Kate Pt. 01

"You love me," she excitedly grinned, even though her beautiful face was still heavily bruised, "Don't you, Mark?"

"You know that I do," I softly replied, ever so gently kissing her lips again, "How could I not?"

"I'm so glad to hear that, Mark," Kate smiled, still in quite a bit of pain, but braving through it, none the less, just so that we could talk to one another, "I know this might sound crazy to you; but I fell in love with you after that first day we spent together."

"The same thing happened with me, too, Kate," I warmly replied, gently holding her hands in mine, "So, it's not s crazy as you might think."

"I want to ask you something, Mark," Kate told me, with fear in her eyes, "And that is to please stay away from Tyler Martin, baby, he's as crazy as hell."

"He's not crazy, Kate, not at all," I told her, gently leaning away from her so that I could look into her eyes, "He's a fucking coward, that's what he is; and when the time comes for him to face me, he's going to crumble like a dry piece of bread...I promise you."

"Please don't do this, Mark," she began to sniffle, "I just found you, and I don't want to lose you."

"If I told you that not everything is the way it seems, would you promise not to worry?" I softly asked her, gently kissing the back of her hand, "Besides, not only did he beat you, but he raped you, too, and I'm not going to..."

Suddenly I was interrupted by the sound of her laughter, making me look at her and say, "I don't see how any of this could possibly be funny, Kate."

"I'm sorry, my love," she giggled, "But Tyler didn't rape me, hell, he got too excited and ended up squirting cum all over me before he could get his tiny little dick inside of me. Why do you think I broke up with him to start with?"

"But I thought that the police report said that...."

"They only assumed that he raped me because his "DNA" was all over the place," Kate said, "When I started laughing at him for it was when he began to beat the shit out of me."

"Thank God," I smiled, "That means that I'm not going to kill him."

"Listen to me, Mark," she told me, "Tyler is a pretty big guy, and I've seen what he's capable of so; please let the police handle this."

"Give me a break, Kate," I grinned, "I don't know whether or not you've noticed, but I'm no small fry myself."

"No," she giggled, "You're not and I'm sorry," and then she got a rather serious look on her face and told me, "Tyler studied Karate for a year, Mark, and he won't hesitate to use it either."

"I'm not worried about that either, sweetheart," I knowingly grinned, "Because, like I told you, not everything is as it seems so; you're just going to have to trust me, okay?"

"I trust you, Mark," she sniffled, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "I really do."

"No you don't," I chuckled, "Because you wouldn't be crying if you did."

"I'm sorry, baby," she quietly sniffled, "It's just that..."

"I understand, my love," I tenderly interrupted her; "And I promise you that everything is going to be alright. In the mean time, I want you to try to get some rest and focus on getting better, okay?"

"I can do that," she told me, placing her arms around my waist, "But only if you're by my side, baby."

"I'm not planning on going anywhere," I reassured her, "But I do need to go back to my house at some time to put my resignation together. I told Mike that I'd have it on his desk first thing tomorrow."

"So, you're really going to quit, huh?" she asked me, a cute smile on her face, "I don't blame you one bit, Mark; but what are you going to do about finding a job?"

"I haven't planned that far ahead," I said, "But I'll worry about that once you're out of here."

"Thank you, baby," she softly smiled, leaning back onto her bed, "I love you, Mark Powers; I love you with all my heart."

"I loved you the first time I ever saw you, Kate," I smiled, gently holding her hand, "And I'll never stop loving you."

"Mmm," she softly purred hugging me, "I'm so glad that I met you."

"I'm glad that I met you, too," I smiled, gently returning the hug, so as not to hurt her, "Now I've got a beautiful future to look forward to."

"I know that I already told you this," Kate suddenly giggled, "But my Mom thinks that you're hot. You should've seen the look on her face when she was talking about you. Even her nipples were getting hard, too."

"Kate," I playfully scolded, "You shouldn't talk about your Mom like that."

"Oh, come on now," she teased, "Don't you think Mom is pretty?"

"She's very pretty," I smiled, taking Kate's hand and kissing it, "Where do you think you got it from?"

"Aw, what a sweet thing to say, thank you, Mark," Kate kindly smiled, "I'll be sure and tell her what you said. She'll love it."

However, before I could say anything further, a nurse who was apparently making her rounds came into Kate's room and found me there. And with a look on her face that most certainly meant trouble for me if I didn't do what she asked, she ran me out of the room, but not before I said goodnight to my beautiful Kate.

