/AN/ Thank you so very much for reading this story of mine! It really means a lot to me!
(Thank you, Corrin, for the reviews!)
Let me know what you think! I don't bite! Not even if you ask me to
The envelope has a ticket in it. Center Aisle, Row B, Seat 15. It's for a community production of Peter Pan. Kat holds it up in front of Dr. Carter on Thursday night, just as he's about to leave the rec center. She'd waited for him to finish his work-out hoping for the chance to ask, "Why did you give me this?"
"Did you read the note, Kat?" He'd been smiling since he set eyes on her.
"Yeah. It said," she quotes from memory, "hope to see you there."
"And I do."
"But why did you invite me?"
"We're friends, aren't we?" He glances around the lobby with those wise brown eyes of his, and Kat tries not to watch him too closely. "We may not see each other often outside of this place, but I still thought..." He trails off, his eyes focusing again on the blonde in front of him.
"Well, I consider you a friend. Just a friend." She points to the ticket. "Friday night is date night for most people."
"You went on a date with ghost boy Tuesday night. Why can't I spend time with you on Friday?" His smile turns gentle. "It's just a play, Katelyn. My daughter will be there, too. Her aunt-slash-babysitter is in the play so I was able to get my hands on a few tickets. What is wrong with that?" He reaches out to brush a long golden strand away from Kat's face with an expression that makes her think the lock of hair had insulted him on a personal level. When it's out of the way his hand lingers only a moment by her ear before dropping onto her shoulder. "It's just a play. I promise. Even if you get scared I won't hold your hand at all."
"But the crocodile is terrifying!" Kat jokes. "If you're not going to hold my hand, then I'm not going!" She swallows nervously, realising what she'd said. Damn my humorous nature!
"Maybe Janessa will hold your hand. Big lizards scare her, too." Dr. Carter says coolly. "So? Will I see you there?" He asks hopefully.
"I guess so? I mean, it's just a play." She replies, quietly. She's still not sure about spending time with him, seeing as he has feelings for her and it'd be a lie if she said she didn't feel anything for him.
"Exactly. Now, there is something else I meant to talk to you about. I am actually rather dissatisfied with my membership. No loyalty points? No frequent visitors benefits?" He tilts his head, the question still on his lips.
"What, rich doctor can't afford a membership?" Kat smirks.
"I can afford it. I just think I would be much more excited to afford it if I knew I would eventually be getting more out of it."
"You could be, if you tried a little harder." Kat pokes his stomach. "You could have abs. Sweet muscles. And a healthier body. Those are the sort of loyalty benefits we offer."
"Very funny. I was thinking more like being automatically entered into a contest to win a spa package... Or something. Discounts at the store? Discounts of any type!"
"We have benefits like that, Dr. Carter. When you got your membership card you should have received an information package. Or when it was updated you should have been sent a new one."
"Oh. That? I didn't read it. I have no idea where it is." He admits, slightly embarrassed. "I thought it was just promotional things. Sponsor ads."
"I can grab you one, if you want?" She smiles.
"Maybe that's a good idea. I've made a fool of myself already, I should probably do some research before I speak."
"Definitely." Kat pulls him over to the counter. "Wait here." She walks around, rummages through a stack of papers in one of the cupboards, and pulls out the membership package information. She lays it out in front of him, "See? Everything you need. Options, coupons, discounts. A form to fill out if you want to be automatically entered into any contests we have that you are eligible for."
"Why wouldn't I be eligible for a contest?"
"Some are seniors only. Unless you've been feeling a little old lately? I could put you on the seniors list-"
"Please don't." Dr. Carter looks over the papers. "This is exactly what I needed, Kat. Thank you." He glances up, "Were you on your way home?"
"Yeah. I'm done for the day."
"How about I give you a ride? It's rather late and I wouldn't feel right letting you walk alone." He offers, holding his palm up to her.
"It's not very far, and I've done it a thousand times before. Thank you, though."
"Kat, please. A short ride. Oh, and, maybe I should pick you up tomorrow? For the play?" He smiles. "You can help me keep Janessa awake. She always falls asleep in the car," he chuckles, his eyes shining.
