The next morning Kathie woke up first. She was surprised that she hadn't had a nightmare after her encounter with the two criminals the night before. She was very sore but she wasn't sure if it was from the fight or from her experience with Mark. She went into the bathroom and showered, putting on her leather pants and a "Dead Man Walking" shirt. When she got out of the bathroom Mark was sitting on the edge of the bed fully dressed. He had both of their luggage sitting next to the door and he was looking at his watch.
"We have to be at the airport in half an hour." He said. "Everyone else is getting ready to leave."
"Okay." Kathie said, reached for the door handle.
"And when we get where we're going." He whispered, right next to her ear. "I'll have to show you how much more fun what we did last night can be."
Kathie laughed and followed Mark down the hallway. Her laughter was cut short when she saw Randy get on the elevator with them. Mark put his arm around her and pulled her close to his body. Kathie's breathe stopped and panic began to take her over.
"I'm leaving from the airport." Randy said, smiling. "We should really stay in touch."
"My wife doesn't have much time for chatting." Mark said, leaning down and kissing her.
As the elevator got to the ground floor Kathie practically ran from the hotel and around to the alley. She bent over and put her hands on her knees. She felt like she was suffocating, she couldn't breathe. She remembered the feeling all to well. She jumped when she felt someone's hands touch her.
"It's okay darlin'. Breathe." She heard Mark say, massaging her shoulders.
Kathie did her best to breathe and relax. It took five minutes for her to be able to sit up and actually talk. She wouldn't look Mark in the eyes though. She merely walked toward the waiting taxi and climbed in.
The airplane ride was extremely quiet. How was she supposed to explain her behavior? When they got to the hotel Mark checked them in and she followed him to the hotel room. She almost dreaded having to explain what her problem was to him. Would he understand? Would he be mad at her for not telling him sooner?
When the door closed the question popped out.
"What happened back there?" She heard Mark say. She sighed when she heard how concerned he sounded.
She took a deep breathe and prepared to explain.