Cate had slept in the big bed in the front room that night, Sarah didn't
think it would be good to move her to another room so soon. She wasn't
sure where Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs had slept, but she was too tired to care.
When she woke the next morning the apartment was empty. She sat up and looked around. From the of the sun coming through the windows it was almost noon. She scanned the room, the apartment was small, but tidy, and comfortable. Every part, every piece of furniture said that this was the home of a loving family. Cate took a deep breath and sighed. Even though it was small and worn, this was the kind of house she had always wanted to live in.
There was a glass of water on the table next to the bed, and when she reached for it she noticed a note lying next to it. She picked it up and read:
Cate,
Sorry we didn't wake you this morning, but you were so tired that we thought it was best to just let you sleep. Please do not get out of bed without help, you would probably do further injury to yourself. Jack, David, and Les will be home at lunch time to look in on you. Have a wonderful day!
Sarah
Cate looked up from the note and looked around the room for a clock. The one on the mantel sais it was almost eleven thirty. Her stomach gave a loud growl, and she wondered what time lunch time was to Jack and David. It couldn't be all that long so she settled herself back into the pillows to wait.
She watched the minutes tick by on the clock on the mantel. Slowly her boredom began to grow, so she began to look for some thing to do to pass the time. After a few minutes she spotted a pile of books a little ways from the bed. She couldn't read the titles from her current position, but if she stretched just a little she figured that she could reach the top book without getting out of the bed.
Angling her body so her arms could get as close to the pile as possible she swung her upper body off the bed and used one arm to hold herself parallel to the floor. While holding herself steady with her left arm, she reached as far as she could with her right. Her fingers were still a few inches short of the stack of books, but by this point she could read the spin of the top one. The Count of Monte Cristo, she had never read it before, but the had a copy in the library back home and she had always ment to read it.
She only needed to move a little farther off the bed then she would have the book. Scooting a little farther she placed her left hand farther away from the bed, and let it hold more of her weight. This was a mistake, for as soon as she let the added weight fall on her left arm it began to tremble. She reached her right arm out and almost had the large red book in hand when the door flew open. The combination of being startled by the door, and the weight on her weekend arm caused her to go tumbling to the floor. This also caused the night gown Sarah had let her borrow to ride up over her knees.
David, Jack and Les strolled in, the latter caring a brown paper bag that smelled very good. Quickly she pulled the night gown down to cover her legs and sat up to glare at the tree boys.
"Cate!" David exclaimed, "I thought Sarah told you to stay in bed."
"I was trying to, but you startled me and I fell out. I was trying to reach that book," she continued motioning absent mindedly at the stack of books by the bed, "but when you came in I fell."
"You know that if you need anything you only have to ask," he answered. He crossed to her and picked her up, setting her gently back on the bed. "Now, which book did you want?"
"Umm, I was trying to reach The Count of Monte Cristo. I have always wanted to read it."
"Ok," he said, picking up the book and placing it on the bedside table, "we also brought you the morning addition of The World and some lunch." With that he presented her with a copy of the newspaper and the bag, which contained a container of warm vegetable soup.
She gave him a small smile in thanks. He smiled back, which cause her to blush a little. When she realized what she was doing she frowned. She could not grow to depend on these people, she could not depend on any one. That is what got her into this mess in the first place. She did not need anyone.
David noticed the frown cross her face, and wondered what had happened. One minute they were smiling at each other, and he felt he might have made some progress. And the next minute she looked angry, and like she didn't want to be anywhere near him. Luckily for him, Jack came into the room with a spoon and handed it to Cate.
"So, Cate, hows your day been?" He asked, filling the silence that had settled in the room.
"Fine, thank you," was all she said.
"David," Les interrupted, "you said we could go to the park this afternoon. Can we please go now? Please?"
David looked at Les in an annoyed way, but nodded in consent. He turned back to Cate with a sad look on his face, "will you be alright for the rest of the day?" She nodded, but did not say anything. David looked from Cate to Jack, "are you coming?"
"Nah, I'll stay here with Cate this afternoon." David looked quickly back to Cate, who's head had shot up. "Cate, is that alright with you?" David asked tentatively, he knew how uncomfortable she was with a group of them. Would she feel better or worse alone with Jack?
