| Where Rainbows End! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Seventeen |
Just as Vincent was about to continue, Kipper, Eric, Zach, and Samantha returned with some heated water, and wash clothes for Vincent to bathe with. As Kipper poured the water into Vincent’s bathing basin, Samantha told him, “Here's the water Mary told us to get for you Vincent.”
Just then the children noticed Catherine, and excitedly shouted, “ Hello Catherine! We missed you at our concert!”
Asking the children to talk softly, Vincent told them Peter was resting, and they should keep it down.
In trying to be compliant with Vincent's suggestion, Catherine whispered a heartfelt greeting to the children. And she tried to hide her tears as she gave them each a big hug, and then softly said, "Forgive me please. I know I was foolish not to stay. I guess I missed out uh?”
Eric stepped forward, and told her, “That's all right. We plan to have an emcore…ercore…what did Lisa call it again?”
Samantha smugly answered, “It's pronounced encore! You never pay attention!”
Shooting Samantha a dirty look, Eric finished his conversation with Catherine, saying, “We are going to have an ENCORE, maybe you can come to that one!”
Smiling down at Vincent, Catherine turned to the children, and said, “I won’t miss it this time, no matter what. I promise, just let me know where and when.”
To which Kipper replied, “We will Catherine, you are our best audience. It isn't the same when you aren’t here. You always cheer the loudest above everyone else!”
With a giggle Catherine replied, “Well at least I have that going for me.”
Stirring from his resting spot in the corner, Peter opened his eyes, and saw Catherine. With much relief, he warmly said, “Cathy! Hey you did get my message.”
To which Catherine with a loving hug, replied, "I came as quickly as I could."
With concern for Vincent, Zach tapped on Peter's shoulder and butted in as he asked, "Hey Dr. Peter, how long does Vincent hafta lay here?"
And then Samantha too asked, "Yeah how long? And is Vincent really gonna be all right?"
But before Peter could respond, Kipper inquired, "I heard Vincent got stitches! Did you hurt him when you had to do that?"
Upon hearing about the stitches, Eric, curiously asked, "Stitches like in sewing? Can we see where you sewed on Vincent?"
Wanting to assure the children Peter told them, "Whoa, one at a time! But I will answer all your questions by saying, Yes, Samantha, Vincent really will be all right, and Zach, he should rest at least for a day or so. And Eric, you will have to ask Vincent if he wants to show off his stitches, but I would suggest not for a day or two, right now it is all wrapped up, and oh yes, Kipper, did it hurt getting stitches? Well I am sure it was uncomfortable, but Vincent was pretty brave."
Peter then in an assuring tone, tried to finalize their visit as he told them, “Well kids, thanks for bringing the water, and you children needn't worry, Vincent is going to be fine, but he does need rest, so...”
But before Peter could usher them out, they one by one, broke away to approach Vincent once more, and with great concern, Samantha told Vincent, “You gotta get better soon, we have to finish “Great Expectations!”
With a weak nod, Vincent responded, “Of course we will Samantha, I promise very soon.”
Next Eric, Zach and Kipper approached, to tell Vincent that Jacob told Mouse to do something with the golf cart that's stuck in the tunnels, and so Kipper pleaded, "But we can’t budge it! Mouse said we need your help to move it so he can work on it! When you are better, will you help us?”
Promising the young boys, he would help, Vincent replied, “As soon as I can.”
Getting all the assurances they needed, they happily started to climb up on the bed to pop a squat, as if they were there for the duration!
But before they got too settled, Peter put a kibosh to their visit as he kindly said, "Hey kids, Vincent needs to rest, and speaking of that, isn't it getting late, and bed time for you too?"
To which they all said that yeah, they guessed so, and agreed to move on.
And so as Peter and Catherine walked the children to the threshold, they said goodnight to the rascals!
Well luckily, Laura and Brooke came to gather them, and said they were sent by Mary to fetch them for bed. As the two tunnel Nanny's peaked in, they said goodnight to Vincent and to get better soon!
After the children left them, Peter smiled as he wearily rubbed the back of his neck, giving Catherine a chance to privately ask, "Will Vincent really be all right?"
To which Peter softly explained, "Vincent's injury caused an immense loss of blood. He must stay still, ideally for a few days...so yes...as long as he rests, he will be fine...”
And then upon seeing the worried look in her eyes, Peter knew he should go in more detail, so he honestly explained, "...Cathy, I think you need to understand how unique Vincent’s DNA is. There are not any known blood types that correspond with his blood. So when there is bleeding, we must be very cautious. Which is what we are doing...so try not to worry kiddo.”
