Chapter 14

Katie had only seen her father briefly before heading to school, and he was uncomfortable and grumpy. No one mentioned Marcus, but she couldn't help but think he'd been on her Dad's mind.

For a moment, she wondered if her Dad would hate any boy she might bring home, or if he really only disliked Marcus…

His appointment was today, and she could tell both of her parents were nervous about it. He was fine. She'd heard everyone say they caught it early, and removing the prostate had a ridiculously high success rate. He was fine.

She turned onto the block where her school was and her steps slowed a little. I wonder if Marcus is mad at me? She'd texted him an apology, hoping to avoid just that, but he'd never replied.

Just as her worries got the best of her, he appeared at her side. "Good morning," he said, with a smile that made her heart flip.

"Morning," she replied. After a moment of silence, she spoke. "I texted you last night."

"You did?" He asked, surprised. He pulled out his phone and checked it. "Sorry. My battery was dead when I got home. It's been on the charger all night."

"So you're not mad?" She asked him.

Marcus stopped her, and turned her to face him. "Mad? Katie, I love you. Why would I be mad?"

Her heart stopped, and when it started again, she reached forward and kissed him deeply. When they finally separated, she whispered, "I love you, too, Marcus."

She had just settled into biology class when the school counselor came in, conferred with the teacher, and then called her into the hall. Katie stepped out, full of worry.

"Katie, your Mom just called and asked that you give her a call. Do you have your phone?"

"Y-yeah," the girl said, pulling it from her purse.

"You can come to my office for privacy." They hurried down the hall and she opened the door for the girl. Katie was dialing before the door was even closed.

"Mom?"

"Honey? It's good news. No sign of cancer, and he can go back to work after a couple more days."

The teen exhaled, feeling the weight of the world off her shoulders. She hadn't realized how worried she'd really been. "Thanks, Mom! That's great!"

"Okay. I just didn't want you to worry. We'll see you tonight. Love you."

"Love you, too, Mom!"

Bobby was visibly happier. The antibiotics were starting to kick in, and without the constant irritation of the tube, even the pain was starting to subside.

"What do we need for the party?" He asked his wife.

"Why?"

"I'm home a couple more days, I don't see why I can't… run some errands, you know…"

"You're home to rest, Bobby."

"I feel much better."

"You can plan the dinner. But I don't want you shopping, cleaning, or cooking."

Bobby looked disappointed, but he nodded and said, "Okay."

In the afternoon, Alex managed to work from home, and in spite of his intentions, Bobby fell asleep.

Katie was happy to see her father when she got home. She rushed and gave him a hug, squealing "Daddy!"

He hugged her back, and couldn't suppress a smile of his own. "Thank you, Baby. I needed that." He set his palm gently into her hair and let her loose. "How was school?" He asked.

She rattled off a list of things she'd learned, and a few stories of funny events with her friends. She avoided discussing her boyfriend. Within an hour, the doorbell rang. Alex stepped away from her sadly burnt dinner and into the living room.

Katie opened the door, and Mike, Lewis, and Freddie walked in.

"What's this?" Alex asked.

"We're kidnapping Bobby tonight." Mike looked over at his friend. "That is, if you're up for it."

"Yeah!" Bobby said, and got up from his chair.

"And what are you planning to do with him?" Alex asked behind a bemused smile.

Lewis sniffed the air. "A decent dinner, for one," he teased, giving Alex a wink.

She lowered her head and blushed. "Yeah. Maybe you should take me, too."

Lewis gave her a friendly hug, and Freddie piped up. "We'll have him home by midnight."

"Midnight?" She asked, alarmed.

Bobby peeled Lewis' arm off his wife and replaced it with his own. "Or sooner," he promised, and bent down to give her a kiss.

She looked into his eyes and touched his cheek. "Don't overdo it."

In a flurry, the men left, and Alex went back to salvage the dinner.

The laughter subsided, and they hunched over their beers. "You all right?" Lewis asked.

Bobby sat back, stretching his back. "Yeah. This is great," he smiled. "Thanks, boys."

"You look worried," Mike added.

Bobby shook his head. "It's Katie. She's got her first boyfriend, and I'm not sure I can handle it."

Lewis remembered their previous conversation and gave Bobby's shoulder a squeeze. "Katie's a good girl. You've raised her well."

"Yeah, little Katie would never do anything," Freddie piped in. "She's too smart for that."

Bobby shook his head again. "Yeah, she's smart, but sometimes she's so naïve. There's still a little girl in there, you know? And I can't stand to think of some boy…" He looked away and clenched his fist.

"Look, Bobby, if there's anything the three of us can do to help, you got it."

"That's just the problem. There's nothing to do but let her go. And I hate the thought of letting her go."