80 Blacktop Obsession
"Damn, are you serious right now?" Tej asked, whistling as he looked at Kaidyn's car the next morning. The group, minus Roman and Brian were standing outside looking at the car. It was smashed into the gate and it looked like it had been pulverized.
"I agree, I can't believe this." Carter said, looking at the car, on his way out to catch his flight. He had walked out to see the guys staring at the car and the gate in awe.
"Yeah, I know right. Kaidyn's going to be crushed." Tej muttered, making Carter smile. Tej pretended he hadn't seen that.
"Shyade, can you please come downstairs and out here please?" Carter asked as he talked on his phone, briefcase in hand as he put on his sunglasses.
"On my way. I told you already about the gate." Shayde reminded him, jumping up to get dressed. She knew he had to get going and was in a hurry.
"Yes, but you did not tell me how bad that was." Carter replied, shaking his head. "I've got to get going. I will get someone here to fix this but you tell…." He started.
"You told me to destroy it anyway I saw fit. I am not gonna tell anyone anything because you are fine with me destroying things, right?" Shayde asked in a reminding tone.
"Yeah, you are right. I am leaving. I will have my men fix this." He promised.
"My guys could do it too." Shayde reminded him.
"Not necessary. We are good. I have plenty of security and hired help out there that can do the job just fine." Carter reminded her. "I gotta go. Please come down here. Love you, Sweetheart." Carter said, still irritated with the entryway gate damaged.
"Yeah, love you too." She replied. She came outside to the bright sunshine and covered her eyes to see Carter still there.
"I am off to go handle some business. I expect you boys to help Shayde and be on your best behavior to ensure there are no issues here. Hmm?" He asked, looking at them.
"Yeah, of course." Tej replied.
"Dom, you are welcome to stay longer if you would like." Carter nodded, calling over his shoulder.
"Thanks, I may do that to help her with Kaidyn." Dominic nodded.
"Good, I'll see you all soon." Carter nodded, waving as he walked away. They watched him get into the black suburban and drive off.
"I didn't agree to all of this."Dominic said, shaking his head. "I think this is a bit much." He added, knowing Kaidyn would never believe this.
"This is what happens when you drink and drive, Dom." Shayde shrugged, looking disappointed in him with a smirk on her face.
"There's no way she's gonna believe I did this." Dominic shook his head. "She's too smart. She will figure this out." He promised.
"Well, you better work hard to convince her when you see her that you did." Han said, looking at the gate.
"Taking the blame is the least you can do for causing that last night. We were up all night changing her bleeding bandages." Tej said, shaking his head. He was still not happy with Dominic. She was in really bad shape and it could have been avoided.
"This is ridiculous. I don't know how he even got the car this fucked up." Dominic shook his head.
"You mean, how you got this car so fucked up." Shayde corrected him, her arms folded.
"Did you see Roman took out another gate?" Brian asked, walking out, his eyes squinting in the sun, with a grin.
"You mean, why did Dom take out the gate?" Shayde chided, reminding him with a smile. They all walked back inside and were in the kitchen.
"Guess you owe her a 10 second car, Cuz." Brian said, sitting on a barstool at the kitchen island, smiling at Dominic.
"That's not funny, O'Connor." Dominic pointed at him, irritated. Brian laughed. They heard Roman talking.
"Look who's awake." Roman said, carrying Kaidyn in, her eyes red. Shayde could tell she had been crying.
"How you feeling, lil Sis?" Han asked, sitting down beside her and Roman.
"I've been better." She said as Roman gently sat her on the barstool. "Why do I feel like I was run over by a car?" She asked, rubbing her head and frowning. She looked at her arms and the bandages quizzically.
"About that...Dom has something to tell you." Roman said, quickly trying to distract her from looking at her bandages.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, looking up.
"Nice job, Ro." Brian nodded, impressed that Roman was paying attention. He could have his serious moments when needed.
"Kaidyn, can I take you to the living room so we can talk...alone?" Dominic asked, getting annoyed at the group and how they were just waiting to hear him do this.
"Sure. Everything okay?" She asked, holding her head and wincing as he picked her up.
"We just need to talk." Dominic sighed, dreading this. He hoped this would not crush her and make her hate him.
"Let's watch this go down." Shayde laughed. Han grinned at her amusement and how much she was enjoying this as he rubbed her shoulders.
"I feel like I need to be in there." Han said, grabbing a bag of chips off the snack wall and going in there, not waiting for anyone to reply to him.
