"Of course you can."
"You did sort of cross a boundary. And by sort of, I mean you did. You really shouldn't have tattled to the boss without talking to her first. I know what she did was wrong, but she is an adult and has every right to make decisions for herself even if we don't agree with them."
Ducking her head, Bette nodded meekly. She knew she had gone too far on that one. It didn't occur to her until later that what she had done was wrong. She had been so wrapped up in wanting to keep her safe. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. I was just so afraid that she was going to stay there all day and run herself down. I could already tell that she was getting wobbly again. She's just so fucking stubborn."
"Well, you should be used to stubborn," laughed Missy. "Shelly had to have been the queen of stubbornness."
Bette rolled her eyes. "Definitely. She was the absolute worst when she got it in her head that she was going to do something or not do something. She would drive me nuts."
"What do you know about the difference between the two?"
Bette thought about it for a minute and then spoke. "Shelly's stubbornness comes from her narcissism, and Kerrie's stubbornness comes from fear."
Missy reached over and squeezed Bette's hand. "I think you just need to give her a little time. She cares a lot for you, and I really think that once the fear and the fear-induced anger settle down, she will be able to think more clearly. I also think that once you've given her some time, you should probably apologize for overstepping."
"I really hope you're right. I'll apologize and give her some space."I really hope this will work.
Chapter 31
The week went by agonizingly slow for Kerrie. She had made an appointment with her primary care physician for Friday and was released to go back to work on Monday.
The whole week had been really odd and uncomfortable. After she was forced to leave Turtle Grove Monday morning, she had been livid. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so angry. She didn't even go straight home. Instead, she decided to drive around to cool off as much as she could, because she didn't want Kenny to see her like that. He fed off her energy. The tightness in her chest had come back. The dizziness didn't help. She ended up grabbing a large sweet tea and a cheeseburger from McDonald's and went to their local park to sit and stew.
Roark State Park wasn't very large but had just the right amount of trails and tree coverage. One could get lost, but not really lost. The easiest trail, referred to as the granny trail, had outdoor workout equipment along its path and a lush green canopy of limbs and leaves. It was always a favorite of theirs. Well, back before his heart attack. They used to always come out to the park, but then work became so busy, and she'd been so worried about Kenny falling that she had stopped taking him out there, which was a shame because they both really enjoyed it. Exercise was technically good for Kenny. His cardiologist said light walks would strengthen his heart. It wasn't a hard trail. Most of everything was flat, and he could sit down at different spots to relax on the benches along the trail. But it wasn't in the safety of their home, and that was a hard barrier for her to overcome for some reason. If she were being honest, she probably needed to exercise more, too. Both mentally and physically. The tension in her shoulders and the worry in her mind would improve immensely after a walk.
She tried to remember the last time they had been there. It had probably been well over a year. Maybe spring of the year before that? They used to go every week. Like clockwork, they would pick up something to eat every Sunday and then go into the park to have lunch. Afterward, they would walk around the trail a few times. She missed it if she was being honest with herself. It was as if once Kenny had his heart attack, she had started mourning his life prior. Like that one episode ended any normal life they would have afterward.
When she finally made it home, she couldn't bring herself to tell Kenny that she had broken up with Bette. She didn't even want to think about it herself. The words had been out of her mouth before she could even really think them through. She was just so angry and hurt. Bette had single-handedly taken away her profession for the week. She had made her look like a fool and made her sound weak. And Kerrie was neither.
It wasn't until Wednesday evening that Kenny finally started asking when Bette was going to come by. She had danced around the wording, not wanting to speak the words into the universe again. So she just decided to give Kenny the excuse that Bette had been really busy. She knew it wasn't a long-term fix, but it would work for the time being.
At night, it really hit. She would lie in bed alone, falling asleep to the silence of her bedroom, and it was not the soft, adorable snores Bette produced. She never told Bette that she snored. Kerrie found it kind of cute. Bette would have been horrified had she known. Her sleep was never truly restful, and twice, she caught herself reaching for where Bette would normally be when she was half asleep. Her hand only met air. She would be awake for a while afterward.
On Saturday evening, Mabel had come by to see Kenny and check on Kerrie.
"Well, there's my Kenny," said Mabel to Kenny when she walked through the door.
The look of joy that fell over his face gave Kerrie a momentary pang of guilt. Truth be told, Kenny's world was pretty small, and this week, he had not only lost Bette without realizing it but had also gone days without seeing Mabel.
Kenny hugged Mabel tightly, squeezing the woman to the point where she grimaced and had to pull back, patting his arms with a smile. "Well, I see I've been missed," Mabel chuckled.
"We were just about to have dinner. Do you want to join us?"
"I might just do that."
Kerrie made pork chops, baked potatoes, and macaroni and cheese—not the stuff from the box, but the kind that she melted real cheese for. She also made a side of Brusselssprouts that she knew Kenny wasn't going to eat, but that was fine, because she enjoyed them. She had been cooking every day, and it had been nice to actually do something that wasn't rushed. Kenny didn't even seem to mind that they had gotten off of their normal food routine.
"So, are you going back to work on Monday?" asked Mabel, cutting into her pork chop. She had made herself a much smaller plate than the twins had.
Kerrie nodded, swallowing the bite of food. "Yeah, I got my doctor's release, so I'm good to go. I'm still supposed to be taking it easy, but I should not have any problems working."
"Can I ask where Bette is? I saw her car in the driveway and her lights on."
Kenny answered before Kerrie could. "Bette doesn't like us anymore."
Kerrie's mouth fell open, and she began shaking her head. "No, no, that's not right. Why would you say that? Bette loves you."
He looked down at his plate and didn't say anything further, but he began rubbing his head and had a slight rock to his posture.
