.” She sighed. “This is my new favorite place in your house.”

  “Definitely, and you are so perfect right here.” He nuzzled his nose against her forehead, making her laugh. “You can’t go back, Katherine. This feels so right.”

  She looked up to see his smiling face and felt bad for what she was about to say. “You know this can’t be anything more than what it is right now, don’t you? As much as I like being with you, I have my own life in New York.”

  “Like? A little while ago you said you loved me,” he said, smoothing her hair away from her face.

  Her nose scrunched up.

  “Only one thing is keeping you away from me right now…very easy to remedy. You can work here. Writers can work anywhere. And a place? I have just the solution for you,” he said as he gestured with his hand to his surroundings. “See, I’ve got it all figured out, now I just need you on board.” He smiled at her as she looked up at the ceiling, forming the right words to say. Bap Kennedy sang in the background to the song “Moonlight Kiss.”

  “You know, Warren—doctors, I hear, are pretty much able to work anywhere, too. And why is it that I have to change my whole world upside down and you don’t have to do anything? Do you think it will be that easy? Finding a job is harder than you think.”

  “The Herald is hiring,” he said nonchalantly.

  “I am so sick of hearing about the damn Herald!”

  Warren jumped.

  “You can’t be serious. I’m a serious journalist. The Herald is nothing compared to what I wa…am making right now. No thanks.”

  He noticed her hesitate, but thought nothing of it. “I make plenty of money for both of us. There’s so much more to life than money. What about happiness?”

  “Sure, but it looks like only one of us will be happy. I’m sorry, Warren. Obviously, this isn’t a good idea. We work well in bed, but…”

  “Don’t say that. You know that isn’t true,�
�� he said as his pager went off. He picked his pants off the floor and reached in his pocket. He looked down at the number, then sat up quickly, practically knocking Kat to the floor. He grabbed the phone and dialed. “This is Warren, is everything okay?”

  “Complications. His heart started racing and he can’t seem to get his air. We’re on our way to the hospital right now. We can’t find Kat. Is she there with you?”

  “Yes, she is…She’s standing right next to me. Do you want to talk to her?”

  “No, just bring her to the hospital with you. We’ll see you soon.” The phone clicked and he turned to look at her.

  She already knew by the look in his eyes that something was wrong.

  “It’s your dad again, Katherine. Heart problems—we have to go now.”

  She nodded quickly, throwing on her clothes.

  He was like a father to him, a best friend. He certainly didn’t know what he would do without him. He had to fix it. They pulled into the hospital emergency room ten minutes later. Kat wasted no time getting out of the car, running through the emergency room doors. Her mother and father were nowhere to be seen. Warren, close behind, ran in and pushed a button on the side wall of the small waiting area. He grabbed a clipboard off a nearby wall, then looked toward the nurses’ desk. A few of the nurses’ heads peeked up from their computers, looking toward him, and one even pointed toward a room. Warren nodded his head and said thanks. Then turned to Kat. “Come on, you can come in, too.”

  When they walked into the room, Bill and Gail’s heads turned. Bill smiled as he saw his daughter peek in.

  Warren walked over to the attending doctor and pulled him to the side. “What’s his chart look like, Patterson?”

  “Warren, that’s the thing. He came in pulling at his chest. It’s only indigestion. Has he been following the diet that you had outlined for him? I was just getting ready to talk with him.”

  “That’s not necessary, Patterson. If you don’t mind, I will take over from here. I’ve been fighting with Bill for weeks on this. I would like to talk to him, if you don't mind.”