"I love you and I'll see you very soon," I smiled, quickly but gently kissing her lips, "In the mean time, I want you to get some rest, okay?"

"Okay, baby," she replied, kissing me once more, "I love you, too."

~~~~~~

After getting a fairly good night's sleep, I was on the telephone around eight-thirty that next morning, returning the message that my grandmother had left with my answering service. I apprised her of what was going on, as well as what all was happening in my life, Kate included.

"I want to ask you something, baby," my sweet little grandmother said, "Do you love her, Mark?"

"Yes, ma'am," I happily replied, "I love her so much that it almost hurts sometimes."

"Then what would you think if I gave you your inheritance a little bit early?" she giggled, "That way I can be around to watch you enjoy it."

"Come on, Grams," I laughed, "I don't want anything from you and...."

"Nonsense, boy," she quickly and sharply cut me off, "You're my only grandson, and I want to do this. Besides, even though I know you're not like this, you'll never have to work another day in your life if you don't want to."

"You don't have to do this," I smiled, knowing that my protests weren't going to do one bit of good, especially once my grandmother had her mind made up.

"You're right, I don't," she sweetly chuckled, "But you also know me well enough to know that it's not going to do you any good to argue with me about this, don't you, baby?" "Yes, ma'am," I smiled in surrender, "I love you, Grams, I love you very much."

"I love you, too, baby," she sweetly replied, "Now, I need all is your bank information so that I can give it to my lawyer and then he can get the ball rolling..."

~~~~~~

Right after I'd gotten off the phone from my precious grandmother; I'd sat down and drawn up my resignation to hand in to Mike as soon as I got to the office. And also making sure that it was in my possession when I walked out my front door that morning, I got into my car, started it up, then backed out of my driveway and headed to what

~~~~~~

I stopped by a grocery store in my neighborhood and picked up an empty box to place my possessions that I had in my office in, and then I drove to 12434 West End Avenue, the location of the building that housed Linder & Dodge Engineering.

~~~~~~

The moment I walked through the front doors of my office building, the receptionist at the front desk, a nice young lady named Callie Middleton, told me, "Mister Dodge told me that he wanted to see you in his office the minute that you got here."

"I mean no offense to you, Callie," I quietly said, "But you can tell Mister Dodge that I said he can kiss my ass."

"I don't blame you, Mark, especially after I heard about what they did to you," she empathetically replied, "But I'm just trying to do my job."

