by C. A. Kunz
“Okay Mom, I’ll ask him when he gets back in the car.”
“Great sweetie, tell him I owe him one. Bye, see you at home later.”
“Mom?” Cat asked, but then realized she was talking to silence. Her mom had hung up. Leaning back in her seat, tears welling up in her eyes, she saw a blurry vision of Matt running back to the car.
“Thanks for waiting, Cat,” he said as he pulled away from the curb.
“No problem…my mom called,” Cat said, sniffling.
“I guess she didn’t call to wish you a happy birthday, huh?”
“No…she wanted to see if you’d swing by my uncle’s house to pick up something for her.”
“Sure, can do. And Cat about your birthday.”
“It’s no big deal. Please drop it. It’s just another day, right?”
Matt leaned over and took her hand. “Happy birthday to you!” he sang off-key, making her smile.
“Thanks, Matt, you just made my day,” she said, hugging him, causing him to swerve the car a little which made them both laugh.
“You’re not too cold are you, Cat? Stupid heater, it only works when it feels like it,” he asked, pounding on the heater control.
“No, actually, can you turn it off. I’m sweating like crazy over here. I’m burning up,” Cat replied, rolling down her window. The snow flurries and blasts of cold air felt good as she hung her head outside the vehicle.
“Cat, what are you doing? It’s freezing! Get back in here, crazy girl!” Matt reached across to pull her back into the car.
“I feel like my blood is boiling, like I’m on fire,” Cat moaned, pulling away from him. He pulled the car over to the side of the road and put it in park.
“Cat, what’s wrong?” Matt’s anxious face came into her view.
Why can’t I hear what he’s saying? His mouth is moving, but no sound is coming out.
“Cat, Cat, talk to me,” he yelled. She started shivering violently and he reached over her, rolling up the window. He saw a light coating of snow on her hair and wiped it off. She slumped in the seat, teeth chattering, and her flushed face suddenly turned pale. “Cat, I need to call your mom, 911, or someone!”
Finally I can hear him, she thought. “No,” Cat blurted out weakly, “I’m starting to feel better. I don’t know what just happened, but it’s going away. Let’s get going. Really, I’m alright,” she said as he watched her closely.
She’s not alright. I need to get her to Aldon’s ASAP, Matt told himself. After he started the car again, they slowly drove up the icy hill toward Aldon’s mansion. While pushing the buttons on the security box to open the gate, Matt noticed his fingers were shaking. The gates slowly opened and they made their way up the winding cobblestone driveway. The mansion came into view. It looked like a medieval castle complete with turrets. The only thing missing was a moat, but a river ran around the back, so it was close. Matt usually felt a stir of excitement each time he viewed the medieval structure. He imagined himself as a knight, riding on a horse, ready to rescue the damsel in distress from one of the high turrets. But not today, his focus was on Cat. He parked in front of the two tall heavy oak front doors, turned off the car, and raced around to help her out of the vehicle.
“Thanks, Matt, I really do feel better,” she lied. He didn’t respond. He put his arm around her and helped her to the front doors. Matt had to pull a brass chain at the side to announce their arrival since the two huge lion head door knockers that adorned each door were only for show. The door creaked open and Elsie, Aldon’s housekeeper, poked her head out to look at them. She was a small round woman with bright blue eyes and short curly brown hair with streaks of grey.
“Oh, you poor little kiddies. You get in here right away before you catch cold,” Elsie demanded, pulling the door over the threshold. “Now let me take your coats. Cat, your mom called and told us you and your young man here would be stopping by. So nice to have young people in the house. Cat, are you feeling well, lovey? You look a little peaked.”
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little tired is all.”
“Well, you need to get to bed early tonight. No wild parties and staying up until ungodly hours. You know, when I was young we had to go to bed promptly at seven. That’s what growing bodies need, plenty of sleep. Now, where was I? Oh yes, Aldon and Druanna are waiting for you in the ballroom. Druanna wants to redecorate again. Poor Aldon, she’ll get her way, you can bet,” Elsie chuckled, walking ahead of them.
