Chasing Dreams

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

When Mitchell came down the next morning he was surprised to hear Katie's voice coming from the kitchen. He paused to listen. She seemed to be talking to herself.

"I did something very stupid," she said. "No, it was my fault." "That's if he'll even agree to see me." "I hope so too. Thank you, Annie."

Mitchell went into the kitchen and saw Annie sitting at the kitchen table, writing messages for Katie on a notepad. Katie was sitting with her back to him.

"Hey, Mitchell," Annie said, looking up and smiling at him.

Katie hadn't heard Annie and he'd be lying if he said he didn't get a perverse pleasure as she jumped when he said hello.

"I'll leave you two to it," Annie said.

Mitchell sat in the chair Annie had vacated.

"Has she gone?" Katie asked.

"Yeah. How did you find me?"

"Carl gave me your address."

Katie looked down into her mug for a moment, seemingly gathering her strength before she looked into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. Though she'd covered it well with makeup, her eyes looked slightly red and swollen, as though she'd been crying. "I had no right to say those things to you. I didn't mean them and I'm really sorry."

"You said that already." His tone was cool.

"I know. I figure it needs saying more than once."

"I trusted you," Mitchell accused.

"I know." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I get the feeling that you've put me on some sort of pedestal, but the truth is I don't deserve it, I'm just as flawed as anyone else, maybe more so. One of my biggest character defects is that I'm passive-aggressive. Most of the time I manage to tread the fine line that is assertiveness but yesterday was an unbelievably bad day. By the time I got to the hospital and saw the state Sam was in, I just snapped. Don't get me wrong, you still went against my wishes but I know your heart was in the right place and I shouldn't have said those things. They were unforgivable. I also spoke to a friend who works at the hospital this morning and you were right, his injuries were consistent with a fall."

Mitchell just stared at her. Unable to hold his penetrating gaze, Katie dropped her eyes to her mug of tea and wrapped her hands around it.

"Please say something," she said.

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. Shout, yell, curse, anything."

"I don't want to shout at you. I don't even want to look at you right now."

"I understand." Katie closed her eyes and nodded. "Thank Annie for the tea and chat, will you?"

"Sure."

"And if you change your mind, please call me."

She got up and headed for the front door. Mitchell followed and watched from the kitchen doorway as she paused and turned back to him. Her eyes were shining with tears.

"I told you I was a monster, Mitchell, and now that you've seen that side of my personality for yourself, I know you have every right to be angry with me but... please don't give up on the program. Don't blame the program for my fuck up."

Mitchell didn't know how to feel. Her words had hurt him but seeing her upset also hurt.

He remembered when she had seen his monster for herself, his eyes black with hunger. She had been scared but she hadn't walked away from him, she had been kind and understanding.