Cassie gave a sheepish grin. “He pisses me off. You piss me off!”
Bob knocked on the door and opened it slightly. He pushed his bald head through, scanning the room. “Everything all right in here? I heard yelling.”
Cassie caught Katie’s eye, ‘It’s fine, Dad. I’m ranting, and Katie is telling me to shut up.”
Bob noted Katie sitting quietly on the bed and Cassie breathing hard. “Maybe you should listen to Katie.” He raised his eyebrows and closed the door.
Katie snickered. “Busted.”
Cassie tried to stay mad but let out a chuckle, too. “God. I can’t even have a good fight without them coming in to make sure I’m all right. It makes me crazy.”
“They have your best interest at heart.”
Cassie huffed. “Well, I’ve got your best interest at heart. So now what?”
Katie rolled her head on her shoulders. “You think I haven’t tried to leave? I did, once. Jack figured it out, followed me, and ended up threatening my Aunt Susan. I run. He’ll follow. He tracks my car, my phone.”
Cassie squinted at Katie, “Okay. Then get your money and take a bus out of here.”
“To where? As soon as I go to the bank, he’ll know. If I ditch the phone, he’ll know.”
“How about a restraining order?”
“Seriously? Kick him out of the house? You think that would work? Hold him at bay?”
Cassie shook her head. “There’s got to be a way.”
“Well, I sure as hell haven’t figured it out.”
Cassie shook her head. “Fine. I don’t want to fight. We’re ruining our day.”
Pushing the wheelchair to the mirror, Katie brushed Cassie’s ridiculously short brown hair. “We should add some highlights. Maybe a little blond on the tips? Nothing crazy like mine.” Katie touched her platinum head and winced.
Cassie made eye contact in the mirror. “Sounds good. I expect to see a Clairol box in your tote next time. But, just for the record, we’re not done talking about you and Jack.”
“Meanwhile, let’s do your exercises.” Katie lifted and pulled Cassie until she was lying flat on the bed. “Whew!” Katie wiped her brow and knelt at the end of the bed. Grasping Cassie’s foot, Katie bent her leg at the knee and pushed it toward the abdomen.
“Seems stupid to do exercises. It’s not like I’m gonna be modeling.”
“You know why we do them, quit grumping.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Gotta keep the muscles moving and oxygen flowing.”
Afterward, Katie rolled up Cassie’s sweatpants, examining each leg. Turning the left leg, Katie leaned in closer and squinted.
“What?”
“There’s a little swelling here.” Katie touched the area with her fingertips. “I’m not taking any chances. This could be a clot.”
Cassie groaned.
“I know. I need to tell your parents.”
When Katie entered the kitchen, Bob and Julie took one look at Katie’s face and stopped talking. Julie jumped up from her chair. “What is it?”
Katie explained the situation. Julie turned to go to Cassie, but Katie stopped her. “It wasn’t there on Thursday. Let’s take pictures and send it to the doctor so they can start a blood thinner.”
Bob and Julie headed toward Cassie’s room. Katie sat at the table, staring at the wall. She laid her head on her arm, already grieving her only friend. Noting the time, Katie waved goodbye from Cassie’s bedroom door. “Keep me posted. I’ll be back in a few days!”
Bob and Julie barely nodded.
In need of a friendly voice, Katie called Aunt Susan.
Susan answered immediately, “Hello! Katie-girl!”
“Hi!” Katie felt her spirits lift. “What news do you bring?”
“Well hell, Katie, you called me.”
Katie chuckled, and the two women talked over one another. They both stopped to catch their breath, and Susan asked a few polite questions, “How’s Jack? You two doing all right?”
Katie gave a vague response. “You don’t want to hear about us. Same ol’ same ol’.”
“What the hell is going on with you, Katie-girl?” Susan asked, not for the first time.
Katie pretended not to hear. “I’m almost home. Love you!”
“Love you more!” Susan answered, but frowned as she hung up the phone.
Chapter 16
A few weeks after Thanksgiving, Katie drove to Fleming to see Cassie as scheduled. The blood clot emergency had been averted, thanks to a few days in the hospital, but new problems continued to crop up.
