Her Sentinel

Chapter 11: See Me

Kay...

Staring at his sweet face in this picture, I feel such guilt for so many reasons. Slipping his old ring on my finger, it tingles.

"How odd is that?" I whisper.

Hearing another noise down here, I look at the stairs, then back at the boxes for Calypso.

I know she's probably the culprit who woke me up tonight. The sound was so loud that I'm surprised Nate didn't wake up too.

"Callie, what are you up to? You woke up mommy! You better show yourself before Nate comes down here. He doesn't like you that much as it is, even though you take out the mice." I say the last part under my breath.

Hearing it again, I turn around and see a figure standing by the stairs.

"Who is there? You better get out of here because my husband has a gun! I mean, I have a gun!" I shout and then the cat runs across my path.

Looking back at the shadowy figure, I grab an old baseball bat and move closer.

Jesus, my knees are knocking, because I'm so scared, but I have to know if someone is down here.

Inches away, I batter up and get ready to swing. When I do, the cat runs past me again, just as I let the bat fly and then trip over my slippers. It's all in slow motion as I drop to the ground, but I catch a glimpse of someone just before I land.

Gerry?

When my eyes open, I sit straight up and realize I'm back in my room. Throwing my feet over the side of our bed, I stare at the door.

Was that a dream?

Turning to Nate, he's gone, and then I look at the clock.

"I'm late! Shit!" I say and then jump to my feet.

Getting ready, I brush my hair while putting on my shoes and I spit out the toothpaste. Wiping my mouth, I run to the door, grabbing my keys off of the hook and my purse from the chair. Within minutes, I'm out the door, in the car, and speeding down the road.

Wow, that is the fastest I've ever gotten ready.

During the drive, I do my makeup and search through my purse for a power bar.

"Come on, Momma needs some protein," I say, and take a swig of water.

I add, "God, I wish that was coffee."

Pulling into the driveway, I slip into my spot and put the car in park.

"Holy crap, I made it with 5 minutes to spare... I can get coffee!" I say while grabbing my purse and running through the back door of our office.

Sitting at my desk, I turn on my computer and wait for it to come to life. Franny is talking with our boss, and I am going to enjoy my two whole minutes of peace.

"Awe, you and Nate are too cute," Franny says as she takes her seat.

Not understanding, I ask, "Thanks, but what do you mean?"

"Look at you wearing his high school ring. Were we doing a little role-playing last night?" She asks and then laughs.

Staring at it, I then try to take it off, but it's stuck. Twisting the ring, I panic, and she looks at me in confusion.

I whisper, "It's my ex-boyfriend's ring."

"What?" she asks while looking around.

"Franny, the one who died. His funeral was yesterday, and I had a dream that I went down to the basement to get this ring out of a box. And now it's on my finger." I state.