Defiant Heir (The Heirs #3) - Michelle Heard Page 0,5
jumbled memory until I latch onto one thing – Kao.
“Where’s Kao? Is he okay?”
“He’s still in surgery. Your dad went to check if there’s any news.” Mom brings a hand to my face and gently combs her fingers through my hair. “How do you feel?”
How do I feel?
Flashes from the accident ripple through me.
Kao smiling.
The deafening noise when we were hit.
The thick smell of oil.
The blood.
Kao not moving.
Agony builds in my chest until the pressure becomes too much, and it tears through me. “Kao,” I manage to whimper as sobs wreck me.
Mom moves from the chair to sit on the side of the bed, and leaning over me, she begins to murmur, “Kao’s strong. He’ll pull through. A couple of days from now, this will all seem like a bad dream. Okay? You’re both going to be fine.”
I want so badly to believe her words.
I hear someone come into the private hospital room, and when Mom pulls back, my eyes collide with my father’s.
He rushes forward to the other side of the bed, and I begin to struggle to sit up as more sobs wrack through me.
“Shh…” Daddy murmurs, and his movements are careful as he wraps his arms around me. “My beautiful girl, I’m here.”
My body is stiff and sore, but I manage to wrap my arms around him and hold on for dear life as I cry my fears out in my father’s strong hold.
“I just checked on Kao. He’s in recovery. He’s going to be okay. Leigh and Miss Sebastian assisted with the surgery. They’re with him, and they’ll make sure he gets the best care.”
Miss Sebastian is an emergency nurse and Kao’s godmother.
Mrs. West is Noah’s mom and a cardiothoracic surgeon.
If they assisted with the surgery…
“Why did Mrs. West assist with the surgery? Did Kao…?”
Dad quickly shakes his head. “She’s just here to make sure he gets the best possible care.”
Remembering all the blood, I ask, “How badly is he hurt?”
“He had some internal bleeding, but they stopped it. There’s a cut on his side that needed stitches.”
When Dad pauses, the worry grows in my heart. “His head?”
“He has a hairline fracture. So far, everything looks promising. We have to wait for him to wake up.”
I try to nod my head, but the brace and a tight pain in my neck keep me from moving. “My neck?” I whimper.
Daddy pulls back, and his eyes scan over my face. His gaze is gentle and reassuring as he says, “You have a concussion and whiplash. The doctor said you’ll feel better in a couple of days.”
I can see he’s keeping something from me, and ask, “And?”
Dad brings a hand to my left cheek, and a heartbreaking look mixes with worry. It makes my heartbeat speed up, and I hold my breath, trying to steel myself for the blow to come.
“You have cuts on the side of your neck and on your right cheek. I’ve already found a plastic surgeon who can remove most of the scarring it might leave.”
“Scarring?” I lift my hand, and when I feel the large dressing on the right side of my face, my heart shrinks into a fearful lump. “Is it bad?”
Again, Dad pauses, and it’s all answer I need.
“Oh God,” I gasp as my hand begins to tremble against the bandage. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“The plastic surgeon will fix it,” Dad tries to reassure me. “Let’s wait to hear what he says before we panic.”
I nod even though it feels like my world has warped into an unrecognizable mess.
Scars.
I feel petrified, and… a foreign hopelessness makes my chest close up. The realization keeps washing over me like tidal waves, and an awful feeling numbs my insides with dread.
My fingers trace over the dressing until I reach the brace. Apprehension fills every part of me.
What am I going to do if…?
I try to breathe through the worry consuming me, and not able to deal with the fact that I might be scarred for life, I latch onto another fear.
Kao.
“Are you sure Kao will be okay?”
Dad nods. “The doctor is very optimistic for a full recovery.”
And the other car?
“Do you know what happened?” I ask. “The other car? Are the people okay?”
Emotion flashes over Dad’s face. “I haven’t been to the accident scene yet, but the police said it should’ve been a head-on collision. Kao must’ve reacted quick enough because his side of the car took the brunt of the hit. The driver of the truck didn’t make it. They think he fell asleep