Chapter Forty

Koty had broken up with Sheila a year after her parents were killed. Sheila had been so good to her, but Koty was going through such a tough time then that she shunned everyone that was close to her. She was afraid that she was going to lose everyone as long as she loved them.

The only ones that refused to let her push them away were Monty and Jamie. They had made a pact between themselves to always watch over and take care of Koty. A pact that they still hold true to.

As strong as Koty seemed to be at times, there were other times that she was very fragile as well. Monty and Jamie both knew that they had their work cut out for them, but they refused to give up.

Koty would never go without someone to lean on or to talk to, no matter what the time of day or night it was. They were secretly her Guardian Angels.

Koty had been sitting in the same spot on the beach for several hours. The man and his dog had left long ago leaving her a lone figure on the sand. The only sounds that she could hear were the sounds of the seagulls around her and the waves crashing to the shore.

'God what a lonely place the beach is when it's deserted. I need to get my act together.' Slowly getting up to stretch her stiff back and legs, she stared out into the vast ocean a moment longer then trotted to her car to leave.

When Koty arrived home, she shut off the phone and the answering machine. She didn't want to talk to or see anyone right now, and wanted to be left alone.

She had pulled her car into the garage, which was something that she rarely did, just in case anyone were to drive by. They would think that she wasn't home.

She didn't even cut any lights on since there was just enough ambient light coming through the windows. Dragging herself to her bedroom she stripped off her sandy clothes, to a quick shower. Putting on a tee shirt and boxers, she sprawled across the bed and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

She didn't awaken until eleven thirty the next morning. Waking long enough to go to the bathroom and get something to drink. Not yet ready to face the day, she took a sleeping pill and crawled right back in bed.

'Screw the world for one more day. If I ever do heal from this I am giving up on relationships. It hurts too damn much when the relationship comes to an end.' She closed her eyes to try and stop the tears and the pain.

***

Around seven o'clock that evening, she woke up with a bad headache, and in a very ugly mood. Sitting up in the bed, she tried to figure out what had roused her.

As she went to stand up she thought she heard a noise coming from the living room. Walking to the bedroom door, she noticed the light from the lamp by the couch was on. 'Now I know damn well I didn't turn any lights on last night when I came in.'

She felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and as she slowly turned around, there in the recliner, sat Bob Wheatly. 'That's the sonofabitch that shot me!' Shit, and I made Jason stop surveillance.

"Did you have nice nap there pretty lady? Uh uh, don't try anything stupid, and I won't have to hurt that sexy little body."

Koty noticed the gun on his lap pointing in her direction. "What the fuck do you call shooting me asshole? Ya think that didn't hurt?"

Any other time, the detective would have berated herself for being so cocky and talking to him this way. Hell, he had already shot her once. What made her think he wouldn't do it again? Well, she really wasn't in the mood for this prick and right now, she really didn't give a shit.

"So what the hell do you want from me now?” She asked with a frown.

"I need money. I need to leave the states, and I just happen to know that, that brother of yours would pay to make sure that you didn't get hurt again."

Koty turned and started to walk towards the bar.

"You have ahearing problem cop? You think I'm playing games here?"

She slowly turned to face him. "You want to shoot me asshole then shoot me. I've had a really shitty couple of weeks and I need a drink, so if you're gonna do it then do it. Otherwise, I'm making myself a drink."

He shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Fix me one while you're at it."

Koty looked at him dumbfounded. "Sure, why the hell not. We can just make this a fucking party."

Nonetheless, she fixed them both a drink, sat his on the table in front of him, plopped on the couch and rubbed her temples. 'Shit my head hurts! This is all I need.'

"Call your brother." He told her as he reached for his drink and took a long swallow.

Koty just looked at him, propped her feet on the coffee table and chugged her drink. " Ya know, if Monty catches up to you, he is gonna kick your ass all over Virginia Beach."

"Call your brother!" He lifted the gun and waved it in front of her.

