Betrayed

Season Four

I had my follow up ultrasound and blood work done during March and awaited the results impatiently. I knew Gabriel was just as anxious about it as I was but he was better able to mask his anxiety as he kept busy with work.

Luckily, the ground began thawing and construction on our new house began. This gave me a brief moment of respite as I focused on the blueprints, choosing paint and flooring. It was an exciting process to watch, one day there was a huge hole in the ground, then there was a foundation and soon walls were being put up.

Matteo had come down to help Gabriel get ready for the season. He was staying in Chrissy's old room while he was with us and went home on the weekend to see his family. Gabriel and Matteo were away most of the day and I took those opportunities to pack up the house and deal with the realtors. Since our new house wasn't going to be ready until the fall Gabriel had rented a storage unit as I had suggested and we planned on staying at the cottage during our days off.

There was an unspoken agreement that I was going to be taking up my old job of head cook for the summer. I had taken the initiative of interviewing a few people to fill in as my helpers, one of them being Jenna while the other was my old student, William Rogers. The third spot was going to be occupied by college students who were looking for an extra experience during their summer vacation.

I had contacted the community college and offered my services. Apparently Oli and William had praised me as a teacher and highly recommended the partnership. The college was eager to collaborate with me but insisted I did a teaching course during the winter in order to meet their standards. I readily agreed and took on the 6 week course from February to March. I sat in on the college's Culinary Arts Management and Cook classes to get a feel for the type of students that I would be mentoring for the summer. It was a lot more structured than my first experience in mentoring and I was looking forward to teaching them and showing them the ropes. The season was all set to start in mid May and run through to the end of September.

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"Well Miss Saunders, it looks as though you are all clear!" Dr. Pelletier announced as he reviewed my chart in April. He looked up at me and gave me a genuine smile. "I would like to continue to monitor you every six months or so with blood work and an ultrasound every year, but otherwise, it looks like the cancer has been completely removed and you will not have to go through radiation therapy!" He closed the chart and rested his hand over it.

"Thank you so much Dr. Pelletier" I said as my eyes filled with tears. The doctor stood from his chair and walked around to me wrapping his arms around me. It was such a comforting gesture, he was truly a compassionate medical professional.

I could hardly contain my excitement as I drove home. Gabriel was standing in the middle of the living room eating a bowl of cereal, wearing only a pair of jeans. I watched him appreciatively as he listened intently to the weather report. He turned to look at me and grinned as he saw the wide smile on my face.

"It was good news?" he asked.

"The best news, I'm all clear!!" I squealed. Gabriel picked me up in his arms and spun me around before rushing us to the bedroom.

"Ready to make some babies then?" he asked with a mischievous grin on his face. I laughed as he kissed me and took my clothes off in a hurry. "I'm so relieved baby" he said whilst kissing my neck.

"Me too" I said and relaxed for what felt like the first time in a few years. I could now focus on my future, on my life, on what I wanted to do. It was such a freeing feeling; like my prison sentence was over. I lost myself in Gabriel and all the things he made me feel. "I'm so happy Gabe," I said as the two of us panted, trying to catch our breath. He flashed me his most beautiful smile as he reached for my mouth, kissing me gently.