When she got home at the end of the day, she dropped her keys on her dining room table and immediately went to her room to change into comfortable clothes and settled in for the evening. Before she had time to finish her dinner, her phone rang. She smiled as her phone displayed the picture on her caller ID she had snapped of Ben sticking out his tongue at her as they walked around the streets of DC after dinner the night before.
“Hey,” she said with familiarity as she answered the phone.
“Is this the beautiful and talented Kate Henry?” said Ben’s voice.
“Yes…” she said coyly.
“The Kate Henry who thinks I’m amazing?” he continued.
“Mmm-hmm…” she said.
“The Kate Henry who kisses on the first date?”
“I suppose that has been known to happen,” said Kate, laughing.
“Oh, then I must have the wrong number. I wouldn’t associate with such a person. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”
“Ben!” she cried. “Cut it out, you big goof.”
“Okay, okay,” said Ben with a chuckle. “Hi you. How are you today?”
“I’m fantastic,” said Kate. “How are you?”
“Great…except I miss my girlfriend.”
She grinned from ear to ear and buried her face in a pillow.
“You do?”
“You know I do,” said Ben tenderly.
“Well…I miss my boyfriend.”
Ben and Kate proceeded to talk about their days and what they both had planned for the next couple of weeks. They talked for hours about everything and nothing.
“Tell me a secret about you,” said Ben.
“A secret? Okay…well…let me think,” said Kate.
“I’ll tell you one first if you want,” said Ben.
“Yes, please,” replied Kate.
“Okay. When I was little and Darren was mercilessly picking on me one day, I went out in the backyard and started digging. Our mom came out and asked me what I was doing, and I told her I was digging a grave for Darren.”
“No you did not!” she said. “You are horrible.”
“Your turn.”
She took a deep breath. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before,” she said. “You’re different than any man I’ve ever met. You keep me on my toes.”
“Kate?”
“Yes?”
“I need to see you again soon,” said Ben.
“I need to see you too.”
“Look, I’m really busy with work for the next few weeks, but what are you doing around the end of the month? What if I took a trip down there? I could stay with my brother and we could spend a whole weekend together. What do you think?”
“I can’t think of anything more perfect.”
“It’s a plan then,” said Ben. “Look, I’ve got to be up early for a breakfast meeting tomorrow, so I should really go to bed. Even though I think we could talk all night.”
“I know,” chuckled Kate. “But I should go to bed, too. I don’t want to be a zombie at the store tomorrow.”
“I’ll speak to you soon.”
“Good night, Ben.”
Only Kate didn’t go to sleep right away. She lay in her bed and stared up at the dark ceiling, hugging her favorite pillow (which she had named Mr. Darcy in honor of one of her favorite books, Pride and Prejudice. Since she had a habit of not only talking to but naming inanimate objects, it just seemed natural for her favorite pillow to be named after her favorite character.) She couldn’t believe how her life had changed in just a few short days. There was someone out there who missed her. Someone who was thinking about her. Someone who gave her butterflies. With Ian, everything was always so natural, but with Ben…with Ben, there was a sense of excitement. Knowing that sleep would not come soon, Kate got up, went to her desk, and pulled out a piece of stationary and her favorite pen.
Dear Mom,
I can hardly believe I’m writing you this letter right now. You know how broken I was after Ian. I told you that I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to trust another man again, and how I thought I’d be single for a long time – if not forever.
Well…I met someone. His name is Ben. He’s actually Darren’s younger brother, which is so perfect. My friends and I went up to the beach house for the weekend on a last minute trip, and Ben happened to be in town so he came with us. We immediately hit it off and it wasn’t even 24 hours before he admitted he has feelings for me. It was so romantic – we were walking down the beach in the morning, just like a scene from a movie. Anyway, we were pretty much inseparable the whole weekend, and we ended up having some really good talks. I was really honest with him about how protective I am of my heart and how I don’t trust people easily, and he’s had some issues with trusting women as well. But I really feel like we’re on the same page. Actually, just yesterday we made it official. He is my boyfriend. I have a boyfriend! The best boyfriend, really.
He’s amazing, Mom. You’d love him. He’s so charming and funny. I love that when he sees something he wants he just goes for it. He’s going to come and visit me in a few weeks and I can’t wait.
Mom, I’m so happy. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
Your baby, Kate PS – Yes, he kissed me. :)
~~~~~
The next few weeks were a whirlwind for Kate. She stayed busy with work and spoke to Ben nearly every day. Many nights they stayed up well past midnight on the phone, and Kate often found herself wishing that Ben lived closer. It was hard to get to know someone from so far away, but they did the best that they could. Kate couldn’t wait for his upcoming visit and often found herself daydreaming about what it would be like to see him again. Would he run up to her and sweep her off her feet in a big hug? Would he grab her face and kiss her? However the scene played out, she knew it was going to be amazing.
One afternoon at work, she was busy arranging a display of the latest popular children’s book when Meredith wandered out of her office. “Kate, did I ever tell you about the time Mark and I went to Paris?”
