Hold Me Close & Don't Let Me Fall ✓

Chapter 25

It had been about a month since I left Frank the test at the marina and I still hadn't heard from him. I wasn't exactly surprised, not after what I heard that night. I had found a house and had been able to negotiate to have most of the furniture included. It was an elderly couple moving into a fully furnished senior living community so for the right price, they were willing to accommodate.

I started seeing patients again, something that was still taking me a while to get used to. I had lost my way when I lost my friend and I was trying to gain that back. I had done my two week notice for Ferg and had started seeing patients immediately after that. I had had my first scan and the doctor was pleased with how things were looking so that made me happy. She gave me ultrasound pictures but I wasn't sure I would be leaving them for Frank. I had called my mother, for the first time in years, and we had had a very long talk. I forgot just how much I missed her.

I was out buying groceries one day and at the front of the market there were a bunch of flyers. One had an orange cat with one eye, looking to be adopted. Fred! I threw the groceries in the back of my car and drove as fast as I could, breaking several speeding limits to get to the animal shelter, pulling into a spot and rushing out of my car. "Hi." Me and someone else said at the same time. I go stock still, Frank.

"Hi! Can we help you two?" The lady at the reception desk asked.

"Yeah. Do you have a one-eyed orange cat named Fred?" Frank asks.

"We have a one-eyed cat, but I don't know what his name is."

"Where?" I ask.

"I don't know. Today was his last day." The lady at the filing cabinet says.

"No." I say sadly. "That was our cat. Are you sure he's gone?" Fred runs to the back and I follow after him. We run through the kennel and the dogs start barking. Frank bursts open a door and we're in the exam room with a vet.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing back here?" We see the syringes on the table and Frank in one of the crates.

"That's our cat." I say sadly, looking at how upset Fred is.

"I told them they couldn't." The reception lady says as we walk up to him.

"Hey Fred." Frank greets and he just meows up at us.

"Who brought this cat in?" I ask, turning on them.

"Some guy. He said it was an allergy issue." Frank and I turn to look at each other.

"Evelyn!" We say together.

We rescue Fred and the two other cats that were going to be put down. "I'm going to kick your mother's ass this time. I don't give a fuck if it lands me in jail." I say as he loads the cats up in his truck before I slide in next to them, one-cheeking it.

"I think it's time I just give her what she wants." Frank says as we pull out of the parking lot and back onto the main road.

"Are you sure?"

"I think, in this instance, Diane wouldn't mind."

"Then lets drop these guys off at your place and go get our niece."

...

We run up to the door of the foster parents' house and Frank knock, incessantly. "Frank, Georgia!" The foster dad greets us.

"Where's Evelyn?" Frank asks.

"Evelyn? You mean your mother?"

"How many Evelyns do you know that we'd be asking about?" I come back with, rolling my eyes.

"Yes!" Frank says.

"Kevin. Evelyn is in the guest house." She says before giving her husband a look.

"Are you kidding me?" I ask before running off after Frank.

"Yes, listen. I'm sorry." I hear Kevin say.

We open the door and Mary is at a table with Evelyn and a bunch of Russian tutors. "Un-fucking-believable." I say under my breath.

"What are you doing here?" Evelyn asks.

"I might ask you the same question." I say.

"Come on Mary. We're going home." Frank says, offering out his hand.

"No." She says, not really able to look at either of us.

"You're trespassing." Evelyn accuses us.

"And I think you've overstayed your welcome in the state of Florida." I say.

"You need to look at this." Frank tells her, taking Diane's finished solution out from the box.

"Come on sweetie. Let's go." I say softly.

"No!" She says before running out, Frank following close behind her. Evelyn makes to follow them but I block her.

"I don't fucking think so. Your days of calling the shots are over. Take a look at what he gave you. I think you'll end up loving it more than your granddaughter." I say before she sits back down and takes a look.

"No." She says, reading the title.

"Yes." We sit in silence, waiting for Frank and Mary to come back. I turn around as I hear the door knob jiggle.

"Georgia!" She screams before launching herself on me. I grab onto her and hold her tight.

"I missed you so much!" I say into her hair.

"I missed you too." She says.

I turn to Frank. "I'll take her to go grab her things. You can handle this." I say as Mary and I walk to the door.

"So you promise Fred is at home?" She says as we're in her room, placing her clothes into a suitcase.

"I swear it. I watched Frank take him inside myself." I say as I place one of her shirts in the bag.

"Where's your wedding ring?" She asks bluntly.

"Well, your uncle and I haven't been seeing eye to eye since you had to leave. And we've been taking some time apart." She looks up at me, her eyes watering again. "Now don't you cry. It had nothing to do with you. I wasn't happy placing you here and my opinion on the matter got overruled. So I needed some space to clear my head. But I got a house, where you can have your own bedroom."

"Is Frank going to live there with us?" I sigh.

"I haven't really talked to Frank about that yet. For tonight, we're going to go back to the apartment. I'm sure there's other people besides Fred, who're excited to see you."

"Roberta!" she screams.

"Exactly. So lets focus on that for now, and you leave the big stuff to me and Frank. You already have so much going on up there, you don't need to worry about us too."