CH29
Kate was soon amazed. There were buildings everywhere. It took a little time but Kate soon saw that Rick would stop when these lights were red and go when they turned green. They were also the biggest thing on the road thanks to the trailer they were towing.
There were a lot of cars and they were all different, except for the large number of yellow cars with signs on top of them. Since the windows were up she didn't hear much noise. But Rick just kept driving making a number of turns.
Then she watched Rick open a small compartment inside and pull out a small box. Off to one side she saw two large doors and one of them started opening. Between these two big doors was a little one for people to enter.
"Come on Kate, help me stop traffic, dad needs to back in here." And Alexis hopped out of the Range Rover and Kate followed.
"We need to get the cars to stop so dad can get the trailer and Range Rover inside." Alexis explains and walks out into the middle of the road waving her arms.
Alexis had always done this alone in the past and not everyone would stop, but with Kate taking one lane while Alexis took the other it went a lot smoother.
With practiced ease Rick backed the trailer and Range Rover in thru the big open door and disappeared into the building.
Kate could see that there was a patio on the second floor and a large amount of glass above that. Though it was not even with the front face, it was inset a little.
"Come on Kate." And Alexis ran for the still open door, with Kate right behind her.
Once inside Kate stopped in her tracks. The space was large, really large. There were these two long bays with columns between them. Rick hadn't backed the trailer all the way in and there was still room behind it and in front of it. Then she heard and watched the door close.
In the next bay over sat something smaller than the Range Rover but it had tires similar to the Range Rover. She guessed this must be Rick's other car Alexis had mentioned earlier. It looked a lot sleeker than the boxy Range Rover.
"Alexis dear." Kate heard someone call and turned to see a slim tall elderly lady step into the bay from an opening in the wall.
"Grams!" And watched Alexis run for her and end up in the woman's arms.
"It's good to have you home dear. That business with the bridge, aaughh." Kate sees her wave her hands with a dramatic flair.
"Where's your father?" Martha asks her.
"I'm here mother." Rick shows up carrying one of the coolers.
Rick gets a kiss on the cheek from her. "Where is this Katherine, Alexis was so excited about?" So Kate steps up. "Well introduce us dear." Martha looks at Rick sternly. Getting Kate to grin.
"Mother, this is Kate Beckett. Kate this is my mother Martha Rodgers." Rick introduces them.
Martha steps up and takes Kate's hand in both of hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you dear. You're lovely, where have you been hiding?" Martha dives right in.
"Mother?" Rick moans.
"Oh posh dear, I'm only stating the obvious. You come right upstairs, the food is already here. We need to hurry before it gets cold." And Martha takes Kate's arm and starts walking.
"Mother we need to unload the coolers first and put what's in them in the refrigerator before it goes bad." Rick tells her.
"Well alright dear it you must, but hurry it up dear." And Martha lets go of Kate and disappears back thru the door way.
"Come on Kate I'll help you." Alexis offers and takes Kate's hand and heads for the back of the trailer.
Alexis takes one end of a big cooler while Kate takes the other and they go thru the doorway Martha had come and gone thru. It was a set of stairs going up!
Once upstairs Kate stopped to take it all in. The space was huge and it was mostly all open.
Kate knew this space! She had seen it countless times lately. There would be three bedrooms over there along with another set of stairs going down. In the middle Alexis was pulling her towards was a large open colorful kitchen with bright red cabinets.
There was a massive dining room table with 10 chairs, and over there would be the huge living area complete with old world fireplace. There would be a bathroom on the backside of the kitchen along with two more over by the bedrooms.
Kate knew there was another set of stairs over there on the far end that went up to something that she couldn't remember clearly.
There was another bathroom downstairs next to another room that she couldn't see clearly.
"Come on mom. … ooopps." Alexis was calling to her since Kate was barely moving.
Martha was in the kitchen and had heard that slip up but kept it to herself for now. "Oh Alexis dear, who have you brought home?" Martha is thinking.
It took another trip to carry all the coolers upstairs, then they went to work putting it all in this giant refrigerator likes of which Kate had never seen. It was massive!
There was a six burner gas cook top with a flat plat in-between with an oven below it. This sink was in this massive island that was easily 10 feet long. It had two large very deep bowls with a pre-rinse faucet mounted to the countertop.
