Waiting for Dusk (27 page)

“Wow, if looks could kill...” Lindsey
whispered in Katie’s ear.

Katie was still daydreaming. “Huh? What?”

“Erin! She’s been shooting you looks all
night!” Lindsey pointed at her.

Katie grabbed her finger. “Don’t point!
That’s all I need! What else could she do to me anyway?”

“Why? Has she done something to you
already?”

Katie told Lindsey her thoughts on not making
the cheer squad.

Lindsey nodded her head in agreement. “Oh,
definitely, I think you are right.”

The game was close to the end. Their team was
winning. The gym was loud and rocking. Katie and Lindsey stood up
for the end of the game yelling and screaming for their
friends.

At the end of the game, Tyson looked up at
Katie, nodded, then pointed to where they would meet. Lindsey
waited with Katie since she promised Brian she would go to the
dance with him. They watched all the people being ushered from the
gym. It had to be cleared and quickly cleaned for the dance.

Brian came out first and he and Lindsey
headed off together. Finally Tyson came out of the locker room.

“Hey, didn’t know if you’d be here or not.”
Ty looked good. Katie hoped to get her old friend back.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I always keep my
promises.”

“Let’s go. Where do you want to eat?”

“Wait a minute, Ty. How about if you just
drive me home then come back to go to the dance with Erin. I don’t
think she’s too happy with me. I don’t think she planned to go
home.”

“Everything’s cool with Erin. She knows I
just want to talk with you. And I do need to eat. I’ll come back
and hook up with her later.”

Katie decided to go out for a short time with
him. “If you’re sure, I don’t want to cause any problems.”

They walked to Tyson’s brand new SUV his
parents bought him after he made the varsity team. Katie thought it
was a little much but maybe they were hoping he would be good
enough to get a college scholarship and it was incentive to keep
playing.

When they got in the car, Tyson put his arm
around Katie, pulled her toward him and kissed her. Katie couldn’t
believe it. “What are you doing?”

“Just one kiss? For winning the game?” Ty
gave her puppy dog eyes.

Katie couldn’t believe she did it, but she
leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Instead he turned
and kissed her on the mouth.

Katie pushed away from him. “If you’re going
to keep doing this, take me home.”

“Why? Because you have a boyfriend? I haven’t
seen you with anyone. Does he go to this school?” Tyson was getting
worked up.

“No, he doesn’t go to this school!” Katie had
enough. She slammed the car door shut.

Tyson turned the key in the ignition. “So you
do have a boyfriend? You’re finally admitting it?”

Katie reached for her seat belt and then
realized it was caught in the door. “Ty...”

“What, Katie, what? Are you going to tell me
some more lies?” Tyson screamed as he put the car in reverse.

Just as he stepped on the gas, Katie opened
the door to free her seat belt. The car flew backward. When Tyson
saw the door open, he slammed on the brakes. Katie rolled out of
the car and fell onto the parking lot pavement slamming the side of
her head on the black asphalt.

Chapter Thirty-Four

When Katie woke up,
her mother was sitting next to the bed. “Mom, what are you doing
here?”

Her mom took her hand. “Hi, how are you?” She
looked tired, like she hadn’t slept all night.

“Mom...” Katie tried to sit up but her head
pounded. She put her hand to her head. “My head really hurts.”

“Don’t try to sit up, Katie. Lie still.”

She heard her father’s voice and turned her
head. He was sitting on the other side of the bed.

“What happened to me?” Katie asked, although
it was coming back to her.

“You were in an accident. You hit your head
on the pavement and now you’re in the hospital. You have a
concussion.” Her dad looked worried.

“Oh, that’s why my head hurts.” Everything
flashed before her—Tyson, the fight, the seatbelt. “What day is
it?”

“It’s Sunday, honey. You’ve been in and out
of consciousness since last night. We have been here all night. So
has Tyson. He was so worried about you and blamed himself for
everything. He told us how your seatbelt was stuck in the door and
you didn’t tell him in time. Katie, why did you open that door
without telling him?”

“Joanna, I thought we agreed not to talk
about that. All we want is for Katie to get better.” Katie’s dad
held her other hand.

