Perfect Storm

Chapter 32 - Don't Give Up

Kate was lost in thought when Jay and Hailey greeted her the next morning, her head snapping up from where she had been stirring her coffee for at least five minutes. Giving her head a slight shake in an effort to clear the fog, she moved back out into the bullpen to take her seat, carefully lowering herself into the chair with a wince.

Thankfully she hadn't been needed back at the district after the class yesterday so she'd gone straight home, curled up on her sofa and that was where she stayed until the early hours of the morning. She was exhausted, anxious and her head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice.

"Hey, how'd that self-defence class go yesterday?" Kate looked up to see Hailey spinning around in her chair to face her. "Heard through the grapevine you did an awesome job."

"Oh yeah? I think it went okay. I forgot how taxing those classes were though." She joked, teeing up an excuse should anyone notice that she was moving more gingerly than normal.

Before Hailey could respond, Kate's cellphone rang.

"Meadows."

"Good morning Ms Meadows. This is Lucy calling from Doctor Benning's office. I just wanted to let you know that Doctor Benning has had a cancellation this afternoon and she wanted to know if you'd like to move your check up to one thirty today?"

"Oh sure, no problem. Thank you for the call."

Just as she hung up the phone, Hank's office door swung open and Alvin emerged, his face looking tired and strained. Noticing that Hank was still seated at his desk, she approached the doorway and knocked gently on the frame, waiting for him to beckon her in.

"Yeah, what's up?"

He briefly glanced in her direction before turning his attention back to the papers on his desk, scribbling something at the bottom of one page.

"I-uh-need to take some personal time this afternoon."

That seemed to draw him away from whatever he was working on as his eyes darted up to scan her form, taking a quick inventory before meeting her eyes.

"Everything alright?"

She could tell from the look on his face that he was concerned but she wouldn't give him the easy out of elaborating any more than necessary.

"Yeah, fine. Thanks Sarg."

With that, she turned on her heel and returned to her desk, burying herself in work until one o'clock rolled around and she made her way across town to her doctor's office, waiting in the little reception area to be called in.

"Ms Meadows?"

Kate's eyes flicked to the genial face of Dr Amanda Benning, getting to her feet and following her down the hall to a consulting room. When she was seated in the hard, plastic chair, Dr Benning turned to her with a smile.

"How are you doing Kate? It's been a while."

Kate shifted, the uncomfortable feeling she always got when she was in a medical environment trickling down her spine, ironic given the amount of time she spent there because of the occupational hazards associated with her job.

"Truthfully, I've been feeling a bit...off...for a few weeks now."

The doctor tapped away on the keyboard, muttering a 'hmm' every now and then as Kate spoke.

"So this 'off' feeling. Is it tiredness, nausea, anxiousness?"

"All of the above if I'm honest. Things at work have been particularly stressful so maybe I'm just worrying over nothing?"