Potions of Love
Chapter 10
Saturday, September 24th
Lanie arrives at Kate's apartment precisely at 5:00 pm bearing one of Kate's number one favorites; a large sweet Italian sausage and basil pizza with double cheese!
When Lanie pulls up in front of Kate's apartment, she finds her sitting outside on her front step, sipping a small glass of sparkling red wine. "Well, I see you didn't wait for me before you dived into your special wine."
"No need to worry," Kate says, holding her glass up for Lanie's inspection. "This is all I have had so far. I'm just waiting for my friend to arrive," she says with a wink. "Let's go inside; that pizza smells heavenly."
Kate stands and holds the door open for Lanie, then follows her inside. "You can put the pizza on the table. I've already got the plates and napkins ready, and I will grab the wine."
Kate and Lanie finish getting the table organized then they both sit down to enjoy their meal and some personal 'girl' time.
Lanie takes the lead and gets right to her question about Kate's earlier comment regarding Josh. "Okay, girlfriend, spill. What's this about you being ready to make some decisions about Josh?"
Kate knew this would be their primary topic of discussion for the evening, but now that the time has come, she's unsure how to begin sharing her feelings with Lanie. "Could we eat our pizza first? This topic could blow my appetite, and I don't want to waste this scrumptious looking work of art talking about Josh," Kate says as she reaches for a large slice of her favorite dish.
Kate and Lanie enjoy their pizza and a couple of glasses of sparkling wine as they catch up on what's been happening the past few days. Lanie is also in her third year of studies at Mayo in their pathology program, with the long-term goal of becoming a medical examiner. They talk about their labs and favorite professors and share stories about some of their classmates.
Kate wraps up the remaining slices of pizza and puts them in her refrigerator. Then she and Lanie move their conversation into Kate's living room. They take their usual positions on Kate's couch, and Lanie automatically gets back on their previous topic of Josh.
"Okay, so what's up with you and your thoughts or plans for Josh? Last time we talked, you were very upset and told me you knew you needed to make some decisions, but then wasn't the right time," Lanie carefully inquired.
Kate gets up to retrieve the rest of the wine they had with their dinner, then sits down with a troubled look and says to Lanie, "You may want to fill your glass; this will take a while." They both refill their wine glasses, and Kate begins sharing what has happened over the past several days.
"When we talked a couple of weeks ago, I told you I needed to make some decisions about my relationship with Josh, but I didn't give you many details," Kate quietly admits to her friend.
Lanie calmly replies, "Yea, I knew you weren't telling me the entire story, but I also sensed you were pretty upset about whatever was going on, and I didn't feel it was a good time to push you for specifics. You always know I am here for you, and you can tell me anything whenever you're ready."
"I know Lanie, and I appreciate that about you," shares Kate.
"When we last spoke, I had told you things with Josh hadn't been going well, even before we talked. And now they have gotten worse, and we had a major blow-up last weekend, and I told him not to call or try to contact me for a week. That week is up, and now I am supposed to be going to his place for dinner tomorrow evening, and just the thought of it practically makes me sick to my stomach," Kate begins with a very saddened tone.
Lanie knows there's more to the story than what Kate's shared so far, so she only nods to her friend, silently encouraging her to continue when she's ready.
"It's hard to put in words, but it's just not fun anymore," begins Kate. "Josh is so presumptuous and only shows up when he wants a booty call, and that is mostly one-sided. Sometimes I wonder if Josh even realizes I am there. Then, of course, he is still self-absorbed and feels what he does is so important, and it practically makes him a god," Kate pauses and takes another sip of her wine, hoping to have some time to gather more of her thoughts.
While Kate is thinking, Lanie joins in the conversation, letting Kate know she supports her and always encourages her to make the decisions she feels are best for herself.
"Kate, you know I love you like a sister, and it hurts me to see you feeling so down. You have worked so d**n hard to get where you are here at Mayo, and I hate to see Josh tear you down. You deserve more. You deserve better."
Lanie sits quietly after sharing her thoughts, sipping her wine and hoping her words are sinking in. She can tell Kate's mind is spinning and knows that Kate realizes it's time to make a change, and Lanie is aware that this decision will be a big step for Kate.
