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“All the time. I thought getting away from…” I pause because I hate to say Colton’s name. “Well, I thought I’d be free. But I’m not. I’ll never be free from him. Not as long as he breathes. Even then, there will always be someone trying to claim the debt I’m supposed to be paying off.”
“How does it make you feel saying that out loud, Kally?”
I shrug. “I’m frightened of living, always looking over my shoulder. I might have got away from him once, but he’ll never let that go. He’ll never stop until I pay up.”
Silence surrounds me for an age. I look at the doctor, and she’s studying me carefully. It’s like she can look directly into my soul.
“What are you thinking, Doctor?”
Gail clears her throat, sits up straighter, and closes the book she had open on her lap. “We can do this one of two ways, Kally. I have a residential clinic about twenty minutes from here. I can book you a space and we can work with you as much as you like daily, or I can come here, and we can work through a care plan.”
I swallow deeply.
“Is your clinic safe?”
“Yes. No one can get in without a pass. Even then, they have to go through a lot of protocol before they see the patient.”
I love Clark. I really love him. I’ve never loved a single person as much as I love him, but I can’t stay here until I’m well. I can’t see and hear the pain he’s going through because of caring for me.
“Okay. I think I’d like that space.”
“I can get that fixed up right now. Would you like to tell Clark yourself?”
I shake my head. “No. I’ve caused him enough pain.”
“He’s only hurting because he cares, Kally. He’ll understand your decision. But I can explain what’s happening if that’s easier.”
I nod.
“Okay. Let me set up a room for you and we’ll get you on the road to recovery.”
Gail stands up from the chair and smiles warmly at me. I like her. She isn’t condescending. She isn’t like the people in my life who were only nice for their own gain, and I need to be far away from that life. Maybe locked up in a clinic is where I’m meant to be… alone.
I can’t think about the future when I’m still stuck in the past. I need to lay that to rest before I can move forward, and right now, I don’t know if I want to move forward without my baby girl.
Chapter 18
Clark
I’ve paced, back and forth, up and down, just waiting for Kally’s room door to open. I don’t know how much time has passed since I left Gail, but it feels like an eternity. My stomach is tied up in knots, and my hands are shaking. Anyone looking in would think I was waiting for my next fix. I guess they’d be right because I’m hooked on Kally. I get a kick out of protecting her. Right now, I feel like the life is being drained out of me.
Kally’s door opens, and I quickly turn around to see Gail put her bag down on the floor. She has her cellphone in her hand, but what captures my attention more is the somber look on her face. She’s going to give me bad news.
“What happened?” I ask.
I hear footsteps behind me, and I know it’s Nancy and Damien coming to my aid.
“Shall we sit down?” asks Gail.
I shake my head. “Please, just tell me.”
“Kally is coming with me to my residential clinic, Clark. She has agreed that she wants time to work through everything she’s going through.”
I shake my head. I can’t be hearing this. I just got her back. She won’t want to leave here. She feels safe.
“No. She won’t want that.” I try to walk past Gail, but Damien catches my arm and stops me. “Get off me, Damien.”
“No. I won’t let you barge in there and make things worse. Sit down and listen to the doctor. You wanted to get Kally help, and she has agreed to it. That should show you how bad things are. I half expected her to turn down help.”
