"These stairs aren't good for your leg," Kate warned. Both arms were wrapped around Jack's arm nervously. His cast had been removed today after weeks of it on and she had been a nervous wreck. Every step had been carefully monitored. Jack relished every minute of it; there had been a time when he feared she'd never care for him again. "Where are we going?" Tonight had been nothing but confusion for her.
While Jack recovered, he and Kate had grown closer. She assisted him with his physical therapy, nursed him back to health and kept his pain medicine carefully monitored. All in all, Kate was responsible for Jack's recovery. He had been amazed to watch her juggle those tasks with taking care of Aaron, cooking and cleaning.
He had remembered his mother's warning about Kate and Sarah both being in love with him. He hadn't been in his right mind at the time, but he knew now. Kate had come to his side and hadn't left since the accident. When the doctor scheduled his cast removal, he had mustered up the courage to ask Kate out. And this date was something she'd never forget.
Kate clung to Jack's arm; this dimly lit and plain building was a mystery in itself. To top it off, when Jack saw her little black dress and heels he had suggested she change. He had even picked out the riding boots, skinny jeans and white sweater she now wore.
"Trust me," Jack whispered, softly squeezing her hand. He took it as a positive sign that she relaxed; he was already nervous about his plans for the night.
He lead Kate into a plain room with people standing around, talking. There was a table with sparse doughnuts and coffee.
"This must be Kate!" An elderly woman squealed. "She's even more beautiful than you said!"
"Kate?" A middle aged man turned towards them, doughnut powder on the corners of his mouth. "We've waited so long to meet you!"
Kate was dizzy with confusion. Who were these people? How did they know her? What had they been told?
"Jack," Kate whispered as she leaned into him.
"It'll all make sense," he promised "but we should have a seat." He lead her to two empty folding chairs. Kate silently followed him, her eyes exploring every inch of the place.
"Welcome, welcome! I see a couple new faces tonight. If that's you, sit back, listen to the stories. When you're ready to speak up you'll know." An overweight man announced from the podium.
Kate gave Jack a questioning glance. "Is this a cult?" She whispered and he didn't know if she was joking or not. Instead, he squeezed her hand again to reassure her. Before she could relax, he had his hand in the air. The overweight man nodded and Jack made his way to the podium before Kate could stop him.
"Hi, my name is Jack and I'm addicted to pain medicine and alcohol." He lifted a hand to the crowd.
"Hi Jack!" They all said in unison.
"I recently had a relapse," he admitted. "I was in a car accident and given pain medicine. I had worked so hard to get clean, as I've discussed here before. When I wasn't supervised, I mixed the pain medicine with alcohol within a matter of days."
Kate wiped the tears from her eyes before knotting her hands. She had made a point not to ask Jack about his meetings; she was concerned but more worried he'd feel she was suffocating him. She wanted him to be able to trust her with his recovery and this felt like he was telling her all his secrets.
"My addiction caused me to lose the woman I love the first time around," Jack continued. I said things to her and thrown things in her face that I had no right to ever think, let alone say. And I had ended up here, months ago in my struggle to get clean. I had climbed so hard to get up that hill only to fall back down again. And at my worst, when I was drunk and loaded with pain medicine, it was that same woman who came back. She managed my pain medicine while I recovered. She never threw it in my face or brought it up. She knew it was my own actions that caused my relapse but never lost sight of the fact that the trigger for all this was a car accident that was unavoidable. She let me back into her son's life after him witnessing me at my lowest. It's only been a few weeks now, but I'm moving forward and refusing to relapse. If I have to, I'll spend my entire life trying to make things right with Kate. I think I'm off to a pretty good start," he glanced up, smiling at Kate.
He found himself amazed once again at how beautiful she looked. Her eyes were outlined in red and puffy from crying, but she smiled at him with a pride he'd never seen from her.
Once home, Kate lead him into her bedroom by the hand. Inside, she stood on her tiptoes and grabbed the back of his head to deepen the kiss. Her other hand fiddled with his pants. She was desperate for him; her body ached for his touch. "Tonight was..." she whispered against his lips. He grabbed her waist, kissing her and moving to onto the bed. They kissed wildly as they peeled each other's clothing off in a desperate attempt for skin to skin contact.
He placed a hand on her hip as he eased himself inside her. She tossed her head back and let a moan escape her lips as his mouth connected with her neck, kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin. Their eyes locked with each other, both were equally surprised to realize they were making love. She had always assumed if anything, they'd have rough sex in a frenzy if anything. And yet, she knew it was her idea.
Suddenly, she stopped and grabbed both sides of his face, getting his full attention. "I love you," she admitted. "I've always loved you." He cupped her face and let his tongue push into hers as he thrust inside her one last time, giving them both the release they needed. "I love you," she panted again, curling up against his side.
"I know," he kissed the top of her head. "My mom told me."
She sat up, tilting her head. "Your mom told you?" She gave a half amused smile. Had the surgeon really needed his mom to point out the painfully obvious?
"Yeah. She told me when I woke up to you curled up next to me in the hospital bed. I guess I didn't think I stood a chance. Women like you don't come around very often, Kate."
Kate rolled her eyes, secretly loving all of this. "I've told you before, I have always been with you." She wondered how many times Jack would need to hear that before it sank in. However many times, she'd be there.
The end.