Authors: Bethany Daniel
I nod, looking him in the eye. "I plan on it, sir, for the rest of my life."
We hear the sheets rustling and then Stella just beams. "Oh, Katelyn...I'm so happy to see you awake!" She reaches over and squeezes Katy's hand and tears start flowing down her cheeks. Mr. Parker silently hands her a tissue.
"Hey Mom, I'm ok," Katy replies in a just as broken voice.
"Your dad and I have been so scared." She wipes some tears away. "Derek calls to check on you; you know your brother has always had a soft spot for you."
Katy smiles over at her. "I just want to get better, and be able to get out of here and back to school. I don't have much longer left before graduation..."
I look over at Mrs. Parker and she gives me a knowing look.
"What? What now?" Katy asks, looking between us.
"Baby, you’re not going to be able to go back to just living in the dorms and going to class like before. Your legs are really bad right now. You’re going to need Physical Therapy and you’re going to be stuck in bed for a lot of that time so you can heal properly," I tell her as I grab a chair to sit in.
"So you're telling me, I can't finish my degree."
I run my hands through my hair and sigh with frustration. "You can, but you're going to have to finish it online. We've already worked it out with all your teachers. And you’re going to be recuperating at home...with your parents, back home."
"What?! I'm not just going to pack up and move back in with my parents. I...I'll make things work, I'll learn to work around whatever leg issues I have." She shakes her head and looks at me with fire in her eyes. She doesn't get how important this is. She can't just be a walking target, I can't let that happen.
"I'm sorry, Katy, but on this, I'm putting my foot down. As your husband, I've made this decision for your safety and comfort until you’re medically ok again," I tell her fiercely.
"What about you? Where are you going to be?" she asks, glaring over at me.
"I have to go do some movie promotion interviews in L.A, and then I'm taking time off so I can come home, too. We have a home in Nevada. I know it's not home to you yet, but I'm going to let you decorate to your heart’s content.” I smile reassuringly at her before kissing her forehead. "We're going to have top of the line security around at all times. I don't want to risk Alexia coming back around to finish what she started."
"What about Krista? When she wakes up and is healing, where is she going to be? I need to be there for my best friend...it's the least I could do after getting her involved in this and getting Luke killed! I couldn't be there for him...but I can for her.”
She starts crying again before I can even say anything and tell her just how wrong that statement is, that none of this is her fault. Mrs. Parker and I both move at the same time to try and comfort her, but she holds her hands up to stop us.
"Please...I just...I need to be alone right now, ok?"
"Katelyn, I don't think it's best for you to be alone when you’re feeling like this. You need to get it all out,” Stella says, and starts fidgeting with Katy's hair.
Katy just covers her face to block out the world and continues crying. Mrs. Parker looks about to break herself and leaves the room, so I take the time we have alone to climb into the bed with her and hold her against my chest.
"This wasn't your fault, do you hear me? You didn't kill him; you didn't put your best friend in a coma and almost kill yourself. That's all on Alexia, do you hear me?" I tilt her head up towards me and wipe her tears away. "You are so strong Katy, but you can't put the problems of the world on your shoulders. You have to step back and let the other people of the world take over sometimes."
Chapter 18
Over the next week we develop a routine. When Katy wakes up in the morning, her physical therapist comes in and does some little exercises with her that help her muscles remember how to move. There are a lot of times it causes her pain, and I usually want it all to stop right then and there. It took a few times of getting kicked out of the room before I learned to just step back and let them do what's best for her, even if it does hurt.
Now she can at least sit up for an extended period of time, and she's not as tired all the time. She has regained enough energy to barter with me, wanting me to take her outside for some fresh air.
"Please, Liam, I'm sick of staring at the same four walls." She looks around the room. "I've been cooped up in here long enough."
"I think your best bet is to stay in that bed, babe."
"I've been in this bed long enough. I can't achieve anything lying down and staring at the ceiling or pointless TV. I can't go see my best friend yet, and I haven't gotten to find out much from Lucas' parents other than where he's been buried. I just need to feel real air and the sun and not have to think about anything that's happened in the last 2 or 3 weeks!” she says, throwing her hands in the air.
Everything? Including me? I walk over and scoot in next to her on the bed as I take her hand in mine. "Do you regret crossing paths with me again, Katy? Do you blame me for this?"
"No. Alexia's insane. Something made her just snap. I don't get it.” She sighs and pulls back to look at me. "Is this going to affect your movie? I mean, the two of you are the big stars of it, right?"
"Since we're done filming, I'm not sure what's going to happen. If she stays on the run-hell, even if she gets caught and put in jail-I think they're going to want to recast and re-shoot."
For just a moment a scared look crosses Katy's face, but just as quickly it's gone. "What's going to happen if she isn't found? Will we have to be scared of her forever?”