Kat tries not to make it obvious how incredibly incredible she thinks he is for being so attached to his daughter. Of course, that's how any normal father would be. But he's young and single and he's had to take care of Janessa nearly all alone. She respects that, admires that, and adores him for it. She clears her throat and says, "I guess I could use a ride. Thanks."
"Come on." He scoops up the files. "Let's get you home."
Kat fidgets with her seatbelt for the short ride to her home. Dr. Carter keeps up a light conversation, one that only has her saying a couple of words to him at a time. She's not at all uncomfortable in his car. It's nice, not nearly as nice as Jack's, and it's big enough for a small family. Four doors, a baby seat in the back, one lonely teddy bear beside it. It's almost homey.
"Here we are," Dr. Carter announces as he parks in the driveway. "Looks like your landlords are still up. Isn't it past their bedtime?"
"Isn't it past yours?" Kat mutters.
"Woah. Kat, my age has never come up before. Are you trying to tell me that I'm too old for you? It's only ten years. I'm not a senior."
"Yet."
Dr. Carter laughs, slouching back in his chair. "In ten years you'll understand." He leans in closer to her, pulling on his cheek. "Do you see wrinkles? I don't have wrinkles. You won't have wrinkles at this age."
"You hope."
"You know, Kat." He says seriously, leaning back and staring hard out the windshield. "I could bother you about your age. You're young. You're probably foolish. You're inexperienced in life. And it shows in the way you're dating a dyed haired weirdo. I could say you need to grow up, but I respect and care for you more than that. And when you start talking to me about age as though I'm 80, it really tells me a lot about what you think of me. And I don't understand it. I have been nothing but kind to you. Tell me, Kat. Do you only see me as an old man?"
"N-no." Kat stutters. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have- You're not old." She touches his arm. "I'm young, and stupid. The young and stupid thing is what made me say that stuff. You're young. Not as young as me." She pauses, not sure what to say to make him understand that she didn't mean to insult him. "You're a great person. It wasn't anything personal. I'm in a bad mood."
"Why?" He still doesn't look at her.
"Cause, I don't know, it's just hard to be around you right now."
"Why?" He repeats, in a strong voice.
Kats shrinks in her seat and admits, "Because I like being around you. Which is very difficult right now because I am trying to have a decent relationship with Jack. I mean, we've only been on one date and already I just feel so protective of it. I want this to work out. Because I care about him. Because he cares about me. Because he walked into my life and the first time he looked into my eyes it was like zing! And I think that's probably the moment I lost sense of everything else and just wanted him."
"I see. You are young," Dr. Carter chuckles. "Reckless. Inexperienced." He looks at her. "And in need of a healthy eight hours. Goodnight, Kat."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"But I was apologising."
"I know. I understand."
"But I don't. What aren't you saying?"
Dr. Carter's smile turns strained. For a minute he looks like there are a million things on his mind, none of which he wants to say. Finally he starts, "When I was younger, I felt the same way several times. I felt as though it was love at first sight. Obviously, it never worked out. In fact, it got worse each time. Because each time I was even more sure that it would work out. By the time I met Janessa's mother I was terrified to let anyone into my heart. I closed her off. She desperately tried to reach me and I-" He breaks off and for a while sits there silently.
Kat reaches out and touches his cheek. She's never seen him so broken. He's never talked about Janessa's mother, and now she knows why. "I'm sorry."
Dr. Carter leans into her touch, closing his eyes. "I feel as though, in the end, she still didn't know how I truly felt about her. I feel as though I was still too cold towards her when in my heart she was the most precious being in the entire universe to me. She became second when she gave birth to Janessa, but then I didn't have time to see them together. I still love her. So much." He pauses again, and even with his eyes closed Kat sees different expressions cross his face at once. "Kat, if this boy hurts you-"
"You'll be here to pick up the pieces, right? You'll put me back together." Kat knows that she's on the verge of crying. Not just from the story. Every time someone gets emotionally desperate around her, it sends tears rolling down her cheeks. It's empathy. And she has a major problem with it.
