KILTED DESIRE 2 - Russian Roulette (4 page)

“How are yer feeling?” Scott asked, as she climbed into the
car.

“Scared.”

“I understand. Let’s get yer tae yer appointment and
hopefully yer can have one less thing tae worry aboot.”

“I’m glad you’re coming with me Scott. It means a lot to
me,” she said as she placed her hand on his leg.

“Aye, let’s just take things one step at a time.”

A few minutes later they arrived at the hospital. Katie knew
exactly where they needed to go and led the way. When they arrived at the right
department Katie checked in and was given a form to fill out. They sat down in
the waiting area and Katie proceeded to fill in the medical form. Scott thought
it was strange that she seemed to be hiding the form from him. She tilted it
away from him so he couldn’t see what was written on the pages. He wasn’t
really trying to look but it was very noticeable to him that there was
something she didn’t want him to see.

After about fifteen minutes Katie’s name was called. Scott
was about to get up to go with her but she told him to stay there. She said he
would not be allowed to come into the actual appointment with her and she would
be back soon. Scott picked up a couple of magazines and waited. After twenty
minutes she returned.

“How did it go Katie?”

“It was okay. I just have to wait now.”

“When will yer know anything?”

“They said they’d contact me as-soon-as possible.”

“So, did yer have a biopsy? Are yer hurting?”

“It’s fine. I will tell you as soon I hear from them,” she
said, sounding much more composed than she had seemed earlier.

“So where was the lump?” Scott asked, as they walked back
through the hospital corridors towards the parking lot.

“I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay. But, aye, let me know when yer hear anything.”

“Do you want to come in for a while when you take me home. Maybe
we could have lunch and talk.”

“Aye, sounds guid. We do need tae talk.”

Scott knew he needed to be honest with her. He needed to tell
her that he would be there for her as a friend during her health problems. But,
he wasn’t going to promise anything more than that.

When they arrived back at her house, she told Scott to make
himself
comfortable in the living room, while she went and
prepared a quick lunch. After they ate it was time to talk. Katie made herself
a cup of coffee and asked Scott if he wanted one too, he declined and waited on
the couch for her to join him. Before she could sit down there was a knock on the
front door. It was Katie’s Mother. She seemed happy and talkative as she came
into the house; she said a very friendly ‘hi’ to Scott. He wondered if Katie ever
told her that he had moved out. From the way the conversation was going, it
didn’t sound like it. She also commented about Katie being off work today
because of her appointment. Scott figured that meant Katie didn’t tell her about
losing her job, either. It seemed strange to him, but it was really none of his
business anymore. She said she only stopped by to borrow a necklace from her
daughter. While Katie went upstairs to find it, her Mother chatted with him.

“So Scott, how are you feeling now?

“I’m nae too bad, thanks.”

“That’s good. Did you drive Katie to her appointment today?”

“Aye, we were nae there fer long. I expected it tae take
longer. I really hope everything turns oot okay,” Scott replied, sounding
concerned.

“Oh, they don’t take very long. And, it was just a routine
breast screening, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“Och okay.”

Scott was shocked and angry! He was genuinely concerned
about her. But, it looked like there was actually nothing wrong. Had she really
made this up to try and get him to feel sorry for her? Was it just a trick so
he would come and see her? The more he thought about it, and with the way she
acted, it all made sense.

“I have tae go now. Can yer tell Katie I will call her later?
Bye.” Scott said, as he walked towards the door.

“Okay Scott, bye,” her mother responded, sounding a little
surprised.

Scott got into his car and drove home. If he did have any
doubts he was doing the right thing by leaving Katie, they had all just
disappeared.

Scott kept very busy over the next few days. Virtually all
of the rooms were now re-painted or updated in some way. The house was quickly being
transformed into his own. His attorney and realtor called with details about the
home and property being purchased. Scott gave them the go-ahead to get all the
paperwork prepared. He wanted to buy the house outright and start a new life on
his own.

Katie called him several times. She also left many messages.
She asked him to call her; but as of yet, he was not ready. He realized at some
point, he would have to call. If he didn’t, she knew where he lived. She would
just come to the house. He wouldn’t be able to leave the situation or her alone
much longer. As much as he despised what he knew she had done, he wanted to
hear her side of the story, even if, only for closure. He needed to talk to
her, so he decided to make the call.

“
Scott,
thanks for calling,” she
answered.

“Hi.”

“Why did you leave the other day without saying goodbye? And
why didn’t you return my calls?”

“I think I should be asking the questions. Why did yer nae
tell me the truth aboot yer hospital appointment?”

“What are you talking about?” she replied, sounding shocked
by his question.

“Yer Mom said something aboot yer appointment tae me. And, she
did nae seem tae think it was anything serious.”

“I don’t know what you mean. What did she say?”

“It does nae matter Katie. Even if yer are telling the truth
aboot this, there’s still a trust problem. I should nae have tae worry that yer
may be telling me lies. The fact that there was any
doot
tae me at all means I dinnae trust yer. I
cannae
have
a relationship withoot trust.”

“So, what are you saying?” she asked, sounding nervous.

“It’s over Katie. I really loved yer. Yer know, I would have
done anything fer yer and the girls. But, I dinnae feel the same way aboot yer anymore.
I really do hope things work oot fer yer. I’m sorry Katie, take care.”

“Scott, don’t do this. We can get through this,” she said.
He could hear her starting to cry.

“I’m sorry. Bye, Katie.” Scott said, and hung up the phone.
He was upset. He really loved her and planned to spend the rest of his life
with her. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, but he was left no choice.