Entering the warm foyer was like taking a step back in time. A huge, sweeping staircase filled the room and medieval tapestries hung on the walls. Beautiful stone tiles and a huge sheepskin rug, which Aldon always said was “the biggest damn sheep he had ever seen,” lay at the bottom of the stairs. Five hallway entrances led to the kitchen, study, living room, dining room, and ballroom. All entrances were guarded by two suits of armor, each looked authentic. Most first time visitors had to do a double take to make sure they weren’t real people.
Cat’s headache was becoming more intense. She felt faint as she followed Matt and Elsie to the ballroom, wishing she was home in bed.
“Aldon! Druanna! Our visitors are here!” Elsie announced as she opened the doors. Cat stumbled into Matt as she realized the room beyond was pitch black. Suddenly, a bright light surrounded them.
“Surprise! Happy Birthday, Cat!” she heard, and then saw her friends and family in front of her. Trying to smile, Cat watched as the crowd slowly faded away. Then nothing.
“Cat, wake up. Come on Cat, wake up,” a familiar male voice called her name. She opened her eyes and met Dr. Harold Bane’s golden brown eyes. “Well, there you are, finally back in this world. How are you feeling?”
“Feeling? Is this a dream?” Cat asked the gorgeous man in front of her.
“No, not a dream.”
“Where am I?”
“You’re in your great uncle’s bedroom. You had a little incident. So, how are you feeling?” Dr. Bane asked again.
“I’ve got a headache and I feel a little woozy,” she answered while rubbing her head.
“You’ve got a pretty big knot from the fall, so that explains the headache.”
“No, I had the headache in the car…with Matt.”
“Yeah, she did. She said she felt like her blood was boiling and that her head hurt,” Matt interjected.
“Well, young lady, I guess I’ll let you go home tonight. I know your parents will keep an eye on you, and tomorrow we’ll have you in for some tests.” Cat tried to sit up, but felt a hand gently pushing her back down.
“Sweetie, just lay down for a little while longer, and then we’ll go home,” Rachel said. As Cat closed her eyes, she heard Dr. Bane talking to her parents.
A cool hand stroked her forehead. “I’m right here Cat. Just go to sleep now, darling. Aldon and Druanna want us to spend the night, so just relax and I’ll be here if you need me.” Rachel watched as Cat fell asleep, tearing up when Sam took her in his arms to comfort her.
Cat opened her eyes and noticed she was no longer in the bed. Why am I on the floor? Why is the floor so rough and what is all this white stuff breaking off in my hands? Alarmed, she turned her head and saw the bed far below her and realized she was on the ceiling. She screamed as she tried to push herself away from the ceiling only to be pushed back against it by some unseen force. She fought to spin herself around. She screamed again as she heard someone running toward the room. The door handle began to turn and suddenly she tumbled down, hitting the bed full force. Cat laid there stunned and unsure.
“Cat, what’s wrong? I heard screaming, what happened?” Rachel asked worriedly.
“I must’ve had a bad dream. Sorry I startled you,” Cat replied distracted, staring at the ceiling and thinking about what just happened. Rachel moved closer putting her arms around Cat and gave her a big hug.
“You’re burning up. That must’ve been some nightmare you had.” Cat simply nodded.
“Do you feel up to eating? Elsie’s prepar
ed breakfast for everyone. It looks delicious. It’s your favorite, blueberry pancakes.”
“I think I’ll pass, Mom. I’m not feeling too hot at the moment. Maybe I’ll eat something in a little while.”
“All right, sweetie. Well, it’ll be downstairs when you’re ready to eat.” Rachel smiled as she kissed Cat on her forehead and left the room. Cat stared at the ceiling again, still in shock.
Rachel slowly made her way down the stairs. A feeling of helplessness washed over her, realizing something just happened to Cat. She wished she knew what and wanted more than anything for Cat to confide in her.
14
Hard To Swallow
“This might feel a little cold,” Dr. Bane said as he pressed his stethoscope against Cat’s bare back. “Now take a deep breath…another…good…now another…very good. Your lungs sound great. Now I need to take your pulse,” he said, taking her wrist and looking at his watch. “Well your pulse is a little fast, but that’s okay.”
