“My father is alone, and he's in pain, and he needs me, and what am I doing!? Standing here fighting with Liam Edenhoff, once again, over some fucking lie! Some other fucking lie!”
She was almost screaming, shoving him in the chest. He grabbed her hand, trying to get her to hold still.
“Stop, Katya. Stop,” he whispered, trying to reel her in.
“No! You stop! You have no business being someone's friend until you learn how to be a goddamn friend! Do you hear me!? Just stay away from me until you figure shit out!”
She didn't wait for a response. While still sobbing, she yanked away from him and almost fell through the door. She could hear him behind her, knew he was still trying to talk to her, but at that same moment someone was getting out of an Uber at the curb. She all but fell into the backseat and slammed the door shut.
The Uber driver wasn't very happy at first, what with a random stranger falling into his backseat and a strange man yanking at the door handles from outside. But when Katya managed to gasp out her sob story, the kindly older gentleman offered to drive her anywhere, free of charge.
By the time they pulled up to the alley where Liam's club was, Katya had pulled herself together a little. What Liam had done was awful, but she wasn't thinking about it at all. He could've set all of her stuff on fire, and she'd already be over it. She had bigger problems. New priorities.
She managed to get downstairs without really saying anything to anyone. The place was slow, the employees taking it easy after the festivities from the night before. Tori was behind the bar downstairs, laughing at something a man in a suit was saying to her. She only took one look at Katya, though, to know that something was up.
“Hey, what's going on?” she asked after she'd led her friend into Liam's office.
The waterworks started immediately. Katya explained about her dad, how bad the accident was, and how she had to get home. Like right then. But she didn't want to go alone, didn't think it was safe for her to drive.
She hadn't even finished talking, though, and Tori was already pulling on her jacket and grabbing her purse.
“Wait,” Katya asked, sniffling and hurrying to catch up as her roommate rushed through the bar. “Don't you need to call Liam? Ask for time off, find a cover?”
“I will, as soon as we're on the road.”
“I don't want you get in trouble.”
“I don't care if I get in trouble. Some things are just too important.”
Within half an hour, they'd rented a car and were on the road. Tori didn't even bother going back to the apartment and getting clothing, insisting she could just borrow something from Katya or buy something in Carmel.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally pulled up to the hospital where her father had been taken. While Tori parked the car, Katya ran to the registration desk and asked about her parents.
Her mother was fine, but was still asleep, so she asked if she could see her father. She couldn't, she was informed, because he was in emergency surgery. She was told what floor and what wing, and to head to a waiting area there and a doctor would see her soon. She texted all the info to Tori, then she went up to wait.
It was another forty-five minutes before anyone showed up to speak to her. Tori had turned up by then, saying she'd called Liam and had a bizarre conversation with him. But she was good to be gone for as long as she needed.
“Do you want me to call Wulf?” she offered, wrapping an arm around Katya's shoulders.
“No,” she sighed. “His sister called him, he was at some big meeting in Los Angeles. He's probably on a plane home right now.”
“I'll call in an hour, see if -”
They didn't get a chance to discuss it right then, because a tall, very serious looking doctor showed up.
All sorts of things were explained to Katya, most of which she didn't understand. Contusions and concussions and fractures and compounds. Swelling brains and punctured lungs and inflamed organs. Transfusions and oxygen levels and erratic heart beats.
His face had actually hit the door frame – he must have been looking out it when he'd been hit. His left cheekbone had basically shattered, it was more than likely he would lose both eyes, and his skull was fractured.
They'd already amputated one leg, and they weren't sure they could save the other. It would have to wait, anyway. His body was in such a state of shock, it made all non-emergency surgery too dangerous. His heart had stopped beating twice already.
That was the other thing. He'd been deprived of oxygen for several minutes one of the times. Clinically dead for three whole minutes. If he survived his injuries, and if he regained consciousness, there was also a chance he wouldn't be the same man she'd grown up with; he might have amnesia. He might have severe mental problems. He might need to relearn how to talk and eat and speak.
She was ready to faint again by the time the doctor was done speaking, but he said there was some good news. Her dad's heart was beating steady again, and his vitals were starting to improve. He was still in the danger zone, anything could go wrong between then and the morning. He was still listed as critical, and they could only wait and pray for the time being.
There was nothing else they could do. She wasn't allowed to see him, not while he was in post-op. She went down to see her mother in her room, which they were allowed to go into and sit down. She held her mom's hand while a nice nurse explained that Mrs. Tocci was fine, but she would sleep through the night. It would be best if Katya and Tori went home. The hospital would call if anything happened.
But she couldn't go home. She couldn't go to that place, not without her parents. Not knowing that her father might never be there again. So they got a room at the closet hotel and dragged themselves up there.
By the time she laid down on the bed, Katya felt fifty years older. That morning, her life had been about baking cookies and worrying about stupid boys. One moment. One phone call. Suddenly her entire life had changed and she realized just how superficial everything was in comparison to how precious her family was to her.
“It's going to be okay, Katya,” Tori assured her while she changed into some cheap t-shirt she'd bought at the hotel's gift shop.
“You don't know that,” Katya said in a voice that was hoarse from crying.
“I do. I really do,” her roommate said, curling up on her side next to her.
“How? How can you possibly know that?”
“Because – no matter what happens, you will get through it. Your parents are amazing people who raised an exceptional daughter. I'm not saying it'll be easy. It's going to be the worst thing ever,” Tori explained, starting to cry, as well. “But I know that in the end, whatever happens, you will be okay.”
They fell asleep holding onto each other and for a brief moment, right before darkness took over everything, Katya thought to herself, “looking to all these stupid boys for strength and love – I forgot that nothing beats a best friend in those departments.”
26