Hey people,
I had a productive day of adult-ing so I'm rewarding myself with some down time and writing.
Hope everyone's had a good weekend, I had a very quiet one! Lol
Thanks to everyone that's reviewing, good to see there's more active users on the site! I'm trying to review more myself because as a writer I know how encouraging a few words can be. So please, everyone who reads anyone's story/chapter, please review, even if it's just to say good job. A little can go along way!
Anyway, on with the show...
The Ties that Bind
Chapter 5
Paul stood out the front of Mike house muttering to himself, Kate had told him to butt out but he couldn't, she we implicated in this because of him. He knocked on the door constantly until it opened. Mike was shocked to see Paul standing in front of him, he barged his way into the house.
"Paul? What are you doing here? How did you know where I lived?"
"I don't think that really matters! I'd be more worried about what's happening to Kate, you're supposed to be her boyfriend and you're just letting her cop this?"
Mike held up his hands to halt the conversation, he wasn't going to let Paul make him feel bad about the situation.
"Okay, I understand why you're mad but there's not much I can do Paul, it's gone above me."
He stepped forward trying to assert his position.
"But you haven't even defended her!"
"What can I say? I mean to be honest I feel a bit betrayed she didn't tell me, a week ago we'd never heard of you, how am I supposed to defend her when it turns out I don't know a lot about her?"
Paul was getting madder by the minute, he started to raise his voice a little.
"What's that supposed to mean? You think she's involved?"
"Of course not! But can't you see how this looks?"
"No! I can't, I just don't know how you can stand by and let this happen? Least I know what type of man you are..."
Paul went to walk out the door, Mike grabbed his arm, he wasn't going to let Paul judge him.
"Hang on a minute, you know nothing about me and about Kate for that matter. Where were you when she needed someone? Oh that's right, you were in prison! I don't think you have the right to judge us...If you want to help her maybe you should think about moving on?"
Paul turned towards Mike with an enraged look on his face, Mike stood his ground but secretly he was a little scared about how he was going to react.
"I'm not going anywhere mate..."
Paul shook his head as he walked out of the house. He walked back to Kate's house and found her sitting on the couch deep in thought.
"Where's Dutchy?"
"I sent him home..."
"Why?"
"Paul, not now..."
He stood in front of her with his arms folded across his chest.
"Kate, what are you doing?"
"What do you mean what am I doing?"
"He's trying to help?"
She stood up and put her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, we there's nothing he can do..."
Paul rolled his eyes and squeezed her.
"You have always been the stubborn one..."
She wiggled out of his embrace.
"Paul this isn't a joke..."
"I'm not laughing sis, this is my fault, I'm just trying to make you feel better..."
She sighed.
"It's not, but I just have to wait it out."
He sat back on the couch and leant his head on his arm.
"I just can't believe that your bosses aren't backing you up, Mike was being so..."
Kate sat up straight up looking annoyed.
"Hang on, you went and saw Mike?"
Paul realised his slip up and cringed.
"Kate, I was only trying to help...but anyway he was useless, I think he blames me..."
She was getting wound up, her volume went up a notch.
"What did he say?"
He broke eye contact, he knew he was going to make things a lot worse but he needed to tell her the truth.
"He said... the best way I could help you was for me to leave..."
Kate got up and stormed out the house and drove to Mike's house. She entered without knocking, Mike was in the kitchen tidying up.
"This is how you help? Telling my brother to leave?"
Mike was startled, although he was expecting a reaction like this. He calmly put down the tea towel and walked into the lounge room, Kate followed.
"Well?"
"It's not like that Kate."
She put her hands on her hips and challenged his answer.
"Oh really, how is it then?"
Mike sat down on the couch trying to diffuse the situation.
"Look, I might have said that, but he cornered me. I just think this wouldn't be happening if he wasn't here..."
"That's not the point Mike, instead of telling him to bugger off you could be trying to support me instead of accusing him..."
He sighed and reached out to hold her hand.
'Kate..."
She snatched her hand away, he gave her a guilty look.
"You know I don't think you're involved in this right? But what can I do?"
"I'm not asking you to do anything Mike..."
"Well maybe that's the problem..."
She shot him a confused look, Mike glanced at her out the corner of his eye and the back to the floor.
"You went to Dutchy and not me?"
"What?"
He wanted to stop but his mouth took over.
"Kate, do you have feelings for him?"
Kate face turned red, not out of embarrassment but out of fury.
"Mike, what are you accusing me of? That I agreed to date you but I'm actually in love with Dutchy?"
Mike gave her a blank stare, that was exactly it, she gave him a disgusted look and got up.
"You've hit a new level of ridiculousness!"
