Chapter 11.
Morning had broken and Cate's household was all ready up and moving around. Marcus was making himself useful again in the kitchen cooking up breakfast as Julie finished getting washed and dressed.
'Morning Marcus, breakfast smells good.' Julie smiled as she walked into the kitchen seeing Marcus stood over a frying pan cooking up pancakes. 'Where's Cate?' Marcus smiled back to Julie as he answered.
'Morning Julie, Cate's out in the back yard getting some air.'
'She doing ok?' Julie asked sitting up on one of the kitchen bar stools.
'As ok as she's willing to let on I suppose.'
'Cate doesn't like to let anyone in does she?'
'It's just her way of coping Julie, you get used to it and she comes round to you eventually, when she's ready. It's always on Cate's terms though Julie, she can't be forced.'
'Yeah, she's like her sister in that respect.' Julie mused raising her eyebrows as she said it.
'Some things do run in the family. Are you going to the hospital today?' Marcus asked plating up some pancakes for Julie as she poured herself some orange juice.
'Yeah, go down and see if there's any change or if Jill needs anything, I was hoping Cate would come with me but after yesterday with Jill I don't know if she will.'
'You want me to talk to her?' Marcus offered taking a second plate placing pancakes on to it.
'No I'll talk to her, thanks Marcus.' Julie smiled to Marcus as she took the plates of food outside to where Cate was sat on the small patio. 'Morning.' Julie smiled to Cate who turned to look at her returning a half smile to her as she took the plate from Julie.
'Morning, thanks. You sleep ok?' Cate asked cutting into the stack of pancakes.
'Eventually, I just couldn't get the image of Kelly walking into the lounge last night.'
Cate nodded as Julie spoke understanding. 'Are you going to come with me to the hospital today?' Julie asked watching Cate's reaction. Cate kept her focus on her breakfast as she answered Julie's question.
'No, I have some people to see and a few leads to chase.'
'Oh really, what leads are they then?' Julie enquired this being the first she had heard of any such thing.
'I have a couple of acquaintances to look up who may have some info that could help us track down Diane Matisse.' Cate explained finishing with her breakfast placing her plate down on the patio next to her.
'And you're going to do this alone?' Julie asked in an annoyed tone.
'Well my contacts'
'Your snitches.'
'Whatever, they won't talk to me with strangers around. Sorry Julie this one I do alone. You go to the hospital check on Kris and the others see how they're doing. Just don't mention Kelly having shown up I don't think they're ready for that little shock yet.'
'I certainly wasn't.' Julie muttered. 'Fine, if you're going to go alone just please be careful and be at D24 early tonight. Kelly wants to see us before the fight.'
'And how are we to do that without Roth getting suspicious?' Cate asked
'Kelly said she had that all figured out just be there for six tonight, I guess we'll find out the rest when we get there. You want me to pass on any messages at the hospital?' Julie asked finishing her juice.
'Well, if Kris should wake up whilst you're there just tell her I'll check on her soon.' Cate half smiled as she stood up picking up her plate as she did heading into the house again leaving Julie on the patio finishing her breakfast. Half an hour later Cate was on her own in her Mustang heading out to the bad part of town, at least that's what Kelly always called it, Cate found some areas of it to be fun! Arriving at her destination Cate pulled into the back car park of a small pool hall. Entering into the dark and dusty establishment Cate walked up to the bar first trying to find the person she was looking for.
'Where's Stewie?' Cate asked the bar man who simply nodded towards the back pool tables as he continued cleaning glasses. 'You been keeping out of trouble?' Cate asked as she approached the short thin man wearing a grubby leather jacket, black jeans and a blue woollen skull cap covering his dark straw like hair.
'Promised I would.' Stewie answered barely turning to look at her.
'No you promised not to get caught again, especially by me.' Cate smirked as she sat on the pool table he was playing at.
'And I haven't so what do you want Fox?'
'I want information Stewie and you're going to give it to me.' Cate replied in a light and breezy tone picking up the white cue ball off of the table throwing one handed in the air and catching again.
'I don't know anything.' Stewie replied watching Cate's every motion.
'I haven't even asked you a question yet Stewie.'
'I still don't know anything.'
'Where is she?' Cate asked tightening her hand around the cue ball looking straight into Stewie's beady brown eyes.
'I don't even know who you're talking about Fox.' Stewie said crossing his arms across his chest.
'Now Stewie I'm in no mood to be playing games with you so why don't you just tell where she is and I'll leave you alone.' Cate said smiling whilst narrowing her eyes at him.
'You know what will happen to me if I tell you?' Stewie practically whispered across the table.
