Not Letting Go

Chapter 40

"Katie?" Max said looking around her bed.

Something felt wrong.

The room was bright, but there was a darkness somehow persisting across the the room just above the desk. She slowly leaned up and saw her camera sitting there.

Another lucid dream, the brunette thought. Another nightmare with her camera.

That damn fucking camera. What does it want?!

She wanted answers, but Max still felt that unexplainable fear as she stared at her device. The brunette fought the paralyzing feeling and slowly slid from the bed. As she moved in her mind, her body stirred in her real bed. After a few moments, she woke up crying, not knowing why and Kate was leaning over her, looking very worried.

As she caressed the freckled girl's face, Kate soothingly said with a congested voice, "Shh, shh, Em. I'm here, you're okay..."

Max's confused expression gave way to her distress again, even though she didn't know why she felt it. Kate pulled her up to hold Max and whisper words of reassurance as the brunette cried into her shoulder. While being gently rocked, the freckled girl slowly calmed down until she was just sniffling. When that had mostly ended as well, Kate said, "Are you feeling okay now?"

"I...I think so..." She sniffled again and pulled back from her girlfriend to wipe her nose.

"Was it the same thing again?" Kate asked.

"Yeah..." Max quietly rasped, not explaining further.

"The camera?" Kate delicately probed.

Max nodded slowly.

With a frown, Kate put her hand on the brunette's cheek and said, "I wish this nightmare would just go away. Maybe...you could talk about it with your therapist?"

Max considered. She quietly said, "Maybe...My session's tomorrow. Hey...you're still sick?"

Kate shrugged. "It's not too bad, except for the headache. I'll survive. Maybe I'll take an aspirin later." She gave a brief smile that faded as she continued. "Mine's today, but...maybe I should cancel." The evenness of her voice sounded forced.

Max almost asked her why, but then realized it was because she thought her parents would be cutting her off from any kind of financial help and so wouldn't pay for therapy anymore. If insurance covered everything, they could still possibly have dropped her from their coverage, but the premium payment should cover the whole month. Max wondered if Kate was not realizing that, but was afraid to ask her the question. The brunette decided she had to though, in order to understand the problem.

"Katie, um...can I ask...is your therapy paid by insurance?"

"No..." the blonde said quietly. "My parents wanted to make sure I had a Christian therapist and a good one, so they just paid for it. I don't know if it was ahead of time or after...I never asked."

That's why she was worried, Max thought. The brunette hoped that Kate's mom and dad wouldn't be so cruel as to remove assurance to her mental health. Kate didn't seem to want to take the chance and owe money, Max surmised. Her concern for Kate took her completely out of her own morning crisis as her mind quickly thought of a possible temporary solution.

Taking the blonde's face in her hands, Max looked her girlfriend in the eyes and said, "Don't do anything just yet," then leaned in for a kiss. Both girls closed their eyes and their lips met. Max felt Kate's hand slip upward from its hold around her until it reached her neck. The blonde's fingers dug into the back of her hair, lightly combing with her fingernails, and making Max's head tingle.