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Chapter Nineteen: Kat

Author: Krista Lakes
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Kat

Dessert came and went quickly. It was some sort of crème brûlée that should have made her mouth water, but her appetite was still missing. She tried to keep the conversation light, but it was obvious that AJ’s mind wasn’t completely on the meal. He tried, though, and it was a pleasant end to the meal. She could appreciate AJ’s ability to set work aside for the moment, even if they didn’t resume a completely carefree banter.

AJ signed the bill without batting an eyelash. Kat tried not to peek at the end, but she still saw at least three numbers for their small meal. A meal of this cost would have her budgeting her groceries for the rest of the month to make sure she could pay rent, and yet AJ signed the check like it was nothing.

She pulled out her phone and sighed.

“What’s wrong?” AJ asked, setting the pen down on the top of the bill.

“Apparently we just hit a peak ride-share time,” she groaned. The cost of a cab would be a little big cheaper, but not by much.

“Peak ride-share tim
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  • Yours Truly   Chapter Twenty-One: AJ

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  • Yours Truly   Chapter Twenty-Three: Kat

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    About 7 months later…“I hope you have your bags packed.” Dr. Misti-Cooper wheeled her chair away from Kat’s open legs. “Because your water has broken.”“Hallelujah!” Kat announced while AJ paled. “That means we can just go over to the labor and delivery unit, right? No going home? No more waiting?”“Yes to all of those,” Dr. Misti-Cooper said with a smile. “You’re going to have a baby.”“Thank you, Doctor!” Tears of relief streamed down Kat’s face. The pregnancy had been rough. The morning sickness had lasted her entire pregnancy. Everyone kept telling her it would go away when she hit the second trimester, but it never did. The nausea and vomiting had lasted all the way up to the end.But today was her last day of puking, because she was going to have this baby.“Would you like a wheelchair? Or do you want to walk over?” asked Dr. Misti-Cooper.“I’ll walk,” Kat told her. “It’ll help progress labor, right?”The doctor nodded and helped her sit up on the exam table. “How are you feeli

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  • Yours Truly   Chapter Thirty-Four: Kat

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  • Yours Truly   Chapter Thirty-Two: Kat

    KatAn annoying, rhythmic beeping woke Kat from a dreamless sleep. She wished she could just go back to sleep. In sleep she had been comfortable. Now that she was awake, her arm ached and it felt like it was part of an ice-cold river, not to mention she had a wicked headache. But, on the upside, she wasn’t nauseous.Cautiously, Kat opened her eyes to see gray ceiling tiles and florescent lights. The bed was incredibly hard and as she looked around, she realized it was actually a gurney and not a bed at all.She was in a hospital.She closed her eyes and her hand went to her belly. A cold wave of fear washed over her. Was her child okay? What was happening? How did she get here? What if the doctors had given her something that was bad for the baby?She took a breath and tried to remember how she had gotten here. She could remember arriving at AJ’s house, but it was fuzzy.AJ. Her hand tightened on her stomach and she swallowed hard. She was in a hospital with AJ. What if the doctors ha

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    AJAJ watched in horror as Kat’s eyes rolled up into her head and she crumpled to the floor. He barely managed to catch her before her head hit the tile floor. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.“Kat? KAT!” He shook her shoulders, but her head just flopped to the side. Panic welled up in his chest as visions of loosing her flooded his mind. Her skin was cold and clammy. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get her to wake up.AJ pulled out his phone and hit the panic button. His security team would get to him far faster than 911, would be more discrete, and would have similar medical training.“We have a medical emergency in the kitchen,” he yelled into the phone before tossing it to the side and focusing back on Kat. Her pulse was thready and her breathing shallow. He didn’t have much training other than CPR, but he knew that she needed to get to a doctor as soon as possible.The next thirty seconds were the longest he could remember in his life.“Please, wake up, Kat,” he whisp

  • Yours Truly   Chapter Thirty: Kat

    KatThere was no way she was going to be able to tell him about the pregnancy. Not now.AJ grinned and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you,” he whispered, pulling her closer to him. He seemed to be taking solace in her embrace which just made her feel even more guilty. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”Kat pushed her face into his chest, breathing in the scent of him. It was strange, but the smell seemed to settle her stomach. However, it did nothing to ease the ache of guilt.The beep of the intercom caused them both to pull back.“Yes?” AJ asked, leaning over his desk and pressing the button.“The lawyers are here, sir,” his secretary informed him.Weight settled around his shoulders and the happy light left his beautiful blue eyes. He sighed and stood up straight.“Congratulations on the project. I’m proud of you,” he said, kissing her cheek gently. “Maybe we can have dinner tomorrow? I’m unfortunately stuck here tonight.”“Dinner tomorrow would be great,” Kat replied before

  • Yours Truly   Chapter Twenty-Nine: Kat

    KatMonday morning rolled around again, and just like last week, Kat wanted to punch it in the face. Mondays were pure evil.She sat at her desk, nauseous as hell and wishing she could just go home. Ginger ale was sort of helping, so she was basically main-lining the golden liquid. She needed to tell her stockbroker to buy stock in the ginger ale company, because if she kept drinking it at this rate, the company was set to make a lot of money off her.She set her cup down and tried to quiet her mind and her stomach. She was hoping to see AJ sometime today. Her mind was made up to tell him about the pregnancy. She was so nervous about it that she wasn’t sure it was just morning sickness that was making her stomach queasy.Just a few hours and she’d know how AJ felt about her. About their baby.“I have great news!” Renee announced, hopping up on Kat’s desk with a grin. Kat nearly jumped from her chair with surprise. She had been lost in her own world and hadn’t seen her come up.“You me

  • Yours Truly   Chapter Twenty-Eight: Kat

    KatKat blinked against the early morning sun. Traffic was light as AJ maneuvered his black sports car through the quiet streets leading up to her apartment. Neither one spoke; they sat in amicable silence. Kat didn’t feel the need to speak. She was comfortable enough with AJ that they could have silence without it being overwhelming.“Thank you for driving me home,” she said as her apartment complex came into view. She loved that AJ had decided to drive her home himself, rather than just have a driver take her. They didn’t get as much time together as she would have liked, so even just the few minutes in the car were precious to her.“It was my pleasure,” he assured her. “If I didn’t have meetings today, I would have insisted that we just stay in bed for the day.”Kat frowned. It was the weekend, yet he still had meetings. Meetings he couldn’t cancel because it would raise suspicions, not to mention that he needed to salvage the company from his partner’s mistakes.“I would have like

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