Again she said nothing, but looked at Jack, then nodded slowly, never looking away from him. David looked back and forth between the two of them, then turned to Les and lead him out of the apartment.
When she woke the next morning the apartment was empty. She sat up and looked around. From the of the sun coming through the windows it was almost noon. She scanned the room, the apartment was small, but tidy, and comfortable. Every part, every piece of furniture said that this was the home of a loving family. Cate took a deep breath and sighed. Even though it was small and worn, this was the kind of house she had always wanted to live in.
There was a glass of water on the table next to the bed, and when she reached for it she noticed a note lying next to it. She picked it up and read:
Cate,
Sorry we didn't wake you this morning, but you were so tired that we thought it was best to just let you sleep. Please do not get out of bed without help, you would probably do further injury to yourself. Jack, David, and Les will be home at lunch time to look in on you. Have a wonderful day!
Sarah
Cate looked up from the note and looked around the room for a clock. The one on the mantel sais it was almost eleven thirty. Her stomach gave a loud growl, and she wondered what time lunch time was to Jack and David. It couldn't be all that long so she settled herself back into the pillows to wait.
She watched the minutes tick by on the clock on the mantel. Slowly her boredom began to grow, so she began to look for some thing to do to pass the time. After a few minutes she spotted a pile of books a little ways from the bed. She couldn't read the titles from her current position, but if she stretched just a little she figured that she could reach the top book without getting out of the bed.
Angling her body so her arms could get as close to the pile as possible she swung her upper body off the bed and used one arm to hold herself parallel to the floor. While holding herself steady with her left arm, she reached as far as she could with her right. Her fingers were still a few inches short of the stack of books, but by this point she could read the spin of the top one. The Count of Monte Cristo, she had never read it before, but the had a copy in the library back home and she had always ment to read it.
She only needed to move a little farther off the bed then she would have the book. Scooting a little farther she placed her left hand farther away from the bed, and let it hold more of her weight. This was a mistake, for as soon as she let the added weight fall on her left arm it began to tremble. She reached her right arm out and almost had the large red book in hand when the door flew open. The combination of being startled by the door, and the weight on her weekend arm caused her to go tumbling to the floor. This also caused the night gown Sarah had let her borrow to ride up over her knees.
David, Jack and Les strolled in, the latter caring a brown paper bag that smelled very good. Quickly she pulled the night gown down to cover her legs and sat up to glare at the tree boys.
"Cate!" David exclaimed, "I thought Sarah told you to stay in bed."
"I was trying to, but you startled me and I fell out. I was trying to reach that book," she continued motioning absent mindedly at the stack of books by the bed, "but when you came in I fell."
"You know that if you need anything you only have to ask," he answered. He crossed to her and picked her up, setting her gently back on the bed. "Now, which book did you want?"
"Umm, I was trying to reach The Count of Monte Cristo. I have always wanted to read it."
"Ok," he said, picking up the book and placing it on the bedside table, "we also brought you the morning addition of The World and some lunch." With that he presented her with a copy of the newspaper and the bag, which contained a container of warm vegetable soup.
She gave him a small smile in thanks. He smiled back, which cause her to blush a little. When she realized what she was doing she frowned. She could not grow to depend on these people, she could not depend on any one. That is what got her into this mess in the first place. She did not need anyone.
David noticed the frown cross her face, and wondered what had happened. One minute they were smiling at each other, and he felt he might have made some progress. And the next minute she looked angry, and like she didn't want to be anywhere near him. Luckily for him, Jack came into the room with a spoon and handed it to Cate.
"So, Cate, hows your day been?" He asked, filling the silence that had settled in the room.
"Fine, thank you," was all she said.
"David," Les interrupted, "you said we could go to the park this afternoon. Can we please go now? Please?"
David looked at Les in an annoyed way, but nodded in consent. He turned back to Cate with a sad look on his face, "will you be alright for the rest of the day?" She nodded, but did not say anything. David looked from Cate to Jack, "are you coming?"
"Nah, I'll stay here with Cate this afternoon." David looked quickly back to Cate, who's head had shot up. "Cate, is that alright with you?" David asked tentatively, he knew how uncomfortable she was with a group of them. Would she feel better or worse alone with Jack?
Again she said nothing, but looked at Jack, then nodded slowly, never looking away from him. David looked back and forth between the two of them, then turned to Les and lead him out of the apartment.