He stood as she reached for the phone and dialed Monty's phone number. 'Man is Monty gonna be pissed at this piece of shit. Maybe he isn't even at home.'

He snatched the phone from her hand and listened to it ring, waiting for Monty to answer.

"Hello?"

"Is this Monty Silvers?"

"Yes, who is this?" Monty felt a tingle go through his body, sensing that something was wrong.

"Look, if you don't want your pretty sister here to get hurt, you will bring me thirty thousand dollars to her house. Don't even think of doing anything stupid. Like I told her, this time I'll finish the job I started."

Monty cursed and then was quiet for a moment. "You hurt one hair on my sister's head asshole and I'll rip you apart piece by piece with my bare hands, then feed your ass to my neighbors pit bull. You got that bud!? There won't be anyplace this side of hell, that I won't find you!" Monty yelled into the phone.

"Don't try to be a hero brother, it ain't like I got nothing to lose."

Bob downed his drink and told Monty that he had until midnight to bring him the money, or he would shoot her only after he got himself some of that woman flesh.

Bob knew he would never do that or actually shoot her, the time before was an accident, but he was running scared and he had to make them believe that he would. This was the last thing he knew to do to get him the hell away from here.

He had nowhere else to hide and he knew that it was just a matter of time before the cops caught up with him and put him in prison. His buddies had warned him not to get hooked up with Coleman but the money was too good to pass up.

Koty sat there through the conversation thinking that she needed to get control of the situation before it got anymore out of hand than it already was. She knew Monty wouldn't hesitate to get he money, but he would try and take Bob down. She had to think of something before that happened.

"Is it alright if I make us another drink?"

Chapter Forty-One

"Chris, call Jason and tell him to get over here now!"

Chris's hands were shaking as she dialed Jason's number. She had heard Monty on the phone and knew that Koty was in trouble. Monty was in a mood that she had never seen before in all the years they had been married, and wasn't sure what he would try and do.

"Jesus Monty, what's happened to Koty?" She had asked after she hung up with Jason. Tears filled her eyes, and fear filled her heart when she saw Monty come back into the room with his gun. He pulled her into a hug and told her what Bob was demanding and what he threatened.

"He's got her held there Chris. Holding her for thirty thousand measly fucking dollars, and he has a gun. The same gun he probably used before. He said that if I tried anything stupid he would...God damn it, where is Jason?!"

"Monty, I've got to call Kasey and let her know what's going on. She would die if I didn't tell her."

"Monty hesitated. You can call her Chris, but have her come here and tell her. I don't want her running over there and getting caught up in the middle of this."

While Monty was making more calls, Chris got her cell phone and called Kasey.

"Um...Kasey, this is Chris, look, we have a situation over here, can you come over please?"

"Chris, what's wrong?"

"I would rather not say over the phone hon, do you want me to pick you up, or do you want to just meet me here?"

"No. No, I'll be right there, just give me a few minutes."

"Alright Kasey, but please hurry."

Kasey had sensed the urgency in Chris's voice, and it made her very anxious. Still in her sweats and a faded Wynonna tee shirt, she grabbed her coat and ran out the door not even bothering to tie her tennis shoes.

She had no clue as to how many speed limits she had broken on her way over to Chris's house. All she knew was that she needed to get there, and get there fast.

When she pulled up to the curb Chris and Monty were already at their vehicles along with Jason Price. Snatching her keys out of the ignition, she jumped out of the car and ran up to Chris.

"Chris! What has happened?"

Chris grabbed her by the hand. "Get in my truck Kasey, I'll tell you on the way over to Koty's."

'Koty's? Oh Jesus!' "Chris...what's wrong with Koty?"

***

Koty was sitting there finishing off her drink when she looked at Bob and said, "So why did you shoot me anyway?" She knew it was a stupid question to ask but was trying to think of something that would distract him.

The guy actually looked at her sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders again. "I didn't mean to shoot you. Hell, I didn't even know that I shot you until I felt the gun go off and you fell."

