Folding For You

Chapter 39: Sabrina

"Sorry, miss, the ICU unit is only for immediate family members. Please wait in the main lobby or the general waiting area," the hospital staff member with the name tag Andrea said, giving me a sympathetic look.

Before I could argue, Gayle leaned in and whispered urgently, "Look, THIS is going to be the future Mrs. Kincaid." She added a wink. "You might just get invited to the wedding."

Even in this ridiculously stressful moment, Gayle managed to tug a smile out of me. My best friend knew exactly when to drop a line like that.

Andrea smiled. "Excellent. Then perhaps you might want to join the other Mrs. Kincaids outside. Thank you, ladies." She gestured for us to leave the ICU area.

As we walked away, I gave Gayle a puzzled look. "Join the rest of the Mrs Kincaids... what did she mean?"

Then I saw it. A crowd—no, a swarm—waiting just outside. A mix of girls dressed to the nines, some looking like they'd skipped school and others sporting "Kaleb Fan Club" T-shirts. I blinked, trying to comprehend the chaos. I felt like I'd stepped into an alternate reality.

Iyana, dressed in a hoodie and face mask, joined us. "Yep, the whole squad is here."

"Whole squad?" I asked, feeling my irritation rise. "What is this?"

Iyana took out her phone and showed me a live video of a girl in a Kaleb Fan Club tee outside the hospital, eyes red from crying. The screen displayed over 150,000 viewers.

"Oh my God, we still don't know if it's really Kaleb in the ICU," the girl was saying to the camera. "Our girl who's been staking out the ICU hasn't confirmed which Kincaid brother it is. They're high-profile, so obviously, security's tight. But, fam, we've gotta stay optimistic."

"The... what?" Gayle muttered, looking as stunned as I felt.

Iyana smirked. "You guys didn't know the Kincaid hotties have a fan club? Kaleb especially. They're like... stars in all those smutty WRITEPAD novels."

"Smut?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

Iyana leaned in, whispering conspiratorially. "Sexual material. Okay, boomers?" Gayle and I rolled our eyes, but Iyana was already laughing.

She glanced at the overnight bag in my hands. "What'd you bring?"

I looked down at the bag. "All of Killian's stuff—change of clothes, toiletries, books, and his phone charger." I sighed, feeling a tiny glimmer of optimism even as my mind raced.

I didn't even know for sure if it was Killian in there. And, for once, I was almost grateful for the crowd outside; if these girls had insider knowledge, they might be able to give me a clue. And, of all times, not to have Arthur Kincaid's number...

Suddenly, I noticed a group of people in business suits heading toward the ICU, closely followed by the press. "Mr. Kincaid, can we get a statement?" one of them called out. I spotted Arthur, and without thinking, I ran toward him, only to be stopped by his bodyguards. He disappeared into the ICU, and security quickly began ushering the press out.

"Who was that, boss?" Iyana asked, clearly intrigued.

"My future father-in-law, supposedly," I replied dryly.

Gayle's fingers found my side, giving me a quick tickle. I squirmed, trying to suppress a laugh. "Ooh... thinking about marriage already, are we?"

I exhaled, the frustration escaping in a long, ragged sigh, the weight of a day's worth of worry finally spilling over. "He should marry me. I'm here with his damn overnight bag, scared out of my mind but holding it together for him. Honestly, I'd get a priest to marry us right here if it meant—"

I stopped mid-sentence, noticing Gayle and Iyana's wide-eyed stares behind me. "What's wrong?" I asked, just as a roar of screams erupted—a frenzy of cheers that could only mean one thing.

I turned, my heart pounding, and I saw him. Killian. Looking straight at me, his eyes locked on mine as he pushed through the crowd, picking up his pace. Kaleb was right behind him, barely keeping up.

"Killian?" I whispered, dropping the bag as I ran to him.

Before I could catch my breath, he pulled me into the tightest embrace, his arms locking me in place. He kissed my forehead, cheeks, and lips, his hands brushing over my face as I kept repeating, "My Killian."

I didn't care that we were in a crowd or that Kaleb was swarmed by his die-hard fans. At that moment, nothing else mattered.

~o~

The cafeteria is buzzing with people, but KalebsKitten finds the perfect spot by the window, her phone held up as she goes LIVE. Her face is flushed with excitement, and her voice trembles as she addresses her viewers.

"YO, YO! I just saw Kaleb, y'all! Like, I saw him! He is straight-up gorgeous, for real. Had to legit keep my ovaries from popping off. He's good, fam! Alive, thriving, and straight-up drop-dead gorgeous."

She fans herself dramatically, and then suddenly, her expression shifts as she leans closer to the camera, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"But... fam... Killian. Our actual green-eyed Adonis just soft-launched his girl! They were right here, and omg, they're so freakin' cute together! The way he was holding her? I'm legit deceased from the cuteness overload. This is the content we've all been manifesting!"

She looks at the phone screen and suddenly, panic flashing across her face.

"Oh no, my battery—my battery's low... I'm about to... No! Not now, not wh—"

KalebsKitten's LIVE has ended.