Thanks to iluvmytv-ugottaproblem and BlueeyedAuthor for the reviews. Here is the next chapter.
Twenty anxious minutes passed. Adam and Lindsay sat beside Kane while Dylan paced the floor. Carly lay on her sister's lap. The tiny girl's eyes were growing heavy. But that all changed when their parents walked into the room. There was more hugging and crying from the Axel family. Kane continuously apologized for all she had put them through. Her family reassured her it wasn't her fault. However, no matter what they said she still felt responsible. As Kane finished hugging her father for the third time, she then went to Danny and Sheldon and hugged and thanked them. There was no words to describe how much she appreciated all they had done. Both Sheldon and Danny told her it was nothing, and for her not to worry about it. From there Kane introduced her parents to Adam and Lindsay. Once all the pleasantries were out of the way Kane's father went to speak with a doctor while the others returned to nervously waiting.
The clock inched closer to ten o'clock. No one could process that they had been living in a nightmare for only twelve hours. It felt like days had gone by. The doctor's were still working on Caleb but Kane's father said things were going well. After Kane heard this, she told them she needed to get some air. It was obvious she wanted to be alone, so no one offered to go with her.
A light breeze blew outside making Kane grateful she opted for the long sleeve t-shirt. Street lights illuminated everything. At first, she chose to walk around the building, but soon changed her mind and sat on one of the benches. A few orderlies on break walked around, otherwise the area was empty. This left Kane alone to think.
The day started like any other. In fact better. How could it have fallen so hard? Was Kane destine to continuously cause the people around her pain and suffering? Could she stop it?
In the middle of her thoughts someone approached her but stopped just short of the bench. Kane looked up expecting a nurse or someone else, but it was Don. Seeing him there, that's when the emotions hit her. Don held her in his arms as she sobbed uncontrollably. He never said a word, just held her, letting her know he was there.
Eventually, the tears stopped. Kane looked up into Don's face to see his eyes just as sad. "Are you okay?" He asked as he wiped away a stray tear with his thumb.
"Yea. You?"
"Better now. I tried to get here sooner but there was some concern about the runaways. We finally rounded them all up."
"What about Hobbs?"
"Nothing major. Only a leg wound. He'll live to stand trial. I had them take him to the other hospital. You know just in case you went a little crazy. Any news on Caleb?"
"The last thing I heard was that the surgery was going well but that was twenty minutes ago."
"Okay. How about we go back in then. Maybe they're done." His voice was so calm and soothing. It made Kane feel a little better but the worry for her brother was still immense.
Together, hand in hand, Kane and Don walked back into the hospital, making their way to the waiting room that was losing space. As they walked to the room Kane stopped mid-step. A thought just hit. It wasn't a big deal, at least, at the moment it wasn't.
"Kandice what's wrong?"
"You're about to meet my parents." A glazed look washed over her eyes.
"Okay. Still what's wrong?"
"You're the first guy since high school to meet my parents. I mean they know about you and the way I feel about you, it's just I didn't have time to prep."
"Calm down. I highly doubt your parents are worried about this. I'm not. Everything will be fine. We won't even count this as actually meeting. Okay?"
She smiled. "I don't deserve you Donald Flack."
"Sweetheart I think you got it backwards." Again, the two set out for the waiting room, still holding hands.
The introductions between Don and Kane's parents went better than Kane could ever imagine. Though she cringed a little when Don went to shake her mother's hand but instead she pulled him into a hug. Luckily, her father settled for the traditional hand shake. Once that was out of the way, everyone sat down to continue to wait.
Another half hour passed when a very sweaty doctor came into the room. His face was difficult to read. There was no way of telling how things went. He finally began to speak.
"Are all of you Caleb's family?" He asked when he saw the crowd of people.
"Yes." Kane was surprised when she realized it was her father who spoke. "How is my son?"
Kane squeezed Don's hand, much like her mother was squeezing her father's arm.
"I have good news and bad news." He paused a moment, then continued. "Caleb has pulled through nicely. We were able to take out the bullet and repair some of the damages."
"Some?" Dylan said.
"The bullet hit Caleb's spinal cord. There is a high chance he may never walk again." Instantly, a mixture of happiness and sadness hit Kane along with everyone else in the room. Caleb was alive but he was not complete.
From there the doctor went on to explain more about the procedure and options, but Kane wasn't listening. The only thing she could think about was Caleb and his reaction. The situation he was in was all her fault. If he chose to be angry at her, she deserved it. All she wanted to do now was see him.
"Can we see him?" Kane's mother asked after the doctor had finished.
"He's still a little out of it from the anesthesia. But some can go in and see him for a little while."
"Thank you Doctor."
"Well tell Caleb we're thinking about him. We're going to head out and let you all have some time alone." Danny said.
"Thank you all so much for coming." Kane's father said as he shook hands with Danny, Sheldon, and Lindsay. Don was last. "And thank you for fighting for my family."
"I would do anything for them sir."
Kane said good bye to her friends and thanked them all for the help. Then she gave Don a sweet kiss and told him she would call him later. This left the Axel family alone, preparing to see their missing member.