"You don't mess with his little sister." Hector laughed. "This is gonna be great, Shay. You see how hard of a time he's havin?" Hector asked. "Dom is strugglin." Hector nodded, handing Shayde a bottle of water.
"Letty, Jesse, I need to ask you guys to pause your game and give us a few minutes alone please." Dominic took a deep breath, setting Kaidyn beside him, her expression confused.
"I brought you a blanket." Han said, covering up Kaidyn so she wouldn't be able to see any blood in case the bandages started bleeding.
"Thanks Han." Dominic nodded appreciatively. "Do you mind giving us a minute?" He asked, swallowing like he was working up his nerve.
"I do, actually." Han said, leaning on the sofa, opening his bag of chips. "I'm chillin." He grinned.
"Alright then." Dominic sighed, looking away. That was not the response he had expected from Han.
"I don't feel so great, Dom. Why are you acting weird?" Kaidyn asked, looking at him suspiciously, laying her head back on the couch. She groaned in pain when she tried to move.
"Come on, Dom." Han said, eating another chip. "Time's ticking." He nodded, pointing to his watch.
"I wrecked your car, Kaidyn. I almost killed us." Dominic coughed, spitting it out and saying it quickly.
"What?" Kaidyn asked, rubbing her eyes. Han could tell she was hurting and that it hadn't really registered what he had said. She looked at him, shaking her head.
"Remember when I said no one was perfect and we all make mistakes?" Dominic asked, taking a deep breath.
"Yeah." Kaidyn said, her big blue eyes focused on him.
"Well, I made a really big mistake last night." Dominic admitted. He looked down, ashamed to try to sell his story.
"Yeah, you did." Han nodded, folding his arms. "One that no one is happy about right now." Han added, trying to be Domniic's wingman.
"Han! You are not helping." Dominic said, shaking his head. "I am so sorry I hurt you, Kaidyn. I didn't mean to. I feel horrible. I wish I could tell you how horrible I feel right now." Dominic said, hanging his head.
"What did you do? You're Dom, you don't make mistakes." Kaidyn said, lifting her head from the back of the couch.
"I told you everyone makes mistakes. Even me. Kaidyn, I crashed the car when we drove back last night. You got a headache and I told you I would drive and I had been drinking more than I guess I thought." Dominic said, watching her closely.
"No, you did not." Kaidyn shook her head. "I am not stupid. You did not." She rolled her eyes. She looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you lying?" She asked,
"I'm not lying." Dominic held up his hands innocently.
"You wouldn't do that." She said, shaking her head.
"Yes, I did. I thought I was fine. I am so sorry you are hurt. I would have never made the choices I made if I had known this is what would have happened." Dominic admitted, looking her in the eyes. "I wish you could know how sorry I am." He said, his voice deep. He was really talking about not giving her the medication earlier but he couldn't tell her that. Even though he was just going along with Carter to see how far Carter would take that at the request of Shayde, he still felt bad Kaidyn had hurt herself so badly.
"Dom, you didn't mean to." Kaidyn's eyes teared up, she touched his shoulder, concerned. She didn't like seeing him sad.
"I can't blame you if you hate me. I was an ass to you every time you made a mistake and I made the worst one. Drinking and driving. I could have killed us." Dominic admitted, his voice deep.
"Dom, it's okay. Everyone makes mistakes and I have made a lot." Kaidyn said, leaning over to hug him, even though it clearly hurt her to move. Han's mouth dropped open. He had expected her to be mad and not be so forgiving so easily.
"Kaidyn, this is what your car looks like now." Han handed her his phone, showing her the picture of the car he had taken. "This is why we don't drink and drive. Dom thought he was fine and he was clearly not okay to drive." Han said, still in his teacher mode.
"Accidents happen. As Shayde would say, as long as we learn from it, it's better to just keep moving on." Kaidyn shook her head. She was hurting too bad to keep arguing about if he did or didn't do it.
"I am really sorry, Kaidyn. No one can be as mad at me as I am mad at myself." Dominic promised, feeling terrible for how forgiving she was being.
"I get that. I have been at that point many times myself, Dom." Kaidyn said understandingly.
"You love that car. How can you forgive me so easily?" Dominic asked, shocked at the lack of her usual temper. Shayde and the guys were right, she was not her usual self.
"I love you more, Dom. It's okay. We're both okay, that is what matters." She promised, reaching to give him a hug even though it hurt.
