Saving Katie Baker Read Online Free PDF Page B

frightened Katie.
    “Do you think the storm passed?” she asked, afraid to move in case something else came flying across the room and into the side of the tub again.
    “I’m not sure what to think. It’s got to be a good sign not to hear things leaping off the walls.” He tried to sound upbeat but instead his humor only irritated his guest even further.
    Katie was ready to be back in her own house, away from him. She wanted to be soaking in a warm bath in her tub rather than hiding fully clothed from flying debris in this one.
    “Stay in here while I go check things out. Keep the baby toward the middle and close to you in case it’s not the end yet. Oh, and don’t move.” Once again he was ordering her around and she didn’t like it one bit. You aren’t helping my opinion of you , she thought to herself as she clung to her daughter.
    Blake slowly climbed out of the tub and Katie could here him walk out of the room, things being trampled under his feet. Rubble. Poor guy , she thought. It’s going to take a lot of time and money to get this place fixed up again, and this is only the bathroom. There’s no telling what the rest of his house looks like.
    Katie pictured the universe holding Blake’s house upside down and shaking it for coins that were hiding in it’s pockets, just like she remembered the bullies at school doing with the little nerds. This was not going to be fun to clean up.
    It seemed like it took him forever to return. Katie began to feel anxious, nervously wondering if something tragic had happened. She found herself wishing he’d come back, and quickly. She missed his protection. As she caught herself thinking such things she shuddered, it doesn’t mean anything , she thought to herself. A man’s protection is nice, but I can survive without it.
    “Not now. Not ever,” she said out loud, as the thought of the two of them becoming romantic crossed her mind. Micah looked up at her as if wondering if she was speaking to her. There was a confused look on the little girl’s face, as though she was trying to piece a puzzle together, wondering whether or not she was in trouble for something. “It’s OK, baby, Mommy’s just talking to herself.”
    Katie could hear him as he walked back into the room. She breathed a sigh of relief. She could finally climb out of this stupid tub. Blake had an odd look upon his face, one that Katie didn’t like very much, though she couldn’t figure out why.
    “It’s over.”
    Katie stood up. “Thank god!” She belted out as she pulled Micah up in her arms and matter-of-factly stepped out of the tub and began to head down the hall and towards the front door.
    Blake stood staring at Katie’s arm. She glanced down and noticed blood was soaking through the sleeve of her shirt. Blake pointed out the spot and stated the obvious, “It looks like you got cut.”
    “Oh, I’m sure its nothing, probably just a little scrape. Must have happened at the car. I bleed rather easily though, on the verge of anemia, or so they’ve told me. I’ll bandage it up once I get back to our place.”
    “Wait. The storm is over but it’s pretty bad Katie. Maybe you should let me take a peek at your arm before you go over to your house.”
    Katie wouldn’t have it. She was ready to be done with the neighbor, so she pushed him aside and walked to the front door.
    “Why don’t you let me take the baby while you walk on over to your house.” Blake reached for the little girl without waiting for Katie to have a chance to respond.
    Katie looked at him again with questioning eyes. She could feel the tears welling up to the surface. She figured out what the look on his face was, the sadness in his eyes said it all and she could finally read it. She didn’t even have to look to know what she would find, but Katie knew that she should anyway. She needed to see it with her own eyes.
    As Katie walked toward Blake’s front door she could spot a little of the view out of the broken