IMPORTANT REMINDER: if you click on the link at the bottom of my profile bio, you can read a chapter of this book one week before it's published on Wattpad (so once you're done with this chapter you can skip the wait and read chapter 43 because it's already posted). Not only do you get a chapter early, but I also get paid for doing what I love and that sounds like a win win situation to me. If you want more info, check out the previous chapter titled EARLY ACCESS CHAPTERS/ IMPORTANT UPDATE. Okay, on with the story
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River's POV
No, no, no.
This can't be happening, not again. God please no.
And the betrayed look on her face as she looked to her dad and fell.
I was going to kill him.
I held Cat's unconscious figure in my arms while simultaneously applying pressure to her wound as tears slid down my face. "Cat, please don't leave me," I whispered as panic moved through me. "I can't lose you too."
It was like Gracie and Bryce all over again. Images of how she was found flashed through my head, bloodied and mangled. And now Cat...I was panicking. I was having a panic attack.
Not now. I need to be strong for her. I need to distract myself.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I snapped at David who'd merely been standing there watching me trying to save his daughter.
His daughter. Who he'd shot.
My breathing became faster.
"I-I didn't mean to. When she pulled my arm-"
Suddenly Liam was behind him with his gun pressed to the back of his head. "Give me one good reason not to blast your f—king brains out David," he coldly stated, his hand shaking as he looked at Cat.
"I wish I could," David said in a defeated tone. "But the best I can give you is this: I'm the only one out of all of us who can navigate this place-"
"That's not good enough!" Liam yelled.
"I know, I know," David quickly said. "But if you kill me, the more time you'll be wasting and the less likely my daughter will survive-"
"You don't get to call her that," I seethed as her blood began leaking through the cracks of my fingers. I looked between David then Liam then back to David. "If she dies, I will make your life hell and make you wish I let Liam kill you."
I quickly scooped her up in my arms and kissed her forehead. "You're doing so good, my love. Just keep being strong for me and I'll make you the biggest chocolate cake when you wake up, okay?" I whispered as some of my tears fell on her face. Her chest was rising and falling very slowly. That was the only thing that was keeping me going.
David looked back at Katherine's body before he looked at Cat and shook his head. "This way," he said as he hurried out the door. I made sure Liam had Mason before I hurriedly followed him through the complex building, making sure I wasn't to rough with Cat as I did so.
I didn't pay attention to where we were going, I just let my legs follow that bastard as I focused on Cat's breathing. It was slowing down. And she was losing a lot of blood. I sent multiple silent prayers to whoever or whatever was above but as I continued looking at her...
Had I done too much wrong in my life and this my punishment? Having to standby yet again as the one I loved died in my arms.
I quickly pushed the thought away, but it didn't stop the sobs that escaped my lips as he ran.
My legs were tired by the time we'd re-entered the back way we'd entered the compound through, but Mason had been in charge of hiding the car but now that he was unconscious, we had no idea where it was. And we didn't have time to search through the hundreds of cars that were here. Cat was dying and I'd run her to the nearest hospital if I had to.
I held her closer.
"What the hell's the hold up, David?" Liam spat as David fruitlessly dug in his pocket.
"I-I have it here. I know I do," he stammered as he dug around in his pockets for a few more moments before he pulled out car keys and pushed a button, which caused a car alarm to go off, though I couldn't find the source. "Follow me," he said before he were off again.
As soon as we found his slick black Mercedes, we didn't waste any time getting in, with me and Cat in the back seat with Liam awkwardly holding Mason in the passenger seat and David in the driver seat. "There's an off base hospital a couple miles from here. We could've gotten there if we went through the tunnels but that would've taken too long and-"
"David, I don't give a damn, just drive the f—king car," I yelled, causing him to jump as before he jammed the keys in the ignition and sloppily pulled out of the parking lot and through a hidden path before we eventually pulled onto the main road.
"You're doing amazing, baby girl," I whispered as I gently swept her fallen hair away from her face. "I love you so much, you know that right? And I know you love me, so I just need you to keep holding on, alright? Then I promise, all of this will be behind us. We'll graduate and go wherever you want and do whatever you want to do. You'll go on to be the best dancer known to man and one day," I said as I looked at the blood stained promise ring on her finger I'd given her, "we're going to get married and have children. We'll tell them bedtime stories about our wild times together and call it fiction, we'll watch them grow up. Watch first loves and heart breaks. Have grandchildren and grow old and change the world and I need you to hold on for me Caterina because I don't think I can go on without you." By now I was choking down the sobs that were desperately trying to escape and calm the destructive storm that was raging within me. The kind of storm only Cat could calm.
"How's Mason?" I asked in another attempt to distract myself.
"I don't know," Liam said as he held him tighter. "He's breathing but he's not waking up no matter what I do." He turned to David. "What did you do to him?"
"I pistol whipped him," he said almost normally. "He was too close to figuring me out so I knocked him out." Liam's jaw clenched but he didn't say anything.
I felt stupid for thinking that we could trust him, and not seeing through his act. And seeing him now, all jumpy and scared...I kinda felt bad for him. He not only lost his wife but...
I didn't want to think about it.
It's his fault we're in this situation right now. If he hadn't been such a stubborn, overly emotional motherfu-
"We're almost there. I already called them in so they should be waiting for her. Get ready to jump out you two," David said as a building came into my view.