"You left me there to die." Koty told him softly.

"What was I suppose to do? I was scared shitless. Besides, Coleman would have killed me if I tried to help you." He said defensively. "I've done a lot of bad shit in my life, but I ain't never hurt anyone before."

Koty leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "Why don't you just turn yourself in Bob? They would go a lot easier on you if you did."

"Bullshit! It wouldn't make a damn bit of difference and you know it. I shot a cop! Besides, I ain't gonna do anymore time. I can't be closed up like that. They may as well kill me. I got locked up years ago for breaking into some dudes house, and I took a plastic knife from the chow table and broke it to where it was really sharp. Then I cut my fucking wrist, right there in front of everyone."

He leaned forward, pulled his sleeve up to his elbow and showed Koty a long jagged scar that ran about four inches up the inside of his arm. "I just can't go through that again. I just want to get the hell out of here..."

Chris filled Kasey in on what was happening as they followed Monty and Jason to Koty's house.

"Oh my God Chris, what if he hurts her?" Kasey whispered.

Chris reached for her hand and held it as she glanced over and saw tears running down her cheek.

They pulled along the side of the curb behind Monty's truck right down from Koty's house with their lights out. She turned off the engine and turned to Kasey.

"Kasey, she's going to be ok."

"God Chris. You know her temper, and I just happen to know that she is not in a very good frame of mind right now to be dealing with him. I think she has been drinking pretty heavily, and she might try and do something stupid."

"Why would you think that Kasey, has something happened?"

Kasey explained everything that had gone on since the phone call at the lodge, including the previous night.

"Hasn't she told you about this Chris?"

"I knew about the phone call, but Koty hasn't talked much to anyone here lately. So no, she hasn't said much."

"Oh shit Chris. If anything happens to her I'll feel like it's my fault!"

"Uh uh Kasey. Don't even try to go there. That's not true and you know it."

Monty walked up to Chris's window and tapped on it for her to roll it down. "You two are not to get out of this truck no matter what happens. Do ya'll understand?"

He looked over at Kasey and saw her tears. "Hey Kasey, I won't let that sonofabitch hurt her again. I promise you that."

"Monty," Chris said as she grabbed his arm, "Kasey seems to think that Koty has been drinking heavily."

'Shit.' He knew all too well what she was capable of doing if she was pissed off and drinking. 'Keep your head together sis. I need you, and losing you doesn't fit into my plans for this lifetime.'

"Keep this window rolled up." He told them as he leaned into the window to kiss Chris. "Jason and I will take care of this ok?"

As he started to walk back to his truck, he thought about his sister. 'This guy will be so fucking sorry if he lays one finger on her.' He would not lose another member of his family. Besides Chris, Koty was all that he had left.

His world came crashing down around him when Koty had been shot. Not even Chris knew the extent of his anguish. He had gotten pretty good at hiding his feelings when he needed to.

After the deaths of their parents, he and Jamie had made that promise at their gravesites that no harm would ever come to Koty and they would always take care of her. He felt like he had failed that night when they got the phone call from Jamie. He always knew that Koty's line of work would keep him on his toes, but he knew that she could generally handle herself pretty well.

Monty knew that Koty was gay even before she knew it herself. He remembered how she mainly just played with the boys in the neighborhood because the girls played 'sissy games.' She wanted to play football and softball with all of his friends, and of course his friends always agreed because she was better than most of the guys, and she was normally one of the first to be picked when they were choosing teams.

Jamie was the only other girl that they all would let play because she was almost as good as Koty, and could run just as fast. Just to be fair though, they would always make them play on opposite teams.

Koty had come out to him when she started liking Shelia. All of a sudden she was spending more time with her and not the boys. He never held any disregard for Koty's sexuality; even thinking in a way that it was kind of cool because they had more in common. He had told her that she better not hit on his girlfriends.

Jason got out of the car as Monty leaned against it and pulled out his cell phone and dialed Koty's number.