"Kaidyn, I love you too. I am grateful you can forgive me." Dominic hugged her back. "I am sorry." He looked her in the eyes. "I will help you get another car and we will make this one better. I promise." He nodded.
"Thanks and I know you will." Kadiyn smiled, laying her head on his chest, playing with his cross necklace.
"Knock knock. We need to have a talk, little one." Shayde came in and kneeled beside Kaidyn. Kaidyn looked at Shayde.
"Im fine, Shay. No need to worry." Kaidyn promised.
"Who says I am worried?" Shayde asked with a forced smile.
"Girl, I know you better than that. It is all over your face. You know I know you." Kaidyn laughed.
"You are such my silly girl." Shayde smiled. "I am fine, we just need to have a slight talk." She promised. "Everything is fine." Shayde promised.
"I'll be right back." Dominic said, getting up and trying to leave.
"No, Dom, you should stay." Shayde said, putting a hand on his knee as hard as she could to tell him he wasn't going anywhere.
"That's a good grip. Ok, I'll stay. It can wait." He sighed, leaning back to sit. He didn't really want to be here for this part. He knew what was about to come next.
"The doctor will be here later and he's pretty sure you will have to have surgery on your nose." Shayde said, knowing Kaidyn wouldn't take this lightly.
"My nose is fine!" Kaidyn shook her head, trying to sit up but realized she was too sore to move that fast. She closed her eyes to keep from being dizzy. Things were starting to spin a bit.
"You were in a car wreck and you got hurt and you could have a concussion. It has to be taken care of." Shayde shook her head.
"If we were in such a bad wreck, why isn't Dom hurt?" Kaidyn challenged, looking a bit upset now. Her temper was starting to show. Shayde took a deep breath, looking at Han. He gave her a nod, letting her know he was there to back her up.
"Remember when people drink and drive, it's usually the ones who are drunk who don't get hurt." Han piped up. Dominic nodded.
"I'm so sorry, Kaidyn." Dominic said, feeling terrible. "He's right." He agreed.
"I don't need a doctor. A doctor means hospital and I am not leaving you here." Kaidyn said, starting to get upset. She folded her arms angrily even though it hurt her to do so.
"Kaidyn, it will be outpatient. The doctor is flying in and you know him. It will be okay. You won't have to stay. It will be okay." Shayde promised.
"That's bullshit. We can't trust anyone in this town! What if I get hurt or what if I die?" Kaidyn asked, looking panic stricken
"What would make you feel like that, Kaidyn?" Han asked, looking concerned.
"I don't know. I just feel like it's too dangerous." Kadiyn said, looking uneasy.
"We're gonna protect you. This has to be done, Kaidyn. It's something that you need to get better." Shayde promised. "Sometimes we have to do things that we don't want to do." Shayde said, hating that Kaidyn was already panicking.
"I think this is an emergency and I want your phone to call your best friend. Because you don't care that I should stay here with you." Kaidyn said, starting to get up, trying her best to get Shayde to hear her. "You said I can call him in an emergency." She huffed.
"Relax and sit back please." Dominic said, his voice a bit softer than normal.
"I told you in the event something happened to me and if you needed help." Shayde corrected. "You have us here and you are safe." She shook her head.
"Well, obviously I need help because you are gonna make me do something so unsafe." Kaidyn said, her look of betrayal on her face making Shayde feel almost ill.
"Kaidyn, Stop." Han warned, seeing how sad Shayde was looking.
"No, you can't be trusted to make choices and I am getting out of here." Kaidyn said, trying to get up. Dominic wouldn't move to let her up. "You guys are always telling me I have choices. This is my choice. I am not doing this." Kaidyn said, her head pounding. She grabbed Dominic's arm to try to make the spinning stop.
"You're gonna do what I say and that's final. I know what's best for you." Shayde said, also not letting Kaidyn get up.
"I want your phone." Kaidyn demanded simply. "I want to call your bestfriend. You said I could call him if I felt in danger and I feel very much in danger." Kaidyn said, shaking her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"Fine, Dom, keep her here and I will go get my phone. " Shayde nodded, knowing Kaidyn really felt like she was in danger. She looked at Dominic and walked out.
"You're not really gonna let her call him, are you?" Carter asked as Shayde answered her phone. He had been watching the cameras. Carter knew of the emergency number because they had set it up long ago in case Kaidyn was ever without them she had what Carter called a failsafe.
