She felt like she had been sitting there for hours. Every muscle in her body ached and protested loudly with each venture at movement. Bianca had long since curled into a ball in her chair with her head resting on Joey's shoulder. They were both asleep. Miss Tharpe was sitting a chair beside them, sleeping as well now. Someone had called her. Kat thought it was Bianca. She didn't really know for sure. She just wished she hadn't come.
Kat ended up spending a good half hour once she arrived explaining to her that she didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to be in her trust circle, didn't need a group hug and really just wanted to be left alone.
There had been no doctors, no nurses, no news of any kind. For all Kat knew he could be dead. The only information she got came from Pete and he had been on a call for almost an hour now. She wished he would show back up so she'd know what was happening. The not knowing was killing her.
She got to her feet and stretched, raising her arms over her head in order to alleviate some of the soreness from her body.
It didn't help and she shrank back into herself with a disappointed sigh.
Her phone, which rested in her front pocket started to vibrate and she knew who it was without looking. Making her way swiftly to the automatic doors that lead out of the Emergency room, she snatched the phone out and pushed the talk button as soon as the night air hit her.
" I still don't know anything." She said without waiting for a hello.
" I'm sorry. Are you sure there's nothing I can do ?" Mandela asked in a soft gentle voice.
" No, there is nothing to do right now except wait and hope someone will tell me something eventually." She answered in frustration.
" Kat !" She heard a very familiar voice exclaim from behind her and she turned quickly towards it.
" Dad."She answered as he came up to her and put his arms around her shoulders.
" I have to go." She told Mandela before snapping the phone closed and wrapping her arms around her father. She hadn't known how great it would feel to have him with her.
" Are you alright ? You didn't get hurt, did you ?" He asked, pulling away from her so he could look her over carefully.
"I'm fine. But only because of Patrick." She answered.
He narrowed his eyes slightly at that. " You can tell me what you mean by that later, right now how is he ? What's going on ?"
She shook her head and the tears were back full force. " I don't know. I'm not family so they won't tell me anything. I've tried to get them to talk to me. Last I heard, they were taking him to surgery. They think one of his ribs pierced one of his organs but they weren't sure which one."
" Okay," Walter told her, pulling her back into his chest. " Let's just calm down. They won't talk to you, but they'll talk to me. I am a doctor here."
He moved them inside, guiding her along with his arm around her shoulder. Once they arrived at the nurse's desk he smiled to the older red haired woman sitting behind it.
" Penny, how is everything ?" He asked her jovially.
" Everything's fine, Dr. Stratford. No babies on the way today." She answered.
" I'm not here about anyone else's baby tonight. I'm trying to take care of my own babies at the moment." He gave Kat's shoulder a squeeze. " I understand there was a young man brought in earlier with a gunshot wound. Name's Patrick Verona."
Kat looked startled for a moment. He hadn't known her father remembered Patrick's first name, rather-less his last.
" Yes, sir. I can go check on him for you, but I think they still have him in surgery." She answered getting up and disappearing through a doorway.
She returned a few minutes later. " Okay, Dr. Stratford, He's in OR three. They say the surgery went well and they are just about through with him. Dr. Hollis said to tell you to go to the OR waiting room and he'd be out to talk to you as soon as they're done."
" Do you know what took so long ? He's been here for nearly four hours. Why are they just finishing up now ?" Walter asked her with his brow creased in concern.
" I'm not sure." She answered. " I know they thought there might have been some liver or pancreatic damage from a splintered rib. Maybe that's why they've had him in there so long."
Walter nodded and smiled at her. " Thank you, Penny. I'll see you later."
He lead Kat over to the chairs where the rest of his family was sitting and took the chair beside Bianca. Shaking her shoulder softly, he called her name.
" Daddy," She said, blinking the sleepiness from her eyes and immediately wrapping her arms around him.
Walter glanced up at Kat and gave her a stern look. " We are all going to sit down and have a long discussion about why there is all this male company around while I was out of town." He said, but his tone wasn't angry and Kat appreciated that.
Bianca let him and went about waking Joey while Walter did the same to Miss Tharpe.
Once everyone was up, they trudged towards the elevator, with Walter leading the way.
He had just pushed the button when they all turned towards a commotion happening at the nurse's desk.
Kat felt her stomach drop as she spied Patrick's mother, wearing a blue stripped bikini top and a pair a way too tight, way too short shorts. Her feet were bare, her long dark hair a tangled mess. Massacre smudged around both of her eyes, fire engine red lipstick smeared over lips that were too full to begin with.
Walter heard the name Verona and turned towards Kat in question.
" It's his mother." She whispered.
" That's his mother ?" Walter asked incredulously.
Kat nodded and Walter left them all there and went to the desk. He reached a gentle hand up to Maggie's shoulder to try to calm her, but she jerked away from him quickly.
" Who the fuck are you ? Where is my kid ?" She demanded in a drunken slur.