Cat groaned inwardly. Of course my pulse is a little fast, look who’s taking it. I’m so glad he doesn’t read minds, because he would know I’ve had a major crush on him, even before I was interested in the opposite sex. He’s just too perfect. He looks more like a model than a doctor. A poll should be taken of the women in town to see-
“Cat? Thought I lost you there for a moment. Headache?” Dr. Bane asked, waving his hand in front of her face.
“No,” she replied, blushing.
“So, I’m going to have to take some of your blood. I know you hate needles, but just bear with me.” Cat grabbed the edge of the exam table, grimacing as the needle penetrated her skin. It seemed like forever before he removed the sharp object and she could take a deep breath. “All done. That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” he chuckled softly.
“No, doctor vampire. Can I have my treat now? Since I did miss my birthday cake last night?” Cat asked jokingly. He smiled and handed her a cherry lollipop, her favorite flavor.
“We’ll need to make another appointment for you when we get the results from your blood work, okay? Which should be in a couple of days or so. But if you begin feeling weird again, come and see me immediately, alright?” After nodding her head, Cat jumped down off the exam table.
“Thank you, Dr. Bane,” Rachel piped up, speaking for the first time since the start of the exam. “So in a couple of days, you’ll call us, right?” she asked, her worried expression was painfully visible.
“Rachel, I’ll call you. Cat’s fine. Now don’t you get all worked up, I don’t need another patient on my hands.” Dr. Bane laughed and smiled reassuringly.
“Come on, Mrs. Worrywart, I’m going to be late for school,” Cat announced, dragging her mom by the hand out of the room. Dr. Bane watched as the two walked out of his office. His smile quickly turned to a frown once he was sure they were out of sight.
“Mom, Dr. Bane doesn’t seem that worried, so you shouldn’t be either. I know it’s the mom’s job to worry, but look at me, do I look sick?” Rachel turned to look at her. “No, don’t actually look, Mom, you’re driving. I’d like to get to school in one piece, thank you,” Cat joked, relieved to see her mom crack a smile.
“Wow, our roles are completely reversed. I should be the one reassuring you,” Rachel, said laughing softly. “Are you sure you’re only sixteen? And poor Dr. Bane, at least I don’t go in there as often as I used to when you were a baby. I swear that man has the patience of a saint.”
“Not to mention he’s totally gorgeous,” Cat stated, smiling broadly at her mom.
“Yeah, he’s one fine handsome man, that’s for sure…oh my, did I just say that out loud?” Rachel blushed deeply.
“Mother! You’ve got the hots for Dr. Bane?” she asked, pretending to be shocked.
“Catherine Colvin! If I wasn’t driving this car, I’d-”
“Would what, put me over your knee and spank me?” she chuckled as they came to a stop in front of the school. In one swift motion, Cat unbuckled her seatbelt, kissed her mom on the cheek, and exited the vehicle before her mom could say a word. Cat grinned at how thoroughly embarrassed her mom had been, which seemed fitting since Rachel had purposely tried to embarrass Cat on many occasions.
After watching Cat walk into school, Rachel’s smile faltered as she took out her cell phone to call Sam.
The library seemed deserted as Cat walked through the doors. Except for a small group of people in the far corner and the librarian, she seemed to be the only one there. She gave a warm smile to the librarian and handed over her hall pass.
“Ms. Colvin, do you need help finding a particular book?” Mrs. Finch, the librarian, asked.
“No thanks, I’m just going to browse,” Cat replied.
Looking through the shelves of books, Cat thought she would never find anything to help with her book report.
“I hate these damn crutches, almost as much as that hack English teacher Mrs. Rosenbaum. What do you mean I can’t use CliffsNotes? Why do they make them if you can’t use them? I’ve got better things to do than read stupid books!” Kirsten whined angrily to herself. Standing in the next aisle, Cat covered her mouth, trying to stifle the laughter at hearing Kirsten’s angry ramblings. She let out a little giggle as she saw Mrs. Finch hurry by her.