She had heard so many stories from Meredith’s amazing travels, but she never got tired of it. “Tell me about Paris,” said Kate.
“Mark had just published his first book,” said Meredith. “We were young – maybe 25. We decided to splurge and go on a vacation to France. We did it all – The Louvre, Versailles, lunch on the Champs Elysees, dinner overlooking the Seine. We were so in love and having the time of our lives on this adventure.
“On our last night there, we decided to go to the Eiffel Tower. Before the elevator doors opened at the very top, Mark put his hand over my eyes. He whispered trust me and led me off the elevator.
“When he let me open my eyes, the view absolutely took my breath away. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was absolutely glowing. Mark knew how much I loved sunsets. I turned to look at him and he had a single white rose in his hand. To this day, I’m still not sure how he managed to get that rose without me noticing. He would never tell me. He handed me the rose and, which I held between by hands as he clasped his hands over mine and looked into my eyes. I’ll never forget the words he said to me.”
“What did he say?” asked Kate, wide-eyed.
Meredith got a far off look in her eyes. “The feeling you got when you saw that sunset just now is the feeling I get every day from being with you. You take my breath away, you fill my life with color and beauty that I never knew existed, and you will never cease to be my greatest joy.”
Meredith looked at Kate. “That is how a woman deserves to be loved. Mark wasn’t a perfect man by any means, but I never questioned, not for one minute, how much he loved me.”
“That’s so beautiful. You never told me that story before.”
“That’s because I’ve never seen you in love before.”
“In love? I’m…I’m not…I mean, I can’t possibly be…”
Meredith nodded. “I believe you are, dear.”
Kate looked at the ground. It w
as true; she had never felt this way before. She could picture her future with Ben and it was full of adventure and passion and romance. She could feel her breath catching in her chest as she thought about Ben. Her Ben. Whom…she loved.
“Just make sure he cherishes you. That kind of love is out there, and it’s the type of love that can last a lifetime,” said Meredith.
~~~~~
“Okay, I’ve got one. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?”
“Hmmm…that’s a tough one, Kate. I mean, I’m just so perfect. Why would anyone want to mess with perfection?”
“Ben, you goober. Answer the question.”
Ben and Kate had spent countless hours on the phone in the recent weeks, and they had coming up with questions to ask each other in an attempt to get to know one another better. Sometimes the questions were silly, sometimes they were deep, but they definitely always sparked an interesting conversation.
“Okay. I would probably try to stop being so darn handsome.”
“You’re impossible.”
“That’s why you like me.”
“Debatable.”
“I’m sorry, it’s a hard question! You answer it.”
“Fine, I will,” said Kate. “If I could change one thing about myself, I think I would worry less. I’ve always been one to let myself get anxious and worry about things that I really don’t have any control over. I think it would be a good thing to let go of that.”
“Do you worry about us?”
The question took her off guard, and she tried to form her answer while thinking about what the answer really was. “Well…I…I suppose I do.”
“You still don’t trust me?”
“No, it’s not that. I do trust you. I just don’t know what’s going to happen between us. We each have very different lives. Not to mention that we live in different states. I just worry that you’re going to decide that it’s not worth it, or you’ll meet someone up in DC and forget how ridiculously amazing I am.”
Ben chuckled. “Not likely, you silly woman.”
“It could happen. But we don’t really talk about the future.”
“Like, future beyond next weekend future?”
“I don’t mean to put pressure on you at all. I’m just falling for you. Hard. And I need to know where you’re at.”
Sighing into the phone, Ben said, “I’ve told you you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, haven’t I?”
“Yes.”
“Guess that’s not a good enough response for you?”
“Nope.”
“Kate, look. When I make a commitment to someone, I take that very seriously. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had someone who I called my girlfriend. In fact, you’re my first actual girlfriend in years. I know you’ve been hurt in the past, and I don’t want to be another person that hurts you. That’s why I call you all the time. I’m trying to get to know you. Because I think I’m falling in love with you, but I need to be sure.”
“You think? You’re not sure?”
“You’re a complex woman, you know that? I don’t want you to blow this out of proportion or worry. There’s nothing to worry about. I mean what I say. I’m trying to get to know you the best that I can. But I keep calling, don’t I? Don’t you think that means that I’m still interested?”
“Just not interested enough to be in love with me?”
“My goodness you sure know how to give a guy a hard time! Just give me a little bit more time. There’s no reason to rush into anything.”
Kate sighed. “Why do I feel like I’m being let down easy?”
“NO! Do not think that. Let me make myself perfectly clear. I have feelings for you. I have really enjoyed getting to know you the past few weeks. The highlight of every day for me is getting to talk to you. But believe it or not, you’re not the only one who needs to protect their heart. I’m getting there, Kate. Can you hang in there with me while I figure things out?”
“I don’t have any other option. I’m in. I’m sold. Sure, I’m still scared, but I’m willing to give it a try. Look, I’m honestly not asking you to make some big commitment that you’re not ready for. I just feel…so vulnerable.”
