A Hart To Call Home

Chapter Thirty-Four

Kit's heart was thundering in her chest the entire way to the hospital, but she tried hard to remain strong. Luca was stiff and silent the whole way; he just stared out the window. Andre was quietly sniffing in the backseat, and Carly was rubbing his arm.

Once she finally pulled into the parking lot, she parked as close to the doors as she could, and they all got out. Andre's eyes were red and teary, and Carly looked worried and scared; Kit could see she was trying to hold back her tears. A mix of emotions, Kit could relate to; they both had to be strong.

Kit took Luca's hand, gripping it so hard it almost hurt as they ran inside.

"We're here for Leonardo Donato," Andre said, immediately racing to the front desk. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

"He's in ER, top floor, room three; go on up."

"Is he okay?" Andre asked with panic in his eyes.

"They are doing everything they can," she said in a soothing voice that did nothing to calm any of them.

They raced to the elevator, Luca hadn't said a word, but he also hadn't let go of Kit's hand.

When they got to the ER, they were stopped by two nurses, one of them a hired nurse from the house and the other unfamiliar.  They were led into a small room and told to wait inside.

"No." Luca jumped up as soon as they shut the door. "I'm not going to sit here and wait for the news. He's dead, I bet! That's why we're in here. Why they can't just tell us!"

"He's not dead!" Andre screamed.

"Shh." Carly hushed him.

"They are probably still operating on him and brought us in here to wait," Kit said, standing up and rubbing his back. "We don't have to give up hope yet."

"But we do." Luca sat down and stared ahead with a defeated look in his eyes. "Even if he makes it through this. He's going to die soon."

"I know," Kit said, sitting next to him and grabbing his hand again. He gripped it back tightly and closed his eyes.

"Luca, I know, and knowing that he's going to die waiting for it is miserable," Andre said suddenly. "But he has to make it through this. He has to. I didn't say goodbye."

He put his head in his hands then and started crying again. Carly rushed to his side, holding him tightly and stroking his hair.

Kit's eyes pooled with tears she could no longer hold back. Luca let go of her hand and put his arm around her as she tried to wipe her eyes and calm herself down.

"You don't have to be strong for me," he whispered. "Just be next to me, okay?"

"I'm not leaving your side," she promised, looking up at his eyes which looked so bleak and scared. She would do anything to take his pain away, and hers. Leonardo had become a second father to her in a way and she had come to love him. She wasn't ready for this; she thought they had more time. He'd been so energetic the last few days...

After what seemed like hours Dr. Hahn and two other doctors entered the room and sat down.

"How is my father?" Andre asked immediately.

Luca's grip on Kit's arm tightened as the doctor cleared his throat.

"He recovered from the stroke," Dr. Hahn began.

Kit felt Luca's body relax, but the doctors' eyes told a bigger story, not to mention the consultants in the room. Kit knew there was more and began to brace herself.

"He had an ischemic stroke. This is very common in cancer patients. It occurs when an obstruction within a blood vessel supplies blood to the brain. Leonardo recovered from the stroke, but the left side of his face is paralyzed," Dr. Hahn explained.