Mastering the Valley: Completed

Chapter 52: Death

I get in Hawks truck and shut the door. I look to Hawk and I see a look on his face that I haven't seen before. It was almost as if he was trying to not look awkward but was awkward anyway. I turn to him.
   "What was you wanting to talk about?" I say.
  "Last night." He says. "How are you feeling about it?"
  "Oh." I say, touching his cheek. "I am fine. Everything is okay dude." I say.
  "That's a relief. I was worried that you was going to try and avoid me." He says.
  "Why would I do that?" I say.
"Because I was worried it might make it awkward between us."
   "No, it's not awkward." I respond.
  "Oh ok. Well I guess I was worried about nothing."
"I guess you were." I respond.
   "Oh shit." he says, looking at his phone. "It's your dad."
  "My dad? Why would you have his number and why would he be calling you?"
   "I will explain it after the call." he says, answering the phone.
  I mouth to him. "Put it on speaker."
  He gives me a thumbs up and then puts it on speaker phone.
  "Eli?" I hear my dads voice.
"It's Hawk, but what's up?" he says.
  "What are you doing?" he says.
"I'm uh... sitting outside of the Sushi Bar in Burbank. I'm about to head to the dojo."
  "Is Kate perhaps in the car with you?"
"No sir." He says.
   "Ok good. Can I talk to you about something? I figure you might know seeing how you two are together."
   "Ok, what's going on?" Hawk says, looking to me.
  "How mad at me is she." My dad says, with a sorrowful tone in his voice.
  He looks to me. Then mouths, "What do I say."
I typed my feelings out, then showed them to Hawk to read to my dad. While I was typing, Hawk was covering by saying. "She and I were actually talking last night and she was like pretty upset about the whole ordeal with Noah, but the next thing I tell you, you can't mention it to Kate that I told you. If you do she will be really mad at both of us." he says.
   "Ok that's fine. I won't tell her." he says.
  I show Hawk the phone.
   "She's not mad at you, she just needs to have some kind of a relationship with you. She wants you to be in her life and if I am being honest with you, she doesn't feel like you are there for her. What happened last night really hurt her. She is almost terrified to do anything without someone being with her. She's just scared that the next time she gets taken she is not going to come back. She's also having Suicidal thoughts." he paused, then looked to me. He starts to have a concerned look on his face, but starts to read again. "She doesn't want to scare anyone though. I think she will be fine in a few weeks. She has also been thinking about her mom a lot, and really just wants her back." Hawk says. "That's all I know about." he says.
   "Suicidal thoughts?" My dad says.
  "Yeah." Hawk says.
    "Do you think she will actually.... you know..... follow through with those thoughts?"
  "I hope not." Hawk says.
   "I don't know what to say." He says.
  "I'm so sorry sir. I just, thought you should know that you might need to take a break from traveling and be here with her." 
  "I think after New York I might stop traveling for a few weeks to focus on my family. I just..." I hear my dads voice start to sound like he is going to cry. "I should've listened to Eleanor. She said to always put Kate first and I haven't been doing that and... I can't lose my baby girl. From the day she entered this world I have dedicated my work to making sure she will make it in this world and will never have to worry about money like I did when I was a kid. I'm going to let you go, but before I do. When you get to the dojo and see Kate. Tell her that when she gets back to Daniel and Amanda's house to be getting ready because I am going to take her to her favorite restaurant. Red Lobster."
   "Red Lobster? That's her favorite restaurant?"
  "Besides Applebee's, yes." He says, as he gets a little laugh. "I'll make sure I wear my suit with the ducky tie she got me for my birthday two years ago. She loves it when I wear that tie." he adds.
  "That sounds really good." Hawk says. "I will tell her when I get there."
  "All right. Don't tell her though, I want it to be a surprise."
  "Yes sir." he says. He hangs up the phone and looks to me. "What the fuck Kate." he says, upset. "You are thinking about killing yourself?"
  "I- I have." I say.
"Why?"
   "Because I just...." I feel water falling down my face. "I just want to see my mom again." I say.
   Hawk gets out of the vehicle and walks over to my side and opens the door. "Come on." he says.
   I get out of the vehicle and he pulls me to him and gives me a big bear hug. He looks to me. "If you ever feel that way again. Please fucking tell me."
  I start to cry. "I promise." I say.
We stand in the parking lot and hug for about 15 minutes and then get back in the truck and head to the dojo.