A/N: Inspiration for the chapter, 'Once You've Loved Somebody' by the Dixie Chicks: http (colon) (backslash, backslash) www. youtube. com (backslash) watch?v (equals) k2Vz1oyxees
Chapter 2
Two months later
"Katie!" Kristin threw her arms around her friend. "I'm so glad you could make it. It's such a relief to see a familiar face."
Katie Hitchcock hugged her back. "It's so good to see you too, Doc. I'm so sorry to hear about your mother."
Kristin nodded. "Thank you, dear. Mummy had a good life. I never expected her to pass on so quickly, but it's for the best. Honestly, I haven't even had much time to be sad. I've been so busy renovating the house, but I have been lonely."
"Well, when you wrote me and told me your mother had passed, I knew I had to make a trip to see you. I'll be shipping out soon too."
Kristin nodded. "Yes, I know. A captain's position; that must be exciting. "
Katie nodded. The two women went to gather Katie's bags. Then, they headed to her car.
"So, you're all alone here now?" Katie asked.
Kristin shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there are a few family friends here; I mean, I grew up here. But, I don't have any close friends or family here, no. Cynthia's in California now. And, well, she's the only family I really have now…" Her voice trailed off. "There is Claude; he was the family butler, but I've relieved him of his services. I don't need a butler. I'm close with him, but he's moved closer to his daughter in Brentwood."
"It's not too late to get back on the second tour, you know," Katie reminded.
Kristin shook her head. "I'm sure it is, Dear. They've already hired a new CMO, I'd heard. Even if the UEO wanted me back, it wouldn't be for seaQuest."
"You think the UEO doesn't want you?"
"They weren't particularly happy when I turned in my resignation. I think that ship has sailed; no pun intended."
"So, what are you going to do now?"
"Well, I was thinking of opening my own practice here. It's always been a dream of mine."
"What about the research?"
"I suppose that's on the back-burner now. I'm a doctor, first and foremost, a scientist second. Besides, there's plenty of research in medicine."
It wasn't long before the car pulled into the driveway. Katie gasped audibly. "Wow! You didn't tell me this house was huge!"
Kristin laughed. "Well, it's been in my family for generations. My mother was determined that it be passed down to me, and I'll pass it down to Cynthia one day as well."
"You know, this house would be big enough to have a practice right here," Katie pointed out.
Kristin thought for a moment. "I never thought about it, but you're right. It needs a lot more work though. Let's go inside."
Katie grabbed her bags and followed Kristin. "It's even bigger on the inside," Katie exclaimed.
Kristin smiled. "Please excuse the mess. The contractors have only started on the west end of the house so far. This area hasn't been touched. Things are old and creaky."
Katie waved her hand. "Oh, I didn't come here to see your house. I came to see you. It's fine."
"Great; well then, let's get these bags up to your room. Are you hungry?"
Katie nodded. "But first, do you mind if I made a phone call?"
"Not at all."
After being shown to her room, Kristin showed Katie where the den was so she could use the vid-phone. A short time later, Katie emerged from the den and walked into the kitchen where Kristin was.
"Oh, it smells heavenly in here," Katie gushed.
"Thank you; I'm making chicken stew with dumplings. I hope you like it. I don't cook much, but I do know how to make a few things," Kristin informed her. "I hope you don't think I was listening in, but did I hear a familiar voice on the other end of the vid-phone?"
Katie blushed slightly and smiled. "Maybe."
Kristin motioned for her to sit at the table. She set a cup of tea in front of Katie and set one in front of her own place. She then sat and said, "Okay, dear; spill it."
"Well…Ben and I have rekindled our relationship, so to speak." Her smile got wider and wider.
"Rekindled? Like, walking down the aisle rekindled?"
"Not yet," Katie confirmed. "But it might not be too far off."
"Oh, congratulations," Kristin said happily. "So, how long has it been?"
"Honestly? Pretty much the last night we were all together. Ben had come to my room to talk…and one thing led to another…"
Kristin squeezed her hand gently. "I knew you had that special glow about you."
"What glow is that?" Katie asked, bewildered.
"The glow a woman has when she's in love," Kristin explained. "It's written all over your face."
Katie smiled again. "I guess it's hard to hide." She took a sip of her tea. "So, what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Are you and the captain still…together?"
Kristin sighed sadly. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "I didn't intend to break it off with him, but I think that's the way he took it. We haven't spoken in two months."
Katie could hear the sadness in her voice. "Not at all?"
"I E-mailed him when Mummy died, but I never heard anything back. I've spoken with Lucas a few times. He told me Nathan went off to his island shortly after I left. Lucas didn't go with him," Kristin said.
"So, that's it? You're giving up?"
"I think Nathan's made it clear he wants no contact with me. We'd both been hurt in the past, and we had promised not to do that to one another. I guess I broke that promise when I chose to stay here."
"But, surely the captain can't blame you," Katie insisted.
Kristin shook her head. "On the contrary, I think he does. Lucas said he's changed."
"How?"
Kristin shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure exactly. He didn't elaborate much. He just said that he bought a motorcycle, and he grew a beard…a mid-life crisis of sorts, I suppose. And, Lucas said he refuses to talk about me. He said something like, 'It's almost as though I never existed.' I'm not sure; he just said that Nathan never talks about me."
