“Kate!What are you doing?Stop this right now.”
“It’s all her fault, Mother, all of it!I hate her, she’s going to get what she deserves.”
“Kate, move back and let her come down,” My mother says in a calm, albeit strained, voice.She sounds almost fearful.She sounds the way I feel, but I’m more fearful for my baby than myself.I don’t want anything to happen to my baby.
She’s blocking me at the top of the stairs, and I’m afraid to make any sudden moves to go down the steps with her so close.I look down at my mother and I can see she’s worried.
“They were always so concerned about you.Poor little Cat, what’s she doing, who’s she with, where’s she at.Poor Cat, forget about me, who gives a shit, right?That is until they saw the real you: a lying, manipulating bitch with her legs spread far and wide.You finally showed them you are more than capable of taking care of yourself.”
“Kate, honey, you need to calm yourself and let her come down,” My mother says, her fear clearly evident at this point.
“She took what was supposed to be mine!”
“I didn’t take him from you; he wasn’t yours to take.He wasn’t even mine.He chose to be with me, we chose to be together.If he was yours, I wouldn’t have been able to take him.”
“I hate you!”She screams down at me, grabbing my left arm off the banister, and I scream the same time I hear my mother screaming at her to let me go, her footsteps coming toward me.It’s all happening so fast my heart is frantically beating out of my chest.My other hand loses its grip.I see the wild, uncontrollable fury in Kate’s eyes—she’s angry and out of control.
“Kate!I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please.Please let me go, the baby please!”I cry, screaming at her frantically.“Don’t do this please!”
I hear it before I feel it.My mother’s screams, total chaos crashing down around me.Three separate screams that would stop the bravest man dead in his tracks and put the fear of God into the bravest of hearts.I’m weightless, light as air, free falling when my foot leaves the step and Kate releases my hand.No time to think about anything: not life, not love, not getting back home in time to see Nick, not the precious child I’m carrying.
Nothing but blood-curdling fear gripping my insides.Not thinking, because I’m screaming for it all.Screaming for everything I might lose because of the love of keeping my family together and fixing what’s broken.The imperfect flaws.
Darkness washes over me.All I hear is voices all around me.People talking, yelling, and shouting.Voices I don’t recognize and words I don’t understand.I don’t know what’s going on.
“Please!Save my sister!Please, I didn’t mean it!Cat, wake up please!Open your eyes!”
“Ma’am, please, you have to calm down and let us help her.”
“She’s my daughter.”
“How many months is she?”
“I’m not sure, I...think she might be eight, seven months.”
That’s my mother and Kate, they’re crying.My head.I feel like I’m being pulled back.I’m so weak…please…God…
Nothing.Silent darkness.
Nick
She has to be okay.She has to be okay.I burst through the hospital doors at top speed, heart hammering, passing the elevator and the blur of people.I take the stairs two at a time.The only thought screaming in my head isthis can’t be happening again!God wouldn’t do this to me.He wouldn’t give them to me and take them away, not like this.This could be my nightmare, but I’m wide awake this time.
The only person I see is Cat’s mother pacing in the hallway, arms wrapped around her.When I get closer, she holds her head up and I see her eyes are red and her face is stained with tears.My heart drops with each step I take toward her.No, I can’t think like this, I won’t think like this.They’re going to be fine.They’re going to be fine, I silently chant in my head, willing myself not to think the worst.I don’t know what really happened—all I heard on the phone through her mother’s crying was falling, ambulance, and rushed to the hospital.I left the restaurant without a word to my client, slamming on the gas so hard I nearly got into two accidents, people flipping me off and cursing me the entire way.Good thing the old saying a cop is never around when you need one was true today.
“Where is she?”I say to her mother, her eyes bloodshot and red.
“She’s in the room, the nurse is in there with her.”Her voice doesn’t go above a hoarse whisper, and she doesn’t look directly at me.She turns and looks behind her.“She’s stable now, but she’s not awake yet.”
“And the baby?”I hold my breath, not able to hear what she’s going to say next.I think she doesn’t hear me when she doesn’t answer right away, and she keeps staring at the door to Cat’s room.I hold her arm and turn her around.Her eyes come up to mine and the tears roll down.My heart seizes up, and I brace myself for the worst.
“I’m sorry?”She holds her hands over her face.
“The baby didn’t make it?”I say unbelievingly, not able to move a muscle.Her head flies up from her hands, and she vigorously shakes her head her words rushing out together.
“No!No!That’s not what I mean, there’re both in stable condition now, you can see for yourself.”
I almost knock her down moving past her to Cat’s room.I stop short in the doorway when I see her in all white, her head bandaged, lying in the bed, her eyes closed.What the hell happened?She was fine, sitting on the bed smiling at me, telling me she loved me only a few hours ago.Why and how is she here?The nurse moves to the side and looks up at me.
