Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (25 page)

‘Maybe your oncologist is the one who’s wrong?’
She
had to ask it, even though deep down she could sense the
correctness
of the
new verdict. ‘Maybe the first test is right
,
and the second failed?’

‘I’d say he’s rather certain he got it right
.
’
The
wry reply stopped her in her tracks. ‘Of course
,
he sent it to the National Institute
s
of Health, just to confirm the results. It takes about three weeks to have it returned, Kate. But I can tell you quite definitely that what you had was a simple case of panniculitis, a fat tissue inflammation. Sometimes it manifests itself by forming lumps, large ones or small ones. The diagnosis is pretty certain, even though I can understand you hesitating to believe it. I have managed to get you an appointment with Dr. Johnston tomorrow. He will be very happy to explain it all to you himself.
’

He coughed lightly, visibly embarrassed. ‘I can’t tell you how sorry I am for this mishap, Kate. I put you through a whole
twenty-four
hours of misery, I can see that. The only thing that makes it better is the fact you don’t have to worry anymore. You’re as fit as a fiddle, my dear.’

‘I’m speechless
.
’
She
looked at him, trying to find the right words. ‘I mean, you’d think the lab can’t make a mistake like that, not when
a
human life depends on it.’

‘And for
the
most part there aren’t mistakes like that,’ he rushed to reassure her, eager to save some of her trust in the medical system. ‘
It’s
extremely rare, Kate. And I am truly sorry.’

So was she, she wanted to yell. If he
had checked
things first
,
none of this would have happen
ed
. She wouldn’t
have
spen
t
the night tossing and turning as she imagined her own funeral
,
and most certainly she wouldn’t
have
ask
ed
Justin to sleep with her
,
like some sex
-
deprived maniac. She cringed as she remembered her very assertive attitude, practically begging him to give her a taste of heaven before she was doomed to hell.

‘Well, I guess all
that
matters is that I’m fine.’
She
could
n’t
have said
much else
, she thought as she walked out two heartfelt handshakes later. True, she had been a victim of a horrible misunderstanding
,
but
she could not
blame anyone else
for
her crazy impulsive decision. For god’s sake, she
hadn’t
even wait
ed
for the ink to dry on those damning reports, she thought self
-
accusingly as she walked out into the spring sunshine. Instead, like some total idiot, she
had run
to Justin, eager to hide her scared face on the smooth skin of his chest.

She couldn’t lie to herself, not when she knew exactly what
had
made her act the way she
had
. She had wanted him so bad
ly that
any excuse to do the unspeakable was good enough to be used. Ever since he
had come
to her rescue in the dingy half
-
darkness of the pub
,
things
hadn’t
been the same. What was meant to be nothing more
than
a simple act of helping her boss and friend
had
turned into a life
-
changing experience, something deep and primal
awakening
in the deepest recess
es
of her soul.

‘I hope you can put it behind us, my dear
.
’
The
doctor’s voice hung in the air, his questioning eyes on her face.

‘It’s all right,’ she answered almost automatically and watched a relieved smile spread over his somber features. He and his office were off the hook, the mix
-
up not resulting in any serious repercussions. She could see the change in him right away, some of the efficient briskness that was missing
in
the last minutes perfectly restored.

‘I’m so glad we managed to talk it out, Kate
.
’
A
fatherly arm went around her shoulders, the scent of his cologne reaching her nostrils
—s
omething very conservative and strong, a fleeting memory of another scent, fresh and pine
-
like coming back to haunt her.

‘I will let you know right away when we have the other results,
Kate
.
’
H
e was smiling now, the gentle pressure on her arm guiding her towards the door. ‘But I
’
m very confident there is no reason to be worried anymore. My
colleague
will see you
tomorrow;
I believe his receptionist is supposed to call you with the exact time of the appointment
.
’

Did
he expect her to praise him
?
It was one thing to be gracious and agree to forget the whole ordeal, but to make him look like a hero was an entirely different story. She wasn’t naïve enough to buy his excuses. He
had been t
here, just a day ago, talking to her about the
inevitable
end
.

She left after numerous handshakes, managing to keep it together better than she would have thought possible.
The doctor insisted on walking her to the very main exit, surprising her with a rather awkward, bear
-
like hug.

