Her last chance

by Danielle Lee

  “No, not at all. I hear we have a full house tonight anyway. You going to be here all night, too?”

  “No, I was paged. I had a night planned.” Warren saw Patterson look to his side, noticing the brunette standing near him, and smile.

  “Looks like you had a great night planned. Good luck,” he said with a wink, then handed the clipboard over to Warren.

  “What was that all about, Warren?” Kat said. She put her hand on his shoulder, turning him toward her. “Is my father going to be all right?” She looked worried. Her forehead started to wrinkle; she looked from him to her father.

  “Actually, I need you all to leave the room. I need to talk with your father alone.”

  “No, I don’t think so. Whatever it is, you can tell all of us,” she said, looking flustered.

  “No, actually I can’t, HI—”

  “HIPAA laws forbid it, blah blah blah, it’s my father.”

  Bill Daniels smiled. “It’s okay, Doc, you know my Kat. Very protective. So, am I going to live?”

  Warren almost started to laugh as he looked at Bill. He then took his clipboard and swatted his friend in the shoulder. The two women in the room exchanged nervous glances. “Damn it, Bill! How many times do I have to tell you to follow your diet? No more eggs, no more bacon, and if I see any grease at all on your fingertips I am going to kill you myself!” Warren yelled.

  Gail Daniels looked up; her eyes were wide, then she turned them on her husband. “What did you do, Bill?”

  “I…Doc, what are you trying to do here?” Bill asked.

  “I’m trying to do my job, Bill. You have to follow your diet. You will not live if you don’t. You didn’t have a heart attack, or even a close call. You had indigestion! If you don’t start obeying the diet, you won’t live to see your grandchildren grow!”

  Bill and Gail turned their heads in Katherine’s direction.

  “What? Oh, God, don’t look at me! I’m not even married!” She looked shocked at the rudeness.

  Bill and Gail turned to Warren.

  “Warren, I’m sorry,” Gail said. “I would like to have a copy of this diet now. I will make sure Bill follows it to the letter, won’t I, Bill?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Bill said, turning a mean glare on Warren.

  “Well, I will get your discharge papers, and you can get dressed. Remember, Bill, follow the diet. Gail, I suggest no salt, and let him get used to the idea of bland foods for now.” Warren walked out of the room and to the nurses’ station.

  Katherine and her mother then started in on Bill.

  “William Michael Daniels!” Gail said in her best disapproving mother voice…

  Bill threw up his arms and glanced to the ceiling and said, “Pack your bags, were going on a guilt trip.”

  “This isn’t funny, Dad,” Kat joined in. “I was worried sick, and I’m sure everyone else was, too.”

  “Do I have big buck teeth sticking out of my mouth?” Bill started.

  Katherine and Gail looked at each other, obviously not seeing what he was getting at.

  “How am I supposed to eat all that rabbit scratch?”

  Katherine rolled her eyes. “It seems like an easy choice, Dad: plain oatmeal or death.”

  “I’ll take death by chocolate!” Bill said excitedly with a big grin.

  Kat opened her mouth in shock that her father would be so glib about this whole thing, then she heard a snicker; her mother was stifling a laugh. Soon the whole room erupted in laughter. Gail leaned forward and gave Bill a kiss on the cheek.

  She spoke into his ear. “You’re impossible, you old coot. Come on, let’s get you home.”

  Warren walked back in and Gail straightened up.

  “All right everyone, time to go home; here are your papers.” He handed the papers to Bill, and he signed them.

  Gail smiled at Warren as she left the room; Katherine waited with him as he filed his paperwork.

  “Thank you, Warren.”

  He turned toward her and put his hand up to her cheek, noticing the women sitting at the desk behind him, and put his hand back down. “You’re welcome.”

  Katherine smiled back at him as she took his hand in hers.

  “Is four days going to be enough?”

  She sighed. “No, but I’ll take it.”

