One of a Kind - A KathNiel Story

Chapter 23

DJ turned his head as the door opened to the relatives' room and he caught his son as Noah dove on him, sobbing.

"It's my fault! I forgot Leo and Leo protects us!" Noah sobbed and DJ held onto his son tighter, bringing him up into his lap as Max sat down in the seats across from them. His suit was stained with blood and so was Noah's.

"This isn't your fault, son, you understand me? None of this is your fault. You're a good boy and a very bad person did this to Kath, okay? It's not your fault because you forgot Leo at home." DJ urged, but Noah was still hysterical.

"I want Mommy!" He sobbed and DJ tried hard to stop himself from completely breaking down but he nodded his head slowly.

"I know you do, bud... I want her too, but the doctors are taking really good care of her." DJ promised.

"Where is she? H-How is she?" Max asked, afraid of the answer but he had to know. DJ held Noah against his chest, kissing the top of his head as he tried to soothe his hysterical son.

"Surgeons and specialist doctors met us at the ambulance when we arrived and they... rushed her for full body scans to find out where the bullet is and what the damage is. They said they'd come back and tell me what's happening when the results are back, but she..." DJ trailed off, blinking back tears but they kept falling anyway. "She doesn't have much time." He breathed and Max let out a choked sob, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. It was impossible to believe that the young girl he shared pranks with and who he protected daily was fighting for her life in the hospital, that she could lose a baby she hadn't even gotten around to telling him about yet.

"I got a phone call in the car on the way over here... Teddy is in custody again," Max said through gritted teeth and DJ sighed, not even having to ask who that was - Kath's father.

"They'll tell him what happened, right?"

"No... no, she cut all ties with him after the last time. She put him in his place, said she wanted nothing to do with him until he got himself better because she couldn't take it anymore... I mean, she's twenty-four and caring for a man in his mid-fifties who refuses help, and she's trying to stay in recovery herself. She had enough... they'll only tell him if she..." Max trails off, not wanting to say much more in front of Noah, but DJ understood Max completely. The police wouldn't tell Teddy anything at all unless Kath passed away and just the thought was enough to make him hold onto his son tighter, Noah clinging onto him as if his life depended on it - as if Kath's life depended on it.

Their heads all snapped to the door when it opened, revealing a middle-aged nurse.

"You're all here for Kath?" The nurse asked the adults nodded their heads, Noah staring at the nurse with absolute fear in his eyes. He was out of tears to cry.

"My Mommy..." Noah practically whispered and the nurse gave him a sympathetic and comforting smile before looking to the adults.

"Kath is stable enough to be moved to surgery, she's already up there and they're going to remove the bullet, fix any internal damage and close the wound. She'll be up there for a few hours, but she's fighting." The nurse said, DJ and Max breathing a sigh of relief but they still couldn't stop crying. They were exhausted, but they knew they wouldn't sleep until they had news on how she was. DJ was desperate to contact his family, to beg them to come and be with him but he didn't want their first time meeting Kath to be when she was fighting for her life.

"Am I still going to be a big brother?" Noah asked, sniffling and the nurse sighed, kneeling down in front of him so they were on the same eye-level.

"Right now, the baby is clinging on and your Mommy is doing all she can to help save the baby and we're doing all we can too... but Mommy is very sick and needs to look after herself too, but we'll do all we can." The nurse promised and Noah sniffled.

"Y-You'll hurt her! She's hurting." Noah snapped, frustrated that he couldn't understand everything that was going on. He didn't know what surgery was, he just wanted his mother.

"No, no, sweetie... your Mommy isn't in any pain. Your Mommy has a very special kind of medicine and it'll make her sleep all the way through the surgery... I promise you, she won't feel any pain and I'll come and get you when you can see her. You can be right by her side when she wakes up." The nurse promised.

"You said a few hours?" DJ said and the nurse nodded as she stood up again.

"It's a complex surgery, but stay positive... we're doing the best we can for her." The nurse said, giving them a reassuring smile. "I'll come back when I have further updates." She vowed, before leaving the three of them in peace and Noah buried himself into DJ again, screaming through tears about how he just wanted his Mom.