‘
We
’d love to have dinner with you
sometime.
’
He
still sounded nervous, obviously not completely convinced she would not press charges for emotional trauma. Which was silly,
since he had been around long enough
to know
that
she wasn’t that type of person.
‘M
ary keeps asking me to have you over, now that your mom is coming for the wedding. Unfortunately
,
we are away for the weekend, as I told Alice. She had sent us an invitation, too. So
,
at least that way we will get to see your mom and hopefully you could join us
,
too?
It would help us to decide what kind of a gift we
should
send your sister.
’

She cringed as she saw his hopeful look and nodded, resigned to have to agree. One dinner wasn’t so bad
,
after all.

Walking out into the sun
-
drenched parking lot felt surreal. She walked over to
the sidewalk
, her legs stiff as if she had
run
a long marathon.
She could
call
Alice and ask her to pick her up, she mulled uneasily. They could go to the florist together, a nice distracting chat something
the
doctor would order, no pun intended. Then she remembered that Alice was busy, some last
-
minute appointment with the wedding choreographer keeping her on Tom’s property. She was afraid to leave, in case his mom would use the opportunity to grab the reins after all.

She would hail a cab and
go
home, she decided. The last
twenty-four
hours had drained her energy
levels to
next to nothing, leaving her tired and spent. She needed to be alone
—a
lone to think things over, mapping out her plans for the future. Because she had a future, amazing as it seemed. Her mind was still reeling from the emotional rollercoaster she’d been on, a sense of walking in a dream hard to shake.

In the end she
took a cab
home, deciding against calling anyone. She could hardly tell her family anything
,
as it was. She didn’t share with them her problems
in the first place
, so calling now just to explain how messed up and convoluted it all
had
turned out to be was out of
the
question. Was she supposed to ring her m
o
m and say
‘
I was thinking I
was
going to die, mom, but it all turned out to be a mistake, so don’t worry
?
’

She had to deal with it on her own, she thought as she paid for the ride, eager to escape to her own four walls. Hopefully Mrs. Marko
w
itz wasn’t there to see her
.
S
he watched the ground flo
or windows with a mix of reluctance and apprehension.

But then
,
as she walked
from
the cab, things turned even worse. Suddenly reality was
t
here, staring right into her face with a pair of lovely green eyes.

‘Hi, Kate. Long time
no see
.’

S
he
watched with sick fascination
as
a
lovely slim leg clad in
a
sky-high
-
heeled Loubutin shoe
stepped out of a cab
. She remembered those legs, she thought dazedly, even before their owner slid out. She remembered the slender ankles and perfectly shaped calves, accentuated by ultra short skirts or leggings. They belonged to the only woman in the world
who
could dress in a potato sack and still look like
a
runway model
—t
he woman who had been her idol and ideal long enough to
be
remember
ed
for
a
lifetime.

‘You seem surprised to see me
.
’
Even
the soft purring drawl was the same,
Kate
thought as she watched
Vic
smile, the grimace purely a muscle game. It never reached her eyes, as sharp and cautious as they had ever been.
The unblinking stare that met
Kate’s
eyes was cold and speculative, making her think of a snake hypnotizing its victim.

She wasn’t afraid
,
though.
She might have been weak and naïve in the past, but those days were over. Victoria held no power over her, professionally or personally.

She smiled back, her face calm and collected.

‘Hello Victoria,
’
she responded, making sure no
tremor
shook
her voice. ‘It’s been too long. I hope everything is going well for you
.
’

‘Pretty much so, yes.’ Now that she was out of the cab and standing next to her,
Kate
could spot some of the fine cracks marring the impeccable picture. Like the two deep lines along the sides of her mouth, an addition that hadn’t been there two years ago. Or the even more pronounced sharpness of her cheekbones, the skin stretched over the bone with tightness that wasn’t really attractive. She looked tired and even thinner than before, however impossible it seemed.

‘You must be wondering why I’m here, Kate.’ Never one to waste any time, Victoria smiled again, her face turning predatory. ‘After all, I’ve never been to your house before, even in those days when you worked for me. Remember?’

‘I do, of course.’ Kate found her key, the small silver object pleasantly cool in her hot hand. ‘
So
yes, why are you here, Victoria? Is there
something
I can help you with?’

She
didn’t mean it. Helping
V
ictoria was the last thing on her list of things to do, she thought guiltily, cursing her own stupid tongue. But old habits died hard, the ghost of the old boss-worker relationship resurrected and growing stronger.
She opened the door, gest
uring for Victoria to
enter
.
S
he could do
little else
without appearing totally rude and vengeful. Making a spectacle on her
doorstep
was not something she was looking forward to, however unpleasant it was to think
V
ictoria
would actually be in
side her house.