Lanie watches Kate as she stares over her head, looking out the large window by her dining table. Lanie decides it's time to drop the 'truth bomb' on her good friend and try to get to the bottom of the significant conflicts that Kate is going through right now.
"Okay, girlfriend, since we are having this heart-to-heart talk, why don't you tell me about the other guy that has come into your world?" asks Lanie, not knowing what type of reaction she will get from Kate.
Kate's head snaps up, and her jaw drops as she almost spits out the sip of wine she just swallowed, asking, "What makes you think there is another guy?"
"Oh, girl, give me a break. How long have we known each other? I can read you like a book, and when you talk about your classes or assignments, you always say, 'my lab partner said this,' 'my lab partner did this.' 'oh, my lab partner liked my answer to the question on our assignment.' Need I go on?" Lanie says with a very noticeable smirk on her face.
Kate is shocked by all of the examples that Lanie shared with her. Kate had no idea how often she referred to Rick when talking with her friend.
Kate remains quiet for such a long time that Lanie is afraid she will freeze up on her and stop talking. But Lanie decides to try and wait her out, so she too takes another sip of her wine, then tops off both of their glasses.
Kate finally caves and begins to tell Lanie about Rick. She goes back to the beginning, when they met at the food truck project, then talks about how well she and Rick work together in their labs.
Kate explains, "Being around Rick creates a comfortable and trusting environment. One where I'm not on edge, and one where I feel I can share and be myself,"
Kate also shares, "Without realizing it, Rick is helping me to understand that I don't have to settle for a mediocre or one-sided relationship."
Kate went on to tell Lanie about how Rick had asked her to go to the Sammy Rose concert. "He told me that he was inviting me because he had seen me at the talent night and knew I liked the guitar. There was nothing else to it. Just two people were going to enjoy some music."
Kate concluded her story by telling Lanie about their encounter with Josh when Rick walked her home from the concert.
"Lanie, it was unreal. Josh went ballistic and was completely out of control, and I was so embarrassed by the way he acted toward Rick. But Rick remained composed and gracious when he bid me good night. When we got back into my apartment, Josh would hardly let me get two words in. He immediately started accusing me of two-timing him and other uncalled-for things and accused Rick of moving in on his territory, and on and on."
"I told him time and time again that Rick is just a classmate, we see each other several times a week, we are not dating, he just knew I liked guitar music and thought I might enjoy the concert. I even told Josh that I would have invited him to go with us if he had been home. None of it sunk in. He just kept up with his tirade."
Kate continues, "But at the height of his yelling, he kept accusing me of stepping out, but the way he carried on made me think he was hiding something. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I told him to leave. Then he called Saturday morning and wanted to go through with our Saturday evening dinner plans and told me to get over what had happened the night before. I was so angry that I just hung up on him."
"Then Sunday morning, he showed up at my door with coffee and pastries, wanting to move on as if nothing had ever happened. I couldn't believe him. Then he dared to tell me, 'he forgives me!' That was the straw that broke this camel's back," declares Kate.
"The flood gates opened, and I asked him if he had ever had lunch with, worked with, did an assignment with, or walked across the campus with a FEMALE! He then told me, 'that's not the point." He went on, trying to change the subject, then I finally asked,"
"Josh, is there something that you are not telling me? Have you been with another girl?"
Of course, Josh swore he wasn't hiding anything and argued he would never be with another girl when he was dating me. Then made a dramatic scene by asking, how could I even think of asking such a ridiculous question?
At that point, it was like the old saying, "thou does protest too much." I didn't want to hear any more from him, so I told him we needed some time apart. And now it's the weekend, and he wants to have dinner tomorrow night. And I am dreading it."
"Oh, and another thing. After Josh's tirade, I was so upset and even started doubting myself and wondering if I did make a mistake by going to the concert with Rick. So on the following Monday after labs, I told Rick that as long as I am with Josh, we can't see each other outside of classes. I felt so bad afterward, not only because I didn't believe what I was saying, but I saw how much my words hurt Rick."
At this point, Kate is out of energy and can't go on. She sets her wine glass down and excuses herself to go to the restroom.
