Wearing the Mask.

Chapter Sixteen.

***Katie's Point of View***

"Kate?" I hears muffled voice. "Kate? Are you okay?" I roll over on the bed. I hear him chuckle, "Kate you have you get up sooner or later."

"Well I choose later!" And I roll back over.

"Kate? You need to eat something. You can't spend your life away in our bed. You need to walk around."

I look at him with my beaten face.

"Now Kate, don't look at me like that. You know I'm soft on you."

"Ugh…" I flip over the blanket ad get up. I have my cow onesie on and I glare at him. He smiles and gives me a good morning hug and kiss.

"Good morning Ryan. You caught me in a semi-good mood." I chuckle at myself and he joins along.

"Come on Kate, let's grab some breakfast."

We walk down the stairs, ladies first -so not me- and hurry down the stairs.

When we get down we see Willy at the table. He made himself eggs.

He glances up and smiles. "Why hello Ryan and Katherine!"

We both look at him, "Hello?" We say it at the same time. I assume that Ryan can read my mind by now. After all, look at what he deals with. But he knows what he is doing.

So we sit down and have a little chat with Willy. He seems okay. I mean from the trauma of working for physios. But I guess some things never change.

"So Katherine, how are things now that you are home?" He asks like I haven't almost died. Please. 

"Will I don't ever want to talk about how they treated me in that. Ever. Understand?"

He nods and starts to talk to Ryan about something, I don't even know. I kinda zoned out and looked out the window. So beautiful. The birds are chirping so nice. The wind is gentle and is blowing the trees so nice. The smell of rain is calming. I am not sure if that is the best thing I have ever done with my life. I don't ever think that life will ever be the same again. 

After... What they did to me. I am not so sure I want to rethink this again. I have cried so much. I don't even want to.

"Hey Kate? What are you doing?" 

"I am not so sure anymore. But I do know I am breathing, does that count?" He smiles and pats me on the back. "It counts." As he chats about something I can't really hear anymore I start to think about how hard this must've been on Ryan. He knows he had to do his best so he did. But now he has to bare the guilt of me around. I wonder if it has been heartbreaking like I was without him.

Lost.

Alone.

And fear of what is going to happen to the other person.

I always thought of Ryan often in that prison. I thought what he would say and that made me strong and smile. I always heard him do the goodnight thing. "See you when the sun is up Ryan." And he would say, "See you when the moon is down Kate." That always helped me sleep in peace. Until they put the scars on my back. But let's not think of that.

I much rather think about sleep. So I dawdle up the stairs and drift away to a once happy place.