Never Again

Chapter 13

About a week had passed since the move. Within that time frame, Cora had spent her time putting her new apartment together. So far, her new place was turning out to be quite nice, though she was still learning to adjust to it. Her new apartment was smaller and designed differently than her place in Tacoma. Regardless, she still liked her new home. It was certainly better than continuing to sleep in the SAMCRO dorm rooms.

Aside from organizing her new apartment, Cora had been busy with her new job at St. Thomas. She had yet to actually start working there, but she had been given the chance to set up her office, tour the hospital, and get to know the head clinical pharmacist, Dr. Reid. The two were going to be working together quite a lot; when Cora wasn't helping patients transition out of the hospital and into rehab, she was to be working with Dr. Reid to determine the best medication plans for patients, ensuring that they wouldn't form addictions.

So far, Cora really liked the young pharmacist. Technically, she was Cora's superior, yet she treated Cora as an equal, insisting that she call her Emilia rather than Dr. Reid. Cora was excited to work with Emilia, and she was eager to try out her new job; it was going to be very different than her work in Tacoma, but she had a feeling that it was going to be just as rewarding.

Cora sat at her dining room table, drinking a cup of coffee as she thought about work, her eyes skimming over the calendar she was filling out. She was scheduled to start working in a few days, and had agreed to work five days a week, just as she had in Tacoma.

As she was flipping through her calendar, marking down the dates and times of her upcoming shifts, she heard a knock on the front door. She put her pen down and got up, heading to the door. She stood on her tiptoes, peering out through the peephole, and found herself faced with the sight of her father.

Opening the door, she greeted her father, trying to mask her surprise; she hadn't expected him to stop by, especially early in the day when he usually had a shift at the station. "Hey, dad." She gestured at him to take a step inside, intrigued and eager to know what he was doing at her place.

Unser entered hesitantly into her apartment, only taking a few steps inside. Upon entering, he gazed around at the interior, amazed. Cora had only just moved in, yet the apartment already seemed quite homey. "It's looking real nice in here, Coralie," he noted, a slight smile growing on his face.

"Thanks." Cora paused a moment, watching as he continued to look around. She observed him for a little while longer, grinning at the wonder in his eyes before she finally cleared throat. "So, what brings you by?" she asked. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Her snapped from his daze, looking to her rather than the décor of her apartment. "No, the town fundraiser is today. You know, the one that Gemma runs," he explained. "I was wondering if you'd want to go with me."

His words finally clicked in Cora's mind, jogging her memory. "Oh, yeah, I know what you're talking about," she admitted. "It's the one that raises money for the school district; Gemma started in when I was in high school."

Unser nodded. "Yeah, that's the one," he confirmed. "I'm helping Charming PD with their stand, and Gemma is making her chili. I thought you'd might like to go."

Cora shrugged. "Sure, why not?" She didn't have much else to do. Her new job hadn't officially started yet, and she was beginning to get bored of arranging and rearranging her apartment. She peaked around her father, looking out the front door. "Is Cath coming along?" she inquired.

Unser shook his head. "She's at the diner right now," he confessed. "But she's going to meet up with us later."

Cora nodded, "Oh, okay." She paused as she stared at her father, unsure of what to say next. There was a part of her that still felt at odds with him; she sensed that he was still upset about her moving back home.