"Yeah?"

"This is Monty, let me speak to my sister, and you don't need to be answering her phone."

"You got the bread brother?"

"Look asshole, I ain't your brother, and you don't get shit until I talk to my sister!"

Bob looked at Koty and said, "Be smart girl, your brother is really starting to piss me off."

Koty took the phone. "Monty?"

"Jesus Koty, are you alright?"

In a voice that sounded a little too calm, she said. "Are you getting his money for him Mont?"

Monty pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment and stared at it. Something wasn't quite right. 'She's up to something. I can tell it by her voice. Maybe she has a plan, but I'm not willing to chance it.'

"Koty, has he hurt you in any way?"

"No Monty, this man ain't gonna hurt me, he just wants..."

Bob snatched the phone with his left hand and waved the gun at her with his right. "Like I said before, where's my money?"

"Look, it's going to take a little while. That's a lot of cash to come up with in the short amount of time that you gave me. I will have it shortly though so just chill out a little why don't you?"

"Yeah? Well you have until midnight. If not, like I said earlier, I will get a piece of her before I pull the trigger... Again." Then he hung up the phone.

There were ten undercover units and a swat team surrounding Koty's house and her block, ready to do what they needed to do. Koty was one of their own, and she had far too many friends on the force for them not to be there to help her out.

Monty knew that just about anyone of these guys would probably take a bullet for Koty, just as they knew she would do for them. With the exception of a few, they were a pretty close knit family of cops.

Koty had earned their respect by dedication, hard work, and the respect that she showed everyone else. Her being gay was not a secret and for most part, nobody cared. They all watched each other's backs.

'This guy Bob had better pray the cops get to him before I do cause I'm going to rip his heart out with my bare hands. My sister has been through too much lately for him to come and add more to her grief.'

Chapter Forty-Two

It was around eleven o'clock and Koty was getting way over this whole situation, and Bob was starting to look a little too relaxed with the drinks that she had been making him. 'It's time to end this little party and get control.'

"Hey Bob. You know, I don't hold you responsible for shooting me. That sonofabitch Coleman is the one to blame. He's the one that went and got all crazy then. And like you said, he would have killed you if you tried to help me."

"Yeah well, no one else believes that. All they know is I'm the one who pulled the trigger on a cop, and that's all that's gonna matter to them."

Koty slowly stood up. "Can I fix us one more drink? Like I said before, I've had a bitch of a week and this is what makes me relax. Do you want another?"

"Yeah, but just one more. I've gotta keep my head, and when your brother gets my money for me, I'm out of this place."

He handed Koty his glass and she walked to the bar. 'It's now or never Silvers.' She sat her glass on the coffee table where she had been sitting and as she went to hand him his, she lunged and smashed his drink into his face, grabbing the gun in his hand at the same time.

The gun went off, hitting the window by the front door. She elbowed him in the throat with all of her might. Bob was doubled over in pain, and when she got the gun out of his hand, she hit him on the back of the head with it, knocking him to the floor out cold.

She dropped to her knees, holding the gun to his head. Her almost healed ribs screamed, and her whole body started to shake as tears suddenly filled her eyes as the nights events finally caught up with her.

At the sound of gunfire and breaking glass, Jason was the first one to run into the house with Monty on his heals. By now, Koty was doubled over and crying hard.

Monty dropped to her side and pulled her into his arms. She held her brother tightly and they both cried together. Monty didn't know what he was going to find when he heard the gun go off. His heart was beating so hard he almost lost his breath. Seeing Koty on the floor and crying, he wasn't sure if she was hurt or just shaking up.

"Hey Koty...hey, are you ok?"

"Yeah."

Four officers had Bob Wheatly cuffed, and were hauling him out of the house when Chris and Kasey came running through the door. Chris went straight to Koty, but Kasey stopped by the couch and just stared wide-eyed, not knowing what else to do.

