The days became a dreary routine: get up, go to work, and return home at night to eat dinner in frozen silence. Peter would channel surf through television stations, never able to concentrate on anything for more than five minutes. Kacie would open a book and hardly turn a page throughout the evening.
Peter usually ended up going to bed first, feigning sleep when Kacie would eventually crawl in. Before long, she would try to read until she fell asleep on the couch, sometimes not actually going to bed until only a few hours before it was time to start the whole pattern all over again.
Awaking early one morning, Peter lay thinking, hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. {Two weeks. For two weeks, we've been strangers living in the same home, sharing the same bed. This isn't a marriage. It's a living arrangement.}
Turning his head, he looked over at Kacie and watched her sleep. Her face had taken on a gaunt look, and when awake, the dark circles under her eyes showed how poorly she was sleeping. {She always looks so sad. Even now, she looks like she's ready to cry.}
He closed his eyes, trying to force himself back into slumber, but after a few minutes gave up went back to staring at the ceiling. {We can't go on like this. I know I can't. But what do we do?} He sighed audibly. {Does she still love me? I can't stand the thought that she's been in another man's arms. That he's...loved her...like I have.}
He swallowed at the lump that had lodged in his throat. {She's going to leave me. Abandon me. Just like all the others. Why did I ever think I could share my soul with her, or anyone?}
He looked over at Kacie as she started to move restlessly and moan. "No...don't let it happen...don't...I can't lose any more...I can't." She twitched violently just before her eyes flew open. She sat up, gasping and trembling.
In spite of himself, Peter asked quietly, "You OK?"
She took a deep breath of air and exhaled slowly. Pulling her knees up to her chin, she circled her arms around them and rested her head against them. "Yeah, fine. Just another bad dream. I think it must be the Restoril."
"Restoril? Isn't that a sleeping pill? When did you start taking pills?" He frowned at her with a shocked expression on his face.
She reddened and looked away. "I don't remember. Couple weeks, I guess."
"I thought you hated pills."
"I did. I still do. I just couldn't function at work without sleep." She slid back down under the covers and closed her eyes. "What time is it?"
Peter glanced at the bedside clock. "A little after six."
She sighed. "Might as well get up."
The inches of physical space between them stretched as wide as the Grand Canyon. She looked over at him and then away. "Why don't you take the Camry to work today? Try it out, and see what you think of it. The car dealer said I could keep it another day or two before I needed to make up my mind."
"How did you get a car dealer to let you test drive a car for a week?" Peter watched her closely, just now noticing the way the necklace he had given her throbbed with the pulse beat at her throat.
"Dr. McClanahan performed a heart bypass on the guy's father, and told Langel how much help I had been during the procedure. The guy is so grateful that his dad is doing well, he made the deal with me."
Peter felt his muscles stiffen. {I should've known that McClanahan would have his nose in it somehow.} "That's OK. I'm getting used to a cab."
"It's kinda silly to spend money on a cab and just leave the Stealth sit. I can take it to work while you use the Camry." She turned to look at him, and for once, neither looked away.
"I said I'll take a cab." His eyes narrowed and his gaze at her was somewhat challenging.
Stung, she threw back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed a moment before getting up. "It was only a suggestion," she muttered, padding to the bathroom and firmly shutting the door.
Peter stood in the kitchen drinking his first cup of coffee for the day when Kacie came out of the bedroom. She was braiding her hair with her fingers as she walked to the hall closet to get her coat. He noted how the jeans that had clung to her curves now bagged loosely around her figure. "Aren't you gonna eat somethin' before you leave?"
"I'm not hungry." She pulled her coat on before moving back into his line of vision. "I'll probably be late tonight. Dr. McClanahan has three surgeries scheduled today to finish up before the weekend. I don't know how long they'll take."
The muscles at the corner of Peter's jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth without saying anything.
Kacie glanced at him again. "We're supposed to go to Paul and Annie's for dinner on Sunday to celebrate Paul's birthday. Have you picked up something for him yet, or do you want me to?"
"I've taken care of it."
"OK. Just thought I'd check. See you tonight. I..." She hesitated before finishing in a faltering voice, "Bye," and walked quickly out the door.
Peter took another sip of the suddenly bitter coffee. He spit it out into the sink and dumped the rest of the mug after it, staring at the scattered grounds in the basin.