  He knew that four days would be all he would need to convince her to stay. She had a lot more here than she thought she did—family, friends, a history. Not to mention the way she made him feel just knowing that she was in the same room with him. He walked with her back down the hallway, pushing the emergency room doors open in silence. He held the outer door open for her as she walked to his truck. As they settled themselves in, he turned the key over, grabbed a CD out of the console, and slid it into the player. The music was a mix of songs that he’d made that reminded him of her—a few oldies intermixed with pop. The first song was Santana’s “Black Magic Woman.” Katherine must have liked the song, too; she tapped the beat out rhythmically on her knee as she looked out the window. He drove a little bit further in silence, then pulled over.

  Katherine turned her head in his direction. “Is something wrong?”

  “You haven’t said two words to me since we left the hospital—you tell me.”

  She looked around the vehicle, taking notice of the way Warren’s body tensed, as she didn’t give him her full attention. “You haven’t said anything to me, either. I just thought you were enjoying your music, that’s all.”

  His shoulders eased. “Oh, sorry, this CD helps me relax.”

  “Yeah, I can see that,” she joked.

  He smiled. “Santana is one of my favorites.”

  She laughed nervously and went to cover it up with her hand. Then more laughter erupted as tears streamed down her face.

  Warren laughed, too, not having a clue as to why she was laughing, then seeing the sight of tears in her eyes, he pulled her into him. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

  “God, nothing and everything, I suppose. I just find all of this humorous—you here with me. We don’t know each other; I’m worrying about a measly four days, like an idiot.”

  That was the furthest thing from his mind. He’d been thinking about her for months. He knew her. She didn’t want to admit it, but she knew him, too. “I don’t think you’re an idiot at all. I think we’re going to have a great time these next few days. Don’t worry; you’ll know what you want when you walk away from here.”

  “I know what I want, Warren.”

  “Do you?” he asked as he brushed a stray hair from her face.

  She moved away from the contact and looked back out the window. “I want to be a writer for the New York Times. I want to do more freelance work. I want to move into a bigger apartment so I can stop the ridicule from Bill and Gail.”

  Warren scoffed as she rattled off the last bit. Just his luck. For the first time in a long time he’d fallen in love, and the woman in his life could only think of herself. That’s what they said about history repeating itself. He turned the key over once again and drove to Bill and Gail’s. He couldn’t think of anything to do with her now.

  She turned to face him as they drove around the corner. “I thought…I thought we were going back to your place. Four more days, remember?” she said nervously.

  His shoulders stiffened again as he pulled up the drive and put his truck in park. He took a deep breath and looked straight ahead of him. “If you want to go out with me, I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “Oh, I just…I thought…Seven. Thanks for the lift, I’ll be…What should I wear?”

  “Whatever you want. I’ll be here at seven,” he said, not looking at her.

  “Warren? Whatever it is you’re mad at, I’m sorry,” she said as she stepped out and opened the door to her parents’ home.

  Warren placed his head in his hands and let out a deep breath. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. It was going to take a lot of convincing if he was going to make her stay.
/>   CHAPTER NINE

  As Katherine walked into her parents’ house, her father greeted her almost immediately at the door. “What are you doing here?” he asked inquisitively.

  “What? Do you want me to leave?” she asked.

  “No, sorry, hon, I just thought… Where’s Warren?” he asked.

  Gail walked out of the kitchen toward the two, wiping her hands on an old dish towel. She smiled as she put her arms around her husband's waist and kissed his neck. “Everything okay, Katherine?” her mother asked.

  She smiled as she watched how happy her parents were. “Yes, everything is fine. Warren is getting ready; we’re going out this evening. He’s picking me up at seven.”

  “See, Gail? I told you he was a smart boy. Asking our Kat out on a date,” Bill boasted. “You’ll see. He’s a good man, Kat.”

  “I never said he wasn’t. It’s only three dates, then I leave. Don’t go securing a church.”

  “Did you hear that, Gail? Three dates now…not just one! Warren’s a good man. I’m going to have to let him use that new pole I just bought. I never thought he had the gumption to ask for three dates.”