"I know," I said, "Thanks for giving me the message," and then I turned to get on the elevator."

~~~~~~

"Mark," Mike Dodge smiled, meeting me the moment I stepped off of the elevator and onto my floor, "We need to talk, kid."

"Here," I curtly replied, handing him my letter of resignation, "There's nothing to talk about, and I'm sure as hell not your fucking kid."

By this time we were standing in front of several people, all of whom stood there with astonished looks on their faces.

As I headed to my office to clean out my desk, Mike placed his hand on my shoulder and said, "Mark...let me explain. Please don't do this."

"I'm giving you two seconds to take your hand off of me," I venomously growled, "After that I'm not responsible for what I do."

"I'm not letting go of you until you hear me out," he loudly replied.

"Alright then, don't say that I didn't warn you," I told him, and with that said, I grabbed him in a thumb lock, and then stepped back into him and flipped him over my shoulder where he landed hard on the floor.

"Can't you understand that I quit?" I asked, standing over him, "I'm trying to do this in a dignified way, but your stupid ass won't let me. I'm going to clean out my desk and I don't want to hear a fucking thing you have to say. Do you understand me, asshole?"

By this time he had gotten off of the floor and was now standing on his feet; and once he'd straightened himself up, he looked at me and said, "Go ahead...I'll leave you alone for now, but this isn't over yet."

"Oh, yes it is," I warned him, "Or I'm going to hurt you a lot worse the next time, do you understand me?"

I walked into my office to find Sarah cleaning out her desk as well, making me look at her strangely and ask, "What are you thinking, Sarah? You realize that once you walk out of here, you won't have a job, don't you?"

"That's already been taken care of, Mark," she impishly giggled, "I spoke with Kate right before you got here this morning; and she told me to tell you that you need to follow me when you leave here."

"Wait a minute," I suspiciously replied, "What's going on here, and what're you and Kate up to?"

"I can't tell you, Mark," she smiled, "You're just going to have to trust me, but I promise you that you're really going to like it when we get to where we're going...okay, please?"

"Aw hell," I relented, while Sarah was smiling from ear to ear, "Alright...I guess."

"Come on, tough guy," she chuckled, "I'll help you finish cleaning out your office, too, okay?"

"Okay," I relented, "I don't know what's going on, but I trust Kate, and I know she wouldn't ever let me down."

"No, she wouldn't," Sarah began to giggle again, "She really loves you with all of her heart, Mark; and I love you, too, just not like that. Now come on and help move all of this stuff out of here..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Six

After Sarah and I left the office building together, you can only imagine my surprise when I followed her to my house only to be surprised again to find Kate waiting in her car for us to arrive.

"What're you doing out of the hospital?" I asked smiling, "And what're you doing here?"

"What," she teased, "Do you want me to leave?"

"I think you know me better than that," I grinned, gently pulling her into my arms, "I'm just surprised to see you this soon; that's all."

"I got the doctor to release me into Mom's care," she giggled, holding her sides because of having bruised ribs, "I would like to go inside and sit down though, baby."

"Of course," I smiled, pulling my house keys out of my pocket as we walked up the steps and onto my front porch, "Come on, my love. Let's get you inside and in bed so you can rest."

"Under one condition," she giggled, "I get to lie in your bed."

"Aw, man," I complained, knowing that I would lose if I confronted Kate about it, "Oh, okay...I guess."

"You guess?" she playfully teased, "Jeez, Mark, you don't have to sound so excited about it. Damn, I thought you loved me."

"You know I do," I told her, "I'm just wondering what your Mom is going to say about it when she finds out you're sleeping here...with me."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, baby," she giggled, winking at Sarah, "If anything, I think she'll be more jealous than anything else," and of course I heard Sarah loudly laughing behind me.

"Come on, you two," I groaned, "Don't start with that again."

"I guess he really doesn't realize how hot he is," Kate impishly smiled, "Does he, Sarah?"

"Nope," she also smiled, "I don't think he does."

"Yeah, whatever," I grinned, opening my front door and walking into the house, "Come on Kate, my bedroom is right down the hall."

"What about Sarah?" Kate knowingly smiled, "Can't she stay here, too?"

"I guess so," I replied, "If she wants to."

"Jeez, Mark," Sarah playfully pouted, "I wouldn't want you to have to go out of your way or anything."

"Good Lord, woman," I told her, "Just take any one of the guest rooms you want. You know that you're more than welcome to stay here."

"I'm just yanking your chain, Mark," she began to giggle, "I've got my own place."

"That reminds me," I said, "Now that you've quit your job, how're you going to pay your bills? I can help you if you need it."

"See what I mean, Katie?" Sarah smiled at Kate, "I told you, didn't I?"

"You sure did, sweetie," Kate smiled, her eyes filling with tears as she placed her arms around my waist, and then looked into my eyes, "You're a good man, Mark, and I love you so much."

"I love you, too," I smiled, "But you really need to be off of your feet and taking it easy right now. You're still recovering from your injuries ya know."

"Yes, mother," she giggled, teasing me, "Show me where your bedroom is," and I did just that.

~~~~~~

After I got Kate settled and in bed, I made sure that she was comfortable and then went to the kitchen to make us all something to eat. While I was standing at the stove, I felt an arm creeping around my waist, and after turning to see who it was, I smiled when I saw Sarah standing beside me.

"Hi, Mark," she sweetly grinned, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," I replied, "What did you mean when you told Kate, I told you so?"

"Nothing really," she smiled, "I just told her that I thought you were one of the nicest guys I'd ever met, and that she's be crazy not to snatch you up as quickly as she could."

"What about you, Sarah?" I asked, "Don't you want to be with someone, too?" I mean, you're still young, and if you'll excuse me for saying so, you're a very pretty girl. Surely you don't want to live your life all alone, do you?"

"Thank you for asking, Mark," she quietly replied, "But I'm still a little gun shy after the shit I went through with Tyler Martin. I'll find someone eventually, but I still need some time to get back into the swing of things, if you know what I mean."

"I understand," I kindly told her, "It's just that I've come to care a great deal about you, and I don't want to see you all by yourself, that's all."

"And like I told Kate, you're a sweetie," she caringly smiled, "But I'll be alright, Mark, I really will, okay?"