Bob and Julie met Katie at the door, practically sharing the same physical space. Their eyes were blood-shot, hair mussed, and all color leached from their faces. They motioned Katie inside, whispering, “She had a pretty bad night. She’s still sleeping.”
Katie peeked in on Cassie, noting her pallor wasn’t much different than her parents. Katie winged a quick prayer toward the ceiling, pleading for less pain--a little guidance.
She headed for the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. She’d been in and out of the house for months and followed their request to make herself at home. She joined Bob and Julie at the table and waited for them to start the conversation.
“She’s in more pain. Last night was bad,” Bob stated, ending his sentence with a long sigh.
“It was,” Julie agreed. “She was in bed, clutching her stomach and crying. God.” Julie wiped a shaky hand across her face. “She’s been through enough. I can’t stand it anymore.”
Katie patted Julie’s hand. “There’s no reason for her to suffer. Have you called the doctor?”
Bob nodded his approval. “That’s what I said.”
Julie frowned at him, shaking her head furiously. Bob made eye contact with Katie, silently asking for help.
Katie acquiesced, “The doctor said he’d increase the morphine anytime. It would ease her pain.”
“Do you understand what that means?” Julie wailed.
“I do. It means we’re closer to our goodbye.” With tears in her eyes, Katie stood and coaxed Julie into standing too. She reached for Bob, and the three melted together, swaying and holding one another. Julie choked on a sob, and Katie slid backward, allowing Bob to embrace his wife. Katie left them to their anguish and slipped into the bathroom to splash water on her face. Heading back toward the kitchen, she paused in the doorway. The couple had gathered their emotions and stood united.
“Do you want me to make the call?” Katie asked.
They nodded, and Katie left the room to take care of business. Afterward, she checked on Cassie, who was just waking up. She shared a weak smile with Katie. “Hey, girl. What’s in your bag today?”
Katie didn’t have as much on hand as she would have liked but pulled out a bottle of nail polish. “Spa day?”
Katie painted Cassie’s toenails an obnoxious color expecting a smart-ass comment from Cassie. When there was nothing but silence, Katie shared a joke, “Have you heard of the new website conjunctivitis.com?”
Cassie crinkled her forehead. “No.”
“It’s a site for sore eyes.”
The joke fell flat. When Cassie fell asleep, Katie stared out the window, watching the wind whip the dead flowers in Julie’s garden into a frenzy. What am I going to do without Cassie?
Bob knocked on the door and ushered in a nurse. An IV pole followed with a drip bag already attached and ready. Katie leaned across the bed, “I’m heading out. You’re gonna be higher than a kite in an hour, giggling, not making sense, sleeping.”
Cassie grinned.
“I’ll be back in two days.” Katie exited quickly.
She made it a mile before the tears came. “Goddammit!” Katie smacked the steering wheel. “It’s so unfair!” She sobbed and cussed as she made her way through snarls of interstates. She railed at God, the fates, life. “Why do you have to take the good ones?”
Once home, Katie curled up on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Jack came home to
no dinner, and she didn’t even care.
“What’s going on?” Jack asked. “Are you sick?”
“They put Cassie on more morphine. She’s dying, Jack.”
“She’s been dying all along, Katie. You couldn’t save her. You’ve been through this before.”
“This is different. She’s my best friend.” With that, the tears came again.
He squeezed her shoulder and went to make a can of soup. “Want some?” he called from the kitchen. Not hearing an answer, he went back to a now darkened living room. Flicking on the lamp, he noticed Katie hadn’t budged. “Are you going to be all right?” He brushed her hair away from her forehead.
“No. I’m not. I just want to lie here and do nothing.”
Later, Jack helped her to bed, stroking her back, and not pushing sexually, for once. “We’ll get through this.”
Here’s the man I once loved. He didn’t show up often but, for now,
Katie snuggled into him for comfort, hoping there were no strings attached.
The next morning, Jack let her sleep and made the coffee, which was too strong even by his standards. He left Katie a sweet note and headed out to work. He called during his lunch break. At her groggy hello, his patience evaporated. “Are you still in bed?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You need to get up, take a shower, get on with the day. It’ll help you get past this funk.”