As Peter noted the water and wash clothes the children had brought, he walked over to give Vincent a good wipe down! And as he walked, Catherine could see Peter was walking with a bit of limp, and so she asked, “What about you Peter? Are you all right?”
Waving off any concern, he admitted, “I am a bit stiff from sitting too long, that's all kiddo.”
Vincent directing his comment to Catherine, but really intending it for Peter added, “I told both Peter and Father they needn't stay, but they are insisting on taking shifts to watch over me Catherine...”
To which Peter explained, "That was because we were afraid you were gonna try to visit Cathy!"
In reply, Vincent petitioned, “Good point Peter...so now since Catherine is here, there is no longer any need for me to go anywhere. So you see, you may trust that I will remain at rest...”
Going with Vincent's lead, and because Catherine could see how tired the good doctor was, she asked, “Aren’t you flying to London tomorrow for The Medical Convention?”
Nodding, Peter conceded, “Yes but not till 11:00 a.m. I told Jacob to go on to bed and I would do
the night shift. I figure I’ll be able to sleep on the plane."
Looking disapprovingly at Peter, Catherine suggested, "Well, how about if I take over, you go home and get a really good nights rest before your trip, and I promise to get Father if I need to."
Defiantly, she then informed Peter, "I am staying anyway.”
As Catherine looked at Vincent, she lovingly reiterated, “I'm not going anywhere until Vincent is back on his feet."
Pointedly, Peter finally gave in, saying, “O.K. O.K. I’ll go."
As he finished washing up Vincent's face and arms, he then added, "I must admit I do hear my bed calling out to me! First though Cathy, let me tell you a few things to watch for."
Putting a fatherly arm around her shoulders, he instructed, "If Vincent’s wound starts bleeding again, or if he seems warm or feverish, then you must call Father right away.”
Catherine nodded, saying, “I will Peter. And I do understand the seriousness of the situation. I won’t let anything happen to Vincent.”
After Peter took one last temperature, they said their good nights, and Vincent expressed his sincerest thanks for all Peter had done for him.
Nodding, Peter acknowledged Vincent's gratitude, and then said, “I don’t believe I could leave you in any better care Vincent. I will be in touch tomorrow before I leave for the airport to make sure all is well. Oh Cathy, do you need me to contact Joe for you?”
Surprised she had not even given work a second thought, she appreciatively said, “Oh yes Peter please. Tell Joe I may not be back till next week, and that the Benson file is on Gloria’s desk. She is transcribing it for me. And if you wouldn’t mind calling Jen and tell her I will be gone for a few days, but will be in touch.”
“Will do Kiddo!” As Peter gave Catherine a hug, she kissed him, wishing him a safe flight.
After Peter left, Catherine settled in beside Vincent, and started to chuckle to herself, causing Vincent to ask, “What is it Catherine?”
Without thinking twice, Catherine shared Jen’s theory, saying, “Oh Vincent, Jen believes Peter is the mystery man I have been seeing, and she thinks we are having a May-December romance! She even suggested a prescription for Viagra may be in order! Can you imagine what she will think when he calls her telling her I may be gone for a while?”
Catherine suddenly became embarrassed she had actually shared this with Vincent! She had never talked about anything sexual with Vincent before! She was sure it was her nervousness of what Vincent was going to tell her about Lisa, that caused her to rattle on so.
Getting up, she walked over to the table, feeling incredibly edgy, knowing there would be no more interruptions. The children were now gone, and Peter had left for the night, and a silence had fallen about the chamber. Yes, and Catherine, for some reason, was hesitant to hear in what way, had Vincent resolved his issues...
Softly, Vincent broke the silence by speaking Catherine’s name, “Catherine?”
As Catherine turned back toward Vincent, she saw he was holding out his hand, welcoming her to come back and sit beside him. As she reached out in turn for his hand, she walked to his bed, and as their hands touched, she felt his strong hand enfold hers.
Lowering herself gingerly at his side, she held her breath waiting for Vincent to continue. Slowly Vincent began. “I have so much to tell you, and I want so badly to say it so you understand.”
Sensing Catherine's angst, Vincent closed his eyes to gather his thoughts, and so softly he began, "I want you to know I have fulfilled my promise to you. I told you upon your return, things would be different for us, and I would do whatever I must do, to make it happen. I faced much with Lisa. We revealed many things, and I discovered many truths. Truths which would have changed everything for me through the years if I had known.”