"If you say so," I grinned, "In the mean time, how would you and Kate like to try one of my world famous Western Omelets?"

"Yum, that sounds good," she giggled, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

I got Sarah to help me chop and slice all the ingredients while I got everything ready to cook, and then once I'd finished making three omelets, Sarah and I made our way back to the master bedroom, only to find Kate sleeping soundly, with a little smile on her face while she slumbered.

"Come with me," I whispered, while quietly leading Sarah back to the kitchen, where she and I sat down at the table to eat.

~~~~~~

Once we'd finished eating, I was washing the dishes when I heard the phone ring.

"Hello," I said into the receiver.

"Hi, Mark," a female voice relied, "This is Carolyn Meyers; is my daughter there with you?"

"Yeah, she is," I warmly replied, "She's asleep, but I can wake her for you."

"Oh, no, don't do that," she smiled, "I do need to speak with you though, is there any way that I could come to your house, and if so, when would be a good time?"

"Oh course you can come over here," I grinned, "You can come right now if you'd like to."

"Thank you," she sweetly told me, "I can be there in about twenty minutes. Is that good for you?"

"Yes," I chuckled, "You've got an open invitation, Carolyn, and my house is your house so; come on whenever you're ready, I'll even make a fresh pot of coffee if you'd like."

"Oh, how sweet," she softly replied, "I'll see you soon, cutie," and then she hung the phone up.

~~~~~~

"Hello, pretty lady," I smiled, hugging Carolyn when I opened the front door, "Please, come on in and make yourself at home."

"Thank you, cutie," she girlishly giggled, walking into the den, taking a seat on the couch, "I'm dying to get these heels off."

"Would you care for a cup of coffee, Carolyn?" I politely asked, "I just made a fresh pot."

"Yes, please," she smiled, "Boy, I can sure tell that your Momma raised you right."

"That's the second time I've heard someone say that to me since I've been in Nashville," I grinned, "At the risk of sounding stupid, what does that mean?"

"It's a good thing, trust me," Carolyn smiled, "It means that you're a very mannerly gentleman, and that is a lesson that all mothers try to instill into their sons."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't always work," Sarah suddenly replied, appearing from the back of the house, "Hi, Carolyn, how're you doing today?"

"Oh, Sarah," Carolyn grinned, "It's so good to see you, baby girl. How's Katie doing, is she alright?"

"She's still asleep," Sarah told us, "I tried to tell her not to leave the hospital, but she's hard headed and you can't tell her anything sometimes."

"Girl, please," Carolyn smiled, "You're preaching to the choir."

"Oh, and one more thing," Sarah knowingly grinned, "Isn't Mark so sweet for letting Katie stay with him?"

"Yes, he is," Carolyn replied, batting her eyes at me, "I think it's so precious of him to go out of his way for my daughter."

"They're in love, Carolyn," Sarah giggled, "Did you know that?"

"Well, not for certain," she smiled, patting my hand as I handed her a cup of coffee, "But I know now, and I think it's wonderful. Katie could've done a whole lot worse, that's for damn sure."

"I don't know about that," I replied, "Especially when I tell you what I've got to tell you, Carolyn."

"What is it, dear?" she asked, concerned, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

"No, ma'am," I replied, "It's just that I quit my job this morning."

"Oh, that," she smiled, as if it was nothing, "I figured that it would only be a matter of time until you found out what my scoundrel of a brother-in-law was up to where you were concerned. I didn't know until the day after you found out, and I think it was really messed up."

"Yeah, it was," I said, "And he's going to pay for it, too."

"I'd be very careful if I were you, sweetheart," Carolyn gently warned, "I mean, Mike Dodge might be married to my sister, but I wouldn't trust his ass as far as I could throw him."

"I understand what you're saying, I really do," I told her, "But I'm not afraid of him one bit, and I'm sure as hell not afraid of David Linder either."

"And you shouldn't be either," Carolyn said, "I'm simply asking you to please be careful when it comes to dealing with those two, they can be ruthless, I've seen them in action."

"Maybe so," I told her, "But it's been my experience that everyone has a weakness...everyone."

"Hi, Mom," Katie smiled, suddenly appearing in the den, having come down the hall unheard, temporarily ending the conversation at hand, "What're you doing here?"

"I came to see how you were feeling, baby," Carolyn grinned, standing to hug her daughter, "Let me look at you, Katie...it looks like the swelling has gone down a lot."