Katie scrubbed her face and stretched. “You’re right. I can’t believe I slept so long.”
“Think of all the energy you’ll have for later.”
Katie closed her eyes. “What a fool,” she whispered.
“What’d you say?”
“Nothing.”
Jack repeated himself. “Get it? Plenty of energy for later?”
“Yep. I get it, and I’m quite sure I won’t be tired later.”
Jack called again at two. “You up and moving?”
“Yep. Busy cleaning.”
He called at five to say he was on his way. “Let’s not talk about Cassie tonight, okay?”
Katie’s one day of sadness and dejection was evidently over. Ending the call, Katie muttered things she’d love to say to Jack. She pounded the couch pillows back into shape. “We wouldn’t want to talk about anything in Katie’s world, now would we? God, no.” She slammed the soup dishes into the dishwasher. “Can’t be unhappy, can you, Katie? That would mean Jack didn’t have a good day.” She threw the dishtowel across the room. “You need to be sexy,” she wiggled her hips, “and make Jack feel better. Cassie’s right, you are an asshole.” The mention of Cassie had Katie’s face crumbling.
When Jack walked in the front door, Katie gave him a welcoming but false hug.
Dinner was routine with Jack doing most of the talking. He noticed her silence. “Why are you so quiet?”
“I’m still sad, I guess. You haven’t even asked how I’m doing.”
“We said we weren’t going to talk about it, remember?”
Later, she sat beside him on the couch while he flipped through channels stopping when there was sufficient female skin showing. Eventually, Jack pulled Katie toward the bedroom.
Ahhh. Here is where I pay my dues. Jack was kind and put up with my bad mood. Now, I get to show him how grateful I am for his consideration.
She opted for a shower, not surprised when he joined her. Water sluiced over their bodies. Jack took over the soaping and scrubbing, running eager hands across her chest and over her thighs. Katie winced as he rubbed her still sore torso.
Once in bed, Jack rose over her and commanded, “Open your eyes. I want to see you.”
Katie hated this part the most. Between Jack and the security cameras, there seemed to be a thousand spider eyes watching her physical reactions. Because Jack often reviewed the tapes, she’d learned to show only pleasure. Jack was too egotistical to concede it might not be real.
Having cleaned up the sheets, she padded toward the bathroom to clean herself as well. Looking at the mirror, her image reflected abject sadness. “You deserve an Academy Award for that one, Katie-girl.” She turned away in shame.
Chapter 17
Katie juggled her schedule, asking another aide to check on her beloved Mr. Parker. She regretted the change, but, with his faded memory, he wouldn’t notice. She drove to the Morrisons instead. Bob held Julie’s hand as they brought Katie up to speed.
“We’ve already had to increase the morphine.”
“I’ve taken a leave of absence from work.” Bob hung his head and stared at his coffee.
“There’s not much time.”
“You’ve done everything humanly possible. That girl in there,” Katie pointed towards Cassie’s room. "has had eight more years because of you. You gave her the care and hope she needed.” Katie’s voice shook, “She’s funny and gifted and my best friend.” A sob escaped.
Julie and Katie dissolved into tears, sniffs, and hiccups. Bob patted both ladies on the back. It made Katie laugh, breaking the intensity of the moment.
“Whew.” Katie shook herself free. “Enough of that. I’m gonna need your help. I promised Cassie, we’d color her hair, put in some blond tips. Do you mind?”
Bob and Julie answered in unison, “Who cares?”
“Good. Do you have an extra big bowl, a pitcher, and some old towels?”
While Julie and Bob scouted out the requested items, Katie pushed Cassie’s door open, and the two women made eye contact.
“Hey.” Cassie’s voice was as weak as her smile.
“Hey, yourself.”
On cue, Cassie asked, “What’s in your bag of tricks today?”
Katie made a big show of digging in the tote, mumbling to herself as she walked toward the bed. “Where is that thing? Here it is!” She yanked out the box of Clairol Summer Blond.
