Saving Katie - HollyS (i am malala young readers edition .txt) 📗

was after all a man of few words when it came to Katie. It felt for her that even being with her hurt him, too many painful memories, but she knew deep down that he loved her like a father should even if he struggled to show it. She removed his arm, gave him a warm smile and left the room, deciding her father had many things he needed to be doing, even if she couldn't remember what it was he does.

***

Across town Karl had made it to Mrs Dubose despite wanting to be a million miles else where and was currently refitting a faulty front door for her. An easy enough job and hopefully wouldn't take him long, the thought of cold tea was terrifying. As Mrs Dubose had other things she needed to be doing Karl was free to put his headphones for his mobile into his ears and drown out all other noises while he worked. Until they bleeped at him announcing he had a call coming. Flicking the switch on the headphones he answered the call.

"You have to be the most unreachable man on the planet at times Karl!" a man jokingly moaned into the phone. "And you should know I'm working!" Karl moaned back, they both chuckled. "So Danny what ya want?" Karl asked. "I was seeing what your doing tonight Mr Karl, I thought of hitting the local but didn't fancy sitting on my own". Karl thought this through for a moment, did he fancy going out? sounded better then sitting in front of the box with a microwavable meal. "Count me in" Karl sighed "what time?" "Cool, how does eight sound?". "That will do me Danny see you then". He flicked the switch again to end the call. Well that was his evening planned for him.

An hour or so later, having finished Mrs Dubose's door and suffering enough cold tea, Karl was making his way back at home, was a nice early finish for a change, Jack had called with no more jobs. Finishing at four in the afternoon was definitely a bonus today. Driving home he passed the corner where the girl... Katie had turned earlier. Would of been nice to know how to contact her again - thinking out loud - shame she didn't stay long enough to leave a number. This, he found, was a very depressing thought. Not that things like that usually bothered him. He usually viewed it as the other persons loss, not this time though, this was different. He wanted to see Katie again, he wanted to talk to her and find out things about her... her likes, her dislikes, what she enjoys doing... unless he bumped into her again he would never know.

Finally arriving home he put his key in the lock for his small flat, he wasn't a rich man but a small, two bedroom flat did him nicely. Costly though but most places in this town were. It wasn't well decorated all mismatched furniture and colours on the wall, but it was home for him. Getting himself a bottle of coke from his fridge he went through to the lounge and plonked himself down on his old brown leather sofa, resting his head against the back and letting his mind wonder. He was tired it had been an early morning when a burst pipe had him rushing out of bed at some ungodly hour. The joys of being a handy man. Letting his eyes close Katie's face appeared from the darkness, she looked nothing more then a scared child in a world she didn't know he wondered what her story was. Where she was brought up and schooled... brothers and sisters? For a reason he didn't know about all this seemed important to him right now.

Opening his eyes again and staring at the wall he began talking to himself "Which is crazy" he thought to himself, "But i have to talk to someone!" He said out loudly. "That girl I only saw her for a few brief moments and yet I cant forget her might start charging her space in my head". Karl kicked his coffee table needless to say the coffee table won, and Karl shot up from his sofa and started dancing around his living room in an odd fashion cursing loudly and shouting at his table for being.. in the wrong place at the wrong time. Deciding dinner would be skipped and giving in to tiredness Karl climbed into bed, a huge king size, one of his not so little treats he brought when he moved in, turning off the light and rolling over tucking the duvet up around his neck and succumbing to sleep he drifted off into a beautiful sleep, enjoying romantic dreams of walks across quiet meadows hand in hand with Katie.

***

After having tea alone in her room, then heading to the kitchen to clear up her own plates and placing them all away, Katie wondered aimlessly about the house. She could hear the phone ring from her daddy's office every now and then and could make out his voice talking over the phone, sometimes he seemed mad as though the other person wasn't telling him what he wanted to hear other times Katie could make out her daddy deep chuckle when she heard this she smiled. Enjoying nothing more then hearing her daddy chuckle, something he seemed to do so rarely at home.
Other then her daddy's voice there was only the ticking of the few clocks around the house to make any noise. The house cleaner who popped in for a few hours each day had been and gone. Leaving their dinner in the fridge and some cooked ham in there too for Katie if she felt like having it in sandwiches the next day for lunch.