  Gail laughed as Kat rolled her eyes.

  “As I said, it’s just three dates. Then I’m going back to New York, so don’t go getting your hopes up; just a good time between two friends. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go to my room to find something to wear.”

  ***

  Warren Vance hadn’t been out on a date in over five years. The last time he went on a date, corduroys and vests were still in style. It's not that he didn’t know what to wear; he was actually a pretty snappy dresser. But he didn’t know how to impress women. He surely wasn’t that impressive thus far, or she would have agreed to a little more than three dates. And with only four days until she left, he was just about out of time. He thought about the one source he’d used while in college: the women’s romance collection. His wife Sarah had loved watching her romantic films—When Harry met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle. Basically any romance with Meg Ryan. Meg Ryan, now there was a gal, he thought.

  Katherine was a little like her. She was the girl-next-door type. She wasn’t into fancy dressing or high-dollar items. That he had seen…at least from the impression that Bill gave him of her in their endless chats. She wasn’t used to being romanced. Every woman that he had ever met, or talked to, had talked about romance—the man that never gave it, or losing the romance after marriage. He used to talk to his secretary about her and her husband’s love life. The romance at the beginning was always very spontaneous. He would buy her roses, perfume, even once the man actually had the nerve to play a song on the guitar for her outside of her apartment building. She said it was the most god-awful thing she had ever heard; some of the people opened their windows and cursed at him. He even had a jar of peanut butter and a cup of what appeared to be either tomato juice or blood thrown at him, yet he played on. That was what had done her in. Her eyes would always flutter at that point. Warren would always laugh. That’s what he had to do: impress her somehow. Impressions, that’s it! There was a store down on the corner of Mill and Howard. Real fancy. Women like clothes…shoes…glitter…and dancing…He picked up the phone and got started. She was surely not to forget the night that he had planned for them.

  ***

  The doorbell rang shortly after 6:00 p.m. Gail Daniels promptly answered the door, smiling at the man on the other side. “Yes,” she said.

  “Hi, ma’am. I am just making a delivery. Are you Katherine Daniels?”

  “No, I’m her mother; she’s in the other room. Shall I get her?”

  “That’s okay. I am just to make sure that she gets this dress,” he said as he handed her the long-hanging bag.

  Gail smiled at the man as he went to leave; she called out for him to wait so she could tip him. Noticing the word Impressions on the bag, she smiled and walked back to bang on Katherine’s door.

  “Katherine! Special delivery!” she yelled.

  The door opened and Katherine stood their looking at the bag…

  “What’s this?” she asked, noting the smile on her mom’s face.

  “I don’t know. It was just delivered to our door for you. I think it’s from Warren!”

  “Impressions?” she asked. “This must have cost a fortune!”

  “I know! When I saw the bag I about lost it. Your father won’t even let me park my car near the sidewalk. He says the smell of expensive is in the air and just breathing it in will empty his bank account!”

  Katherine laughed, then quickly grabbed the bag and took it over to the bed and unzipped it. Inside was the most beautiful emerald green gown that she had ever seen. Gorgeous. Cut into a low V and with a cinched waist, the gown flowed all the way down to her feet. Then she heard the doorbell again. Katherine and her mom exchanged glances, and Gail ran to the door.

  “You don’t think?” she said giddily.

  “Hi, ma’am, I’m from Duttons. I was asked to personally deliver this to a Ms. Katherine Daniels.”

  “Thank you very much, young man,” Gail said as she grabbed her purse once again, leaving a small tip for the boy.

  He nodded his head in appreciation and walked out the door.

  She ran back down the hallway to Katherine, launching the newest arrival into her hands.

  “Warren?” Kat asked

  “Do you know anyone else?”

  “No!” She laughed. She opened the box, and inside was the cutest pair of size 8 strappy heels. Perfect. She pulled off her socks and put one foot in the shoe. “It’s a perfect fit!”