Walter took a step back. " I'm thinking you probably should have been asking that question hours ago." He snapped when she turned on him. " I'm Dr. Stratford. If you'll just try to calm down I can tell you what's happening with Patrick,"
" I don't want to calm down. I want to know where my fucking kid is. Are you the one taking care of the good for nothing little hoodlum ?" She asked.
" I am now, if the state will allow it." He told her before turning on his heel and walking back to
Kat.
" What the fuck is that supposed to mean ? Where is my son ?"
Walter turned back to her abruptly. " Your son is in surgery. He's there apparently from what I have gathered from my daughters because your husband shot him." He took a deep breath as if trying to control his temper. " I suggest you go home and sleep off whatever you're on. Then you can come back here and check on him. He's not going anywhere."
She walked over to them with a quick, albeit staggered step. " My husband says Patrick pulled the gun. He says he was trying to defend himself. I suggest you get your facts straight before you try judging me."
" BULLSHIT !" Kat yelled leaping forward. Walter caught her a moment before she could get her hands on Patrick's mother.
" Watch your mouth, young lady." Her father chided her but there was no real meaning behind the words. It was like he was saying them out of habit or because he was supposed to.
" I think, Madam, that I'm the one with my facts straight." Walter told Maggie. " Perhaps you're the one that's confused."
" You don't know my son. He's trouble, has been since his father left us." She began, her voice slightly lower in volume.
Walter rolled his eyes. " I can't imagine what might have brought on that turn of events." He said sarcastically. " And might I just add at the risk of sounding repetitive, bullshit. I do know your son. I've given him permission to date my daughter so apparently I know him better than you do. He's a good kid who drew the really shot straw when it came to parents."
With that, Walter turned away from her and hustled his family into the waiting elevator.
" Wow," Bianca said once the doors closed. " That's his mother ?"
Kat nodded briskly still fuming over the incident. Walter put his arm around her shoulder again.
" I know, Sweetheart." He told her, laying a kiss against her temple as his arm tighten around her. "But I'm here now and I'll take care of everything."
Kat melted against him wanting nothing more than to believe that. She knew she didn't have much that longer to enjoy having her father there to make everything right in her world. Soon she would be on her own and it would be up to her to figure it all out. But for the moment, it was nice to know he had her.
They didn't wait for long once they were all settled in the still very uncomfortable chairs outside of the operating room. In fact, they were barely seated before an older man with round glasses perched on his nose, a healthy paunch and a halo of graying hair walked into the room wearing a pair of blue scrubs.
" Walter," He said extending his hand out.
Kat's father took it and shook it in a friendly manner. " How is he ?"
" He's in recovery and we have every reason to believe that he'll be just fine." The man said as Walter lead him over to a chair and sat down with him.
Kat felt her heart racing as she watched the man lace his hands in front of him. " We had to do some extensive repair to his pancreas. And there's a chance that it might not have been enough. We're monitoring his blood work to see what kind of lasting damage we're talking about."
" Lasting damage ?" Kat squeaked, drawing the attention of both of the older men.
The man in the scrubs nodded. " With pancreas damage there is always a chance of diabetes, digestive problems, things like that but it isn't anything that can't be control through a health lifestyle, diet and medication."
" He's going to be a diabetic ?" She asked, her mind involuntarily flashing back to his naked Kat sundae. " He'll hate that."
" Maybe." Walter interjected. " But he'll live and I'm sure he'd opt for that alternative."
" Of course I don't have to explain to you the risks that come along with any type of invasive surgery like this was, sepsis, wound infection, ongoing bleeding, coagulopathy, pneumonia, intra-abdominal fluid collection. We're watching him closely and hope to remove the ventilator tomorrow."
" He's on a ventilator ?" Kat asked again, feeling like she was just repeating everything the man was saying in the form of a question.
" They had to put him on the ventilator for the surgery, Sweetheart." Walter told her, putting his hand on her leg for comfort.
" He had some diaphragm injuries as well, but we hope that those will heal quickly. It wasn't anything too severe." The older man said reassuringly. " The fact is, he's young, in good physical health, strong as an ox. I have little doubt that he'll make a full recovery. He's already showing signs of improvement."
" See, Kat," Bianca said from beside her. " He's going to be fine."
Kat nodded, still not wanting to let herself really believe what she was hearing.
" Is he one of yours ?" The doctor asked her father.
" He's my daughter's boyfriend." Walter answered. " So yes, for all intents and purposes, he's one of mine."
Kat blinked at him in surprise. Her father had never really been a fan of Patrick's. It surprised her that he was claiming him like that.
" I'll make a note on his chart. You know how it is in any hospital. We take care of our own."
Kat bristled at that. " He shouldn't get special treatment just because he's being claimed by a member of your staff." She said even though she could barely believe the words were coming out of her mouth. She wanted him to have as much special treatment as he could get. But still it didn't seem fair and she couldn't help but make the observation.
