“Calling Kate”

(NOTE TO READER): This chapter takes place a few days before “Andy’s Last Shout”, and goes along with the Sid and Kate chapter, “Deceptions”).

After breakfast, Alex insisted on driving Colin by Braddock’s grocery and helped him pick up a few basic food items for the house. Once he’d unloaded the car and help Colin get situated in his home, Alex drove himself back to the boarding house. He needed some rest and a change of clothes in a bad way.

After the phone conversation he’d had with Kate that morning, as well as confiding in Alex about the situation, Colin was feeling restless. He’d decided he wasn’t just going to sit back and do nothing until the baby was born. He needed to talk to Kate...now...and get some answers.

Finally, he’d worked up the courage and dialed her cell phone number. One ring, two, three...

“Obviously,” he thought to himself, “she’s avoiding my calls. Can’t have turned off the phone, otherwise, it would have gone straight to voicemail.”

He let it ring several more times before finally hanging up. He clutched the phone in his hand, waited, then dialed her number again. Still, no answer. Shit. He could picture her there, staring at the phone, watching it ring. No, he wasn’t giving up this easily, he’d let it keep ringing until she answered. He’d wait her out. If she was with that bastard of a husband of hers, surely he’d make her answer.

Moments later... for what seemed like an eternity to Colin, the phone was still ringing and Kate still wasn’t picking it up. Shit. Perhaps something happened to her? Perhaps she’s in trouble? Or hurt? He was beginning to really worry now. Hanging up, he set his cell phone aside and decided to call her house, thinking one of them was bound to answer.

After several rings, Kate finally answered, “Hello?”

"Kate, why the fuck didn't you answer your cell phone?" Colin blurted out at her. Now that he knew she was okay, the reality of her avoiding his call hit him smack in the face.

"Colin? Why are you calling me? I have nothing more to say to you. Nothing." Kate told him, nearly whispering. Colin surmised by this that she indeed was not alone – Sid was somewhere there in the house.

Fuck it. Fuck Sid. Colin didn’t care who might be listening; he needed to get some answers... now! "Wait! Don't hang up, I need to see you... talk to you," Colin told her, urgently.

"I spoke my peace to you this morning, now don't call here again." Click. She hung up the phone, much to Colin’s dismay.

He held the phone to his ear a moment more, clutching the receiver so hard his knuckles began to turn white. Well, he thought to himself as he slammed the phone back into it’s cradle, if she won’t talk to me over the phone, maybe I’ll just go pay her a little visit.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes. Yeah, he’d definitely pay her a visit. But not today, she’d be expecting it today. Later, in a few days, after he’d had some time to cool down and have a bit of a think on the matter... on how he was going to handle the situation.