A Lifetime

A Lifetime / Chapter 9

He was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I'll stay on the phone."

"Yeah. Okay."

He knew he had to wake her. He wasn't happy with the circumstances but deep down he was secretly glad to be nearer to her again.

The city life outside was mostly muted, but the curtains he closed allowed no remaining light into his apartment. He walked carefully towards her door. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her.

She was sound asleep when she felt a soft nudging on her shoulder. It was so dark that it startled her. She gasped!

"It's just me. I'm so sorry to wake you like this. You didn't hear me knocking."

"Is everything ok?"

"Well, not exactly. Listen."

Chance put his phone, which now illuminated the bed, on speaker, and Kyle's voice began to enter the room. He explained that he couldn't make the trip with Chance to Japan.

He sounded awful. His voice was weak and terribly scratchy. He even had a difficult time catching his breath as he described that he suspected it was the flu. He had spent the day before with a friend who called him apologizing that he did indeed have the flu now. After waking from his sleep, sick on his stomach and feverish, he took his temperature. It was a hundred and three.

He said he would be going to the doctor when their office opened but knew that there was no way he could travel and especially take a chance at spreading this to anyone else. He also knew he had to let Chance know immediately.

He pleaded, reluctantly, with Kat to please go in his place. He began to explain that she would only go as a rep. She wouldn't have to speak at all. He assured her that Chance always did the speaking, that his role was a companion and helped if needed.

"Is there no one else?" she begged, more from fear.

"I wouldn't ask you if I thought anyone else could. Please forgive me for putting you in this position. I feel just awful."

"You sound just awful. I'm really sorry Kyle. I hope you feel better soon, and ...oh God...what kind of friend would I be if I let you down."

Her worried expression was partially shadowed by the angle of the phone.

"Oh, Kat. You are a lifesaver. You are the best!"

"Yeah, you better hope I don't ruin this for him."

"Kat, that will never happen," Chance chimed in as Kyle replied with a similar comment.

"Now, I'm never going to be able to sleep," she flopped back on the bed with her hands over her eyes.

Chance looked down upon the beauty, lying softly in her pillow, hands still covering her face in a protective manner, and just smiled to himself. He was relieved that he wasn't going alone, but now very excited that she would be his companion.

"Try to sleep," Chance replied with a soft voice as he left the room, returning the phone to his ear.

She listened as his footsteps softly left her room. He continued to talk in a softer voice to Kyle, reassuring him that it was okay.

"I'm not mad or disappointed!" She could barely understand him saying to his friend.

She rolled over to slam her face into her pillow. She felt a scream rise to her throat. She could easily scream into the pillow but refrained to avoid Chance rushing back into the room. She was already feeling vulnerable.

"Hold it together," she whispered to herself.

The morning came early, too early for them both.

They had to catch a flight to LA before getting on their eleven-hour flight to Japan.