Never Again

Chapter 9

A week passed, Cora spending the majority of her time on the phone. She had finally heard back from Wendy's insurance company, and they had thankfully agreed to help cover the cost for her rehab. From there, Cora had to get into contact with the program itself, making calls to the office and filling out paperwork.

Wendy aside, Cora was also trying to sort out the details of her move. She had already handled the ordeal with Cath's apartment, managing to make up for all the rent that Cath had failed to pay. She had also contacted her boss about quitting, and had asked about possibly transferring to another clinic in Charming. Her boss had been quite understanding of the whole matter, and had made mention of an available position at St. Thomas.

The hospital was looking for a substance abuse counselor who would be able to help transition other patients like Wendy out of the hospital and into rehab; they also wanted someone who could evaluate patients after surgeries and procedures, ensuring that they didn't form addictions to their medications.

It wasn't the job Cora had in mind, but it paid well, and her boss had promised to talk her up a bit. So, she went ahead and scheduled herself an interview later in the week.

With her apartment secured and an interview scheduled, the only thing left to handle was the actual moving process. Cora planned to rent a moving truck and take it to her apartment in Tacoma for a few days so she could gather up all of her things. The only problem was that she would need some help loading it up with all her boxes and furniture.

She hoped that some of the Sons might be willing to tag along, though she had yet to ask anyone about it. The guys were still a little scatterbrained, wrapping up the issue with the warehouse and keeping a watchful eye on the Mayans and Nords. She didn't want to take away from all that; clearly, the club already had enough going on as it was.

Cora stepped outside of the clubhouse, pulling out her phone and dialing the number of the local moving truck company. She wanted to go ahead and order the truck ahead of time; one could never be too prepared.

She held her phone to her ear, listening as it rang a few times before someone answered. She talked to the man on the other end of the line, explaining her situation, and reserving a moving truck. She decided to rent it for a time that was later in the week, still needing a few days to wrap up the situation with Wendy before heading back to Tacoma for the move.

After finalizing the rental, she hung up the phone, sighing as she rubbed at her forehead. She had a strong headache, stressing over the move, wanting every aspect to go as planned. So far, things were running smoothly, but nothing was ever guaranteed.

As she finished her call, Cora spotted Gemma almost immediately, walking out of the TM office towards her. She gave a wave to Cora, as if signaling her to stay put; so Cora didn't move, waiting instead for Gemma to catch up with her.

When Gemma finally made it over, she greeted the young counselor with a side hug. "I'm so happy that you're coming home, sweetheart." She smiled at Cora lovingly. "I'm proud of you for putting family first."

Cora grinned back. "Thanks, Gemma." She paused for a moment before adding, "Dad's still not too happy about my choice. He's warmed up to the idea a bit, but he's still feeling kind of guilty."

Gemma stepped out of their side hug, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders. "He just doesn't know what's good for him," she countered. "He'll learn to love having you around more."

"Yeah, probably," Cora agreed, managing a smile.

Inquisitively, Gemma pointed to the phone, which was still in Cora's hand. "How's the moving going?" she wondered, redirecting the conversation. Cora looked down at her phone, having forgotten that it was there.