" I don't think anyone is going to suffer from the fact that he might get a few extra minutes on his visiting hours or an extra jell-o cup with his meals." Walter told her, placating her.
Kat gave him a smile and shut up realizing that it was a battle she didn't even want to wage. He was right. There was no harm done in Patrick getting a few extra privileges. He deserved them after all.
The doctor exchanged a few more pleasantries with her father before getting to his feet and leaving them alone.
" You still looked worried." Bianca told her. " That was good news. You should be smiling."
Kat nodded. " Not yet."
Walter turned to her and somehow he seemed to just know exactly what she was thinking just by the look on her face. " This isn't the same thing, Kat. He's going to be fine."
" That's exactly what they said the last time Mom came to the hospital. They said she'd be fine and twenty-four hours later she was gone." She mumbled.
" I know, Sweetheart. But this isn't like that. You'll see." He said wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his chest.
" When can I see him ?" She asked.
" Tomorrow. After they take him off the ventilator." He answered.
" Why not now ?" She insisted.
" Because he's in recovery right now, so no one can see him. And after that, its because I think it would be best for you to wait until tomorrow when he's off the ventilator and nothing you can say is going to change my mind about that. So you'll just have to wait." He said.
" But Dad-" She started.
" Nothing you can say is going to change my mind." He repeated. " I won't have you go through that. It's not pretty. It's not nice and while I may not be able to protect you from all the evils in the world. I can protect you from having to see someone you care about like that. End of story."
She shifted in his arms, not happy but sensing there was little she could do about it.
Then he sat up and moved her off of him. " I can do this, though." He told her, getting to his feet. " I'll go have a look and check on him myself. Will that make you feel better ?"
She nodded and gave him a smile. " Thanks, Daddy."
She watched him walk away before turning to Bianca and Joey.
" You don't have to stay. I appreciate you coming, but Joey should take you home and then get home himself." She said.
" If you're staying we want to stay, too." Bianca answered, though Joey looked a little less enthusiastic. Obviously he had had enough of sitting in waiting rooms and she completely understood that.
" No, go. I'll be fine." She insisted. " Go home. I'll see you tomorrow."
" And I'm going to stay here, so she won't be alone." Darlene interjected.
Kat shook her head quickly. " No, you should go, too. Dad's here. It's fine. I'm fine."
" I'm not leaving." She told her firmly. " You need to talk about this. I'm going to be right here when you're ready to do that."
She took a deep breath. She was trying extremely hard to be nice to Darlene out of respect for her father. She owed him that. She knew he didn't especially care for Patrick, yet he was making an effort for her sake and she really wanted to return the favor and be nice to her father's girlfriend. She just wished his girlfriend didn't make it so difficult.
" Like I said before, I don't want to talk about this. I'm not ready and I won't be for a long time. You should really just go home and get some sleep. You have to work in the morning after all." Kat explained, very proud of herself for keeping her voice calm and even. There was barely any bite in it at all.
Darlene gave her an understanding smile like she knew what kind of effort it was taking for Kat to be nice and she stood.
She handed a small piece of paper to Kat. " This is my number. Call me whenever. I don't care if it's three in the morning or three in the afternoon. Anytime."
Kat nodded and accepted the card, shoving it into her front pocket.
She watched them all walked together to the elevator and there was something close to relief in her when they got in and disappeared from sight.
Finally alone, she stood up and stretched again. She had been sitting for way too long and she needed to move.
She thought about waiting for her father. But there was an urgency she didn't understand dragging her feet down the corridor of the quiet hospital. She turned down a hall and found a door that gave her pause.
CHAPEL, the small plaque beside it read in bold white letters.
She had never been the religious type. She didn't believe in organized religion. She was a very spiritual person in her own right. She just didn't understand the need for people to come together as a whole in order to do something they should be doing all the time. Communing with God wasn't something that should only happen on Sundays while safely tucked away inside a church with everyone else that was there trying to make up for everything they did the Saturday before. That wasn't what she felt church should be about.
Still there was something vastly comforting that set into her bones the moment the door to the small room opened and she stepped inside.
She couldn't help it, as she made her way towards the front of the tiny church, her mother's favorite song came to her mind and she smiled at the memory. It was like her mother was there, sitting beside her as she took the first pew and stared up at the statue of Jesus in front of her.
When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be
The words seeped through her brain as if they were put there by an outside force and she closed her eyes and rested her head on the pew behind her as she let herself listen to them.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me,
Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
And when the brokenhearted people living in the world agree
there will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Yeah, There will be an answer, let it be.
let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
whisper words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it b, let it be
whisper words of wisdom, let it be
And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary calls to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be,
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
As the last words of the sang rang through her mind, she opened her eyes and batted away the tears that had formed there.
Please God, if you can hear me, let Patrick be okay, let it be, she thought into the quiet of the room.