"I can't let people in, Kat. It's hard. It's painful. I am afraid that I am going to be hurt, and I am terrified that Janessa will be hurt as well."
"I know. I know." Kat hiccups.
"Jack may not be your soul mate, Kat. He may be a terrible man." Dr. Carter tries to keep himself on topic.
"I know it's possible. Believe me. But what if he's not a terrible man? What if he's perfect?"
"No one is perfect." Dr. Carter whispers.
"You know what I mean. I haven't had any big male influences in my life that stuck around. So it would be pretty special to me if one did?"
"Kat?" He opens his eyes. "What do you mean? What about your father?"
"It's no big deal. I'm okay." Kat says quickly.
"I know you're okay. I've watched you. Even when you're sure no one is looking, you're still so put together. Strong. I admire you for that. If you need to talk about anything, you let me know. Understand?"
"I understand. I will. You too, okay?"
"I'm afraid my troubles are too much for a young person such as you." He jokes. "Thank you, Kat. I'm sorry to have a breakdown in your driveway." He runs his thumbs along her cheeks, wiping away the tears she'd shed. "I don't want you to be hurt as I have."
Kat takes deep, calming breaths. "I really hate crying."
"I really hate that I made you cry."
"I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I'm sorry about the serious conversation."
"Me too."
Kat places her hand over his heart, "I do care about you, Dr. Carter. You just make me nervous."
"I understand... Sort of. Your father abandoned you, didn't he? It only makes sense that men, who disappoint you all on their own, are only made worse by the insecurity he left in you. Another father would only..." He pauses. "I am not your father, and I am sure I'm nothing like him. I will be here for you. Always."
Kat almost opens her mouth to tell him just how afraid she really is, but her phone rings. She reaches for it, and sees Jack's grinning face on her screen. She says a quick goodbye to Dr. Carter, jumps out of the car, and presses the accept call button. "Hi!" She holds the phone to her ear as she tries to find her keys in her backpack. "What's up, Jack? Blizzard warning?"
"Haha," he drones. "Are you alright? Your voice is a little off."
"Off?" She pauses at her separate entrance, glancing back at Dr. Carter's car. He's just pulling away from the house. "What do you mean off?"
"Sad or something." He replies, sounding bored. "Anything I can do for you?"
"Fly me to Greece."
"Tonight? I have a butt load of meetings tomorrow, Kat. How does Saturday sound?"
She laughs softly. "You take me way too seriously. How many meetings is a butt load anyway? You know what, nevermind." Kat finally unlocks the door and steps inside. No ambush from Amber means the cat is already asleep on her bed. "Maybe we could have our second date on Saturday, though? A day date. Water park, lake, whatever! Something to keep us cool."
He hesitates. "Something to get you in a bikini, you mean?"
"I don't wear bikinis. But if you want to wear one I won't object." Kat sits down at the dining table and holds her chin up on her fist, exhaustion coming back to her.
Jack hums, thinking it over. "Water park. That one with the slides and super fancy jacuzzi. I'll bring a picnic for us."
"One you prepared yourself?"
"I- Well, actually-"
"Jack!" Kat whines.
"Fine, fine! I'll make us a picnic. All by myself."
"Or you could bring ingredients and stuff here and we can put it together, you know, together."
"Over there?"
"Are you afraid of my little basement suite? I swear, I'll tell all the rats to leave for an hour or two."
"I guess your cat is a vegetarian?"
"No cat is a vegetarian. They're carnivores by nature. Damn, I guess you caught me. There are no rats. Just really cheap furniture. And by furniture I mean cardboard boxes folded to look like stuff."
"Liar." Jack laughs. "I'll bring the stuff. How does 11 sound? Too early?"
"More like late."
"Hey, I like to sleep in on my days off."
"But it's not a day off. We have a date!" Kat's eyes start to gently shut. "And you have to work, got it? Picnic." She yawns. "And I expect to be greeted with a big hug. I want a hug."
"You'll get one, sleepy head. How about I text you tomorrow for more details. You're exhausted, and sad for some reason." He pauses. "Hey, do you need that hug right now? If you need me I'll come over. Or I'll pick you up and take you someplace to cheer you up. We can pig out on, I don't know, whatever you've been craving lately. I'm here for you, Kat. And I'll be there for you if you need me."