'Oh sweet Jesus, be all right Baby!' She didn't know what she would have done if something happened to Koty, and she still felt that somehow this was partly her fault. If she hadn't pushed Koty away, maybe she wouldn't have even been here when this creep showed up.

All of the 'what ifs' kept running through her mind over and over. All she wanted to do was to go to Koty and hold her. She wished she could drive away her hurt and sorrow.

Koty stood and reached for her drink that she had made before everything went down and chugged it. Composing herself, she went to make herself another. "I'm ok guys, really."

She looked right at Kasey and felt a shiver run through her body. She would not go to her though, or fall apart in front of her. 'I will not let her see just how weak and pitiful I am.'

Kasey stared back at Koty, and saw the fear in her eyes mixed with some other emotion, but wasn't sure what. She pulled her gaze away and leaned against the wall with her arms across her chest.

Koty left Monty and Chris talking to Jason, and told them she would be right back and walked into her bedroom. A moment later, Kasey walked in behind her and turned to see Koty shaking some pills into her hand then take them.

"Koty, what are you doing?" She gently asked.

"It's just some sleeping pills Kasey, I'm very tired and I just want to go to sleep, that's all."

"Give those to me Koty, I can't believe you would even think about taking anything with what you have had to drink."

"I just want to sleep. Can I take something for my ribs? My side hurts."

"No damn it."

It was said in a harsher tone than Kasey had meant, but she couldn't believe Koty would even consider taking anything. The doctor just turned and walked back to the living room.

Kasey felt totally helpless not knowing what to do or say. She didn't think that Koty should be alone tonight, but who was she to mention it. It wasn't her place and she needed to remember that.

Jason placed his hand on Koty's shoulder, "I just talked to the captain and he said for you to take tomorrow off."

"No."

"What do you mean no? Come on Koty, you're not Super Woman, you need a break."

"Bullshit Jason, I've had three weeks worth of a break already. I haven't even been back to work that long, I need to just work."

"Sorry Silvers. Captains orders, sooo..."

She fixed herself another drink, then changed her mind and dumped it down the sink. Scrubbing her hands over her face and through her hair, Koty looked at everyone including Kasey. "Look guys, I really appreciate everyone being here, honest, but I am just so tired and all I want to do is go to bed. I want to be alone right now."

Everyone just looked at each other not knowing what else to do or say. She was a big girl and could make up her own mind.

Monty stepped forward and said, "All right guys you heard her, let's go. "Hugging Koty, he told her to call him if she needed anything.

"Jason, I'll give my statement tomorrow ok?"

"Alright Koty, I'll see you then."

As Chris and Kasey got into Chris's truck to leave, Chris noticed the concerned look on Kasey's face. "She's going to be alright Kase, but how about you, are you ok?"

Kasey hesitated momentarily and leaned her head against the back of the seat. 'Do I tell Chris about the sleeping pills that Koty took, or do I just forget about them? God what a night.'

"I'm not sure how much Koty has had to drink tonight, but she was getting ready to swallow a couple of sleeping pills, but I stopped her. I'm not sure what her frame of mind is right now."

Chris reached over and gave her a light squeeze on her arm. "I know that wasn't the smartest thing for her to try and do, and she knows that. If she told you she didn't take them then, she probably won't now. Even at Koty's lowest point, she has a much better frame of mind than most people with all of their senses. "I'm sure she'll be ok but I'll have Monty run by here on his way to work in the morning to check on her. Ok?"

Starting the ignition and pulling away from the curb, she asked Kasey if she wanted to be dropped off at her house, or to go pick up her car. "Just take me to your house and I'll pick up my."

When Chris and Monty climbed into bed, Monty pulled her close and cried again. All Chris could do was hold onto him and let him get it out of his system.

She knew of Monty's grief over Koty, though Monty was probably unaware of just how much she knew. She could not be with him for all of these years and not know what his mind was thinking. He was a part of her as if they were one. What he felt, she felt.