Scott kept busy over the next couple of weeks. He tried to
take his mind off everything that happened. While he searched for employment,
he worked on plenty of odd jobs around the house.

It was a Friday evening near the end of January, and
winter’s icy grip still had a hold of the area. Scott was in the kitchen. As he
washed up after dinner, he looked out of the window at his backyard. It was
covered with a blanket of snow and the temperature outside was well below
freezing.

Everything seemed peaceful and quiet. Scott thought it was a
good night to stay inside in the warm. The details of purchasing his new home were
all arranged. He was to sign the papers and buy the house outright the
following week. Katie continued to leave him many voice messages, texts and
emails but he opted not to respond. He needed to make a clean break.

Scott finished up in the kitchen and went into the living room
and sat down with his laptop. As he checked his email he expected to see more
messages from Katie but instead, a surprise waited for him.

He received an email from one of his old military buddies,
Chris Walker.

Scott and Chris met when they played for the same Soccer
team in Glasgow, in their late teens. They remained friends ever since. They even
joined the army at the same time. They went through basic training together and
served for about a year before Scott left the regular army to join the S.A.S.
Shortly after, Chris moved on too, becoming a Communication Systems Engineer in
the Royal Signals. The last time Scott talked with Chris was just before he moved
to the United States.

When he moved from Scotland, Scott left his car in Chris’
garage. Then, when he decided to stay stateside, Chris handled the sale for
him. They swapped an occasional email, on occasion, but the messages were very
few and far between. It was quite a while since they talked properly. But, Scott
had been busy and he figured Chris was too. Chris’ email was brief. It stated
that things were not going well. He included a phone number for Scott and asked
him to call when he could. Scott checked his watch and it was nearly 7:00 p.m.,
E.S.T., therefore, it was nearly midnight in Glasgow. He knew Chris had a young
family, so he was reluctant to call so late. But, the email sounded urgent, so
he decided to call. The phone rang out for a while and just as Scott was about
to hang up, a familiar voice answered.

“Hello.”

“Hey Chris.
How are yer, mate?”

“Scott!
It’s
guid tae hear from
yer!” Chris replied, excitedly.

“I hope
it’s
nae too late. I only
just got yer email. I did nae wake up the kids, did I?”

“Nae,
it’s
fine. They’re nae here.
Sharon and I split up. I’m staying at my Mom’s fer a while.”

“Damn. Sorry tae hear that mate. Is there any chance of
working it oot? Do yer still get tae see the boys?”

“Nae chance.
We’re getting a
divorce. We’ve been arguing a lot since I left the service. We both think it’s
the best thing tae do. We did try fer a while. But, it was nae working oot, and
the boys were always seeing us fight. Neither of us wanted that. I do get tae see
them on weekends, but they’re both at school, so they stay with Sharon at the
house.”

“It must be hard fer yer,” Scott said, sympathetically.

“Aye, I’m having a hard time. We have a lot of things tae
sort oot. Are yer still with Katie? And, did yer ever take the Baghdad job?”

“Wow. We really have nae talked properly fer a while, have
we? I did take the Baghdad job. It was hard work. I had
tae
look after a posh bird. It was going okay… until I got blown up.”

Chris was left speechless after that last statement. But,
Scott filled him in on all the details about his Baghdad adventure and his
recent break-up with Katie. They talked for over an hour and caught up on each
other’s lives and recent hard times.

Scott learned that Chris now worked as an IT consultant
since leaving the army and he really did not enjoy it. Chris was sure that
contributed to his upcoming divorce. Scott agreed. They both knew how hard it
was to transition to normal life after leaving the military. Just before they
finished talking, Scott asked Chris if he wanted to come over to the States and
stay with him for a while. Chris had never been to the United States before. He
was excited at the prospect and said yes. All he would need was his airfare,
which wasn’t too expensive. He told Scott that he would see what he could get
worked out and let him know as soon as possible. After they finished their
call, Scott turned on the television and relaxed on his couch. He was happy to
hear from his old friend again and hoped he would get to see him soon.

Later that evening, just before midnight, Scott was tired
and about to turn off the television and go to bed. He sat and watched a
basketball game which was late into the 4
^th
quarter. He tried to
decide whether to watch it until the end, when someone knocked on the front
door. Scott was shocked! He quickly sprang to his feet. As he moved cautiously
towards the door, he paused a moment to look out of the living room window to
see if he could make out who it was. It was Katie. She knew he was home, so he
would have to answer it. Scott opened the door, not looking forward to the
upcoming conversation.

“What are yer doing here?” he asked, when he saw her.

“I needed to talk to you, face-to-face, it’s important,” she
replied, not sounding herself. Her voice was slurred and Scott smelled alcohol.

“Have yer been drinking?” Scott asked, looking at her car,
which was parked on the street.”

“Yeah, just one glass of wine.
I
need to talk to you Scott. Can I come in?”

“Katie, yer have
drank
more than
one glass of wine. And yer have driven all the way
doon
here. Do yer know how dangerous that is?”

“Stop acting like my Dad. I have something important to tell
you, and you are going to want to hear it. Can I come in?” she repeated.

“I suppose so, just fer a minute though,” Scott said,
reluctantly. He was angry that she had driven after drinking. That was
something that really bothered him for obvious reasons.

Katie stepped in, walked past Scott, straight to the couch. She
was wearing
jeans, that
were tucked into her black,
leather, knee-length boots and a white coat. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail
and she wasn’t wearing much make-up, which was unusual for her. Scott thought
she did not seem well. She appeared pale and drawn. He thought she looked about
ten years older than she did just a few weeks ago. He decided it was wise not
to share that thought with her. He no longer wanted to be with her, but he did
not want to see her like this.