'Do you know what will happen to you if you don't?' Cate said coming as close to a threat as she wanted to. Stewie's eyes momentarily flicked from Cate to something behind her then back to her, too late, Cate was all ready aware of Stewie's flinch she quickly turned to face the thug behind her grabbing him by the shoulder before he could grab her and slammed her fist still holding the cue ball into his jaw. The thug went down hard to the floor spitting out teeth as he tried to get up from under the stars he was now seeing. 'Now speak up Stewie, it's harder to talk when your teeth are on the floor and your gums are bleeding.' Cate said throwing an angry warning look to Stewie as she used her foot forcefully to push the thug back down to the ground, he didn't seem to argue. Half an hour later Cate walked out of the pool hall back to her car, climbing in she turned the ignition and drove out of the car park heading back towards the office.
'You do know it's illegal to break into somebody's car right?' Cate asked the person hiding under the blanket on the floor of the back seats of the car.
'Well I didn't think it would be a good idea to be seen.'
'What are you doing here Jill, in fact how did you get here?' Cate asked as Jill climbed into the front passenger seat.
'I came here to make sure you had backup. Julie came to the hospital to check in on Kris she told us where you were headed. I grabbed a cab and came down after you.'
'You should be with Kris, not putting yourself out in danger.'
'And you should be?' Jill snapped back annoyed with Cate's response to her. 'You're in just as much danger Cate, God! You're not invincible Cate.' Cate put her foot down on the accelerator taking the next exit off the road to be able to pull over to secluded area from the main road. Bringing the car to a halt Cate swung open her car door getting out she slammed the door behind her, furious. Standing with her back to the car she tried to calm down, when that didn't work Cate let out a yell kicking whatever was at her feet away across the dirt road they were parked on. Jill sat and watched for a while before exiting the car. Stood with her door open resting her arm across the top of the door and her other arm on the roof of the car Jill kept her eyes on Cate's back. 'Are you finished?' Jill asked her like a mother asking a child if they had finished their tantrum.
'Not even close! Where do you and Kelly get off? She yells at me for doing my job and hits me, I have my ass kicked nearly every other night, and then...' Cate couldn't finish as she continued to get more and more angry at the situation and even herself channelling the anger through her Cate kicked her own car and carried on kicking it using the heel of her cowboy boot thrusting it harder and harder into the side passenger door.
'Cate stop.' Jill called to her from her side of the car her call not being noticed Jill moved round the car to Cate. 'Stop it Cate!' Jill said louder stood at the rear of the car watching as more and more damage was done to the beautiful machine. Cate continued kick out ignoring Jill who then threw herself at Cate sending them both down to the ground. 'Just stop!' Jill cried pinning Cate down calming her. Cate stopped as she focused on Jill seeing in her eyes the friend she had missed for so long, turning her eyes away Cate tried to move to get up but Jill held her down fast.
'You can get off me now Jill.'
'You gonna stop kicking the car or anything else for that matter?'
'For now at least.' Jill looked down at Cate not sure whether she should trust that kind of answer right now. 'Please Jill look your kind of hurting my side right now.' That made Jill move getting up to sit with her back propped against Cate's car. Cate gingerly sat up her hand held against her side as she sat next to Jill.
'Are you all right?' Jill asked looking straight ahead.
'Now I've got that out of my system.'
'You really messed up your car.' Jill said looking at the dents Cate had caused.
'Wouldn't be the first time doubt it will be the last. You should have seen what I did to my house.' Cate half smiled.
'I'm sorry Cate, about the hospital, the way I acted the things I said.' Jill apologised lowering her head as tears began to spill from her eyes.
'It's all right Jill, I understand.'
'No it's not all right I should never have said what I did.'
'And I should have looked after Kris but I can't change that either as much as I want to.'
'It wasn't your fault that Kris was shot that was Diane and for that we'll all make sure she pays.'
'How's Kris doing?' Cate nervously asked terrified by the answer.
'She's doing better, she hasn't woken up yet but the doctor said this morning that all indications are good that she'll recover we're just waiting for her to wake up. The sooner she does the better. Kelly came to the hospital last night.' Cate bit her lip as she shook her head annoyed with her older sister.
'What is she thinking?!' Cate angrily said. 'I'm sorry Jill, I know she came for Kris and you but...'
'No Cate I agree and yelled at her myself as much as a person can yell when whispering. She is sorry Cate, so sorry.'
'I know she is, truth is I don't care about the slapping, compared to the knocks I'd all ready taken that was nothing. It's everything else Jill. The secrets, the whole cloak and dagger of it all, the look on Julie's face every time Kelly's name is mentioned or she sees a photo of her and then Kelly turns up at the house. I just want this all over with.' Cate sighed leaning her head back against the car.
'We all do.' Jill agreed as silence fell between the friends.
'Come on, let's get you back to the hospital and Kris.' The Angels both stood turning to look at the dented car door.
