Undeniably His(57)

“Oh, my God.” My stomach knots and twists.

“Miss Ried, his heart was also damaged. There’s a laceration on the left ventricle from one of the fractured ribs. We need to operate immediately to repair his heart. If you know the contacts for his immediate family, you should probably notify them now. We don’t know if Mr. Davis is going to make it through the night.”

“What?” Shock crushes my body and I am unable to breathe.

“These types of heart lacerations, those caused by punctures from a fractured sternum or ribs like Mr. Davis suffered—these types of injuries have very high mortality rates. Now, we are going to do everything we can, but the odds are not in his favor. You should know that his chances are not good. Do you understand?”

A tear rolls down my face and I stare at the floor. “Yes. I understand.” I lift my eyes to search the doctor’s face, searching for any sign of hope. “But this is one of the best hospitals in the world. We have a better chance here, don’t we?”

His mouth forms a grim line. “We are going to do our best, Miss Ried.”

My body sags in place, and I gasp for air but my lungs are too weighed down by sorrow and grief. My heart seems too heavy to beat, and coldness shoots through my body and to my fingers. I crumple in a chair and begin to sob. The only warmth in my body comes from the hot tears searing down my skin and crashing to the floor. I gasp for air between shaking breaths, but my body is too constricted to breathe normally, and I feel like I’m going to die.

After ten minutes of gathering my thoughts, I call Kalin’s attorney and ask for his contacts. I relay the message that Kalin is in the hospital with a punctured lung and heart. His attorney notifies his family immediately. His lawyer calls me back and tells me Kalin’s parents are scheduled to fly in from Boca Raton, Florida, the same morning.

After only a few hours, Peter and Lauren Davis arrive in the waiting area. Peter’s strong and handsome features are shadowed by exasperation. His thick dark hair is streaked with gray and slightly windswept. Under his grim expression and strained eyes is an uncanny likeness to Kalin.

Lauren is a classic, natural beauty, like the movie stars I used to see in old movies. Her beauty is shadowed by a mother’s worry, and her big brown eyes loom with sadness and distress. I can see the pain mar their faces, and I want to tell them everything will be okay, but I know I would only be lying.

“Mr. and Mrs. Davis, I am Annabelle Ried. I work with Kalin.” I run my finger over my neck. “I mean, he just hired me.” I take a breath. “We’re also seeing each other.” My lips tighten. “Kalin is fighting for his life right now. He has a lacerated heart and lung.”

Lauren clinches her hand to her chest and her face blanches.

Peter holds her next to him while she begins to sob. They must have been such good parents to have raised someone like Kalin. They don’t deserve any of this. I want to break my eyes away and scream at God right there in the waiting room. Right now I just have to tell them what happened, even though I’m not sure myself.

“A truck rammed us from behind. It ran us off the road.”

“What? Who?” Peter asks.

“I don’t know.” I shake my head. I keep my suspicions to myself for now.

Peter helps his wife regain her balance, and she turns to him with damp eyes. “Sweetheart, are you okay?” he asks her.

She pauses to regain her composure. “I’ll be fine. We’re going to get through this.” She turns to me. “How about you, dear. Are you okay?”

“Yes, Mrs. Davis. I’m fine. Just what’s on my face and arm.” I point to my face and frown.

“How did this happen?” Peter asks.

“The police don’t know yet, Mr. Davis.” I pause and become more certain that I should tell them everything, especially since Lia was threatened. “I think this has more to do with Kalin’s company. But I can’t be sure. My roommate was threatened a while ago too.” I explain the situation to his parents.

When I mention the stockholder agreement, Peter and Lauren look at each other. “We turned it down. We didn’t want any part of managing the company.”

“Yes, he told me.”

“So these sons of bitches hired someone to get rid of my son to prevent the stock transfer?”

“I don’t know, Mr. Davis. This is all speculation. We can’t jump to any conclusions. I’m just saying I don’t think it was an accident.”

“This is unbelievable. I want to see the doctor. Do you know who he is?”

“Dr. Brandt, sir. He is the surgeon operating on Kalin.”