Catherine could see the anguish in Vincent’s eyes, so carefully she asked him, “What things Vincent?”
to be continued...
Chapter Eighteen
Just then the children noticed Catherine, and excitedly shouted, “ Hello Catherine! We missed you at our concert!”
Asking the children to talk softly, Vincent told them Peter was resting, and they should keep it down.
In trying to be compliant with Vincent's suggestion, Catherine whispered a heartfelt greeting to the children. And she tried to hide her tears as she gave them each a big hug, and then softly said, "Forgive me please. I know I was foolish not to stay. I guess I missed out uh?”
Eric stepped forward, and told her, “That's all right. We plan to have an emcore…ercore…what did Lisa call it again?”
Samantha smugly answered, “It's pronounced encore! You never pay attention!”
Shooting Samantha a dirty look, Eric finished his conversation with Catherine, saying, “We are going to have an ENCORE, maybe you can come to that one!”
Smiling down at Vincent, Catherine turned to the children, and said, “I won’t miss it this time, no matter what. I promise, just let me know where and when.”
To which Kipper replied, “We will Catherine, you are our best audience. It isn't the same when you aren’t here. You always cheer the loudest above everyone else!”
With a giggle Catherine replied, “Well at least I have that going for me.”
Stirring from his resting spot in the corner, Peter opened his eyes, and saw Catherine. With much relief, he warmly said, “Cathy! Hey you did get my message.”
To which Catherine with a loving hug, replied, "I came as quickly as I could."
With concern for Vincent, Zach tapped on Peter's shoulder and butted in as he asked, "Hey Dr. Peter, how long does Vincent hafta lay here?"
And then Samantha too asked, "Yeah how long? And is Vincent really gonna be all right?"
But before Peter could respond, Kipper inquired, "I heard Vincent got stitches! Did you hurt him when you had to do that?"
Upon hearing about the stitches, Eric, curiously asked, "Stitches like in sewing? Can we see where you sewed on Vincent?"
Wanting to assure the children Peter told them, "Whoa, one at a time! But I will answer all your questions by saying, Yes, Samantha, Vincent really will be all right, and Zach, he should rest at least for a day or so. And Eric, you will have to ask Vincent if he wants to show off his stitches, but I would suggest not for a day or two, right now it is all wrapped up, and oh yes, Kipper, did it hurt getting stitches? Well I am sure it was uncomfortable, but Vincent was pretty brave."
Peter then in an assuring tone, tried to finalize their visit as he told them, “Well kids, thanks for bringing the water, and you children needn't worry, Vincent is going to be fine, but he does need rest, so...”
But before Peter could usher them out, they one by one, broke away to approach Vincent once more, and with great concern, Samantha told Vincent, “You gotta get better soon, we have to finish “Great Expectations!”
With a weak nod, Vincent responded, “Of course we will Samantha, I promise very soon.”
Next Eric, Zach and Kipper approached, to tell Vincent that Jacob told Mouse to do something with the golf cart that's stuck in the tunnels, and so Kipper pleaded, "But we can’t budge it! Mouse said we need your help to move it so he can work on it! When you are better, will you help us?”
Promising the young boys, he would help, Vincent replied, “As soon as I can.”
Getting all the assurances they needed, they happily started to climb up on the bed to pop a squat, as if they were there for the duration!
But before they got too settled, Peter put a kibosh to their visit as he kindly said, "Hey kids, Vincent needs to rest, and speaking of that, isn't it getting late, and bed time for you too?"
To which they all said that yeah, they guessed so, and agreed to move on.
And so as Peter and Catherine walked the children to the threshold, they said goodnight to the rascals!
Well luckily, Laura and Brooke came to gather them, and said they were sent by Mary to fetch them for bed. As the two tunnel Nanny's peaked in, they said goodnight to Vincent and to get better soon!
After the children left them, Peter smiled as he wearily rubbed the back of his neck, giving Catherine a chance to privately ask, "Will Vincent really be all right?"
To which Peter softly explained, "Vincent's injury caused an immense loss of blood. He must stay still, ideally for a few days...so yes...as long as he rests, he will be fine...”
And then upon seeing the worried look in her eyes, Peter knew he should go in more detail, so he honestly explained, "...Cathy, I think you need to understand how unique Vincent’s DNA is. There are not any known blood types that correspond with his blood. So when there is bleeding, we must be very cautious. Which is what we are doing...so try not to worry kiddo.”