Lanie is glad for the short break to rein in her temper. "If I were able, I'd go over to Josh's and make him pay for hurting my girl."
Kate came back into the living room and took another drink from her wine glass, and sat down, not saying a word.
Lanie wasn't sure what she should say either, but she tried, "Kate, as you said, maybe tomorrow night will be the opportunity you have wanted to set the record straight with Josh, whatever that may be. But Kate, if he is hurting you like this and he doesn't trust you or and even worse if he is not being faithful, you need to work out those things tomorrow night."
Kate doesn't immediately respond, but after another sip from her wine glass, she says, "You are right, Lanie. And all of this didn't come to a head last weekend. I have had misgivings about our relationship for a few months now. Josh, doesn't seem to care about me, except for being arm candy when we are out and being available for a booty call at his whim. I can't keep this up."
"And I have to be honest with you about something else. This week, Rick ran into a problem, so I have been helping him do some lab testing on this issue, consciously not sharing about the Potion. So because of that, we have spent some extra time together at the university, and it has been refreshing."
"I'm not blind. I can see that Rick's feelings for me are growing, and I have to admit, I think mine is doing the same. It's a completely different world with him, and it has shown me a different side of what a relationship could be like if both individuals care for one another. I would never do anything with him while I am with Josh. But after being in Rick's company and enjoying myself, it has made it more evident that Josh and I can't continue in this dissatisfying relationship," Kate stated with a stronger voice than she had during her earlier conversation with Lanie.
All Lanie could do was stand up, walk over to Kate, and pull her into a hug. "Kate, whatever it took to get you to see the light about Josh, makes me thrilled. I have been hoping you would dump that jerk for weeks!"
As usual, Lanie's comments caught Kate off guard, but she returned her friend's hug, saying, "Thanks, Lanie. I know it has had to be hard for you to keep those thoughts to yourself. And I appreciate you letting me make up my mind. You are a good friend."
The hug continues for a few more seconds until Lanie pulls away and says, "I should be going, but if you need me, you call me tomorrow night after your dinner with Josh, and I can be back here in a flash!"
Both girls smile, and Kate walks Lanie to the door, giving her another hug before she leaves. Kate then locks her door and goes back into the living room to pick up their wine glasses, takes them to the kitchen, and finishes cleaning up after their pizza dinner.
Kate then turns off all of the lights and heads into her bedroom. After her shower, she climbs into bed and finds that she is still dreading her time with Josh, but she feels better after talking with Lanie.
She tells herself, "I am fortunate to have that crazy girl in my life."
Kate then turns out her bedside lamp, turns over, and tries to fall asleep.
But memories of the past several months begin to surface. Kate thinks back to when things began to change between her and Josh. It all started when he returned from the 'Doctors without Borders' trip Mayo had sponsored for their current interns. When Josh told her about the trip, she was excited for him and supportive and encouraged him to take advantage of the opportunity.
But when he returned, he was different. Kate couldn't put her finger on it at first. But he became completely self-absorbed and would always tell her how important his work was and that she didn't understand what life was like for a doctor. Kate tried to make him understand that she knew his work was important, but she also felt that what she was learning was also important. But he would blow her off and always focus the conversation back on himself.
Kate asked herself, "Where is the Josh I used to know? The caring and thoughtful guy who always listened to her?" They had been together for a little over a year before the Mayo trip. But now that guy seemed to be gone. He was different in many aspects of their life. He seemed to be taking their physical relationship for granted and only seemed to be proud of her when they were in public when she was on his arm. Kate continued to try and work out things with Josh, but now they had come to this point, and she knew she couldn't continue living her life in this type of relationship. She is glad she has decided on her next steps, even though she knows Sunday evening will be a rough encounter.
Kate looks at her bedside clock, seeing it's now 2:30 am. She again turns over, tuning out her thoughts, and finally falls asleep.
Earlier Saturday afternoon
The remainder of Rick's Saturday afternoon was relatively uneventful. After his call from Tom about getting together for a poker game, he was able to settle down and review some of his notes for Monday's lab. He also decided to go ahead and make some notations in his log about the testing results he and Kate experienced on Friday night.
