However Long the Night

Chapter Nineteen

The next morning, Will's nightmare clung to him like a hangover. He finished his tasks at the clinic as usual, but a dull ache bruised his brain. A flashback of Skye's 1 scraped the back of his eyes as it spit, popped, and finally disappeared.

He felt Marlene's spectacled gaze on him as he mopped the floor, and he flinched every time the phone rang. After an hour of Will-watching, Marlene wrestled the mop from his hands.

"Give me that. If you knock the bucket over, we'll both be here late. Now pop a squat and finish the invoices on my desk. Geez, you're jumpier than my ex-husband during tax season."

A deep, throaty laugh unearthed itself from her depths, shaking her soft shoulders for a full two minutes. For the first time that day, Will smiled.

After a stroll with a retriever, bath for a poodle, and nail trim for a collie, he started to feel more like himself again. By lunch, he was able to sweep the lingering dream dust into a dark corner of his mind, filing it away with all the fears that would reassemble and crawl out at a later date. 

Mid-afternoon, a text made his phone buzz.

Kate: Coffee at Decker's after work?

It had been a while since he'd seen her, and he couldn't think of anything he needed more than to sit, chill, and fake normal for a while.

Will: Yeah, coffee sounds great.

Kate: Cool. See you at 5:15.

This time, Kate beat him to Decker's. When he walked in, Will spotted her tucked into a deep leather chair, hands wrapped around a red mug, hair tossed up in a messy braid that left a halo around her heart-shaped face. She was staring off into space, caught up in thought, and didn't see him arrive. Scanning the room from the coffee line, he could tell he wasn't the only guy aware of her presence; Kate couldn't be a wallflower if she tried. Order in hand, he made his way to her table, ignoring the feeling of pride that bloomed as he took the seat across from her. A lot had changed, but Kate would always be Reese's golden girl.

"Earth to Kate," he teased, breaking her gaze with a wave of his hand. Blinking, she snapped out of her daydream and reached up to him.

"Oh, hey – thanks for coming!" Her hug was comforting, like waking up safe in bed after a bad dream. If being with Skye made Will's heart beat faster, Kate helped everything slow back down again.

"Actually, I was happy you texted me. I've been catering to four-legged creatures since eight o'clock this morning; believe me, coffee with another human being is the best offer I've had all day. So, how are things with you?" Settling into a cozy chair, he took a sip from his mug and felt some of the day's tension start to dissolve.

"Honestly? I'm great. Really." Her 4 sparkled in her left pupil.

"Okay, you've got me curious. What's up?" She seemed so much more settled than the last time they'd spoken. "Did you come to a decision about what we discussed the other day?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Pouring some sugar and two creamers into her mug, she stirred her coffee as a soft smile played on her lips. "My boss told me there's a team at the hospital who could use some help, and they've offered to create a full-time internship if I'd like to stay on. I called my school, and a counselor agreed to work out the details. Can you believe it? I'm so stoked!" Her cheeks flushed with excitement.

"Wow. That's amazing news, Kate. Congrats. Seriously, I'm glad it's all coming together for you... so, do your mom and dad know yet?" He wasn't sure if her parents would be as happy about her plans to leave school, even if it did mean more time at home with their remaining child.