| Catherine’s awakening brought about the emergence of the man she married all those years ago. William rearranged his priorities. The top one being Catherine. Everything else fell in line behind her wants and needs. After being away from the office for nearly ten days, however, he did go in and answer his mail and messages. Louise had kept him abreast of any major issues but very little had transpired over the Christmas holiday. The change in him didn’t go undetected. He had always been polite to all the staff on the executive floor but now it was like he was Ebenezer Scrooge after experiencing his ghostly visits. He showed true concern and friendliness to everyone. Louise in particular was speechless when he arrived the day after New Year’s with flowers for her and a sincere note of appreciation for keeping the office running during his absence. He brought his executive teams together asking them to take on additional responsibilities during this time. He assured them that he could be reached any time and his lap top would be with him but until Catherine was settled in a rehabilitation clinic he would be at the hospital and then he would arrange his daily schedule around spending time with her. And then there was Garrett. William dealt with him separately. He had laid the law down to him on Christmas night taking him into the room William was occupying. William berated him for his behavior and lack of respect for his mother and her condition. He gave him notice that even though William was not physically present at the office if he found the smallest discrepancy in the company’s ledgers or dealings while he was absent, and Garrett was responsible, he would disown him. He would be discharged from the company, given a severance and sent on his way. He was to make time each day in his schedule to visit his mother, at least twice a day. And lastly, his animosity towards Colby was to cease. He scoffed at the last request and William slapped him. Garret charged at his father, his nostrils flaring only to be stopped by a nurse entering the room and asking them to keep their voices down. William sent Garrett home telling him they would finish their talk later. Garrett just glared at his father as he left the hospital anger seething through every pore in his body. William knew that he would have to keep an eye on him. He could treat him like a recalcitrant child if that’s how he wanted to play it. One sure fire way to bring him to his knees was to cut off his money. Garrett could spend it faster than he made it. He ate, drank and wore only the finest and every year he had a new car, all of which William paid for. He should have stopped it all a long time ago but he justified it all because Garrett had been his hatchet man on too many occasions. Always willing to do the unsavory acts of negotiation, William depended on Garrett to get the job done. And now, after years of no regard for anyone, how did William pull in the reins on the monster he had created with his own two hands. Besides his failure as a husband to Catherine he regretted his inability to be a real father to his sons. Rob was gone. Was there any hope for Garrett? William wasn’t so sure. He had done too good a job, just like his father and grandfather had done with him. William’s saving grace was Catherine. Who did Garrett have? Garrett looked on women as a weakness. They were only good to satisfy his baser needs. Once they became to clingy, they were gone from his life. William knew about them all. That’s why as underhanded as his plan for Colby had been, deep down he thought she could bring him some stability. It would never have happened though. He knew it now. They would have killed each other and then William would have had another failure to deal with. Colby was better off with Littrell. They suited each other and you could definitely see the chemistry between them, much like Rob and Colby. Whenever William had been in their presence he could feel the draw between them, even if they were on opposite sides of the room. He and Catherine had that once, but he had done a good job of putting out the flame. As William spent those days sitting with Catherine he wondered if there was a chance to rekindle it again? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Colby pushed the door open slowly. William sat with Catherine and Colby could hear his soft, tender words as he wiped her mouth. “You are doing so much better, sweetheart.” The affectionate term didn’t go unnoticed by Colby as William handed the spoon back to Catherine. The older woman smiled weakly at her husband as she gingerly moved the half-filled spoon of pudding to her mouth. This time there was no spilling and her eyes lit up at her accomplishment. William leaned over and kissed her forehead and Catherine closed her eyes as his lips made contact with her. “I’m so proud of you,” he said as again Catherine fed herself the sweet dessert. Colby let the door close and stood in the hall still perplexed over the change in William. She had thought that after nearly a month of acting as the devoted husband he would have reverted back to his old ways. But there was no indication of a reversal of his behavior. If it was an act he was giving a command performance. Unless you knew