"We're almost there baby girl. Just keep holding on. We're going to fix you up and everything's going to be okay." I kissed her forehead once more as he messily pulled into yet another hidden path and did various security things that I paid no attention to before we were in front of a large, stoney building. David didn't bother parking, he messily stopped his car in front of the door before he killed the engine. I wasted no time getting out of the car and neither did Liam.
"It's okay, baby. You'll be okay," he whispered to Mason. I felt for him. This was the second time in less than two months when Liam had to carry the one he loved into the hospital, not knowing if he was okay or not.
"Let me carry my daughter," David asked, almost begged as he extended his arms. I scuffed. As if I'd put her in the hands of the man who is the reason her life is hanging in the balance.
"No," I lowly said. "You're her dad as much as Katherine was her mother."
David's features hardened. "Don't you talk about her like that, boy. She's my daughter and if I want to hold her then dammit, I'll hold her-"
"Can both of you put away your brass balls for two seconds so Cat can get the help she needs?" Liam snapped, causing David to narrow his eyes at me before he approached the door, scanned a tattoo on his hand that I'd failed to notice, before the heavy duty doors slid open.
I wasted no time hurrying through the doors and into the building that oddly looked exactly like a hospital despite its cold exterior. "We need help, she's been shot!" I yelled. Luckily, there was a team waiting for her just like David had said there would be. The only reliable information he'd given us.
I instantly laid her down on one gurney as Liam laid Mason on another. A male nurse scrambled to put an oxygen mask on her as he barked orders, but I didn't hear him. All I focused on was Cat and how the color was slowly draining from her face.
"She's not breathing. We need to stabilize her and prep her for an emergency operation. Let's go, go, go!" He ordered as they started moving her unconscious body.
"Wait, she's not breathing?" I frantically asked as I tried following her only to have another male nurse stop me.
"Sir, she's in critical condition and-"
"Yes, I know! But that's my girl, I need to be with her-"
"I understand, sir, but you'd be putting her in even more danger if you followed her. The doctors need to focus on her and not be worried about you, okay?"
I looked over his shoulder and watch her disappear around a corner before I locked eyes with him once more. "If she dies, I don't know what I'll do," I softly said as tears starting welling in my eyes once more.
"I promise you that we'll do our best, okay? But for now, I'm going to have to ask you to sit down and let us do our job," he said before he patted me on the shoulder then hurried to catch up with his team.
I took a deep breath and turned around to see that Liam was gone, undoubtedly by Mason's side since he wasn't in such a dire condition like Cat was. That left me, David, and the lady behind the reception desk. David was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands crying.
No. He didn't get to cry. This was all his fault. If he wanted to cry, I'd give him something to cry about.
Despite the voice in my head telling me that this wouldn't make things any better, I grabbed David, picked him up, and punched him in the face as hard as I could.
"Ow, River, what the-"
Punched him again.
And again.
And again.
I only stopped when blood was leaking out of his nose and staining his teeth and by then, I was breathing harsh, uneven breaths.
I was glad the receptionist knew not to get involved because I was a ticking time bomb ready to go off on anyone and I meant anyone.
I let David go and let him fall on the ground. He spat some blood onto the ground and didn't look at me. I crouched down to his level. "If my baby girl dies, you're next." That was all I said before I got up and went to wipe my bloodied knuckles on the suit I'd forgotten that I was wearing but stopped when all I saw was Cat's blood.
I bit my bottom lip to prevent myself from breaking down before I looked up at the directory that was hanging from the ceiling before I found my desired destination.
As I walked, I numbly started stripping out of my blood soaked clothes until I was wearing nothing by my dress pants. Then it was in front of me: a simple pair of wooden doors that was supposed to hold my peace and state of mind. I honestly found it kind of funny that the Silencer's had this in their hospital as if He would listen to our problems after all the wrongs we've all done. But Cat says that He forgives and delivers, so I guess we'll see how true that is.
As I walked into the chapel, a relaxed feeling instantly washed over me as the calming scent of lavender invaded my nose accompanied by soothing lowlights. The room was small with only three rows of chairs each only three chairs wide. In the front of the room was a statue of Jesus on the cross with a stain glass window on either side of him. There was also an alter in front of him with candles and a Bible.
I felt a bit out of place, but I forced my feet to carry me to the altar in front of the statue before I got on my knees, rested my elbows on the empty space on the altar, and clasped my hands together then closed my eyes.
I took a deep breath.
"Hey God. I know it's been a while since I've properly done this or whatever but I uh...I need your help. Badly. I know I've done a lot of messed up things in my life, but I had to in order to survive but...okay I know you don't want to hear excuses so I won't give you any. I'll just cut right to the chase. The girl I love more than anything is in one of these rooms dying. I barely survived Gracie and Bryce, so if you take my Caterina away from me..." I trailed as tears slid past my closed eyes. "I honestly don't think I'll make it. And I want to give her everything she deserves. God, she deserves so much, so please let me give it to her. I promise I'll leave this life behind and I'll do right by her but I just need you to let her open her eyes and be okay.
"I need Mason to be okay. He's survived a lot and I know he can survive this too. I know people say you don't like gays, and that might be true but I don't believe that. So just please...please just let them come out of this. Their my family. Please. Uh...amen I guess."
I opened my eyes and looked at the Jesus statue in front of me, knowing that He might be the only one who could bring my Cat back to me, and if He held grudges against my past discretions...
I pushed the thought away though I could hold my tears at bay. So I didn't try to.
I pulled my knees to my chest and I sobbed.
For Cat.
For Mason.
And for myself.