Bumped Off Course

"I'd really like it if you could. You know that won't last though right? I'm not playing the week after Orlando so I can come be with you, but after that, we're off to North Carolina followed by heading further north."

Kay turned sullen at the thought of Joseph being away for so long. She wasn't afraid of losing him, but she had gotten used to sleeping by his side and did not want that to go away.

"I've never done the long distance thing before," Kay said. "We'll make it work though. If we plan for it, I can take a week or two off over the summer and come out on tour with you. Plus, maybe you could spend your off weeks her in Tampa?"

Joseph smiled at the thought of having a woman to come home to on his off weeks.

"I'd spend every day here if I could." Joseph leaned over and gave Kay a sticky morning breath good morning kiss. "How about we try to find some breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me," and Kay rolled out of bed naked once again. "Damn, we really need to invest in some pajamas."

"Why? I kind of like the pajamas that you're not wearing right now."

Kay laughed and threw a pillow at Joseph. "You would like them. You're such a guy. As long as my boobs are hanging out than you will be happy."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Shut up. What should I wear today? My new outfit from yesterday that it still wet from the rain or my outfit from Saturday that I wore part of Sunday too? I guess that I should have grabbed some clothes when I was at the house last night. I don't have any clients until 1:00 so maybe I can go shopping before then for something new. I don't want to go back to the house so soon and risk Steve being there."

Joseph and Kay dressed and headed out to the kitchen to scrounge up something for breakfast. Kay laughed when she realized that Joseph was used to living the life of a bachelor on the road.

"Do you eat anything other than pop tarts? And why are there Teddy Grams in the pantry? How old are you anyway?"

"I'm just a kid at heart. What's wrong with Teddy Grams?"

"No seriously, how old are you? That never came up before."

"34. Don't worry. I'm too much of a gentleman to ask you hold you are."

"Guess."

"No."

"If you get it right I'll show you my boobs." Kay wasn't stupid. She knew how easily men could be persuaded.

"I object to your tactics, but I'd have to say based on your looks alone I'd say...27."

"Really? You're not just trying to get into my pants? Because you have an open invitation to get in my pants anytime that you want"

"Oh shit. I knew I should never have guessed. I should have guessed something that I knew was younger."

"33." With that, Kay lifted her shirt and showed Joseph her braless breasts.

"I thought you said you'd show me if I got it right."

"I showed you because you honestly thought I was 27."

They sat down to a breakfast of pop tarts and Teddy Grams. They ate in silence not because there was nothing to say, but because they were so comfortable with each other that not every moment had to be filled with sound.

As the morning ran down, Kay helped Joseph pack his things for his drive to Orlando. When his car was fully packed, they walked out together.

"I suppose that I should go find some clothes before I head to work." Kay's eyes began to fill with tears. "Does it get any easier? Saying goodbye so often I mean?"

"You'd be surprised. In time, you won't even wake up when I leave for an early flight."

Kay sniffled back her tears. "You can be sure that I will never not wake up to say goodbye to you."

Joseph opened Kay's car door for her. He bent down as she got in and wiped her tears away for her. "I'm just going to be a hundred miles down the road from you. You'll be back in my arms before you know it."

"I know, but that doesn't make it any easier."

Luckily the driveway was quite secluded because Joseph gently stroked Kay's face as he gave her one last passionate kiss that would have to last until Friday. He put up a good front for Kay, but he knew that he was hurting on the inside saying goodbye to her. He knew that he had never hurt this much leaving his ex-wife. Maybe that was evidence that they were not truly in love like he and Kay were. He just knew that he could not wait until Friday came.

Joseph watched Kay drive away and then hopped in his car. He headed the opposite direction from Kay and set off for Orlando. Even though he was saddened to be leaving Kay, he was excited to be beginning a new chapter in his life. He was now a winner on the PGA Tour which opened up a whole new set of options for him. There would be numerous tournaments that he was now qualified for that he had not been eligible for in the past. But more importantly, he was extremely excited about beginning a new life with Kay. When she stood before him in the rain the previous night and said that he did not have to propose to her, he was actually a bit disappointed. While she had been breaking up with Steve, Joseph had been pacing the house contemplating what would happen when she returned and what their future would hold. He saw no reason that he would not spend the rest of his life with Kay. He even contemplated running out and finding an engagement ring to give her when she returned. The only thing that had stopped him was that at that late hour there would most likely be no jewelry store open and he did not want to risk being gone when she returned. He knew that she would be quite emotional upon returning and he wanted to be there for her.

Kay turned left out of the driveway and drove towards the local mall. She was wearing the outfit from Saturday and felt dirty doing it. She drew the line at wearing the same underwear for three straight days though, so she was going without. She amused herself thinking that if only she had thought to tell Joseph that fact. He would have been driven crazy at the thought of her walking around with no bra or panties on.