Even though going out Saturday night doesn't sound that great to Rick, he knows it will be good to get away from his apartment and get his mind on something other than his feelings about Kate.
Around 6:00 pm, Rick decides to shower and get ready for his poker game with the guys at the Screaming Fox. He checks on Neddie one more time before heading out to the bar, hoping he can get back home earlier than expected after a night out with his friends.
The poker game with the guys was going okay, but a couple of them picked up on Rick's quiet attitude and started to give him a hard time. Tom knew something was off with his buddy, so he changed the subject, and the remainder of the evening continued without further discussions about Rick.
When Rick arrived home, he was pleased to see that his 'cat proofing' efforts had paid off and Neddie hadn't spread garbage around the kitchen. He refilled the cat's food and water dishes and headed to bed. As soon as his head hit his pillows, his thoughts turned to Kate, hoping that her weekend was working out as she had planned with Josh.
Josh clocked in for his half shift at the Mayo Hospital Clinic before 1:00 pm. Josh's presumptuous attitude about his upcoming dinner with Kate was carrying over to his workplace.
Josh's typical cocky, "I'm god attitude" was more intense than usual during his Saturday afternoon shift. He was bossier and ruder than usual when talking and working with co-workers, especially subordinates. A couple of his colleagues voiced their concerns to the floor supervisor, who chose to watch Josh the following week for any further behavioral issues.
After Josh's shift, he stopped by his favorite bar on his way home, "Thinking about Kate and how his special potion will be the answer to all of his problems with her and Rick."
Sunday morning finds …
Rick was waking up with his thoughts focused solely on Kate, missing her and already looking forward to seeing her Monday morning.
Josh's excitement about his upcoming evening with Kate continues as he puts the finishing touches on his menu and more specific plans on how to introduce his special Potion to Kate.
Kate wakes up Sunday morning having mixed feelings about her upcoming evening with Josh. Thankfully she feels better equipped to take her next steps with their relationship after her afternoon talk with Lanie, but she realizes it will be a tough encounter.
Kate also thinks about Rick, wondering what he is doing and wishing she could call him and be honest about what is happening in her heart.
Kate remains restless all afternoon, continuing her thoughts about how the evening will proceed. She knows she has made the right decision and realizes she cannot continue in this dissatisfied relationship with Josh. She again questions herself, wondering if her feelings would be different if Rick weren't in the picture, but deep down, she knows her relationship with Josh was going downhill long before she ever met Rick.
Rick just helped to open her eyes and remember what a caring, and she has to admit, a loving relationship feels and looks like between two people who genuinely enjoy being with one another. She decides she will let those feelings help give her the resolve needed to make her way through the upcoming evening.
Josh immediately answers Kate's knock on his door a little before 7:00 pm.
Josh is disappointed in the look he sees on Kate's face when he opens the door. He was expecting her to be thrilled to see him, having been apart for a week. He bends down to kiss her, but she quickly turns her head to the side, so his lips only briefly touch her cheek.
"What the h**l is going in here," he thinks to himself.
Kate's formal attitude is not the welcome he had anticipated all weekend, and he is having difficulty controlling his initial reactions. He wants to say something, but he doesn't want to begin their evening with an argument, so he steps to the side and offers to take Kate's coat and hang it up in the nearby closet.
"It's great to see you, Kate. It's been a very long week, and I have certainly missed you," waiting to hear her response. Though his disappointment continues as Kate only gives him a cursory smile and makes her way into his living room.
Kate takes a seat in a nearby chair rather than her usual place on the couch, preventing Josh from having any close contact with her at this point. His ire continues to mount, so he excuses himself and goes into the kitchen, telling Kate he will get them something to drink.
While in the kitchen, Josh places his hands on the countertop, bows his head, takes a deep breath, and tries to compose his emotions before taking a glass of wine back to Kate.
Josh returns to the living room, handing a glass of white wine to Kate, and takes a seat on a chair opposite the one Kate chose earlier. His emotions are getting the best of him, and he says,
"Kate, what's going on? You act like you don't want to be here. You surely aren't still upset about last weekend, are you? I told you everything was fine, and we need to move on!" Josh rattles on without allowing Kate to respond.
