Deja Vu: The Healer

Chapter 27: Two Minutes

CAROLINE

My silly ringtone sounded from the nightstand, waking me early from the bluest of deep dreams. My arm fumbled over the nightstand a moment, hitting off my water bottle and decorative rose quartz chunk, before I finally grabbed the cellphone.

"Hello?" I rumbled into it.

"Caroline!" The man's voice yelled.

"Huh?" My head was still foggy from lack of sleep.

"Caroline! You are late for work!"

Oh! It was Rick! The cellphone time read 6:08. "Shoot! Sorry! I'll be right there!" I slid off the bed in a heap of blankets on the floor, scurrying to get free. Running to my dresser, I started pulling out my work clothes.

His voice was low and deadly. "You expect me to be lenient after how you acted yesterday? Think again Caroline. You are on probation!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll be there in twenty minutes!" I promised, tying my scrub pants.

"You better be, or you'll be sorry," he threatened.

"I know! I'm coming..." I ran for the bathroom, but my movements halted when William was towering in my doorway blocking my exit. His face set and stoic. Immediately my mind cleared, and I remembered the last few days completely.

That's why I wasn't at work. A deep sigh of relief flooded my body.

My phone fell from my hands and I jumped at William and buried myself into his embrace. His hands held at my back and head, and a kiss topped my hair. I took a full long breath. "Sorry. I forgot where I was for a moment."

"I was worried," he admitted.

I squeezed him tighter, determined to not let him fret.

"Caroline. Caroline!" I heard the receiver from the phone.

It made me grin. "One moment," I spoke to William's lovely chest.

Then I pulled from his embrace and picked up the phone. "Hello Mr. Farce. This is Caroline Peters... or Kara Day, I'm not exactly sure which at the moment. But that's not important. I'm sorry you didn't get my secretary's message, but I have quit your practice effective immediately. Marie North is a wonderful help and I'm sure she'll be great to cover anything you would have needed of me until you can hire someone else. I apologize about leaving you shorthanded in the meantime."

Rick's voice growled. "You need me Caroline. Get back here now!"

I looked up to William with a pleasant smile. "I don't think I do. I don't need you or your job. Please don't contact me again. We are over and I quit."

He started a rant, but I ended the call and then turned the whole phone off.

William's face then turned into a gentle smile. Hope and relief flooded through me like a wave and I knew it wasn't just my own feelings. I threw myself at William, wrapping him in a hug and legs clear around his waist.

He chuckled and sat down on my bed, holding me across his lap.

After a minute of him rubbing my back I spoke softly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up like that."

"He's quite manipulative."

I bit my bottom lip. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Please don't go back to him."

"I won't." I leaned back to show him I meant it. "The early phone call just caught me off guard after the late night. I probably would have realized before I got to the kitchen."