The countertop looked like a stained concrete as did the floors, everywhere. There were no upper cabinets, just lower ones. There was however a pantry closet on the back side of the bathroom .
Kate could see the entrance out to the front patio area above the bid doors downstairs. It was filled with windows letting in lots of light that was fading fast since it was late in the day.
Kate could feel her heart pounding. Kate knew this place. She even knew where everything was in the kitchen. Which bedroom was Rick's and now hers too. Which one was Alexis's.
Kate knew there were speakers hidden everywhere along with data ports and power outlets in some of the weirdest places. There was a projector hanging from the ceiling that projected on this massive pull down screen on that wall over there, which was up at the moment.
There were even trees in pots inside this massive space. The ceilings had to be at least 18 feet high. The ceilings downstairs were even taller.
"Like it?" Rick stepped up next to her. "It used to be an old fire station. It even still has some of the old fire station insignias on the outside. I bought it and had it converted to a residence. It may not be to everyone's taste but I couldn't resist its old world charm. They don't make buildings like this anymore." Rick tells him.
Kate was still staring at it all, her head on a swivel. "It's gorgeous Rick. Simply stunning." There was old world exposed concrete block walls everywhere. Except for the bedroom and bathroom walls which were studded drywall.
None of the bedrooms had ceilings. None of those walls made it to the bottom of the roof deck. Just the bathrooms and pantry had low ceilings.
Rick had, had spray foam inserted into the open cavities of the old block walls to help keep the place warm. He had done the same downstairs and the underside of the roof above. It wasn't perfect but it was better than doing nothing.
All of the plumbing and A/C ductwork and units had been replaced with new state of the art high efficiency units. The tankless water heaters were downstairs in the old boiler room along with the inside A/C split system. The outside condensing units were on the roof.
The heating for this building used to be hot water from a boiler to old fashioned cast iron radiators. Rick had it all ripped out in favor of forced air.
"Well come over and eat you two before it gets cold." Martha calls to them.
Kate picked things that looked good and was pleasantly surprised and was soon taking bits and pieces from other boxes. Martha had gotten enough to feed a small army.
"So tell me Katherine where did you two meet?" Meaning Rick and Kate.
Rick silently cringed.
"We met while Rick and Alexis were out camping." Which was the truth, just leaving out the part about crashing into their camp site.
"That must have been quite a trip for you. I know their house is isolated." Martha digs a little further.
"Yea you could say I was lost in the middle of nowhere. I'm very lucky these two found me." I would have died if they didn't.
"You got separated from your group?" Martha wonders.
"Yes very much so." By thousands of miles Kate adds silently.
"Aren't they worried about you?" Martha things they would be.
"Not anymore." Kate answers knowing they are all dead, so she is still telling the truth.
"Well I'm glad. It wouldn't do to let them worry about you." Martha relaxes a little.
"No they are not worried anymore." The dead don't worry about anything.
"How long have you been with Richard and Alexis?" Martha wonders how long ago this event took place.
Kate opens her mouth and then closes it, not sure of the time.
"About three month's mother and maybe add a couple of weeks to that." Rick answers for her.
"Oh my, you three must have spent a lot of time together then." Martha is wondering why Alexis calls her mom?
"Yes, I got to know your son and granddaughter quite well in that time." Since I'm engaged to your son and have been making love to him in that time, and more.
"You must have made quite an impression on these two." Martha wonders just how much.
"Oh she's great grams! … I mean she's very nice." Alexis speaks up for once.
Martha just smiles at Alexis. 'So you love Katherine which is why you call her mom. I wonder if my son loves her too?' Martha wonders in her head.
"Well I'll let you three get on with whatever plans you have. I'm going back to my apartment." Martha gets up. "It has been a pleasure meeting you Katherine. I hope to see more of you."
"Thank you Martha, it's been a pleasure meeting you to." And you're going to see a lot of me since I live here and going to marry your son.
"I'll walk you out until your taxi arrives, mother." Rick offers.
"Thank you dear. I will see you later Alexis dear." Martha waves her hand at Kate and kisses Alexis with a hug thrown in.
"Bye grams." Alexis answers back.
"She seems nice Richard." Martha confides outside waiting for her taxi.
"Kate is exceptional mother." Rick tells her.
"Well at least you found her without my help this time." Martha was still kicking herself.