Again, Kate finds herself in a state of disbelief when she hears the ramblings of Josh. Her first thought is that,
"As usual, Josh doesn't have a clue about me or my feelings about where our relationship stands." Kate decides she might as well say what's on her mind, not knowing how Josh will react.
"Josh, how can you even believe we could 'move on' as you put it, after all of the terrible things you accused me of last week? You genuinely think I can simply sweep those hurtful statements under the rug and pretend you never said them?" she says with an accusatory tone.
Josh realizes his plans for the evening are quickly sliding out of control. He has got to get the upper hand in this discussion before his entire agenda disintegrates right in front of him.
"Okay, Kate, let's take a step back for a few moments." After a rather long pause, Josh says, "Let's table this discussion and enjoy the delicious meal I prepared especially for you. I made all of your favorites." Josh stands up, reaches for Kate's hand, and leads her to the dining table.
Kate can see that Josh put a lot of effort into setting a lovely table and compliments him on his work. She takes her usual seat while Josh quickly goes to the kitchen and returns with two very delectable-looking Caesar salads. Kate waits until Josh takes his seat, then she picks up her fork, anticipating the appealing flavors of garlic and lemon that will soon be dancing on her taste buds.
Josh carefully takes a forkful of his salad with his eyes never leaving Kate's face. A predatory smirk is already expanding as he anticipates Kate's initial reaction. Kate drops her fork, grabs her napkin, and spits the offending food out of her mouth, to his utter surprise.
"Josh, what in the world did you put in this salad? It tastes horrible," she says as she shoves the offensive plate away.
Josh is trying not to panic, so he says, "Kate, there is nothing wrong with the salad. It tastes delicious. Here, take another bite, and you'll realize I'm right," as he slides the plate back toward her.
"Well, yours may taste good, but mine tastes like rusty water. What did you put in the dressing?" Kate demands, again pushing the plate as far away as possible.
Josh knows he didn't use the Potion the way the old gypsy had told him to, but since Kate is keeping a distance between them, spraying the Potion on her salad was his last-minute idea on how to pass this secret Potion into her system. But it's not working.
Josh stands up and says, let me get the lasagna, and we'll just pass on the salad. He quickly turns and heads back into the kitchen, not noticing that Kate also got out of her chair and is right behind him.
As Kate walks through the open doorway of Josh's kitchen, she sees him pull a small vial out from under a towel that's lying on the counter and spray something on a plate of lasagna.
"Josh, what are you trying to pull off?" Kate asks in a very disturbed tone.
Josh is startled by Kate's unexpected presence in his kitchen and drops the vial onto the towel next to the food plate.
Josh gives his usual pattened answer, "Nothing is going on. I just came in to cut you a piece of my delicious Italian delicacy."
Kate, of course, isn't buying that answer and says, "Right! And what did you just spray on your Italian delicacy?"
"What do you mean?" Josh tries to ask cordially. "This is just a special combination of seasonings that a friend gave me."
"Hum, interesting. Why aren't you spraying this special seasoning on both lasagna pieces?" Kate asks as her suspicious concerns grow.
"Oh, I already sprayed it on the other piece," says Josh, trying to bluff his way out of his current mess.
"Oh, great, I'll just take that piece," Kate says as she reaches for the other slice of his delicacy.
Josh almost freaks and says, "Oh, you can't do that." not even thinking about how things look to Kate.
Now Kate is sure that Josh is up to something, knowing the vial he is holding is very similar to the one she and Rick had used Friday evening when they were testing his Potion.
Josh knows his plans are falling apart. He quickly sprays some of the Potion on his tongue and reaches for Kate, trying to pull her to him so he can kiss her forcibly.
Josh grossly underestimates Kate's speed and strength. She sidesteps his advances simultaneously as she jabs her elbow deeply into his side. Josh bends over in agony as Kate's next move is to stomp on the arch of his foot, causing excruciating pain to shoot up Josh's leg.
Kate quickly takes two steps backward to ensure she is out of Josh's reach, then screams, "What in the world are you doing?" Kate's face is beet red, and her distrust of Josh increases as her anger surges.