Katie worried about getting back to the
canyon. She didn’t care if her head hurt or not. “When do I get to
go home?”

“We’ll talk about that later,” her dad
answered. “They want to keep you for observation. I said you could
stay till Thanksgiving to make sure.”

Katie was upset. “Oh, no. That’s way too
long. I’m not staying in the hospital until Thanksgiving.”

“Now who is making Katie get worked up?” her
mom eyed her father.

“You’re right. No need to think about that.
All we care about is you getting better and coming home whenever
you can.”

Just then, Tyson appeared in the doorway with
a large bouquet of flowers in his hand. Katie moaned. She really
didn’t want to see him.

“Are you okay? Should I get a doctor?” Her
mother frantically looked for the call button.

“No, I’m fine.” Katie then realized her mom
thought she was groaning in pain, not from seeing Tyson.

“Tyson, I can’t believe you’re back already!
Did you get any sleep?” Her mother got up and took the flowers from
him. “How sweet of you. Wasn’t that thoughtful, Katie?”

“Uh-huh,” was all Katie could get out of her
mouth.

“Katie just woke up and I don’t think she’s
in the mood for company,” Jackson stood up and crossed his arms.
“Let’s give her some time to herself.”

He got up, went over to the other side of the
bed and ushered the other two out of the room.

Katie was glad to be alone. She couldn’t
think clearly and it hurt to move her head much. She wanted to talk
to a doctor to see how long she’d have to be in the hospital and
how long the concussion would last. This wasn’t in the plans. If
only it would all go away. Katie wished she never went with Tyson
last night. She’d be at home in her own bed, not this hospital
one.

Her parents returned and took turns sitting
with her. Somehow her father managed to talk Tyson into going home.
Katie was grateful for that.

Her mom decided to go home for awhile and
Katie was alone with her dad. This was the perfect time to talk to
him.

Her father was standing with his back to her,
looking out the window. “Mr. Woods, Jack Woods?” Katie said softly.
He spun around and looked at her.

“How do you know that name?”

“It’s you, Dad, isn’t it? You’re Jack
Woods.”

“I knew of a Jack Woods, yes, of course. He
was a famous 20th century writer. He...”

“Stop it. I know it’s you. I saw you. And I
have a feeling you saw me, too.”

“Now is not the time to talk about this. We
will talk, I promise. I just want you to get better.”

“I’ll drop it if you admit one thing, that
you’re Jack Woods.” Katie was tired of waiting for answers. It took
her so long to get to this point. She was determined to find out
today.

“If it will stop you from talking and get you
to rest, then, yes, I’m Jack Woods,” her father walked over to her
bed and sat down. He looked in her eyes. “You’re in love, aren’t
you, Kate?”

Tears filled Katie’s eyes. He said Kate. He
knew. He knows.

He knew all along and was trying to stop it
for some reason. She was determined to find out. For now, she could
accept this. She needed to rest and needed to get better. “Thanks,
Dad,” she closed her eyes.

When Katie opened her eyes again, she saw
Lindsey sitting in her room.

“I hope I didn’t wake you! How are you? What
happened? I should have never let you go with Tyson!”

“Calm down, this isn’t your fault, it’s mine.
I should have known better.” Katie looked at her friend with a very
serious face and motioned her to come closer.

“Don’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell
you,”

“Sure, of course not.”

“Ty and I had a big fight in the car. My
seatbelt was stuck in the door. I tried to tell him but he kept
yelling. He threw the car in reverse and raced back out of the
parking spot. I think it was at the same moment I was opening the
door. He saw the door open and that’s when I felt the car jerk to a
stop. That’s all I remember.”

“Oh, I’m going to...” Lindsey couldn’t even
finish. “That’s not the story he told your parents. He is blaming
you...in a nice way. He said you just opened the door without
telling him. There was no talk of putting the pedal to the
metal!”

“Well, in a way, he’s right. I didn’t tell
him. I didn’t get a chance to tell him,” Katie could not believe
how Tyson was manipulating her life. “You’ve got to promise me one
thing. You have to help get me out of this hospital the sooner, the
better.”

A doctor arrived at Katie’s hospital room. He
tapped on the open door. “May I come in?”