She stormed out of his house and drove back to her house. She entered the house looking for Paul, she went up to his room and knocked on the door.
"Paul, are you okay?"
There was no answer.
"Paul..."
She opened the door and looked around, the wardrobe doors were wide open and his clothes were gone. She immediately took out her phone and dialled Dutchy's number.
"Dylan, he's gone..."
10 minutes later Dutchy rushed into the house and found Kate standing in his room.
"He's gone Dutchy..."
"What do you mean gone?"
"He fought with Mike, he said I'd be better off without him..."
"Kate, he was just trying to protect you..."
"Yeah, but why doesn't he have to do it like that?"
Dutchy sighed.
"Have you tried calling him?"
She nodded.
"Yeah, no answer, I've left him like 10 voice mails..."
"Let me try..."
He took out his phone and dialled his number, there was no answer.
"Paul mate, it's Dutchy, look your sisters really worried just let us know you're okay..."
He hung up.
"Okay, so where else would he go?"
"Nowhere, he doesn't know anyone..."
"Well, you wanna just drive around and look for him?"
She nodded and grabbed her keys.
"I can't just sit here..."
Dutchy turned to walk out the door, Kate grabbed his arm stopping him, he looked puzzled.
"Kate?"
She gave his arm a slight squeeze.
"Thanks for coming..."
He smiled and hugged her.
"It's fine, I'll always be here..."
They drove around the suburb looking for him, it was pointless, he could be anywhere. Kate pulled the car over and placed her head on the steering wheel and exhaled loudly. Dutchy gently placed his hand on her back.
"Let's just go home, hopefully he'll come to his sense and come home..."
She nodded and pulled the car back out onto the road.
They flopped on to the couch, Kate let down her messy pony tail and rubbed her hand though her hair..
"I can't believe Mike..."
"Kate, it's not his fault..."
There was a pause in the conversation, Dutchy didn't know whether she wanted to talk about it. She was good at bottling things up and trying to handle everything on her own.
"So are you guys trying again?"
Kate sat there for a moment wondering how much to divulge.
"Ah, well we were but he's just shown me that he hasn't changed."
Dutchy didn't know what she was referring to, she scoffed.
"Do you know what he accused me of?"
"What?"
She suddenly felt her cheeks warming and broke eye contact.
"He accused me of agreeing to see him but then having secret feelings..."
Dutchy raised an eyebrow and nudged her, she looked back at him reluctantly.
"For you..."
Dutchy didn't really know how to react. They were good mates, the thought had crossed him mind once or twice but he didn't trust himself not to ruin it.
He looked up at her, he didn't want to completely deny it but he also didn't want to complicate things.
"I guess it's an easy assumption to make? We spend a lot of time together..."
"Yeah, but it was just the way he said it, like he was doing it to get under my skin..."
"Or he was trying to see if it was true?"
She ignored his comment and picked up her phone again and dialled Paul's number, it went straight to voice mail. She slammed her phone on the table out of frustration and fear.
"Damn it!"
Dutchy moved closer and hugged her.
"He'll be fine Kate, just let him blow off some steam and hopefully he'll come back."
He knew it was a cliché but it's all he had, Kate sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder.
A few hours later Kate's phone rang, it was from a private number. She snatched it off the table and answered it.
"Paul?"
"Hi, is this Kate McGregor..."
"Yes..."
"Ah Ms McGregor, my name is Doctor Terry Collins, are you related to a Mr Paul McGregor?"
Kate's heart started to pound in her chest, she lowered herself on to the couch.
"Oh god, he's my brother, is he okay?"
Dutchy ran over to the couch and sat beside her, she put the phone on speaker.
"Ms McGregor, he was found at the docks, he's had an overdose and been beaten but he was lucky someone rang an ambulance."
"Where is he?"
"Cairns Hospital..."
"I'm on my way..."
Kate and Dutchy ran into the hospital, she ran up to the nurses' station.
"Hi, I'm Kate McGregor, I believe my brother Paul was brought in."
The nurse nodded and paged the doctor.
"If you just wait over there I have paged Dr Collins..."
Dutchy sat down as Kate started to pace. A few minutes later Dr Collins approached them.
"Ms McGregor..."
She shook his hand.
"Kate is fine...ahh, this is my friend Dylan..."
The doctor nodded in his direction.
"He's awake, the paramedics had to give him a shot of Narcan so he's probably going to feel pretty miserable over the coming day or so. Do you know how long it's been since he's used?"
"Ah no, a while, I hope..."
"Also when we found him he had been beaten so I'm not sure what has happened. We have called the police..."
He could see the worry in her eyes.
