Race to a Happy Ending

Chapter 13

The next morning, after the drugs has worn off, Kate had a hearty breakfast and was back to her fiery self, a little battle scarred and in a lot of pain, but still fiery. She sent a reluctant Cameron on his way, back to Atlanta. There was no reason for him to stay she told him, "Your mom is here with me and my parents are on their way. I'll be fine until you get back. You just need to go, get out there and race the wheels off that car," she scolded him. "I'll be watching and you'll be winning. Now go."

Cameron held her close, "Okay. I know you're in good hands. Take it easy and I'll see you tonight. I'll be back as soon as possible." He hated to leave, but knew it would be okay. Her nasty bruises and cuts made her look much worse than she actually felt, according to her. He kissed her gently, avoiding tender areas, and left by 9:00 am.

The next morning Cameron returned home with his first victory of the season. She watched him on the tv in victory lane, tear up as he talked about the emotional toll this road to victory was. He said a quick hello to her on camera and the interviewer in victory lane asked him a few questions about how the emergency had affected him and if it had anything to do with the aggressive way he drove the car. Kate felt warm inside as she listened to him give a few generalized comments, but was careful to credit the victory, not just to his aggressive driving, but also to the great team behind him.

It was a great pressure off of both of them to finally see that win under their belt. Kate felt even more determined after that to heal quickly and get back to normal as fast as she could. She spent the next few days at Cameron's house. Her mom was a good nurse and by the end of the next week, she was feeling much better. She hadn't left the house and begged her dad to take her to her apartment to help her get some things. He agreed, and they both went. Kate felt some trepidation by going back to the scene of the crime for the first time. But being broad daylight, it made it much easier. A few neighbors saw her come in and stopped to talk to her and offer their assistance, if she needed it. They showed her the memo the apartment manager sent around stating they had beefed up security and were putting up a fence around the wooded area and several survelliance cameras around the complex. Kate looked behind her, and she could already see the fence had started going up along the edge of the apartment property. Seeing this made Kate feel somewhat better and she knew she had to get back to her apartment and her normal routine before too long, or she'd never be able to do it.

After a long conversation with Cameron on Sunday night, when he returned from a race, Kate decided she'd go back to work the next day and her parents would help her get her stuff back to the apartment. They would stay with her for a few days before they had to leave. Cameron still had his reservations, but knew he was outvoted and once Kate had made up her mind, there was no changing it. He was already formulating a plan in his mind to make sure he was doing all he could to prevent this from happening again. He knew how hard headed she was, but he knew he had to let her do this.

The next several days went by without incident. Kate went back to work with her usual go-get-em attitude and her coworkers were impressed with her drive, despite the trauma she'd just been through. In the year she'd been there, she'd already become one of the top sales employees in the region. They knew Kate was a hard worker, and it really came as no surprise that she didn't let something like this slow her down.

The only thing that bothered Kate was going in and out of her apartment. She always had the feeling someone was watching her. She knew she was probably wrong, she was just skiddish over the event that took place almost two weeks ago. She was thankful her parents had been staying with her. Her dad was always there to meet her when she arrived home and having someone walk her to and from the car and also having someone spend the night with her made her feel safer. She knew, though, at some point very soon she'd have to stay by herself, because her parents would be gone in just a day.