differently, his loving, attentive manner appeared normal, as well as his conduct towards Colby. They continued to be polite to each other, basically limiting their conversation to Catherine and her progress but Colby sensed William was truly trying to amend is ways. She was still wary and not quite ready to let her guard down completely. Colby paced the hallway thinking all this through. The doctors were convinced Catherine would recover, how completely, they weren’t sure, but all indications showed that she would eventually regain her speech and the use of her left hand. They were still hesitant about predicting she would walk again, but one could always hope. Colby saw the nurse leave Catherine’s room with her lunch tray. She walked backed down the hall and entered the room. When Catherine looked up and saw her, her face lit up and a slow smile spread across her mouth. Colby came and sat on the opposite site from William. Carefully Catherine took her right hand and reached for Colby’s. She gave her hand a squeeze and Colby laughed as she felt her fingers tighten around her. “Wow! What a grip!” Catherine nodded. “You are doing so well.” Colby kissed her cheek. “Colby,” William said as he stood, “Can I leave you two for awhile. I need to return a couple of calls.” “Of course, William. My afternoon is free. Take your time. Besides we have some girl talk.” Colby winked at Catherine. “I’ll be back soon, my sweet. Don’t overdo it.” Catherine nodded. William caressed her cheek and left them. As Colby watched the exchange between them a warm flush filled her at the tenderness and love between them. Catherine’s eyes never left William until the door closed. The look on her face told Colby that she was as much in awe of this change in William as Colby. In the month since Catherine woke from the coma the strength in her right side slowly returned. It was not fully restored but she pushed herself to gain back some sense of independence, thus feeding herself even at the expense of spilling and missing her mouth. Catherine pointed to the board and marker and Colby retrieved them from the foot of the bed laying the board on Catherine’s lap and handed her the marker. Determinedly, Catherine printed the letter B with a question mark on the board. Colby grinned at her question. “Brian?” Catherine nodded at her. “He’s fine.” Colby said as she felt Catherine squeeze her hand again urging her to tell her more. “He’s still in California and asks about you every day.” Slowly Catherine printed, ‘you go?’ Colby looked down at the words and sighed. “He wanted me too, but I told him I needed to be here, be with you.” Catherine frowned at her response and shook her head no. “Yes, Catherine. He understands and we talk every day. I give him updates on how well you are doing. He should be home soon.” Catherine’s mouth moved as the words ached to come forth. Colby watched as her cheeks puffed out and her lips puckered but only gurgles and moans escaped. She pounded her hand on the bed and Colby saw tears in her eyes. “It’s okay, Catherine. Give yourself time. You’ve amazed the doctors with your progress. You will talk again, just be patient.” Colby stayed till late afternoon. She filled Catherine in on all the news but Catherine kept pulling Colby back to Brian. She loved watching Colby talk about him. Her face just glowed at the mere mention of his name. Colby didn’t realize how much she would actually miss him. Each day was full with the shop and visiting with Catherine but at night when she was alone she longed for him. They talked at least twice a day and always afterwards she would feel his absence more. Her body ached for him and his touch. Those intimate moments together were so special and thoughts of them together would send a warm surge through her. Colby shared some of these feelings with Catherine and the older woman’s eyes filled, her heart bursting with happiness for Colby. They belonged together and Catherine was determined to fully recover and see them settled. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Their reunion upon Brian’s return was a passionate one. He had been gone over ten days and being back in his arms only reaffirmed to Colby just how much she missed him. That first night they finally fell asleep in the early hours of morning, their bodies spent and nestled close to each other. Brian had refused to let her go home and Colby didn’t put up a fuss. She missed him so much that when he had led her to his bedroom she gladly went delighting in his warm caresses. Through Brian’s gentle persuasion and charm and his ability to create in Colby an insatiable need to be with him Colby began spending every weekend at his house following his trip to California. Those days became their haven from the outside. They ignored the clock with the only constant being that Colby insisted she continue to spend time every day with Catherine. Many of those hours was spent in bed neither one wanting to leave the other. Their lovemaking took on a new dimension. The physical release was still strong and powerful but their union went deeper than flesh meeting flesh. Their souls were laid bare to the other and they opened up to each other in ways neither one had ever done before. For as close as Rob and Colby had