It was a daunting task to even think about, made worse by the fact that Rachel knew she would be away from home for at least another day. The sting of it was too much to push away and before she could let it overcome her, she got to her feet. Excuse me for a moment, would you?

She stepped away from the little cluster of cubicles and found a quiet place in the hallway. When she pulled out her phone, the mere idea of calling Peter to give him an update made her feel incredibly anxious, but she made herself pull the number up and place the call. Her heart seemed to drop a bit with every ring in her ear as she waited for him to pick up. And when his recorded voice asked her to leave a message, she was a bit too relieved. She opted not to leave a message; it was the easy way out, and Peter would not hesitate to tell her so. Making sure not to let it slip her mind, she set an alarm on her phone to try calling Paiges sitter at six that afternoonbecause Lord only knew where shed be by that time of the day.

Yet as she pocketed her phone and returned to Jack and Stanhope, she wondered if Peter had truly been unable to come to the phone or if he was avoiding her calls. At first, it didnt seem like such a terrible thing. But then she wondered how long he would do it. She wondered if Peter, in his hurt, would do something stupid like take Paige somewhere else and just never reach out to her, or never return her calls.

It was a terrifying feeling and she found herself trying to blame it on the actions of Alex Lynch. She didnt doubt that if Lynch had not come into the picture, Peter may not have made the rash decision hed made. Yes, he may still be upset that shed waited so long to tell him about the tumor and he would be upset about her decision not to get treatment for it, but he may have stayed. She felt that her involvement with Alex Lynch and the subsequent danger to their family is what had truly set him off.