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“How is she?”Vicki comes into the room, her eyes red from crying.
It’s been a day since the accident. One day since I last saw her smile. Every hour, it becomes harder for me to see her like this. Every minute, every second, goes by at a snail’s pace. But I haven’t left her side, and I won’t be anytime soon.
“Still under. Doctor says she looks good, but her body needs the time to heal. Make sure the incision where they had to go in doesn’t get infected, make sure her hemoglobin goes up, or something like that. With all the blood loss … it’s just a lot.” I run my hand through my hair and let out a sigh.
Vicki shakes her head and walks towards Kat. She leans in and speaks to her, “Listen, you need to be okay. I … I can’t go at this world without you. You’re my twin; my sister from another mister. I can’t be without my bestie.” She runs her hand over Kat’s cheek. Her eyes are filled with sadness, the corners of her mouth turned down. There’s black circles under her eyes, and I know she didn’t sleep last night. “You’ve had a shit hand dealt to you, but you’re a fighter. Always a fighter. So fucking fight this so we can go drink tequila again.”
Vicki’s right. Kat has had a shit hand; life has thrown her nothing but obstacles. Here’s Kat again, being thrown another curve ball. But Vicki’s right about another thing too; Kat is a fighter. Even with all that she went through in life, she still smiles. She still laughs. Kat still gives me her love.
Even when I’m sure every cell in her body told her to run from me, she gave me a chance. She was a stranger to me until that day in the coffee shop. Fate brought us together for a reason. We were meant to love each other. We mended each other’s broken parts and filled in the holes. That’s why I can’t lose her. I just can’t. If something happens to her, it’ll destroy me. There’s no coming back from losing Kat. I’ll be forever broken.
Vicki stays for a couple hours, filling Kat in on all the latest bar gossip on, which they must talk about regularly. Vicki starts up the stories where she apparently left off from the last time. Every now and then, she reaches out and touches Kat’s cheek and closes her eyes. I can tell Vicki is trying to will her to suddenly be better.
After she leaves, Kat’s mom comes in. Her eyes are bloodshot. I know she was up worrying about Kat, and she had every right to do that. I’d offered to have them spend the time with Kat overnight, but they wanted me to. The hospital has been beyond accommodating for us.
“Hey, Bryce. Sweetie, are you doing okay? Have you been here all night?” Liz walks over to Kat and squeezes her hand, glancing at me.
“I haven’t left, no. Don’t worry; I’m fine. How are you doing?” I try to shift the focus onto her and Kat. I don’t need her to worry about me too.
“Oh, sweetheart, you need to sleep. You need a break from this place.” She holds my hand, squeezing it. She frowns, her eyebrows lower as she looks at me with sadness.
“I’ll be fine. The nursing staff have been angels and helped me get comfortable here while we wait. I got a couple hours of shut-eye last night. Trust me. I … I can’t leave her.” My lips form a thin line, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from tearing up.
“I know, but you need to take care of yourself so you can take care of my baby girl.” She places a hand on my cheek. “You’re good to Katrina, but you’re no good to her if you’re not at your best. So, go get yourself something to eat, some coffee, whatever. Just go take a breather.”
Nodding, I hug Liz. “Thank you,” I leave the room and see Kat’s dad in the waiting area.
“Mark,” I say as I shake his hand and give him a hug. “I’m going to go get some coffee.” He nods his head and pats me on the back before going into the room with his wife and daughter.
I head over to the cafeteria and get myself some dark sludge. Honestly, I’m not really hungry, so I don't grab anything to eat. Instead, I sit down, sip my gross hospital coffee, and text Austin.
Me: Hey.
Austin: Hey, how’s our girl doing?
Me: No change. Doc says she’s still healing, but no infections from the surgery or anything like that. So far, so good.
Austin: Good. Next question. How are you doing?
Me: Honestly, I just want her awake. I don’t want her to be here. I’m losing my mind. Every hour seems longer than the last.
Austin: You need to go home and rest. Take a shower, a nap, eat. Just refresh.
Me: No. I need to be here. If they wake her up, I need to be here for her.
Austin: You need to be on your “A” game for her. Because when they wake her up, she’s going to need you on you at your best.
Me: Whatever.
I don’t need to hear it anymore. Sipping my coffee, I get up and begin walking back to the waiting area. I sit down, and my mind wanders. Thinking about Kat and everything we’ve both been through, finally catching a break. Only for it to come to a screeching halt. But then, I think of the future. There’s no fucking way I can have a future without her. I want her by my side forever.
Opening up my phone, I scroll through my pictures. I find one of us lying in bed just last week. We were watching a movie, and she fell asleep on my chest. Her lips are parted, and her hand is on me. Her leg is wrapped around mine as if she’s trying to keep me locked in place. When I felt the movement in her chest and heard little mewls, I knew she was sleeping. I couldn’t help but take a picture of us like that.
Except now, she’s sleeping again, just not in my arms. And she has a lot of medical equipment going in and out of her. God, I just want to look into those green eyes and see her smile.
A little while later, Liz and Mark come out and sit next to me in the waiting area.
“You doing okay, son?” Mark puts a hand on my back, trying to comfort me.