Hopefully this was all behind them now and they could get on with their lives. Koty had been through way too much for one person. She really felt though that in the end, it would all work out ok for everyone. 'I don't know what makes me think that, but I have to believe it.'

When Koty had chosen to become a detective, everyone was more than surprised. They originally thought the reason she chose a dangerous profession was because deep down she still felt responsible for their parent's death.

'They were on their way to pick me up because I was too damn impatient weren't they?' She had told Monty over and over.

Chris kissed Monty lightly and snuggled even closer. Finally they both fell asleep.

Chapter Forty-Three

Kasey hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Over and over in her mind, she kept seeing Koty's eyes. Eyes that were so full of fear, of hurt, and something else.

All Kasey knew was that she could have drowned in the sadness that was there. There was definitely sadness. So much so that Kasey wanted to just grab Koty and hold onto her so tight that it would melt away from Koty's body, and she could see her smile again.

'She has the best smiles. Her seductive smile, her playful smile, and even the smile she gives when she is really upset with something. That one can stop a grown man in his place. That smile never reaches her eyes, but you could sure feel the power of it. God I miss all of those smiles.'

With mixed emotions, she also couldn't help but to keep hearing the voice on the other end of the line the night she had called Koty's room. The voice that ran her blood to a freezing point.

"This is Tina, who is this?"

Try as she might, she just couldn't shake the raw pain that she felt that night, and she couldn't seem to push that voice from her mind. This whole situation really sucked and it just wasn't fair. 'Since when is life fair Kasey girl?'

She wanted so damn bad to believe Koty, but the vision of Tina kept popping up. Tina was a beautiful woman, and she and Koty had spent three years together.

Hadn't it been Chris who originally thought Koty wanted to get Tina back? That Koty had been devastated with the breakup? After hours of tossing and turning, Kasey had finally drifted off to sleep.

When Kasey awoke at seven in the morning, Koty was still on her mind. Unable to shake her feelings, she made a pot of coffee and contemplated calling her.

What would she say to her? Maybe Koty didn't want to hear from her. Maybe Koty would just tell her to get lost, that she needed to get on with her life. 'Fuck it.'

She poured her first cup of coffee, grabbed the cordless phone off of the counter, sat at the table and attempted to dial Koty's number three times before she actually got the courage to complete the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi Koty...it's...um Kasey."

"Kasey? What time is it, is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry that I called so early, but I just needed to know that you were alright."

"I'm fine Kasey, really." Koty said yawning.

"Um...look Koty, last night Jason said that your captain told you to take the day off, and I wondered if you were going to?"

Koty hesitated a moment before answering. "I don't know, why?"

"I thought...I just thought that if you were, maybe you would have lunch with me?" Kasey asked nervously. When Koty hesitated Kasey quickly added, "It's ok if you don't..."

"No Kasey, I'll meet with you. I need to go to the station for a while, and give my statement. Meet me at the Olive Garden around twelve thirty. I'll be there."

"Ok...Ok Koty, I'll see you later then," and she hung up the phone. She was more than a little nervous about lunch, but she had to see Koty if only for a little while.

***

It had been a somber lunch; they had talked a little about the night before and what had happened with the whole case. They had talked about the clinic that Kasey and Chris were opening, but neither one spoke of what had happened to their relationship.

Kasey was afraid of upsetting Koty since she had been through so much, and Koty was afraid that Kasey was over her and didn't want to hear anything about it.

Kasey had given Koty a hug, and kissed her on the cheek goodbye then drove off even more confused than ever. She had wanted nothing more than to follow Koty back to her house and hold her. She had wanted to make love the way they did before. Since she had taken the rest of the day off, she decided to take a long drive to wherever it took her.

As she pulled up to her house, she found a strange car parked in her driveway. Pulling in behind it, she couldn't see who the driver was with the sun glaring down across her windshield.

Suddenly a long, jean-clad leg descended from the door, and long flowing hair, the color of the morning sun followed. Kasey sucked in her breath and her hands clenched the steering wheel.