  “Just like Cinderella!” her mom squealed.

  Katherine laughed.

  “Try on the dress! Let me feel it first! Oh, my God, it’s Ralph Lauren!”

  “Shit! How much do you think this cost?” Katherine asked her mother, stripping down and trying to pull the dress over her head.

  “I don’t know, but I am going to find out. Give me that phone!”

  “MOM!”

  “Fine. I am going over to that store, though. Your father is not going to get away with this!”

  “Away with what?”

  “I’ve been married for forty-two years, Katherine! I have never had anything remotely this—”

  Doorbell.

  “What do you suppose that is?” Katherine beamed.

  The two exchanged glances. They both squeezed through the bedroom door and raced to the foyer. They stopped,

  Katherine took a breath and turned the knob. “Yes?”

  “Hello, ma’am. Wow…you look,” he stammered, mouth agape, looking down her body.

  Man, maybe she should dress like this more often. Although the boy had to have been no older than seventeen, and he’d called her “ma’am.” Mrs. Robinson? Nah…

  “Thank you, is there something you need?”

  “Well, yes, sorry…” He blushed. “I have a delivery from Wilsons. A Dr. Warren Vance wanted me to deliver it to you with this message,” he said as he handed her two boxes—one long and one short—then handed her an envelope before he turned around.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Wait!” Gail Daniels yelled. She grabbed her purse and handed the boy some money, and he ran out the door to his car. “You owe me twenty bucks, Katherine.”

  Katherine laughed.

  “What’s inside? Oh, my God, Wilsons!”

  Katherine opened the envelope first, and it read:

  “All that glitters is gold” is a timeless expression. I wanted you to have something even better. Emeralds for the color of your beautiful eyes, eyes that I want to look into all night while we’re having dinner and dancing. See you at seven.

  Yours,

  Warren

  “My God,” she said, then promptly picked up the short box first. Opening it, she saw a pair of gorgeous emerald earrings—an emerald in the center, surrounded by nine diamonds. She gasped as she looked at them; her mother let out a shriek. She had an odd sen
se of déjà vu looking at the earrings. There was something about the emerald with the nine diamonds around it. Hmm, she thought. She put her hand to her heart and looked down once again. She and her mom glanced toward the other box; Kat quickly grabbed it and opened it up. It was the same pattern as the earrings, only it was a long chain and one singular emerald inlay surrounded by diamonds. It was stunning. “Damn!”

  “Oh, my God! I am going to kill your father!” Gail muttered. “What’s the note say?”

  “Here,” Katherine said breathlessly, handing her mother the note.

  She read it aloud; a little tear came down her cheek. “That is so…so…romantic!” she cried.

  Katherine didn’t say anything. She just went through the motions, putting the earrings and necklace on.

  “I shouldn’t accept this. It’s beautiful, but it’s just too much.” She knew as soon as she said it that she would never give it up. It was beautiful, and it was perfectly Warren.

  Gail Daniels’ hand rapped her on the forehead. “Are you insane? Warren is quite the catch! He gives you a dress, earrings, necklace, and shoes, for Christ’s sake, and you’re going to throw it back in his face?”

  “Mom!” Katherine yelled. In her entire life, she had never heard her mother, the devout Christian, take the Lord’s name in vain. She was shocked.

  “Well, I’m just saying, Katherine, that it’s rude.” Then she stood up and walked toward the door. “If you need help with your hair, I have some bobby pins and a very nice rhinestone barrette that will do the trick. It’s in my bathroom drawer.” Gail smiled once again, shook her head, and muttered curses under her breath.

  Katherine could hear a few words like damn and Bill. She was sure that this would not be good for him.

  An hour later, Kat stepped out of the bathroom into the hallway. Her father saw her and gasped, put his hand up to his chest, and rocked back on his heels.

  Kat ran over to him to see if he was all right. “Dad, Dad, are you all right? Mom, call the hospital!” she screamed.