“I think I just need to see you again. I’m coming to visit soon, remember? Can I just have until then to think about things? I want to be madly in love with you. I do. The last thing I want to do is to make you worry, but I also refuse to be anything but honest with you. I need to be absolutely positive that I’m ready before I jump in with both feet.”
“Well then, that’s all I can ask. For you to be honest with me. And I appreciate that. Probably more than you know.”
“I miss you. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I miss you too, Ben.”
“Sleep well, beautiful.”
Kate hung up the phone and couldn’t stop thinking about when Ben had said. She curled up in her warm bed and refused to let herself worry. Everything will be fine by next weekend. We just need to see each other again.
Chapter 18
It was almost eleven at night when Kate’s phone buzzed. She was reading in bed and she leaned over the grab her phone, sure it would be Ben calling back to tell her he missed her one more time. But to her surprise, she didn’t see a goofy picture of Ben displayed on the screen of her phone – it was a number she didn’t recognize. Who could be calling this late?
“Hello?” she said.
“Hello, is this Kate?” said the voice on the phone.
“Yes, this is Kate…who is this?”
“This is Jacob. Jacob Patterson. We met at your mother’s house this Christmas. I’m not sure if you remember me.”
Kate was stunned. “Oh…yes. Jacob. Yes, I remember you.”
“I’m so sorry to disturb you so late, Kate, but it’s your mother.”
Kate felt her heart sink all the way down to her toes. “My mother? What happened? Is she okay?”
“She’s in the hospital. The doctors think she had a stroke.”
Jacob’s words hit her with the force of a ton of bricks. “I…is she…” she stammered.
“She’s been with doctors this whole time and they haven’t given me too much information. They took her in for a CAT scan a few minutes ago. The nurse told me that someone would come and talk to me as soon as they know anything.”
“I’m coming to California,” she said, her mind made up. To her, there was no other decision. “Right now. Will you stay with her until I get there?”
“Of course I will,” said Jacob.
Kate ran around her bedroom, throwing clothes in a suitcase as fast as she could. Within five minutes she was out the door and headed to the airport. She tried to call Ben, but he didn’t answer his phone. She hung up without leaving a message and kept driving. Her thoughts were racing as she drove. How could this have happened? Was her mother going to be okay? As she pulled into the parking lot at the airport she broke down and began to cry. Sobs shook her body as she sat in her car, still gripping the steering wheel.
“Lord,” she whispered, “please don’t let her die. She can’t die.”
~~~~~
Kate ran into the hospital, exhausted and running on pure adrenaline. After a quick visit to the nurses’ station she found her way to her mom’s room in the recovery wing. She saw Jacob, the man she had briefly met on her last visit to California months ago, pacing in the hallway.
“Jacob!” she said. “How is my mom?”
“She’s doing okay. She’s been sleeping for awhile. There have been doctors and nurses checking on her – I told them that her daughter was on their way. Let me see if I can find one of them to come and talk to you.”
“Thank you, Jacob,” said Kate. “Thank you so much for being here. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that she didn’t have to be alone.”
“I’m sure she’ll be so glad that you’re here now,” he replied, walking off to find a doctor.
Kate opened the door and entered her
mother’s room. It was a shock to see her normally vibrant mother lying in a hospital bed hooked up to all sorts of machines. She approached Olivia’s bed slowly and whispered, “Mom?”
Olivia’s eyes slowly opened and she focused on her daughter. Kate could see a faint smile come over her mother’s face.
“My baby,” she said weakly. “You’re here.”
She pulled up a chair and sat down beside her mother’s bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a truck.” She offered Kate a feeble smile. “The doctors said I’m going to be okay. I’m a tough woman. I’m not going to let a little stroke stop me.”
“Good to see the stroke didn’t change your personality, Mom.”
A short man with gray hair and a white coat walked into the room. He stuck out his hand to Kate. “Hello, I’m Dr. Tobias.”
She shook the doctor’s hand. “I’m Kate Henry, Olivia’s daughter.”
“Kate, let me explain a little bit to you about your mother’s condition. She’s had what we call an ischemic stroke caused by a blocked blood vessel in her brain. She was very fortunate to get to the hospital quickly after the stroke occurred so that we could start treatment right away. We were able to do a CAT scan and start her on medication to break up the clot before there was any real damage caused to her brain. Luckily the stroke was mild, and she’s been stabilized. We’re going to keep her for a couple of days for observation and start her on a treatment of anticoagulants to help prevent this from happening again in the future.”
Kate nodded her head slowly, trying to take it all in.
“I know it’s a lot of information to give you all at once,” said Dr. Tobias. “The bottom line is that your mother is going to be fine. She’s going to need to take it easy for several weeks, and she’ll need to come back for another CAT scan to make sure the medications are.”
“So…she’s going to be okay?”
“Yes, she is. She’s going to be okay.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for my mom. Thank you for taking care of her.”
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