Cassie looked askance. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. One blond bombshell coming up.”
It wasn’t easy. Bob and Julie helped with the preparations. They rolled Cassie from side to side and spread plastic across the bed. Katie filled the pitcher with water, laid out towels, and emptied the box of Clairol.
“This better be worth it!” Julie shook her head at the paraphernalia.
“Blonds have more fun," Bob quipped as he left the room. He missed Katie's grimace. She could have argued all day and night that blondes do not have more fun.
Katie mixed the solution and began painting the tips of Cassie’s thin hair. “We’re gonna highlight an inch or so, and perhaps a streak here and there. Ready?”
Cassie chatted while Katie applied the color.
While they waited the allotted fifteen minutes, Cassie and Katie lay next to each other on the bed. They talked about TV shows, the latest Hollywood gossip, and any non-death related subject which drifted across their minds.
Unexpectedly, Katie asked, “Did you know a recent survey shows that six out of seven dwarves aren’t Happy?”
Cassie grunted and punched Katie lightly on the arm.
The door was open, and Julie and Bob found a million reasons to wander past.
“Time’s up!” Katie announced.
Katie dragged Cassie closer to the edge of the bed. “I’ve got towels down, and the bowl is underneath your head. I’m gonna pour water over your head to rinse.” Katie splashed, and lathered, missing half the time.
“Ow. Shit. It’s in my eyes!”
“Don’t be such a baby!” Katie grinned and dried Cassie’s eyes.
“I’m pretty sure we ruined all five towels.” Katie gathered them up and brushed at her jeans. “And, there’s hair everywhere.” She’d added layers to Cassie’s basic cut. “Time to dry!” Katie wielded the hairdryer, hoping to God she hadn’t screwed this up. “Ready?”
Katie handed her the mirror, and Cassie sucked in a surprised gasp. “You should be a professional!”
Bob and Julie came in to admire the new hairdo. “She’s gorgeous, isn’t she, Bob?”
“My princess has al
ways been a looker.” Bob sat down next to Cassie. Julie joined him, bookending Cassie, and stroking her hair. Understanding they needed time, Katie carted the messy load of towels to the laundry room. She sat at the kitchen table, waiting.
Julie and Bob shuffled in. Bob patted Katie on the back. “You did good in there.” He thumbed a gesture at Cassie’s bedroom. “You made her feel special.”
“She wants to see you again.” Julie stroked Katie’s hair absently.
“Really? I figured she’d be tired.” Katie started to rise, then sat back down, thinking better of her actions. “If you’d rather have your own time together, I understand.”
“No,” Julie said, “she’s better when you’re here.” She laid her head on Bob’s shoulder.
At a loss for words, Katie pulled two Cokes out of the fridge and went back to Cassie’s room. Surprisingly, Cassie had pulled herself into the wheelchair. Her face was creased in pain, and sweat stained her shirt.
Katie plunked down the cans and ran across the room. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I wanted to sit up, have a real conversation without lying in bed waiting to die, okay?”
Katie sensed the fire still burning inside Cassie and changed tactics. “Fine. Last time I color your hair. It makes you bitchy.”
Cassie snorted. “Now who’s being bitchy?’ She pushed herself to the door and closed it, working her way back to the bed. The trip across the room and back had her sweating more. She made a face at Katie. “Don’t you say a word. I don’t want to hear it.” She patted the still damp bed. “Sit. I’ve got something to share with you.”
Cassie opened the drawer of her bedside table and pulled out a red folder. She laid it on her lap and peered at Katie. “I need you to listen to what I’m about to say without interrupting.”
Not sure what was going on, Katie nodded
Cassie opened the folder and pulled out documents, laying them on the bed next to Katie. Puzzled, Katie looked at a birth certificate, driver’s license, medical records, high school diploma, a social security card, and an envelope.
“I’ve been thinking about this since you came in here with those broken ribs,” Cassie explained. “I started sneaking into the den, making exact copies, and gathering this stuff.” She let out a breath. “I want you to take these original documents and make a new life.”
There Was a Crooked Man: A Psychological Thriller Page 8