I shake my head and squeeze her hand tightly. "I have the highest confidence that she will be found. She's an actress; a lot of people know her face. There's going to be a press conference later to talk about the situation."
"You mean the media hasn't eaten this up?" she asks, snuggling in closer to me.
"They've tried. But thankfully, HIPAA keeps them from getting any of your medical info and I've made all the people who work for me sign a Confidentiality agreement to keep them from breathing a word on yours or Krista's conditions."
"This whole thing is a nightmare. I want to just be able to close and lock a jail cell on Alexia Dalton and never have to think of her again."
"Soon, baby. I pray we're able to do just that really soon."
The sound of feet pounding on the ground just outside of the door makes me sit up. When I see Scott there, out of breath, my heart drops, thinking the worst. Please, no more bad news, I silently pray. I don't think Katy can take much more. I stand up and watch him lean over to catch his breath.
"Krista...is she...” Katy chokes out and I quickly go to stand by her side just in case.
Scott shakes his head and a big grin appears. "She's awake! She's awake and she doesn't remember the accident...but she's alive and she's talking.” He looks at us and I see how watery his eyes are. This whole situation has really taken a lot out of him.
"Oh, thank God! Can I see her?” Katy asks hopefully.
"She's asked for you, but the doctors have a bunch of tests to run on her to make sure everything's functioning the way it’s supposed to."
"Right, tell her I love her, and I'll be there the second I'm allowed to, please."
"Of course, you two are strong, Katy. I bet she's gonna try to jump out of that bed as soon as she sees you in one piece again."
"I'm gonna want to get out of the wheelchair I'll be stuck in, too. Tell her as soon as we're both up and going again, we have 2 weeks of girl time to make up for."
Scott smiles and nods at her "Will do."
"And Scott?"
"Yeah?"
"Get some rest, and eat, ok? She loves you, but if I know her she's going to feel really guilty if you’re not looking like the Hollywood movie star you are,” Katy teases him, and I smirk.
Scott laughs and goes to check himself in the little mirror above the sink. "Yeah, I guess I'm not up to 'Scott Adams Standards' am I?” he asks, rubbing at the stubble on his cheeks.
I walk up behind him and clap his back, shaking my head at the reflection in the mirror. "Not exactly, buddy.”
“I'll get to work on that. Don't want my girl to think I've turned grungy while she's been...sleeping.” He looks down with a ghost of a smile. "Time to get back into the land of the living, I guess."
Katy nods at him. "It is."
Scott crosses the room and hugs Katy and she gets a confused look on her face. "What was that for?"
"For bringing Krista into my life, I might have lost about 10 years off my life, and probably my career, while I sat by her bed every day. But she's secured herself a place in my heart forever, and I've realized that I can't and don't want to live without her."
"You take care of her, ok? She's my best friend. I'll have to hurt you if she gets hurt, you know."
"I definitely don't plan on it."
"Good." She smiles at him and waves as he goes out the door.
"He's going to ask her to marry him, isn't he?" she asks once we can't hear his feet clicking down the hall anymore.
I nod. "I think so, and I bet he's just going to need to buy a ring to make that thought official."
"So um...do you think they would mind a combined wedding celebration?"
My eyes widen and my head snaps towards her. "What are you talking about, baby?"
She bites her lip and twists her hands nervously. "I was just thinking we’ve been through the wringer now, Liam. I don’t want to waste any more time apart. Would you want to renew our vows, or get re-married-whatever it’s considered to be?”
I laugh and pull her into my arms before kissing her face all over. "I think that is a perfect idea," I tell her, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah?" she asks, smiling herself.
"Yeah," I pull her to me and kiss her deeply. "You deserve to go all out this time. Once you’re healed up and everything, I'll talk to Scott and see about sending you girls dress shopping."
She hugs me as tight as she can right now before pulling back. "There's still something I need to do before I can go on into the future though," she says, running her hands through my hair, and I sigh softly.
"Lay Lucas to rest," I say.
She nods and looks down sadly. "I need that final goodbye, Liam."
"I know, baby. And you'll get it. I'll tell you what, I'll see if I can get permission to take you out today, with a wheelchair of course, and maybe a nurse can come just in case, and we'll go to the cemetery."
"Really?"
I squeeze her hand and nod. "Yes, really, I think you need it."
"Thank you," she whispers, and I slip out of the room to make some phone calls. The first is to Mitchell to find out about the press conference.
"Hello," he answers after just one ring.
"It's Liam. What do I need to do for the press conference?"
"We're getting the last details set up, but it should be set to go in about 2 hours. It will be in front of the hospital. Just do like we talked about, make a plea to Alexia to come out of hiding. That you just want to put this behind you and be done with it."