"Try not to let it worry you mother." Rick doesn't want her to feel bad.
"If it wasn't for that child, I'd of had a heart attack or something for introducing you to that, that, …. Woman." Martha loathes Meredith. If only she knew how much Kate already hates her and has never even met her.
"It this one is even half as nice as I think she is, try not to lose her son." Martha wants desperately for him to be happy.
"I'll see what I can do mother. Good night." Her taxi was here.
"Good night dear. I'm thankful you are all back safe." Martha steps in and is gone.
"We still need to get our clothes out of the Range Rover." Rick reminds them, as he puts the left over's in the refrigerator.
"Let me create some space for you." Rick tells Kate as he empties a couple of dresser drawers for now. Then enters the closet and takes things off the upper rod and moves them to the lower one below more of his clothes. Then takes some of his shoes and places them way up high leaving some space for hers.
"We'll have to go shopping to get you your own dresser later. We also need to take you shopping for more clothes soon." Rick tells her after he is done moving stuff around.
'Thanks babe, can you also show me around the place tomorrow when there is more light?" Kate knows this place but there are gaps.
"Sure." Rick steps out. "Pumpkin we need to go into school in the morning. Find out how far behind you are and what we can do about it." Rick yells out.
"SCHOOL! I almost forgot. Thanks dad." Alexis yells back.
"Come on Kate I'll show you around this floor at least so you can get around easier." Rick offers.
Kate is shown the master bathroom, as she sucks in her breath at the big deep tub with jets. Oh she was going to put that to good use. The other bedrooms with the Jack and Jill bathroom. The bathroom on the back side of the kitchen pantry. Living room and dining room. The stairs that go down on each side of the two bays downstairs and the stairs that goes up to the roof.
Also that the glass at the patio are actually doors that open fully from side to side. The balcony out front was maybe 12 feet deep and as wide as the front of the building, with two floor drains in the middle. There was a table and four chairs with an umbrella in the middle out there. Along with lots and lots of plants. Alexis's handiwork she was sure.
She can see the rest of the place in the morning.
Kate was asleep resting partly on Rick as usual. In a bed that was way too comfy to want to get out of. So why was she awake? Knock, knock, knock. "Mom. Mom are you awake?"
That's why Kate was awake. Kate got up and put on a t-shirt then one of Ricks shirts and buttoned most of the buttons. Opening the door she found Alexis already showered and dressed. "Pumpkin?" Kate mumbles out still partly asleep.
"Come on mom the sun is coming up and I have something to show you." And Alexis grabs her hand and starts pulling. Kate stumbles along behind her.
Alexis takes her to the back stairs that go up to the roof. By now Kate is walking better and follows Alexis up the stairs.
Kate steps out the door upstairs and stops as her mouth falls open.
Kate thought the greenhouse at the summer house was big. This thing was honking huge! And there were plants everywhere.
There was a wide table down the middle covered with plants. Most of the shelves underneath had tools, buckets, unused pots, bags of compost, seed trays, packets of seeds. On each side there were 2 levels of shelves, each filled with plants.
Kate could even see trees in pots on the far end. They all had fruit of different types.
There were even plants hanging from the structure. Kate saw at least two hose reels with sprayers along with watering pitchers.
It was AMAZING! It was the length of the building only coming up short by 2 feet on each end. And as wide as the building only coming up short by 1 foot on each side. This was where the roof drains were located.
Kate couldn't see the lightning rods on each end.
"Alexis sweetie, this is all yours?" Kate had started wondering down to the far end.
"Yup, pretty cool, huh?" Alexis is grinning.
"This is amazing pumpkin. You're a genius! We have got to find you a job when you grow up that can take advantage of what you can do. ... Genius!" Kate was still walking around in awe.
Right up until she spotted Alexis standing there with tears in her eyes.
Kate immediately went over and wrapped her arms around Alexis. "What's wrong pumpkin? Talk to me."
"My mother doesn't care about any of this. She doesn't have any interest in helping me." Alexis's tears have turned into crying.
"Oh sweetie, please don't cry. You've got me now and I'm going to do everything I can to help you." Kate pulls away so she can look at her. "Please believe me pumpkin. I'll always be here to help you." Now Alexis had Kate crying. Then went back to hugging her tight.
Kate immediately started dreaming up new tortures for Meredith. How could a mother do this?