Josh's anger is also going out of control, but he can only move slowly in Kate's direction because of his side and foot pain. Beyond being upset with Kate's physical attack, Josh doesn't understand why the Potion isn't working like the old lady described. It almost appears that Kate's irritability with him is increasing.
Before Josh realizes it, Kate grabs the vial out of his hand, touches a napkin to the tip of the aerosol sprayer, then lifts the napkin to her nose, where she smells a very vile odor. At the same time, she notices a very strange-looking ring on Josh's finger.
"Josh, where did you get that ring? I've never seen you wear one like that before," she asks, recalling the description that Rick had told her about the ring that sat on the large bottle of Madame V's Potion. But she recalls him telling her that ring had bright red emeralds in its eyes. The one Josh is wearing has green emeralds.
By this time, Josh is in full defensive mode. He practically yells at Kate, saying, "It's none of your business where I got it, but if you must know, I picked it up at a flea market when I was in Minneapolis."
Kate practically bends over laughing, saying, "Give me a break, Josh; you have never attended a flea market in your life. Do you want to try and tell me the truth?" Kate says with an intense glare in her eyes.
At this point, Josh's emotions are entirely out of control, and he is saying whatever comes to his mind. "Why can't you just eat the damn meal I fixed for you and quit griping about every little thing you don't agree with?"
At the same time, Josh is asking himself, "Why is that concoction the old lady gave me not working on Kate?"
In Josh's current emotional state, he doesn't realize that he just verbalized that thought until he sees the shocked expression on Kate's face.
Kate moves away from Josh, not only out of disgust but because she is concerned about her well-being. She had never before witnessed this much anger directed at her.
"Josh, what are you trying to do?" Kate asks with a new, unbelievably quiet tone.
Josh is in full rampage mode and approaches Kate saying, "You know other girls flock to me and would be envious that I paid as much attention to them as I do to you. And you just blow me off and act like I'm some kind of monster. What do you want, Kate?"
Kate knows that her relationship with Josh has just ended. She looks him directly in the eye and says, "Josh, it's over. That's what I want. This relationship is over! I can't even find the words to describe how I feel now. But I will tell you this once. You stay away from me, or I will contact the authorities and file a formal complaint about what you tried to do to me tonight."
Kate then turns, goes to the closet, gets her coat, and grabs her purse as she goes out the front door. At the same time, she is calling for a cab and praying that it will quickly arrive. As Kate steps away from Josh's apartment, it begins to rain, but Kate doesn't care. Kate stands in the rain, crying, not because she just ended her relationship with Josh, but because she feels so foolish for letting it drag on as long as she did.
The cab arrives within minutes of her call, and Kate is now safely back at her apartment. She drops her wet coat and purse on the floor just inside the door and heads directly into her bathroom. Kate lets her damp clothes hit the floor as she climbs into the warm shower trying to stop the shivering that has been racking her body since she walked out of Josh's apartment. As the warm water begins to calm her shaking body, Kate leans her head against her shower wall and lets the new tears she had been holding back on her cab ride home freely flow.
She knew Josh was obsessive, but she would never have imagined it was to the point where he tried to do what he did to her tonight. It wasn't just that he tried to use a chemical on her; his out-of-control actions scared her. His eyes showed darkness that she didn't know existed in him.
Kate steps out of her shower as the water begins to run cool. She takes her robe off the hook on the back of the bathroom door and goes back into her bedroom. She then climbs into bed, pulling the covers up in an attempt to remain warm.
Her tears have stopped, and Kate has a sense of closure, knowing that she finally took the needed steps to end her relationship with Josh. But Josh's actions and intent on trying to control her in such an unbelievable manner continue to feel overwhelming.
As she drifts to sleep, her final thoughts are of Rick and seeing him in the morning at their lab.
9:30 pm at Josh's apartment…
After Kate left Josh's apartment, he continued on his rampage, not believing that Kate had walked out on him. He is also furious that the so-called special Potion that the b****h fortune-tell gave him was a total deception. Probably something she worked out with that jerk Rodgers.