Katie nodded. "That's what Ben says too."
"Ben?"
Katie nodded. "Ben still stays in contact with him. You know, he was close with Bobby, so I think he feels an obligation of sorts. Anyway, Ben said the same thing."
"Have you spoken with him since the seaQuest was destroyed?"
"A few times, but not much," Katie admitted. Then she added, "You still care about him, don't you?"
Kristin gave her a smile and nodded. "But, I guess it wasn't meant to be."
"Maybe you'll meet someone new?" Katie suggested.
Kristin had gone over to the stove to check on the stew. She turned the burner off and began to dish it out into two bowls. "I don't think I'm ready for that."
"Why not? You're an attractive woman; there must be plenty of men who'd be pining for you."
Kristin rolled her eyes as she set a bowl in front of Katie and then set one down for herself as well. She placed a basket of fresh-baked rolls on the table as well. "Perhaps, but I'm not exactly pining for them. I need some time." She sighed deeply. "I only wished things could have ended a little better with Nathan; I just feel like I don't have closure, you know."
Katie nodded. "Well, I hope you two at least remain friendly. I expect you both to be at my wedding. I'm already planning on you being my maid of honor." She took a bite of her meal. "This is good; thank you."
Kristin raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you weren't walking down the aisle yet?" Then, she added, "Thank you…and you're welcome."
"I did, but I also said it was close. So, what do you say?"
"Well, I certainly can't refuse. You just tell me the date and time, and I'll be there," she promised. "And don't worry about Nathan or me. I'm sure we'll be civil to one another. At least, I will be."
"You think he's angry with you?"
"Well, what would you infer if you'd written him to tell him your mother died, and he didn't answer?"
"Have you tried calling him?" Katie asked.
"On the island?" She shook her head.
"I have the number, if you'd like," Katie offered. She walked over to her where her purse was and took out an address book. She opened it to the correct page and handed it to Kristin.
Kristin just looked at the number for a moment. "I don't know…"
"You just said you didn't feel you had closure. Shouldn't you have it? Shouldn't both of you have it?" Katie pressed.
"What if he doesn't answer?" Kristin said nervously.
"Then, leave a message."
Kristin thought for a few minutes longer. Then she nodded. "Alright. I'll do it as soon as dinner's over."
Katie smiled. "Good for you."
After they'd eaten, Katie said, "Well, I hope you don't mind, but I do have a bit of jetlag. I'm going to go lie down for a bit. That will give you some time to speak with the captain. Good luck." With that, Katie headed up the stairs.
Kristin picked up the address book and headed into the den. She sat in front of the phone, but it took her a long time to actually muster up the courage to dial the number. But after a several deep breaths and lots of reasoning, she was finally able to do so. She dialed the number and waited.
One ring; no answer. Two rings; no answer. Three rings; no answer. She sighed sadly. "Guess he's not there," she muttered, almost feeling like crying. But, just as she was about to hang up, a familiar face appeared on the screen.
"Kristin?" Nathan said in shock.
"Um, hi," she said quietly. "I had E-mailed you, but you didn't answer."
Nathan nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry. I just wasn't sure what to say, exactly. I tried to reply a thousand times. Everything I said just seemed so…superficial. I didn't want it to sound that way."
"Well, it's alright," Kristin said. "I'm not angry; I just wanted to know if you were angry with me, I suppose."
Nathan shook his head. "No, I'm not angry with you." He noted the relief on her face. "I am sorry for your loss," he added. "Are you alright?"
"The first few days were hard," she admitted, "but I'm alright now. How have you been?"
"I've been fine; been keeping busy over the summer. We're shipping out soon, you know."
"Yes, I know. I like the beard, by the way. Uh, I heard the UEO hired a new CMO."
Nathan nodded. "Admiral Lexington Smith's daughter," he confirmed. "She's very qualified, but it won't be the same."
"I'm sure she'll make a fine addition to your crew. And, Lucas told me you bought a motorcycle." She raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you could give me a ride sometime? I know it'll be a while before you have shore leave, but I…I'd love to see you."
There was a short moment of silence. Then, Nathan said, "Kristin, I thought…are we still a couple?"
"That's kind of why I called you," she admitted. "I wasn't sure myself. My feelings haven't changed for you."
"You're not coming back to the states?"
"Well, I've been renovating the house right now, and I need to be here to oversee the work." She shook her head. "I don't think that's in the cards anytime soon. I was thinking of opening my own practice here."
Nathan nodded. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I think it's best that we just stay friends, don't you? Long-distance relationships…well, you know those things never work."
Kristin was shocked. Part of her expected it, but he seemed so surprised to see her, she'd gotten her hopes up. "I see…"
Nathan's heart sank. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, but with him on the seaQuest and her in England, he knew they'd never see one another. That was no life for either one of them.
Kristin felt the tears threaten to fall, but she certainly didn't want Nathan to see that. "Well, I suppose I should let you go."
Nathan could hear her voice quivering. "Stay in touch."
She nodded. "I will. Take care of yourself."
"You too." He knew he should have told her he loved her, that he had still had feelings for her as well, but he didn't.
He heard a soft sob as she cut the link. "I love you too," he whispered to the blank screen.