'Oh my God.'

The woman shut her door and walked up to Kasey as she got out of her car. They both stood there momentarily just looking at each other.

"Hello Samantha, what are you doing here?"

"Hi Kasey, how are you?"

Kasey was speechless for a moment and shoved her hands in her pockets. Before she could think of anything to say, Sam spoke up.

"I was in town for a business meeting and I looked your number up in the phone book, so here I am. I still have Lee's number, but I figured that she wouldn't give it to me. I'm sure she is still very protective of you isn't she, not that, that's a bad thing."

Samantha brushed her hair off her face with her fingers and tossed it behind her shoulders. Something that she had an unconscious habit of doing.

'She is more beautiful than she was before. God how she had loved this woman,' Kasey thought. Had. Past tense.

Kasey started up the walkway and told Samantha to come in. She unlocked the door and let her in before her.

When she shut the door, Sam turned to her. "Can I at least have a hug hello?"

They hugged and Kasey realized that it really was good to see her again. After all, they had been the best of friends before they became lovers, and Kasey had missed the times they used to sit for hours and just talk.

They both took a deep breath and finally pulled away. Samantha held her at arms length and casually looked her up and down. Grinning, she said, "You're looking really good there Kase, how's life been treating you lately?"

Kasey smiled and pulled away. "Sit down Sam, would you like something to drink?"

"Tea would be nice if you have any."

Kasey handed Samantha her tea then sat in the chair across from her with her coke. There was at least a million questions running through her head, and she finally just came out and asked, "So how is Annie doing?"

Samantha didn't answer at first. She took a long sip of her drink then smiled.

"We broke up about a year ago, for good this time." Sam laughed. "You can get that look off of your face sweetheart. I'm not here to try and win you back. I know what bridges I have burnt. I really just wanted to see you again. I was kind of hoping that maybe we could renew our friendship though; I think maybe I miss that more than anything. I've been thinking about you a lot here lately, so when this meeting came up, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to find you and see how you have been doing. So, here I am."

"You know, I'm still pretty pissed at you, and hurt. I'm not quite sure how to take you."

"I know Kasey, and you know I can't blame you one damn bit, but, you know that I was always honest with you about everthing. I never lied to you about anything. We were such great friends first, and that is what I want again. I'm not here for any other reason."

Kasey smiled and relaxed. "I would like that very much Sam, I too have really missed that friendship. We had a lot of fun times together."

"Great, can I take you to dinner then?"

Kasey stood and took the glass out of her hand. "No but I will make you dinner here. Where are you staying?"

"Actually, I had planned on driving back tonight just in case you refused to see me. I can stay over at the Holiday Inn on Newtown Rd. I don't have to be back to work until Thursday morning so I could stay there and we could play catch up."

"Look Sam, I have a guest room so why don't you stay here until you have to leave?" Kasey told her as she handed her another drink.

"I don't want to wear out my welcome Kasey and I don't want you to think that I was suggesting anything."

"It's ok Sam. Besides, it would be nice to be able to sit and talk with you again. We could pop some popcorn after dinner and watch a movie if you want."

Grinning from ear to ear, Sam said, "You're on then. Do you still have Fried Green Tomatoes?"

"Of course I do, you know it's my favorite movie."

"Well then, let me just get my bag from the car and we can have us a good ole slumber party. I hope you're not real tired cause I've really missed you and I have a feeling we'll be up kind of late talking."

"Go get your bag and I'll start dinner."

They were in the kitchen talking while Kasey was fixing their dinner. Talking with her hands, Kasey turned and spilled the barbecue sauce all over the counter, the floor, and her hands.

Samantha busted out laughing just as the phone rang.

"Shit." Kasey said with the sauce dripping off her hands. "Would you please answer that while I clean up all of this goo?"

Still laughing, Sam answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Uh...who is this?" Koty asked, thinking that she dialed the wrong phone number, but was sure she didn't.

