Subj: Kate Chapter 20
Date: 5/13/00 10:54:59 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Karen
Kate walked into the dining room and found the family
already eating. She poured a cup of tea and grabbed a piece of toast. Sitting
down next to David, Kate drank her tea quietly. Everyone was talking and didn’t
appear to notice her silence.
Finally, Elizabeth turned to Kate and asked, "Are you all right, Kate? You are
very quiet this morning." Her face was filled with concern.
Kate bent her head into her cup and took another sip of tea. Looking up, her
face pale, she said, "I have had some bad news. I will be leaving for home today."
Kate’s announcement was met with silence. She looked at the faces at the table.
Only Julia’s face seemed to be happy. No, not happy; exultant was more the word.
Kate was a bit taken aback. Perhaps it is for the best, she thought. Julia can
have Barnabas all to herself now. I hope it works out for them. But do I?
Kate was interrupted by David’s voice. "Kate, you can’t go!" he cried. "I thought
you liked it here. I don’t want you to go!" Turning to Roger, David pleaded
with his father to make Kate stay.
Elizabeth spoke before Roger could answer. "David, Kate has had bad news, she
must go and be with her family." To Kate, she asked, "Is it your grandparents,
Kate? Are they all right?"
Kate nodded. "Yes, they are fine. An old friend is very ill and I must return
to Oregon. I don’t want to let my friend down when he needs me. You do understand,
don’t you, David?" Kate asked, putting her hand on David’s shoulder.
"I guess so. It’s just that..." Roger interrupted David.
"David, Kate has to go. It is a matter of live or death, it seems." Roger’s
voice was full of sympathy for his son. He understood how David felt. In a very
short time, Kate had become part of the family. She would be missed a great
deal.
Carolyn, finding her voice, said, "You will come back, won’t you? At least for
a little while? I, for one, will miss you terribly!" she said sadly.
"Yes, Kate, you will come back to see us?" Elizabeth added.
Kate felt terrible. How could she promise to come back here? She didn’t belong
in this time. After this experience, Kate doubted if Stephen would ever let
her try time travel again. She should have forgotten about Joseph Collins and
just met Julia Hoffman somewhere other than here. Kate loved the people at Collinwood,
especially Barnabas. It was almost unbearable to leave them; the thought of
leaving him almost made her heart stop.
"I will do what I can to come back." Kate said. "I can’t make any promises,
though, okay?" She looked pleadingly at Elizabeth, who nodded her head in understanding.
The subject of Kate leaving was over. Elizabeth asked Roger what his plans were
for the day and from there conversations took off in different directions.
Julia, however, remained quiet. Kate is determined to help her friend, she thought,
no matter what personal sacrifice she has to make. If Kate is leaving, then
I need to figure out what I will do when she does. I don’t want to be Barnabas’
shoulder to cry on this time.
Making a decision, Julia stood up and excused herself from the table. She walked
to the telephone in the drawing room and dialed a number.
"Yes, is this Adventure Travel? Yes, hello, this Dr. Julia Hoffman. I would
like to book a flight to New York for this afternoon, open return. I would also
like to book a hotel room for, oh, let’s say at least two weeks. Which one?
Someplace close to the theater. Book a suite, will you? I will be there in an
hour to pick up the tickets. Thank you." Julia hung up the phone with a feeling
of satisfaction. Well, at least she will be far away enough from Barnabas for
awhile.
*********************************************************************
After breakfast, Kate headed to the garden. She needed some time to think about
what she would say to Barnabas.
Before she reached the door, David stopped her. Shyly, he said, "Kate, you will
write, won’t you? I promise I will write back faithfully." He looked up at her
with his big brown puppy-dog eyes.
Kate touched his cheek. "I will do my best, David. I don’t want you to be disappointed
if you don’t hear from me, okay?" she said.
"Why won’t I hear from you?" he asked.
"It’s hard to explain, but believe me, my lack of correspondence does not mean
I don’t love you with all my heart, bud. Please try to understand." Kate said,
sadness in her voice.
David hugged her tightly. "I love you, too, Kate. I will never forget you, never!"
he said emphatically.
Kate hugged him back just as tightly. "I will never forget you either, David!"
she said.
Fearing that tears were next, Kate said, "I thought your dad was going to take
you to town this morning. You had better see if he is ready, bud. You don’t
want to be left behind!"
At her words, David hugged her again and ran back into the house. Kate had a
big lump in her throat as she found her way to the garden. Man, I have got to
stop this stuff! she said to herself. Sitting down on the bench, Kate sat with
her head in her hands, crying for David, the rest of his family, herself and
most importantly, the man she loved more than life itself, Barnabas Collins.