"You said you had to leave on business, why are you calling?" Shayde asked, knowing he had been watching the cameras.
"I'm on a plane and wasting time. I miss you, I haven't seen you in eight long years. I am going to enjoy watching you. I want to make sure you are safe, of course." He assured her with a crooked grin.
"Really, Carter?" She asked, shaking her head.
"I really enjoy that outfit you put on today. I didn't have time to tell you before I left." Carter smiled, ignoring her tone of annoyance.
"Thank you. I gotta go and let her call him." Shayde said, chewing her lip.
"Why does she need him?" Carter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You know it gives her a sense of security. We've taught her that all these years. She wants to have some say over something, what's it going to hurt?" Shayde asked.
"If you must." Carter said in an annoyed tone.
"I think this will help her stay calm because she is in a lot of pain and this place is still new, she's still adjusting. If calling him will help her be calm, then why not?" Shayde asked, almost challenging him to refute her claim.
"You're right. Call him." Carter nodded. She dialed the number quickly.
"Hello." her best friend answered.
"Hey, you busy?" Shayde asked, hoping and praying he was able to help her out.
"Not really, you guys okay?" he asked, finding it weird he was getting a call. This was used only in emergencies.
"Yeah, just wondering if you could take a call from Kaidyn. She needs surgery on her nose most likely and she's fighting me on everything. Now she says I am being mean by making her see the doctor. Can you just talk to her please? She wants to use the phone to call you. I wanted to give you a heads up." Shayde said, talking fast. If she knew Kaidyn, her time to get back in that room was going to be up very soon.
"Yeah. Not a problem. Have her call me." He said.
"Thanks, I owe you one." she smiled, hanging up the phone. She walked back in the room and handed Kaidyn the phone. "You got the number or do you need me to call it first?" She asked, standing up above her, holding the phone out.
"I got it. Thank you." Kaidyn took the phone rather aggressively with an attitude out of her hand.
"Hand it back and take it nicely and say thank you." Han said, his voice firm and an eyebrow raised. Kaidyn sighed and handed it back. She knew when Han was being firm.
"Thank you, Shay." Kaidyn said, her tone soft. Han gave her an approving nod. He watched Kaidyn dial the number. She stopped for a minute, trying to remember the number.
"I can give you the number…" Shayde started.
"No, thank you. I got it. I just need a second." Kaidyn said, repeating it in her head. Han, Shayde and Dominic looked at each other, waiting to see if she would remember it. She finally dialied it and Shayde looked relieved and took a deep breath. She was happy that she was able to remember it.
"Hello." the voice on the other end picked up.
"Hi." Kaidyn asked, sounding unsure of herself for a moment. "Are you busy?" Kaidyn asked, looking at Shayde and turning away as though she didn't want to be heard. This made Dominic laugh.
"Can I get up now?" Dominic asked, looking at Shayde.
"No." She shook her head, smiling. "You get to sit here right along with me." Shayde leaned over and whispered to him.
"I need your help please." Kaidyn said, her voice soft as she spoke with Shayde's bestfriend.
"What's up, Princess?" The voice on the other end asked.
"You know how you said to call you with anything I needed?" Kaidyn asked, playing with the blanket nervously.
"Yes, are you okay, Lil Shay?" He asked.
"Yes, and no." Kaidyn said after hesitating for a moment. "Shayde says I have to see a doctor tonight and maybe have a surgery on my nose." She said, taking a deep breath as she tried to move, feeling pain.
"Well, if Shayde feels it's necessary you should, right? Hasn't she always had your back?" he asked.
"Yes, she has." Kaidyn said, rubbing her face. "But I feel like I am gonna die if I go. I think I am in danger." Kaidyn said, shaking her head. She felt her head start to throb and a wave of nausea hit her.
"You can't die because we gotta meet up in person, Princess." he said, his smile apparent and coming through his voice as he held the phone to his ear.
"Then why can't you come here now?" Kaidyn asked, rubbing her eyes, seeing spots.
"Because I am not in America. I am half way across the world." he laughed. "Otherwise I would but I wouldn't make it in time, I'm sorry." He said sincerely.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Kaidyn asked, feeling bad she didn't think to ask if it was a good time to talk.
"Girl, you can call me anytime no matter if I am asleep or not, okay?" He asked, making her nod.
"Okay, thank you. I hope I can see you soon." She admitted.
"We will see each other soon, my lil raccoon " he promised, making her laugh.