"This is Samantha, do you need to speak to Kasey?"

Koty hesitated a moment before answering. "Um...sorry, I have the wrong number." Then she hung up.

Kasey was drying off her hands. "Who was it?"

"She said she had the wrong number, and just hung up. I get the feeling that she had the right number, but maybe wasn't expecting me to be answering your phone."

Sam placed the phone back on the charger, and Kasey checked the caller I.D. and it showed 'number unavailable'. Koty's cell phone number never showed up on it, but neither did a lot of other numbers.

'Hmm...I wonder.' For a moment there she got a little anxious thinking that it might have been Koty. 'Nah, I'm sure it wasn't her.'

"Look Kasey, is my being here tonight with you going to cause any problem with anyone? If it is, I can go to the hotel."

"No Sam, it's not going to be a problem really, it's ok. Come on, dinner will be done in about an hour, lets go sit down with our drinks and relax, alright?"

"Okey dokey."

***

Koty sat back in her chair and wondered if this was Kasey's ex. If so, what was she doing at Kasey's. Supposedly she lived up in Richmond somewhere, and Kasey had told her that she hadn't seen or heard from her since she had left to go back to her girlfriend.

She guessed that explained why Kasey was in a hurry to leave after lunch that afternoon, she couldn't wait to go see S.A.M.A.N.T.H.A. Could they be getting back together? Surely not. 'Shit! Touche Kasey!'

Koty went to make herself something to eat and when she pulled out a can of tuna fish, she just started to eat it right from the can. Part of the way through, she looked down at the can and shook her head.

'I can't believe I just did that.' She tossed the tuna into the garbage. She had suddenly lost her appetite after hearing Samantha answer Kasey's phone. She had been starving when she had gotten home since all she did was pick at her lunch and had not really eaten it.

Her clothes were already starting to get a little loose on her since her hospital incident. Her appetite just wasn't like it used to be. Nothing seemed to taste good anymore, or she would just seem to get full fast.

'Oh well, it sure couldn't hurt to lose a couple of pounds. It ain't like I'm gonna blow away or anything.' With her solid athletic body, and almost six-foot frame, a little bit of weight didn't show too much, but for those who knew Koty, they could definitely tell.

Around twelve o'clock that night, Koty couldn't take the little nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach any longer. She grabbed her coat, and went to her car to take a trip over to Kasey's house.

She would have called, but wasn't sure if Kasey would talk to her or not, and she didn't want to take the chance. She figured she would walk right up to the door and just knock, not giving the doctor a chance to put her off.

When she turned the corner and pulled up along the curb, she noticed a strange car in the driveway. All of the lights in the house appeared to be off. Koty suddenly got a queasy feeling. "Sonofabitch!" She yelled out loud. "This can not be happening!"

She stared at the house for a while longer and gripped the steering wheel. Obviously they didn't want any company. She pulled away from the curb so fast that she squealed the tires. She reached up and brushed the tears from her eyes. 'Fuck it!'

She could just imagine what was going on in Kasey's house. 'Samantha's there and no lights are on. How fucking convenient.' She tried to put the picture of Kasey and Samantha in bed together out of her mind, but it wasn't working.

"Fuck! I can't believe this. God damn it!" She yelled as she pounded on the steering wheel. 'Why would Kasey do this? Granted she never told me that she loved me but I was sure I meant a little more to her that just a fix until her girlfriend came back into the picture. I could feel it when we made love. Jesus, why couldn't she just believe in me that there was nothing going on with Tina? Is that what this is all about? Ungh...

***

Hearing the noise from some idiot squealing tires, Kasey looked out her bedroom window only to see taillights quickly disappearing down the street. Once again, she got an un-easy feeling in her stomach. 'Nah, I'm sure she's home fast asleep.'

"What if it was Koty?" She whispered to herself. 'Why would she peel away like that, and why wouldn't she just come to the door and knock?' Deciding that it couldn't have been Koty, she climbed under her covers and went to sleep.

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