"It's not because of the drugs, more to do with the assault...you can see him but just for a little bit. He's in the room to the left..."
Kate walked to the door and paused, memories flooded back from when she was younger. This was a common occurrence, like going to the shops but every time she saw him in the hospital he swore it was the last time but it never was. Dutchy could see she was uneasy, he put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll be right outside if you need me..."
She gave him and nod and entered the room, she gasped as she saw the cuts and bruises over Paul's face. He heard her and slowly opened his eyes.
"Kate..."
She sat down beside him and held his hand.
"What happened?"
"I'm sorry! I've let you down again! I thought about what Mike said and maybe he was right... I packed up my things and left and then I just got down on myself. I called an old mate who knew someone here. I just took one hit, a bit of liquid courage but then I couldn't pay for it... so they beat me up..."
Tears fell from both their eyes, she squeezed his hand.
"The doctor said you OD'd..."
"Yeah well, stupid me, I guess I was out of practice... honestly I hadn't taken the stuff for about 7 years and I guess I thought if I did take too much then who cares..."
"Paul, I care! How can you think that no one cares..."
"I know you care sis, but I've hurt you too much... you're better off without me!"
She squeezed his arm as tears fell from her eyes.
"Don't ever say that...Do you know why I never came to see you? Why I was so angry at you?"
"Well, you hated me for doing drugs..."
"Yeah but there was more too it..."
He shook his head slightly not sure that he wanted to hear it.
"Because I love you, you idiot! I couldn't watch my favourite person in the whole world slowly kill them self! You know why you don't know me anymore? Because I had to change, I couldn't be the person I was because it reminded me too much of you. So instead I became this rule following straight backed person, the opposite of you and what we were like together..."
He smiled slightly.
"Well it's not all bad, you are a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy..."
She rolled her eyes, of course he was making a quip.
"I know Paul, and I do love my job and in a way you have helped me become this person. But I would have rather had my brother by my side while doing all of this..."
He broke eye contact, he knew what he meant to her and he still did horrible things. He didn't want her to think he did them to intentionally hurt her. He sighed.
"Well maybe now I'm back a little bit of the old Katie can come out, I loved her but I also love how you are now..."
There was a knock on the door, Kate spun round to see the Police. They entered the room, she squeezed his hand.
"I'll wait outside..."
Kate exited the room, Dutchy got up and gave her a smile.
"Everything okay?"
"Yes and no... the cops are talking to him about the assault, but the fact that he used terrifies me... I don't know if he will do it again. It just brings back all these memories of miss trust..."
Kate sat down in the corridor and Dutchy followed. Mike ran into the hospital and approached them.
"Everything okay?"
Kate was confused how he knew, she glanced back at a Dutchy.
"Don't be mad, I messaged him..."
Kate gave him a sour look and walked down the corridor with him.
"Kate, can you just let me be worried? I think I'm allowed to be worried..."
She sighed, she knew that their arguments were always heated because both of them were so stubborn.
"Mike, I just don't have the energy to fight..."
"I don't want to fight Kate, I want to see if you're okay..."
"And Paul?"
Mike hesitated, Kate became annoyed.
"See, you can't stop being a Commander for one minute..."
"No Kate, it's more that he has hurt you, caused you stress and pain, how can I like someone who does that to you..."
"If I can get over it Mike, you should be able to too...I'm going to get a coffee.
Kate walked away, she wasn't going to justify why she loved her brother.
Dutchy cautiously approached, they sat down on the bench, Mike rubbed his hand s over his face.
"She'll come round Boss..."
He sat back up and glanced at Dutchy with a funny look on his face.
"So how did you know he was here?"
Dutchy thought it was a strange question, he wasn't sure what he was getting at. Mike noticed his pause and sighed.
"She called you..."
He knew what Mike was implying, he nodded slightly.
"He'd been missing for a while, he'd taken all his stuff, she was panicked... he umm said, he said you told him to leave..."
Mike could tell by the tone in Dutchy's voice that he didn't approved and he did agree that it wasn't the best move but he still wanted to defend himself.
"Well, can't you see all this rubbish started with him..."
Dutchy didn't want him to get worked up, he wanted to Mike to know that he wasn't trying to take from him either.
"Mike, she's just upset, I think she's scared he'll leave her again, look just be there for her..."
He sat up and scoffed.
"Yeah, like you are?"
Mike shook his head, he wasn't going to take relationship advice from someone who was with a different woman every month. He got up and walked away before he said anything else stupid.
Dutchy stood up, he was torn between staying with Kate and trying to talk some sense into Mike. He sat back down on the bench and put his head in his hands.
"Just great..."
End of Chapter 5.
xx