"That's funny." She smiled, feeling a little less stressed.
"Do me a favor please?" He asked.
"Sure. What is that?" She asked curiously.
"Be good for Shayde. She is really nervous about you having to go have surgery and she doesn't want it anymore than you do but she's gotta do her job and take care of you. Sometimes we gotta do hard things in life to get better and to get to better things. You're strong, you can do this, okay?" The best friend asked.
"Okay, I'll try to keep quiet and listen to her." Kaidyn sighed. She hadn't expected to hear him take Shayde's side.
"So you are gonna be good and nice to the doctor tonight?" The voice on the other end of the phone asked.
"I will try. I don't like to lie so I won't say I will but I will try." Kaidyn said, sniffling. All of a sudden her nose began to bleed and gush. She wiped her hand and saw the blood, she looked at Shayde with wide eyes.
"Close your eyes, lil one, it's okay." Shayde said, looking at Han, who had jumped up to get some tissue.
"I can't talk with my eyes closed." Kaidyn said, shaking her head, trying to get up.
"Come here, you're okay. Just breathe." Dominic grabbed her, pulling her onto his lap to make sure she did not hit Shayde or start to try to take off.
"You okay, Princess?" The voice asked.
"No, there's blood everywhere." She whimpered. She began to cry as she felt the blood rush down her nose and onto her lips.
"Close your eyes like Shayde said, please." The voice said, his voice nice and even. "You're okay. Just a little nose bleed. "Take care, my lil polar bear." He rhymed, trying to distract her. She didn't really laugh or acknowledge that so he kept going. "Talk to me. When I come visit, what should we do?" He asked.
"Do you race cars?" She asked, her hands trembling as she tried to reach for her nose.
"No, but I love driving fast cars." He laughed. "I got a few you might like." He said.
"You sound like Shayde. Would you let me drive your cars? She won't." Kaidyn said, struggling to get up from Dominic.
"You're okay. Just sit and relax and talk to him." Dominic said, making sure he had a good grip on her arms as Shayde bent over to wipe her nose. "Careful, Shay." he said, making sure she was not going to get hurt. She nodded.
"How about I answer that when you get out of surgery?" The voice asked.
"Ok, can I call you best friend. It's weird you not having a name." Kaidyn asked, suddenly getting sleepy.
"Hey, she okay? She looks a little pale." Dominic said, looking at Shayde. He could feel her getting clammy.
"I think she's probably anemic with all these nose bleeds." Han said. "We can have the doctor check for that tonight." Han nodded. "She is definitely not looking good right now." he agreed.
"Yes, you can call me that. I am sure Shayde won't mind." He said.
"Okay." Kaidyn said, feeling like her head was going to burst. Her head was pounding.
"Hey you okay? You are sounding tired. I know how it is to be not feeling good so if you need to hang up, it's okay." He said, looking at his text from Shayde he had just gotten as he talked on the phone.
"I guess so. My head really hurts. Will I talk to you again soon? I know it's only for emergencies. But I really wish we could talk more." She said, her eyes closing as she fought sleep.
"We will start talking more, okay? Until then, be sweet, Parakeet." The voice said on the other end, making Kaidyn semi laugh.
"Behave for Shayde and everyone there, okay? You promise?" he asked.
"Yes, I will." She yawned, closing her eyes, no longer able to stay awake. Dominic nodded to Shayde. He felt her relax as she drifted off to sleep.
"She's out." he confirmed as he wiped her nose once more. It had stopped but he wanted to be certain it was over.
"She fell asleep. Thank you for doing that." Shayde took the phone and talked to her best friend.
"No problem. Call me anytime. It's not a problem at all. I will stop what I am doing and talk to her anytime." He said. "You guys take care and keep me posted on how things are going, would ya?" he asked as he paced restlessly, wishing he could be there.
"Yeah, we can do that." Shayde nodded. "I will let you know as soon as I know something." She promised.
"Remember, I got your back." The voice said, making Shayde smile.
"I know you do. Got yours too." She said with a nod and hung up. "She does look very pale. Is she breathing okay?" Shayde asked, quickly busying herself with Kaidyn, her cheeks flushed with worry.
"She is but we can have Brian check her if you want to make sure." Dominic said. "Not a bad idea, he can check these bandages too." He nodded.
"You just stay still so she stays asleep. I am going to go find him. I need a moment." Shayde said, giving Dominic a smile, tears in her eyes.