As Peter noted the water and wash clothes the children had brought, he walked over to give Vincent a good wipe down! And as he walked, Catherine could see Peter was walking with a bit of limp, and so she asked, “What about you Peter? Are you all right?”
Waving off any concern, he admitted, “I am a bit stiff from sitting too long, that's all kiddo.”
Vincent directing his comment to Catherine, but really intending it for Peter added, “I told both Peter and Father they needn't stay, but they are insisting on taking shifts to watch over me Catherine...”
To which Peter explained, "That was because we were afraid you were gonna try to visit Cathy!"
In reply, Vincent petitioned, “Good point Peter...so now since Catherine is here, there is no longer any need for me to go anywhere. So you see, you may trust that I will remain at rest...”
Going with Vincent's lead, and because Catherine could see how tired the good doctor was, she asked, “Aren’t you flying to London tomorrow for The Medical Convention?”
Nodding, Peter conceded, “Yes but not till 11:00 a.m. I told Jacob to go on to bed and I would do
the night shift. I figure I’ll be able to sleep on the plane."
Looking disapprovingly at Peter, Catherine suggested, "Well, how about if I take over, you go home and get a really good nights rest before your trip, and I promise to get Father if I need to."
Defiantly, she then informed Peter, "I am staying anyway.”
As Catherine looked at Vincent, she lovingly reiterated, “I'm not going anywhere until Vincent is back on his feet."
Pointedly, Peter finally gave in, saying, “O.K. O.K. I’ll go."
As he finished washing up Vincent's face and arms, he then added, "I must admit I do hear my bed calling out to me! First though Cathy, let me tell you a few things to watch for."
Putting a fatherly arm around her shoulders, he instructed, "If Vincent’s wound starts bleeding again, or if he seems warm or feverish, then you must call Father right away.”
Catherine nodded, saying, “I will Peter. And I do understand the seriousness of the situation. I won’t let anything happen to Vincent.”
After Peter took one last temperature, they said their good nights, and Vincent expressed his sincerest thanks for all Peter had done for him.
Nodding, Peter acknowledged Vincent's gratitude, and then said, “I don’t believe I could leave you in any better care Vincent. I will be in touch tomorrow before I leave for the airport to make sure all is well. Oh Cathy, do you need me to contact Joe for you?”
Surprised she had not even given work a second thought, she appreciatively said, “Oh yes Peter please. Tell Joe I may not be back till next week, and that the Benson file is on Gloria’s desk. She is transcribing it for me. And if you wouldn’t mind calling Jen and tell her I will be gone for a few days, but will be in touch.”
“Will do Kiddo!” As Peter gave Catherine a hug, she kissed him, wishing him a safe flight.
After Peter left, Catherine settled in beside Vincent, and started to chuckle to herself, causing Vincent to ask, “What is it Catherine?”
Without thinking twice, Catherine shared Jen’s theory, saying, “Oh Vincent, Jen believes Peter is the mystery man I have been seeing, and she thinks we are having a May-December romance! She even suggested a prescription for Viagra may be in order! Can you imagine what she will think when he calls her telling her I may be gone for a while?”
Catherine suddenly became embarrassed she had actually shared this with Vincent! She had never talked about anything sexual with Vincent before! She was sure it was her nervousness of what Vincent was going to tell her about Lisa, that caused her to rattle on so.
Getting up, she walked over to the table, feeling incredibly edgy, knowing there would be no more interruptions. The children were now gone, and Peter had left for the night, and a silence had fallen about the chamber. Yes, and Catherine, for some reason, was hesitant to hear in what way, had Vincent resolved his issues...
Softly, Vincent broke the silence by speaking Catherine’s name, “Catherine?”
As Catherine turned back toward Vincent, she saw he was holding out his hand, welcoming her to come back and sit beside him. As she reached out in turn for his hand, she walked to his bed, and as their hands touched, she felt his strong hand enfold hers.
Lowering herself gingerly at his side, she held her breath waiting for Vincent to continue. Slowly Vincent began. “I have so much to tell you, and I want so badly to say it so you understand.”
Sensing Catherine's angst, Vincent closed his eyes to gather his thoughts, and so softly he began, "I want you to know I have fulfilled my promise to you. I told you upon your return, things would be different for us, and I would do whatever I must do, to make it happen. I faced much with Lisa. We revealed many things, and I discovered many truths. Truths which would have changed everything for me through the years if I had known.”
Catherine could see the anguish in Vincent’s eyes, so carefully she asked him, “What things Vincent?”
to be continued...
Chapter Eighteen
