Damned: Chapter 46) Subtle Light

You never know what life is until near death hits you. And you’d never know what love is unless you lose- be it your ego, your vices, your hate, your time, or your love. That’s the harsh reality of our burdened lives.

I opened my eyes to feel the blinding lights above me as my body drowned in the stiffening bed I rested on. A sudden chill ran across my body as I turned slightly to take note of the sun dying for the sky to breathe through the small window at the side. Where was I? Looking down at my body, I found myself decorated with hospital equipment for patients. Pushing away from the oxygen mask from my face, I stumbled out the bed with an intense migraine. Why was I in a hospital? God, my head hurt. I pressed my hands against my temples as I moved across the room to the window.

“Katherine? Oh my God! Nurse!” I turned to see Natalia at the doorway of the room as she smiled almost in shock and tears streamed down her face. Something about her looked different.

Archer suddenly rushed to my side along with three nurses who shuffled me back to the bed and began monitoring me.

“Katherine, how are you feeling?” He breathed in relief almost as if this great worry was lifted off his shoulders.

“Archer? What happened?” My throat went sore.

In that second, Moe walked through the door and stopped in place as he saw me sitting upright on the bed, “Piranha… oh my God.”

“Don’t talk, drink some water,” Natalia instructed as she took the bottled water from the nurse and brought it to my lips.

“Vitaly,” I breathed, “Vitaly, Nat-” 

“You’re going to be alright now,” she smiled at me as Archer held my hand while sitting at the edge of my bed.

“Where is he? And James?” My voice asked in a strain when their reactions fell.

“Kathy, I’m sorry.” Natalia frowned.

“No,” My heart dropped, “No.”

To the side, I noticed a small table across the room filled with flowers and cards but one item caught my eye and I pushed myself out of the bed to walk across the room to take hold of it. Vitaly’s necklace.

“Look. Look!” I beamed showing them the necklace and one of the nurses, “Who brought this?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t remember who, Miss.”

“No, no you have to. Remember. You have to remember.” I begged.

“It was a man I believe, along with flowers like a week ago. I really cannot remember.” The nurse frowned.

“See!” I proved to the others, “You’re wrong.”

“Piranha,” Moe sighed, “It’s been two years.”

“Moville!” Archer scolded him.

“No Archer,” He argued, “No more hiding the truth. She deserves honesty. Sooner or later she would realize.”

“Realize what?” I frowned as Archer hesitantly walked towards me, “What are you talking about?”

“Katherine, Vitaly died two years ago.”

“What?” I breathed in shock as he steadied me up, “No, no. I don’t-”

 “You were in a coma for two years, Katherine,” Natalia said softly as she looked at the ground with tears in her eyes.

I felt numb. Like a great nothingness ate me.

“But don’t worry, everything’s okay now,” She continued as she wiped her tears away, “We took care of everything else. Vitaly’s grandfather is punished for his crimes, Nik made sure the COSR brought him down as well as Mikhail and Sevastian. Vitaly’s mother is still getting proper treatment, your dad and Sara Donovan as far as they’re concerned and we thought it was in the best interest if they stay unaware of what happened.”

“But Anthony…”

“We don’t know what happened to Anthony,” Archer frowned, “We believe that he went inside Vincelli’s mansion when it exploded to ‘take matters in his own hands’. I’m sorry.”

Pushing myself away, I slide down the wall at the side and hugged my knees which I brought to my face, cradling myself as I tried to comprehend everything that was happening.  

“I just want to go home,” I sobbed, “But I don’t even know where home is anymore.”

“Taken care of,” Moe knelt to my level and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“What?” I asked, looking at him.

“I have a place we could rent together. It’d be nice to have a roommate and friend for company, or sister.” Natalia added in the last part in a hopeful voice.

“Don’t worry about the expenses,” Archer inserted, “I’ll take care of everything until you feel comfortable too.”

“This is a chance for you to start over, Piranha. Don’t refuse it.” Moe added.

“Well I don’t think I exactly have the option to, do I?”

“You do,” Archer stated, “You always have an option, Katherine. Whatever you want, just tell me, I’ll try my best to make it happen.”

Standing, I took a deep breath, “No, I like the first offer.”

Natalia smiled and hugged me, “We’re glad to have you back, Katherine.”

This was a difficult pill to swallow, but I tried.

I tried to understand this tragic reality and as much as I couldn’t believe it- the years didn’t lie. Natalia got us an apartment for two back home in Chicago where my stepmother Sara often visited. Nothing changed with my parents, of course, meaning, Anthony was dead for the first time as long as they were concerned. My ‘dad’, Mr. Donovan, was still distant but there as he always was, Moe visited ever so often to ‘checkup’ on me, Archer had been a constant ever since, and I couldn’t help but see something between him and Natalia but I decided to let that happen naturally rather than get involved, and of course, my friend Cara visited whenever she could as well as Nikolai would visit both Natalia and me. It had been about eight months after I got out of the coma yet every day I thought about Vitaly. And no one knew where James even was. Natalia and the others’ main focus seemed to be me and helping me get my health and life back in order and I really never expected this would have been the outcome of my life but somehow it felt somewhat better dare I say.

Sitting on the sofa in the silence of the night, I trailed my fingers along with Vitaly’s necklace as Natalia entered the apartment after running some errands.

“You’re up.” She noted.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Katherine,” she sighed as she noticed what I held in my hand, “I wish he was here too.”

“Do you?”

“I do, I know we had our differences but he was my brother regardless. I don’t like to even think that he’s not here anymore”

“He’s not dead Natalia, I know this, I have his necklace. I gave it back to him, Nat. Why am I holding it right now? How is that possible?”

“Katherine, the entire building exploded, there was no way possible that he got out alive.”

“Listen, I know this sounds crazy but that night when we met Vincelli he said something about when he killed his wife her last words were of something beginning and ending with me- Alaska. I’m starting to think that maybe she meant it as a pun, maybe she meant the place. Something’s there, I know it.”

“Are you insane? You can’t just drop everything and go to Alaska because of some hunch! Yes, that is crazy. I don’t support this ridiculous thought.”  She scolded.

“You know what, just forget this.” I sighed and walked into my room, closing the door behind me.

Reaching for the laptop, I booked an early flight in the morning for Alaska.

So much for a vanilla life.

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