been, when she was with Brian there was a spirituality to their coming together. Each touch and kiss was like a prayer and Colby surrendered completely to him. The feeling was so incredible that when she tried to put it into words she couldn’t and she didn’t have to. Brian knew exactly what she meant. The intimacy that they shared spilled over to the rest of their time together. So her actions two days after his birthday gave Brian cause for concern. They had marked his turning another year older with a quiet dinner at a small, cozy restaurant on the outskirts of town and then came home and made love most of the night. When she left in the morning she seemed okay but Brian never heard from her the rest of the day. At first he chalked it up to the fact that she was busy at the shop or at the hospital. But when he called the shop, he was told she hadn’t been there. He kept calling the house but continually got the answering machine. He didn’t want to worry; thinking it was nothing but his overprotective nature. But the next day when there was still no word from her he began to panic. He finally went to her house. The car was there but she never answered the door. He pounded on the back door and called out, but there was no response. Not having a key, his only resort would be to break in and he thought twice about that. He called Barbara and only got her machine. He left a frantic message. He racked his brain for what could have caused her to shut down so quickly. He hadn’t changed in his behavior. If anything, he loved her more than ever. Maybe they were moving too fast, spending so much time together, but Brian wanted her with him. He had even been thinking about a permanent relationship. Although he was aware she might not be ready to make that commitment. He was on his way to the hospital. Maybe Catherine or William had seen her. That was another thing that seemed strange. Colby’s visits to Catherine were part of her daily routine, she hadn’t missed a day. Normally she would have been there now, but if her car was at the house, he shook his head. As he pulled into the parking garage his phone rang. He pulled into a space and answered the phone. “Hello.” “Brian, it’s Barbara.” “Oh thank God.” He let out a breath. “Colby? Have you seen her or talked to her?” His voice, anxious, blurted out the question. “No,” she said slowly, “not today.” The way she answered sent up a warning signal to Brian. “Barbara, if you know something, tell me.” He urged her. “Brian, oh, I,” he heard her sigh. “For God’s sake, Barbara, please.” He begged beginning to lose his patience. “If you know where she is and what has happened tell me. Maybe I can help.” She heard the desperation in his voice. “She’s at the house, Brian and she is fine,” Barbara hesitated, “well as fine as can be expected. Brian, a year ago today,” he didn’t let her finish. “Rob died. Damn.” He sat staring at the concrete wall in front of him. She never said a word; she just pulled away sinking back into her own cocoon of grief. Brian ran his hand through his hair. He thought that new ground had been broken these last few weeks. They seemed so much closer, but obviously, not close enough. “I need to go to her,” he said starting the car up and backing out of the space. The tires screeched as he sped to the garage exit. “No! Listen to me Brian. As hard as it is, Colby needs to do this on her own. If you interfere, you’ll only cause a rift in your relationship. Give her a day or two to work this through. I’ve talked with her, she loves you, she just needs,” Brian’s voice broke through. “Needs to be alone! Why? I love her I respect what she had with Rob and she knows I will never take that from her. How many times do we have to go around about this?” He slammed on his brakes just missing an EMS truck headed into the emergency entrance of the hospital. “Brian, please, just do it. I know you want to help, but right now the best way you can do that is by giving her some space. I know you feel like she is shutting you out, but she has to finally lay this all to rest and she feels the only way is to be alone.” Barbara felt like Brian. She wished Colby would let them help her but it would be a futile exercise for any of them to force themselves on her. Colby knew they were there if she needed them. There was silence on the other end. Brian wound his way onto the parkway and drove out towards the city limits. His hands were tied, yet the urge to go and barge into her house was so strong “Brian, you still there?” Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. “Yes, I’m here.” As the entrance to Colby’s development neared he had all he could do not to turn in. “I’ll wait. As much as it goes against how I think this should be dealt with, I’ll honor her wishes. But please Barbara, if you talk to her let her know I love her and I’m here for her. I only want the best for her.” “I will. I know this is hard for you, Brian and I wish for both your sakes that Colby would not feel the necessity to act alone on this, but we need to respect her wishes. Go home and get some rest. I promise to call.” They said their goodbyes and Brian turned onto his drive. Just how long Colby would stay sequestered in her house he didn’t know, but his bed would be lonely tonight. |