"I just need some sleep. And maybe some ibuprofen. I also really need to curl up with my cat."
"You can curl up with me if you need to."
Kat groans. "Text. Tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight. Miss you."
"Miss you too." It's not until she hangs up that she thinks he could have been calling her for an actual reason. She had taken over the conversation so early on that she didn't get to hear what it was. Kat doesn't even move from the dining table. She lays her head down in her arms, forces her thoughts away, and slowly starts to fall asleep.
-TRANSITION-
Kat has to call in sick from work. She wakes up on the floor beside her dining table, aching and not able to breathe properly. Her nose is stuffed, her head feels like static coursing through cotton whenever she moves it even slightly, and Amber has eaten something that left rashes all over the skin she licked trying to wake Kat up. The first thing Kat does when she's able to get off the floor is grab Ambers medicine. The second thing she does is call for Lana, the elderly wife upstairs. Lana, though miffed about her day being interrupted, helps like the true grandmother she is to the children Kat's never met.
Around noon, Kat starts feeling better. Then Jack decides to text her.
I have decided. I am hiring a professional chef to make us the perfect picnic.
First of all, no She texts back Second of all, this isn't a good time. Third, this REALLY isn't a good time
First of all, I already hired her. I need her to like me so I'm not taking it back. As for your second and third; what's wrong manta ray?
Kat decides not to bother with the picnic let down. She texts, I fell asleep at the table. Woke up on the floor. Been feeling like crap and even had to call in sick. Lana is taking care of me. Watching Jeopardy. :/
It takes several minutes for him to text back. Can I send you anything? In the middle of a meeting, but I can send Jarvis with anything you need
Greece?
Sorry, I can't send you Greece
A new dress?
He'll need your measurements. Just give them to me and I'll transfer the info
Kat can almost hear his laugh. But before she can text back, Lana steals her phone and points at the TV. Kat smiles, "What is Tatsu." The host of the show repeats it. "Lana, may I please have my phone back?"
"You're recovering."
"I know." Kat gives up on getting her phone back until the next commercial.
8am Kat texts. No later
No, later He replies immediately.
Very funny. 9?
9. I'll bring the picnic. Now, are you sure I can't send you anything? Apple crumble? And maybe something sweet to drink? Sparkling grapefruit something or other?
I would love apple crumble but Lana probably won't let me eat any of it.
Apples are good for you. I'm sending some.
You really don't have to. I'm fine. Feeling much better.
Too late! He texts two minutes later. Dessert is on the way. Tell Lana I appreciate all the help she's been
Kat relays the message. "So if someone comes to the door it's probably whoever he's sending."
"That boy is trying to fatten you up."
"He's trying to cheer me up." Kat corrects.
"Then he should be here himself."
"He's at a meeting."
"Yes, well, that's what my boyfriend used to say until I found out he'd just been sleeping with my brother! They're a lovely couple, dear, but he's still a dirty rotten cheating son of a-"
"Lana!" Kat laughs. "Forget him. You have Gregory now and he's all the man you need."
"He is, he is." Lana's head bobs. "When he says he's at meeting he only goes to poker games." The old woman laughs. Gregory is napping in the next room, tired from a morning of gardening. "It's good to know my husband isn't gay. Really, it gives me peace of mind."
You really didn't have to Kat texts Jack, avoiding looking at the reminiscing old woman. Thank you
If you don't eat it all we can take it tomorrow. A little extra dessert for us Another text comes immediately, Gotta go. Text me when your crumble arrives
Kat thinks it's ridiculous that he actually sent a dessert to her. When it arrives, she laughs so hard tears roll down her cheeks. Or at least that's what she tells Lana. Kat is so touched by the gesture she wants to sob she's so happy. She texts Jack, telling him thank you and that the crumble is delicious. He doesn't text back, but she doesn't mind. She knows he's busy. But he did send her the dessert, and a bottle of Sprite with a note attached to it saying "This is what my mom gave me whenever I got sick. Hope its ancient magic works on you. XoXo"