'Think I can charge the repairs to Charlie?' Cate asked a slight devilish smile across her face.
'Worth a try kiddo, just say some thug did it.' Jill smiled putting an arm around Cate's shoulders. Being able to laugh a little at this time felt good to both of the Angels as they got back into the car and Cate drove them to the hospital.
Walking into Kris's room Jill and Cate found Bosley and Tiffany reading through files and papers whilst Julie sat by Kris's bedside. They all looked up as Cate and Jill entered into the room.
'Everything ok?' Julie asked looking at the pair of them, no signs of a scuffle between them that Julie could see so that was a good sign.
'Everything's fine.' Jill smiled walking up to the other side of Kris. 'How's my kid sister getting on?'
'No change since you left.' Julie smiled a sympathetic smile across to Jill as she answered; Jill kept her eyes on Kris nodding her head to what Julie had said.
'I think I'll go and get us some coffee maybe some food.' Tiffany offered getting up from the couch she was sitting on with Bosley.
'Sounds like a good idea, I'll come with you Tiff.' Bosley offered.
'Yeah me too, I could do with stretching my legs.' Julie said getting up stretching as she did. The team left the room leaving Cate and Jill alone with Kris.
'Hey there little sister I managed to find Cate and drag her in for a visit, so you could do the polite thing of waking up for us now and have a visit with us.' Jill said to her little sister who did not move to wake.
'Still playing stubborn I see.' Cate remarked with a warm smile to Jill who continued to look more worried and upset. 'Give her time Jill, Kris will come around soon I'm sure of it.'
'I hope so.' Jill said wiping away a tear before it fell with one hand, taking Kris's hand in the other. The door to the room opened Cate looked to see who it was ready on alert as a nurse stepped in sheepishly smiling.
'Excuse me. Miss Munroe, there's a call for you at the nurses station, a Miss Duncan?' The nurse said in question making sure Jill knew whom she was talking about. Jill smiled at the nurse nodding as she got up to make her way out to the phone.
'Say hi to Bri for me.' Cate called after Jill who turned back smiling to her. The room feel quiet again aside from the heart monitor attached to Kris. 'And then there were two.' Cate smiled to herself as she sat closer to Kris. 'You being stubborn short-stack not waking up, what are you waiting for? Kelly's all ready risen from the grave, so to speak. I'm sure you've got a few words for her so maybe you should wake up and share them with her.' Cate looked down at her hands not sure what else to say in this one sided conversation. 'You gotta wake up Kris and soon, we need you, we need all of us back together we're falling apart otherwise. I found out some thing's this morning that didn't exactly please me and you really wouldn't have liked the way I went about getting the answers but desperate times and all that. You shouldn't be here Kris this wasn't supposed to happen and especially not to you, I was meant to be looking after you, I made a promise to that fact and look what happened. Jill's crumbling kiddo, I know you're mad at her but this is a little harsh don't you think? The doctor says you're going to be fine you just need to wake up now, quit being so damned stubborn all ready.' Cate demanded as she got up from her seat walking towards the window looking out onto the front car park of the hospital. 'Final fight tonight and Kelly wants to meet before hand, not really sure why and it puts us all at risk doing that. She's being so careless coming out in the open the way she has been, I'm not looking forward to when Tiff and Bos find out she's alive either or what kind of shock you'll be in when you wake up and see her, it's all such a mess.' Cate said rubbing the back of her neck loosening the tension building there. Feeling the chain of her necklace Cate removed it holding the pendant of St. Christopher in her hand running her thumb over it. 'You know before every fight I give this to Julie and tell her to give it to you should anything happen to me, maybe I should have just given it to you when this all started might have helped, who knows.' Cate mused looking back out through the window again. Turning back to Kris and sitting down in the chair close to her Cate slipped the pendant into Kris's right hand closing the hand around it. 'How about you just keep it for now for me.' Cate smiled just as Jill walked back into the room.
'Anything?' Jill asked hopefully.
'Not yet Jill, give her some time she's just thinking things through, she'll be back. Kris is a fighter and a good one at that she'll be with us to bring down Diane and any one else for that matter.' Cate smiled to Jill.
'I hope you're right Cate I really do.' Jill solemnly said taking her seat back next to Kris's left side taking her little sisters hand again, Cate got up from her seat moving around to Jill wrapping her arms around Jill's shoulders resting her head on Jill's shoulders.
'Trust me.' Cate said. Jill placed her free hand on Cate's forearm lightly squeezing it.
'Always do.' Jill smiled weakly not taking her eyes away from Kris.
I know this chapter is a little shorter than usual but this seemed a good place to end the chapter and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting! Love hearing from y'all, keep that right up! Thanks, x