“Ms. Fuller, if I have to tell you one more time to be quiet, you will be sent to the office! Is that understood?” Mrs. Finch whispered crossly, pointing her frail bony finger at Kirsten. She turned on her heel and marched back to her desk. Kirsten stuck out her tongue at her as Mrs. Finch walked away.
The room was quiet when a loud crash suddenly came from Kirsten’s aisle. “Stupid crutches, stupid crutches, stupid crutches!” Kirsten whispered in frustration.
“Do you need help?” Cat asked, watching Kirsten kick the crutch that fell on the ground with her supposed injured foot. Realizing she was putting all her weight on it, she quickly raised her foot and grabbed for the bookshelf, pretending she just lost her balance.
“Ya think? You could pick up my crutch for me,” Kirsten replied with a huff.
“Of course, Kirsten,” Cat replied with a sickeningly sweet smile. “So, how much longer do you have to be on those crutches? It must’ve been a really bad cramp, huh?” she inquired, trying to keep a straight face while picking the crutch up.
“Until it’s healed! And it wasn’t a cramp, I pulled a muscle!” Kirsten snapped back, grabbing the crutch from Cat’s hand. “But not like it’s any of your business.”
“Well, if you don’t need anything else, I’ll be on my way then. Have a great day!” Cat’s words dripped with sarcasm.
“Yeah, whatever,” Kirsten muttered back while struggling to regain her balance on the crutches.
The school day flew by. Cat found herself dreading her tutoring session with Ryan. For the past several weeks she watched him laughing and joking with others, but the minute he saw her, or was with her, it was like he was one of the pod people from that one horror movie. She hated the fact he was acting so cold in their sessions. It seemed like he couldn’t wait for them to end so he could get away. If only she had told Matt to wait for her after school today, she could have canceled, but it was too late. So with much trepidation, she pulled the library door open. To her surprise, Ryan was already there waiting for her at one of the tables with his notebook open. After seeing her come through the doors, he gave her a slight smile, but then shied away, looking down at the table.
Well, at least I got half a smile. How pathetic am I, getting excited over half a smile? She thought as she slid into the chair beside him.
“Cat, you up for studying today?”
Could that be concern on his face, she wondered. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? What, do you have something better to do tonight?” Cat asked as she grabbed her books and started to rise from her chair, not wanting to hear his answer. He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her back into the seat.
“No, I know you haven’t been feeling well. And I thought maybe-”
“Okay, if you say it’s nothing, then it’s nothing. Let’s get started,” Ryan replied, looking deeply into her eyes.
Cat melted. He had this way about him at times that just made her turn to jelly. Oh, his piercing blue eyes, gorgeously chiseled face and body, just don’t match his personality. Guys that look like him are supposed to be jerks. Well, he can be a jerk from time to time, but he’s mostly different. Why couldn’t he be like this all the time? Ugh…this hot-and-cold treatment is semi-torturous, she thought, trying to control her emotions.
After half an hour, Ryan suddenly closed the math book, “Cat, you got this. You know these chapters like the back of your hand.”
Cat giggled. “Well, it kind of helps that Mr. Crawley isn’t as mean as he used to be…and actually teaches now. Do you think I’m done with tutoring then, Ryan?” she asked.
“No…uh no, I still think you need it,” Ryan stuttered, avoiding her eyes. “I mean, you’re going to get into some complicated problems here soon. And I want to be there to help you through them,” he replied.
“I’d like that, too,” she said as she picked up her books, and then walked ahead of him so she didn’t have to hide the smile on her face.
He followed her out of the library. She knows. She knows you like her, Ryan told himself. “Do you need a ride home, Cat?” he asked as he caught up with her down the hallway.
“No, I’m supposed to call my dad when I’m ready to be picked up.”
“I’ll take you home to save your dad the trip,” he said smiling.
“But, Ryan, you’d be going the opposite direction from your house, it’s completely out of your way,” Cat replied, hoping he would tell her that he didn’t mind.
“I really don’t mind, and besides I won’t take no for an answer.”