Page 72 of Wicked Nasty

Her face is crystal clear, and tears immediately spring to my eyes. We both cry tears of joy, sadness, and mourning for the years we lost apart from each other. But most of all, there is pure happiness as we finally reunite.

"I have my Katya back," I whisper through sobs.

"And I'm here to stay, love," she replies tenderly.

My gaze shifts upward to meet Katya's, her eyes filled with worry and compassion. And then I see my father's hand resting gently on her shoulder, his own eyes brimming with tears.

"D-dad?" I stammer, barely able to form the word through my shock.

In an instant, he is by my side, pulling me into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry, Becca. I tried to protect you. But I went about it all wrong. I've been a terrible father. I let your mother destroy our lives."

Tears blur my vision as I try to comprehend his words. Katya reaches out and brushes my hair back from my face, her touch comforting and reassuring. "Don't worry,moy sladkiy," she whispers. "We will explain everything in due time. For now, you must rest."

My father nods in agreement. "It was all for the sake of keeping you and Katya safe, I promise."

"But... but why am I here?" I ask, confusion lacing my voice.

"We will make sense of it all when we are home," he replies cryptically.

I shake my head, feeling lost and overwhelmed. "But... we don't have a home anymore. I live with..." My voice trails off as the realization hits me.

Danny.

The baby.

Fresh sobs escape from my chest and Katya climbs onto the bed beside me, wrapping her arms around me like she did when I was a child. "Hush now," she murmurs, her voice soothing and melodic. "Everything will be okay." She starts to quietly sing in Russian. “Te rusty sestrica, rusty poscoree, na dolgiye goda, da na babiou dolyu.”

The heavy door to my hospital room creaks open, and a team of doctors and nurses flood in. Their footsteps echo against the sterile tile floor and the scent of antiseptic fills the air. The tallest doctor, with kind eyes and a warm smile, makes his way towards me.

“Good to see you upright, Rebec-” He pauses, correcting himself. “Becca. Missus Rorke made sure I called you by your preferred name.”

I force a sad smile and then turn to my father. “Where are they?”

“At home right now,” he replies with a small sigh.

The doctor nods understandingly. “Now, you’ve suffered a very serious brain injury. There is a slight fracture in your skull. We will need to keep a close eye on you for some time, but if all goes well, you should be able to return home in a few days.”

I feel overwhelmed by everything that has happened, but also grateful to still be alive.

He continues, “This may all seem like a lot to take in, but please know that we are here to help in any way we can. Our team will need to run some tests on you and perform imaging upstairs. Are you feeling up for that?”

I shrug weakly. “Can I have something to eat first?”

The doctor chuckles softly. “Of course. We can get you some crackers before we start. How does that sound?”

A sense of relief washes over me at the thought of finally being able to eat after what feels like ages without food.

“I think that sounds perfect.” I reply with a grateful smile.

Severaldayshavepassed,and the doctors are confident that I can finally head home from the hospital. All of my friends and family have come to visit me during my stay, except for one person: Danny. A knot forms in my stomach as I carefully slip on an oversized hoodie, feeling a mix of disappointment and anger towards him. Despite our fight and his cruel behavior, I never imagined he wouldn't even check in on me while I was in the hospital.

Slipping my feet into my fuzzy clogs, I look up to see the Rorke family standing in the hallway. My heart sinks when I see Danny among them, his familiar green eyes locking onto mine. Katya takes my hand and we walk out together, joined by Danny's mom, dad, and sister, who all hug me tightly. As we make our way outside, Katya gently releases my hand, leaving me alone with Danny.

He shuffles his feet nervously, avoiding eye contact with me. "Becs... I'm so sorry. About everything," he mumbles, his words barely audible.

I glare at him as our eyes finally meet, my cold attitude taking over. Never again will I give him the key to my heart. "We have nothing to speak about," I say firmly. "The baby is gone, just like you wanted. All ties we have together have been severed."

With that, I push past him and climb into the car with Katya by my side, determined to move on from this painful chapter in my life.

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