“Sure.” Katie tried to nod but it made her a
little dizzy and nauseated. She really wanted to talk to the
doctor. Lindsey got up and went out into the hall.

“That was quite a fall you took, Katie,” he
said as he flashed a light into her eyes. “Anything you want to
tell me?”

“No.” Katie was hesitant. She probably could
get Ty in trouble but what good would that do? She decided to stick
to his story and there would be no problems. As it was everyone was
being overprotective.

“Then let’s talk about this concussion. What
you have is called a mild concussion. It should disappear in seven
to ten days.”

“Seven days! I have to stay here all that
time!” Katie was overwhelmed at the thought.

“No,” the doctor laughed. “If everything
looks good tomorrow, you can go home then. I gave your parents a
list of things to watch out for. Are you having any symptoms?
Lightheadedness, blurred vision, vomiting, difficulty
concentrating? These are a few of the symptoms; there are more. You
just need to get some rest and no physical activity for a few days.
Do you think you can manage that?”

“Yes, I can do that, especially if I get to
go home.”

“What? You don’t like the hospital food?” the
doctor smiled at her.

“Actually I haven’t had any yet. I don’t have
an appetite right now,” Katie placed her hand on her stomach.

“Feeling a little nauseated? That’s normal
and should go away. We’ll talk about your symptoms some more
tomorrow. Keep track of them for me. If anything feels like it is
getting worse, use that call button.”

Katie tried to nod but it was too much. She
just smiled at the doctor. Lindsey came back in the room after the
doctor left. “I can go home tomorrow!” Katie smiled weakly.

Lindsey gave her a high-five in the air being
careful not to really hit Katie’s hand. “I better get going. I’ll
see you at your house after school. Lucky dog, you get to miss
school!” She waved and disappeared out the door.

Katie talked her father into going home and
getting some rest and a change of clothes. She was glad to have the
time to herself because she knew both her parents would be back
soon.

After dinner, Joanna and Jackson returned.
They saw Katie’s tray with the untouched food. Her dad pulled a bag
out of his jacket. “How about some of your favorite ice cream?”

“Chocolate chip cookie dough?” That sounded
good to Katie. She enjoyed the rest of the evening with her
parents. They fussed over her and fed her ice cream. Katie noticed
that there was no Tyson and smiled appreciatively at her father.
She knew he had something to do with it. When they finally left,
Katie realized how much she loved them and how they were always
there for her.

Although what she had to do next, she’d have
to do alone. She turned on the TV, dozing as she watched.

Tyson came into the room. He sat quietly by
Katie’s bedside. He couldn’t stop looking at her. He picked up the
remote control and turned off the TV. He gently kissed Katie on the
cheek. “Goodnight, my love,” he whispered in her ear. “I love
you.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered back in her
sleep and then murmured, “...Drew.”

“Well, I finally have a name. I’ll show this
Drew. I’ve known you longer. Where is he now? I’m here and he’s
not. I can watch over you day and night. I’m just right across the
street, love. Drew might just be a phase but I’m the real
thing.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

When Katie woke up
the next morning she felt a little better. She rubbed her forehead
and tried to recall the strange dream she had last night. Tyson was
talking to her and telling her all these creepy things. Good thing
it was just a dream.

Her parents were already by her bedside,
sitting quietly in the room. They both jumped up when they realized
she was awake.

“I get to go home today,” Katie smiled at
both of them.

“If the doctor says so, honey,” Her mother
took her hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, the doctor said not to move around
too much. I can do that at home, right?”

“Let’s just wait and see.”

That afternoon the doctor gave the all clear
for Katie to go home. She was so excited she couldn’t wait. Her mom
brought fresh clothes for her to wear home and helped Katie get
dressed.

“Slow down, Katie! We’re just going home, not
to the Royal Ball or anything like that.”

If only you knew. Katie slipped her top over
her head.

Her dad pulled the car up to the front of the
hospital while a nurse pushed Katie in a wheelchair to the front
door. Joanna helped Katie into the front seat and jumped in the
back and Jackson headed for home. School buses were on the road so
that must mean school would be out soon. Katie needed to talk to
Lindsey about her plan. She hoped Lindsey would come over right
after school.