AN: Thank you to those who reviewed – your interest really keeps the writing flowing. And, really, you have no idea how much your words brighten my day.
In regards to last chapter and the chapters to come…I want to assure you all that the characters are in good hands. And there are many more revelations/explanations/confusions yet to come. So stay tuned, things may not end up the way we suspect them to – for better or for worse ;)
Hope everyone is doing well and that you have a good weekend.
Take care and enjoy.
CHAPTER 8
CATHERINE POV
Entering the passenger seat of Sara's Tahoe, she instantly picks up on the fact that something is wrong.
That something is very wrong.
"Catherine?"
I can't begin to form words.
Hell, I cannot even bring myself to look at her at this point.
Everything I ever thought I knew about Sara Sidle was apparently a lie.
So much for being the most honest and trustworthy person I thought I ever knew – the self-sacrificing woman who I thought would do anything necessary to keep me from getting hurt.
This goes beyond betrayal.
"Catherine? Are you alright?" she questions.
Finally, I look into her eyes.
The same eyes that once held so much promise for me, so much comfort.
Now, I wonder what else is being hidden behind that emerald gaze.
"No, I'm not alright."
Furrowing her brows, Sara reaches out to place her hand on my arm.
"Don't you dare," I nearly growl at her.
Pulling back her hand as if she had been slapped, she looks at me, her expression confused, worried.
"Ca-"
"No. Do not even say my name," I seethe.
Her brows furrow, her gaze now traveling to the opened package in my hands.
It's obvious to her that things changed when I got hold of this package.
"What's going on?" she asks with concern.
Shaking my head, I open the car door.
"You know what, I'm not really feeling up to joining you at your scene," I grind out, my voice cold. "I'm sure you can handle it on your own."
Her gaze follows my actions as I step out of the car.
Walking away, I hear her car door shoved open and she is at my side mere steps later.
"Ca…shit, please stop. What happened?" she questions desperately, trying to obey my demand to not use my name.
Turning to face her, I register the hurt, the worry in her eyes and it only makes me feel more disdain for this woman that I thought I knew.
Well, knew as much as she would let me.
I now wonder if I ever really knew anything about Sara Sidle at all.
Shaking my head, I turn away in disgust.
"You know what, Sara, I honestly can't even look at you right now," I tell her darkly, seriously. "Just get in your Tahoe and go to your scene."
"Ple-"
"Now, Sara!" I snap, spinning on my heels. "That's a direct order. Disobey me and I will have you fired."
Her eyes narrow and she takes a step away from me, caught off guard by my words. My tone.
I don't think I have ever spoken to her with a tone of such hatred in my voice. Not even in all the years we spent fighting with one another when she first moved to Vegas had I ever used a tone as dark as this.
Moments of tense silence pass, and I spend them all staring past her into the distance.
"Okay," I eventually hear her whisper.
I can feel her eyes on me as she assesses me one final time before taking a deep breath and obeying my demand to walk away.
To walk away from this conversation. To walk away from me.
Sending me one last forlorn glance, she closes her car door and starts the engine.
Following with my eyes as her car pulls out onto the road, I idly hope that she isn't too upset to drive safely.
Then, catching myself at what I am thinking, I force myself not to care about someone who I now know with blinding clarity has absolutely no regard for me.
NANCY POV
"Flynn, visitor."
Looking up from my chart, I acknowledge my supervisor, as well as her displeased tone. It's not often that people visit me at work, but my supervisor is not very subtle in her attempt to warn me against making it a habit.
"Thanks," I mutter, quickly making my way out of the tense atmosphere and out into the busy hallway.
Smiling distractedly at a patient of mine as I pass him in the hall, my gaze is focused on my visitor standing against the doors to my unit.
Catherine's posture immediately has me on edge, along with the fact that she has only once visited me during work hours – and that was when she came by to tell me that our father had been shot and killed.
"Catherine?" I question, my concern growing as she turns to meet me with bloodshot eyes.
"Come on…" I tell her, leading her to an empty supply room and closing the door behind us.
"What's going on? Are you alright? Is Sara alright?" I ask the instant the door clicks shut.
At the mention of Sara's name, my sister drops her gaze from mine, and her breathing picks up.
Placing my hand worriedly on her arm, I try to make her eyes meet mine.
"What happened, Catherine?"
My heart is racing in my chest, and the pace only quickens with each passing moment that my sister remains silent.
Without a word, she hands me an envelope. Staring at her in confusion, I waste no time reaching into the envelope for some answers.
Pulling out four photographs, I look at them in confusion as the subject matter becomes clear to me.
Looking up, I return my gaze to my sister, "I don't get it…"
"Look at the pictures, Nancy."
Looking closer at the photographs in confusion, I feel like my heart literally has stopped when I get what it is that she wants me to see.
Holy hell.
"Tell me you didn't know," my sister demands, looking at me with an expression riddled with anguish. "Please, tell me you didn't fucking know."
Immediately, my hand returns to her arm. "I didn't know, Catherine."
Looking back down at the photos in disbelief, I mutter "Of course I didn't know."
Turning over the envelope, I realize that this was sent to Catherine at work anonymously.
"What did Sara say?" I ask, half terrified to hear the answer. Part of me is still in denial, and to talk about the situation is only making it more real.
I don't know how to cope with losing my best friend in under 0.3 seconds.
Finally meeting my eyes, Catherine shakes her head. "I didn't tell her about the photos. I pretty much told her off without telling her why. I just couldn't…I couldn't come to terms with what I was seeing quickly enough. I still can't make sense of it, Nance. This is Sara we are talking about."
Sighing, I shake my own head.
"I don't get it, Cath. Of all the people who I could picture cheating on someone, Sara isn't one of them. Do you know that these were taken during the time when you two were together?"
Catherine runs her fingers through her hair, "The time stamp is from last week."
Looking down, I see that she is right.
Fuck.
"Timestamps can be faked," I offer, trying to keep all options open. Trying to keep this nightmare from becoming a reality.
"Yes, but scars can't," Catherine counters.
Confused, I look back down at the picture. Then, almost immediately her meaning becomes clear. In one of the shots, Sara's arm is angled in such a way that the edge of the scar on her shoulder is visible to the camera located somewhere behind her.
The scar that she most definitely got when my sister and her were already very much together.
Fuck again.
"Pictures can be faked," I try, knowing the things people can do with image programs these days are absolutely baffling.
Shaking her head, Catherine closes her eyes briefly.
"It was the first thing I checked before I came here. Pixel concentration is consistent throughout in all of the pictures. No alterations."
"Fuck," I finally offer aloud.
"There's something else," she tells me, looking at me with heavy eyes.
"There was a man at Spurs the other night. He told me that Sara has been there with another woman. I didn't want to believe him, and Sara denied it all."
Letting out a breath, her eyes close. "He told me she was there with a woman with black hair, Nancy."
I don't need to look at the pictures again to know where she is going with this. It appears now that this may have been something more than a one night stand.
Holy hell.
"Catherine…" I start, before quickly realizing that I have no clue what to say.
I mean, really, what is there to say at a time like this?
Shaking her head, Catherine sends me a gentle smile. "I know."
Nodding, I pull her in for a hug, holding her close as I feel the tension in her body literally making her shake.
"Do you still have the guest room available at your house?" she mutters, sounding exhausted and empty.
"Of course," I answer, holding her close.
Shaking my head, I can only hold her, my body numb, my mouth speechless, and my thoughts stunned.
AN: As always, thanks for reading. Love to hear your thoughts.