Kay was overjoyed with where her life was at that moment. After leaving Steve the previous night, she felt very vulnerable. Upon arriving at Joseph's, she laid her heart and soul in front of him. She gave him every opportunity to not choose her. But he showed nothing but love and compassion for her. He showed once again why he was such a great guy and why she loved him so dearly.

As she drove, Kay was excited at the thought of where her life was headed. She was already counting the hours until she would see him Friday night in Orlando. Though she was nervous about the challenges that lay before them, she was confident that the love that they felt for each other would be enough to overcome anything set before them. She was so focused on looking forward into their life together that she never saw the car that ran a red light and came streaking towards the passenger side of her car.

(This next section was supposed to be the continuation of Kay and Joseph's story. I am including it so people can see where it is headed.)

The first person that made it to Kay Mitchell's car recoiled in horror at what she saw. There sprawled across the steering wheel was a young woman in the prime of her life; cut down by an idiot driver. Kay's face was covered in shattered glass and blood. Her right arm was lying at an odd angle across the dash.

As the paramedics arrived on scene, Kay began to awaken. Quickly the paramedics got ahold of her and told her to lie still. With that horrific of a car crash, they were immediately concerned about her having a broken neck. Kay began to scream in pain as her body woke up and realized the trauma that it had gone through. Every inch of her body hurt. She had never been so in tune with her senses as she was now. She could feel every last cut on her skin. She could smell the blood that was covering everything in her car. She could see the mangled passenger side of her car that was now where the middle of her car had once been. She could hear the sirens all around her and the serious voices of the firemen and paramedics.

A loud roar erupted behind Kay as the jaws-of-life were started up. She had already been placed in a neck brace to prevent any further injury. The paramedics backed away as a fireman approached the car with a giant saw. He made a series of cuts to remove the roof of her car. When that had been done, a number of rescuers jumped into the car to finish the process of safely getting her out of the car. They put her mangled arm in a splint and worked a backboard in behind her. Even though the rescuers were being as careful as they could possibly be, Kay was screaming in pain with every last bump as she was pulled from the wreck.

When Kay was finally removed from the car and placed in the ambulance, her pain began to subside. Her tears did not wane though. She began to think about how happy she had become in the last four days. Meeting Joseph Williamson was the best thing to ever happen to her. Though Joseph was an extremely handsome man, his looks were far down the list of her favorite attributes of him. Kay wished that he could be there with her to hold her hand and comfort her in her time of need. As the ambulance pulled away from the scene, a paramedic asked her if there was someone they could call for her. She mumbled "Joe" before she lost consciousness once again.

Steve O'Brien was sitting in front of his big screen TV playing video games. He was heartbroken at Kay cheating on him and leaving him the previous night. Playing video games was as good a diversion as any for him. He was startled by a firm knock on the door. When he opened the door he was surprised to see a police officer standing on his porch.

"Is this Kay Mitchell's house?"

"Yes, is something wrong?"

"And you are?"

"Steve. I'm her boyfriend; or was until last night."

"Ms. Mitchell was in a serious car accident this morning and is at the hospital now."

"Oh my god, is she okay?"

"I don't know her exact condition, but I know she was seriously hurt. Is there anyone else that we should be contacting?"

Steve paused for a moment as he reflected on his answer to the officer's question. Her parents had died several years ago and prior to this past week, Steve was all that Kay had. He could not stomach the idea of saying the name of her new golfer lover.

"No. I've been with her for years and there is no other family left. I can let her friends know though."

"She is at Memorial Hospital in the ICU. I'd advise you to get there soon if you want to see her. I believe that she will be headed into surgery soon."

"Thank you officer."

Steve closed the door behind himself as he headed to his car. As he drove towards the hospital, he was wracked by guilt. He knew that if Kay's new boyfriend found out about the accident, that he would be there in a heartbeat to be by her side. Steve could not let that happen. Though he felt guilty doing it, he knew if he could be the one by Kay's side when she woke up, that maybe he could manage to save their relationship. He had spent the entire night thinking about the situation that he had found himself in. He realized that he still loved Kay and would do anything to win her back.

Joseph was excited as he drove from Tamp Bay to Orlando. Even though he had just left his new love, he was still high on the feelings that Kay awoke in him. He had won his first tournament since high school and more importantly, he met the woman that he intended to spend the rest of his life with.

As he neared Orlando, Joseph could not hold back the urge anymore. He had to hear Kay's sweet voice; if only for a moment. He was disappointed when his call went straight to voice mail. He was a bit surprised because she shouldn't have been in her office yet. He was forced to survive with just hearing her outgoing message. That was enough to get him through the day until they talked that night.

"Hi Kay. I don't mean to sound like a wimpy guy, but I just had to call and say that I love you. I'm almost to Orlando and I miss you already. I will call you tonight