Story 2 – Goodbye

A Daniel and Kate Story

By Brown Eyes Parker

Shout-outs: pipanpink

Author's Note: I wasn't going to continue this story but thanks to the one review I got on story one, I decided to give it another try. This one is based on "Goodbye" from Hachi: A Dog's Tale.

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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"You don't have to go you know. Not right away anyways," Daniel told her.

"I know," Kate answered. "But I sort of want to, I want to get used to a new place before I get married. It'll be easier to get adjusted to a new culture while I don't have to adjust to married life all over again. Don't get me wrong Daniel; I am going to miss it here. I'm going to miss the work and my father. And you but I need to do this. I'll make sure you still have a way to work with the FBI even though I won't be here."

Daniel sighed. "It won't be the same though. You're the only person who can really stand working with me. Nobody else gets me the way you do, nobody except for Max."

Kate smiled. "Well, it's a good thing you still have Max then."

"Good thing," Daniel muttered, sighing slightly as he forced himself to smile at her. "I just want you to be happy and if this makes you happy, then go and do it. Don't worry about me."

"I'm always going to worry about you," she said.

"I wish that you wouldn't," he replied.

"Well that's impossible. Listen, I have to go now. My plane leaves in two hours," Kate told him as she got to her feet. She touched him on the shoulder, knowing a hug was out of the question. "Take care of yourself, okay? Please take care of yourself."

"I will," Daniel promised.

But as Kate walked away from him, she couldn't help thinking that he had made the promise under false pretenses. She couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't going to be okay or take care of himself. It made her want to stay and make sure he was going to keep his promises, but she knew if she stayed then she was never going to leave and she had to go.

So, she got on the plane and tried not to look back but it was impossible not to do it a little bit. She knew Daniel was in good hands and that even if the worst possible thing happened to him; he would be well taken care of.

But still, she worried about him, she couldn't help it. Worrying about him had become such a huge part of her life; she thought that maybe she was going to worry about him for the rest of their natural lives.

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"You're far away tonight," Donnie commented a few months later. He put their Chinese takeout on the table and went over to her. "Is everything okay Kate?"

"Everything's fine!" Kate assured him, standing up and looking over his shoulder. "You brought dinner! I hope you remembered to get the teriyaki chicken. . ."

"Of course I did," Donnie answered. "Kate, are you sure everything's okay? Is it your father? How's Daniel."

"My father's fine Donnie and as for Daniel, I'm assuming that he's okay. I haven't heard from him since I called to tell him that I had gotten here safely. But I'm sure Max would have called me if anything was wrong."

"Not if Daniel doesn't want him to," Donnie said, taking cartons out of a box and arranging their meals on a plate. "But I'm sure you're right, I'm sure everything's fine over there. Now come on and eat before dinner gets cold."

Kate nodded and picked up a fork, she ate but didn't really taste the food. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something terribly wrong with her friend back in Chicago.

When she called to check in on him the next day, nobody answered the phone. She hung up feeling even worse than she had before and wanting to jump on a plane to go to see him right away. But the fear of having her suspicions confirmed kept her from checking flights, so she went to church instead and lit a candle, praying over and over again that he was all right.

And then, a month later, she had a major bombshell dropped on her. Donnie had cheated again, at first she didn't believe it. . . she couldn't believe it. But the evidence that he had was overwhelming. There were texts and pictures, this time it was much more than a quick romp with her best friend. Kate felt physically ill and she wondered how she hadn't seen it.

When she confronted him about it, he told her it was because she just hadn't seemed into building a life together again. Kate knew it was true but she also knew that it wasn't a good excuse for cheating. Suddenly she realized that it would probably always be that way, every time she got distracted he would run and find somebody who would pay attention to him. She realized it wasn't the kind of life she wanted.

So, she bid him goodbye and packed up her things to go back to Chicago. She spent a few days apartment hunting and getting her life back in order, in between that, she called Daniel to tell him that she was back in town. Still, there wasn't any answer.

Finally, she went to his house to pay him a visit, hoping if everything was okay then he would be forced to talk to her by her presence. But nobody answered the door, so she went to the university where he taught.

It was like Paul Haley had been waiting for her. He pulled her aside and told her everything that had happened while she had been away. She listened, barely registering what he was telling her, the only words she could really understand were breakdown, hospital, and hallucinations.

"What was he hallucinating?" Kate finally asked.

"You," Dean Haley answered.

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A few weeks later, she sat in front of the hospital, watching the rain beat down on the windshield and windshield wipers swish back and forth. She was gathering up her courage, she didn't know how to face him but she knew she couldn't avoid him forever. After waiting a few more seconds, she unbuckled and grabbed the black umbrella on the passenger seat; she opened it and made a run for the hospital entrance.

There was a pretty black nurse at the front desk reading a Nicholas Sparks novel and eating red Mike & Ikes, her name tag said she was named Honey. Kate cleared her throat and rested her hands on the counter.

"I'm here to see Doctor Daniel Pierce," she said.

Honey looked up and smiled. "Of course, you must be Kate. If you'd just sign in sugar, I'll take you to see him right away."

Kate's hands were slightly shaking as she signed the register.

"It'll be okay," Honey told her as she dropped the black Bic pen. "I think he'll be happy to see you."

"I hope you're right," Kate answered, following her down the hallway and to a room with a closed door.

Honey knocked on the door once and then stuck her head in the doorway. "There's somebody here to see you Dr. Pierce," she said.

"I'm not in the mood for visitors," came Daniel's muffled reply.

"Oh but I think you'll want to see her," Honey replied, smiling at him before taking Kate gently by the arm and bringing her into the room.

"Her?" Daniel asked.

"Hello Daniel," Kate said her voice small and distant to her own ears.

"Nurse. . . tell me if she's really here. Please tell me that I'm not just imagining this," Daniel whispered.

"I can see her plain as day," Honey replied, her voice as smooth and comforting as her name. "Do you want me to leave the two of you alone to talk, sugar?"

"Please," Daniel answered, finally bringing himself to look at her.

"Daniel. . . oh Daniel. . . look at you, you're a mess!" Kate said as wave after wave of regret washed over her.

"You're beautiful," Daniel told her, rising to his feet and coming towards her. He touched her in the appropriate places before taking her hands in his and clinging to them like his life depended on it. "You're really here. You left me."

Tears pricked the corners of Kate's eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Why are you back?"

"Donnie."

"Oh. . ."

They exchanged more words, more lies, more apologies and more regrets. After it was over, she made him promise to take his medication and to participate in his therapy. He asked if she was going to leave again, she told him that she had to when visiting hours were over but she would be back the next day. He told her that he would like that, then she hugged him and he hugged her back, clutching her like he was never going to let her go.

Not until he had to anyways.

And she didn't mind in the least, because she didn't want to let him go either.

_The End_

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Author's Note II:

Anyways, there's the end of my second story. I hope you'll review but I'm not expecting anything. If you feel like telling me what you thought, then click on the box below and tell me there.

Until Next Time!

Holly, 7/7/2014_