Josh continued his tirade, throwing food away while determining his next move. He has to break up this relationship between Kate and Rick once and for all. But Josh is at a total loss as to how that can occur. He wants to call Kate and give her a piece of his mind too, telling her she has no idea what she just threw away, but the more he thinks about that plan, he knows Kate probably won't answer, and in fact, she could carry out her threat of calling the cops.
After he's finished in the kitchen and all reminders of the meal he had prepared for Kate are gone, Josh sits down and pours himself three fingers of Scotch, hoping it will help him determine how to deal with this disaster.
Josh's drink unsurprisingly has the opposite effect. His anger and rage only grow to the point that at around 10:30, he decides he is going to go and set things straight with the fortune-teller. She's not going to get away with making him look like a fool.
It's almost 11:00 pm when Josh pulls up to Madame V's house. He wastes no time reaching her front door and begins pounding and yelling to get the old lady's attention.
After Madame V hears the initial pounding at her door, she peeks out of the curtain covering her bedroom window and sees Josh creating the disturbance in her front yard. She takes time to put on a brightly colored evening robe and her favorite slippers before making her descent downstairs to address the annoying sound of her intruder.
Madame V opens her door to the verbal abuse being spewed by her least favorite patron. She stands tall at her entrance with a smirk on her face, knowing that her plan must have worked, and the 'new' Potion backfired on his unsuspecting friend, who she assumes was Rick's girl.
Josh continues his out-of-control screaming accusing Madame V of intentionally destroying his life with Kate. Madame V doesn't know the name of Rick's girl, but she assumes it is 'The Kate.' Madame V stays unresponsive as Josh's uncontrollable frenzy continues in front of her.
Unbeknownst to both Josh and Madame V, one of her neighbors had called the police when they first saw Josh looking like he intended to break down Madame V's door. Sirens could be heard in the night air, but they soon dissipated as two patrol cars rounded the corner and slowly pulled up in front of Madame V's home.
Josh is so overcome with anger and wanting nothing more than to make Madame V 'pay' for what she did to him that he doesn't notice four police officers fanning out across Madame V's front yard as they approach the porch. One of the officers in the center of the group walks up the steps of Madame V's home and asks if she is okay.
Madame V responds, "No, this intruder is harassing me and will not stop." The officer moves closer to Josh as the other three begin to form a tighter circle at the bottom of the steps.
In a calm tone, the officer says, "Sir, you need to quiet down and come with me."
Josh has again lost all control of his emotions and awareness. The officers aren't sure that their words are registering with this man. The officer standing to Josh's left places one hand on his taser and reaches out while he continues to try to talk Josh down calmly, and touches Josh's arm to try and get his attention.
Josh immediately reacts by striking out at the offensive hand that has dared to touch him. Josh had no sooner raised his arm and attempted to swing it at whoever was next to him when one of the other officers immediately moved to his other side to help restrain him from injuring his fellow officer or himself.
After informing Josh that he is under arrest, placing him in handcuffs, and reading him his rights, the officers remove Josh from Madame V's porch accepting her thanks for their quick response to her unexpected intruder.
Josh doesn't realize what is going on until he is placed in the back seat of one of the police cruisers and feels the restraints around his wrists. Josh yells at the two officers as the car pulls away from the curb. One of the officers advises him again of his rights to ensure that Josh understands what is going on. Then he strongly recommends that Josh quiet down and refrain from further conversations with either police officer.
Josh is arrested for harassment, trespassing, assault on an officer of the peace, and resisting arrest. He finally settles down, but it's too late. He knows he has just blown his entire career at Mayo. There is a clause in his intern fellowship that clearly states if he is involved in any type of legal action that is deemed unprofessional by the medical board of his program and that action reflects poorly on the university, he can immediately be terminated for cause; which happens the following day after authorities notified the university of his arrest and the charges.
Josh leaves the university, blaming Rick, Kate, Madame V, and anyone else he can think of for his fall from grace.
A/N #1 - I have included some of the backstory between Kate and Josh to help readers better understand how Kate's feelings have changed over the past few months.
A/N #2 - We are looking at two more chapters, plus an epilogue. And thank you to all who are still following my first multi-chapter story.