Wondering into the kitchen and peering into the fridge now Katie took a slice of the ham and ate it. Enjoying the taste and being in her own world she failed to hear the footsteps creeping up behind her. "KATIE!" Her daddy's voice boomed behind her, "How many times have I told you not to pick at food from the fridge?". She swung round just as her daddy reached her he raised his hand and thinking she was going to get to get a slap she flinched and closed her eyes, opening them after a few seconds to find her daddy standing a few steps away near the cooker eating his own slice of ham. Katie chuckled at her daddy's smug expression and he shrugged his shoulders at her. "Mrs Higgins sure cooks a nice bit ham" carrying on tucking into his slice he gave Katie a stern look. She knew what this meant, something was required of her she had seen the same look so often growing up.

She had a feeling she knew what was coming next.... "I have a handy man coming out tomorrow morning to do some work," She already had the exact words in her head as to what was next she needn't wait long to find out she was right. "As always my love, I must ask you to remain in your room, take what you need down with you, and i shall leave a note for Mrs Higgins to allow you out in the afternoon when he has left". Knowing that arguing would be pointless as they had done so, so many times before with a nod of her head she simply said "Yes daddy". He nodded back at her and made to walk past her to leave the kitchen to return to his office she presumed he paused by her before leaving and putting a hand on her shoulder he half smiled "Your a good girl Katie you really are". He then left and Katie lent back on the fridge and watched him go. Frustrated that she again wasn't allowed to be seen when there was an outsider in the house she stormed back down to her room.

Slamming her door and flopping back down on her bed, Katie struggled to find something to do with her time now, although it wasn't late and she'd not long had a nap she felt tired again. Tired but upset and she could feel the tears waiting to be released pushing her hair away from her face as the first of many started to fall she let them all out. Katie kept going til she couldn't possibly cry anymore. She cried for many things the hurt she felt not allowed to live a normal life, the fact she may never see the man with beautiful eyes again. Katie cried for not Knowing why she was classed as "crazy". Her memory never served her well in that area. She knew a few things, she knew that something must have triggered whatever the "craziness" was about her and she has a particular feeling it was linked to the car accident. The miracle she heard it referred to that she survived with almost all her health while her mother hadn't. Katie could never understand the meaning of this when she had heard it, almost all her health what exactly did that mean.

Settling back down on her bed and cuddling her pillow fed up of thinking, Katie drifted off into a sleep, one mixed with pain and sorrow of not being able to live the life she craved and one of joy and pleasure as she imagined living the life she wanted with the man that had beautiful eyes.

Chapter Three

Waking up with the birds, Karl smiled as her remembered his sweet dreams through out the night. Slowly dragging himself from his bed and walking hap hazardously to his bathroom he brushed his teeth and showered. Once he had thrown a t-shirt and worn through jeans on he plodding back to his kitchen and flicked the switch on his kettle. He filled his mug with coffee and some sugar and stared willing the kettle to hurry up and boil, looking at his mobile he noted the time and decided he had half an hour before he had to go across town to his first job of the day. With the click of the kettle he filled his mug and sat at the kitchen table and made a mental note all he'd need for the day. Karl's first job was odds and ends eh had to fit a new lock to a side door of the house and plumb in a washing machine. "Nothing to technical" he thought, "just the way i like it".

Finishing the last of his coffee he left for work locking his door and checking all windows were closed. He looked through the contents of his van, luckily everything he needed was there and sliding the door closed he made his way to the drivers side. Climbing in and dumping his mobile on the passenger seat he rubbed his face, although he had slept well he still felt tired, Katie had wondered through his mind all night, at one point he relieved