CHAPTER SEVEN: THE HOSPITAL VISIT

Kevin could still feel Loretta’s pain from that day—even though it was almost a year since she’d been tortured to death. He wished so desperately to forget what had happened—that’s part of the reason he moved into Burnout City with Cedric, but the memories kept coming back.

Standing there in the hallway, watching Natasha through the large transparent window, upset him. Then he realised he had tears in his eyes and took out a handkerchief to wipe them off.

He still couldn’t understand how T-Murek had gained pleasure from torturing Loretta. He was more upset that the cops couldn’t find him or the masked man that’d kidnapped him, even after months of a thorough search. It was harder even to find the masked man since no one could identify him. The case had gone cold with no new lead.

Returning to the present, he noticed that Natasha was awake and was having a conversation with her friends. She seemed to be in pretty bad shape and could barely sit up straight. She just laid there on the bed, talking to her friends. Madelia and Dreda kept looking in his direction while saying something to her. Then Natasha slowly shifted her gaze toward him. Their eyes locked on like magnets.

Kevin knew, without doubt, that they were talking about him. He stood staring at her through the window with both hands dipped in his pocket. He felt awkward standing there, staring at her while she stared back.

As soon as she turned to gaze at him, she looked away and carried on talking to her friends. He was the last person she wanted to see.

“You should have seen the look on his face when we told him about what had happened. He was clearly worried. He even drove us down here,” Madelia reported, and then directed her gaze towards the window. “Maybe he’s not a total dick after all.”

Natasha turned to look at him and said in a weak voice, “Why is he standing out there?”

“We insisted that he come in with us but he bluntly refused,” Madelia hissed, rolling her eyes. “Said he’s a lot more comfortable standing out there.”

“He’s guilty,” Dreda chimed in, studying the look on Kevin’s face. “Ashamed to talk to you. Because of what happened on the pitch yesterday.”

Natasha fought the temptation of a second glance at him. Then she reached for Dreda’s hand and grabbed her finger, glancing up at her with a weak smile. “I’m so glad you two visited.”

Dreda gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled. “Sorry we didn’t come earlier. Where’s your phone? I tried calling earlier, but—” she trailed when she remembered. “Oh.” 

“They took it. They took everything from me, along with the wristwatch mum gave to me before she left.” She shuddered at the memory of last night. “That watch is the only thing that connects me to her until she returns.”

“I can’t say this enough, but I’m really sorry about what happened,” Madelia comforted her, fiddling with her hair. “Your Dad is doing everything he can to catch those guys. I’m sure soon enough he’ll get them.”

“I know; he was here earlier to see me,” Natasha said. “He even got me a physiologist. Said if everything should go as planned, I’d be discharged tomorrow so I can finally go home. Although he scolded me just a little for staying out late last night.”

“… Just a little?” Madelia raised an eyebrow and smiled. She knew when Natasha was lying. “You had another falling out with your dad, didn’t you?” 

Natasha turned to rest her head on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. She became cross. “It felt as though he’d visited just so he could scold me. Could you believe dad blamed me for everything? Said if I hadn’t stayed out so late last night, this wouldn’t have happened. He kept reminding me about how often he warned me not to stay out late. That was literally the only thing we talked about when he was here.” 

“You wouldn’t blame your dad,” She said. “Seeing you like this might have upset him. He loves you so much and wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“We had better get going,” Dreda interrupted, turning to look at Kevin. “I think we’re keeping him.”

“Yeah. We should get going now,” Madelia said, and tackled Natasha in a tight hug.

“Ouch!” she cried out.

She quickly let go. “Sorry.” 

“Get better soon.” Dreda hugged her gently. “And don’t worry, we’ll come visit tomorrow as soon as we get the chance.”

“Thanks. Both of you.” Natasha smiled, following them with her eyes as they left.

They met Kevin outside. He was still watching Natasha through the large transparent window. Saw everything that’d transpired. Dreda came and stood by his side, also staring at Natasha through the window.

“They left many marks on her,” she said.

Kevin said nothing.

“They’ll heal soon, the ones on her skin at least.” Dreda never turned to look at him. She never took her eyes off Natasha either. “What about the ones in her soul? The ones no one can see. They’ll linger on and on.” After a thoughtful silence, she turned to him and said, “It would’ve done her heart good if you had come in to see her.”

He took a moment to stare at Natasha before he finally answered, and without a glance at her, “Feels more comfortable standing out here.”

“Just out of curiosity, why did you bother to come all the way here to see her if you weren’t going to come in and say hi?”

He shut his eyes, glancing down at his feet. “You wouldn’t get it.”

They both stood in silence, watching Natasha through the glass. The bruise on her lips was all he see each time he turned to look at her. It reminded him of Loretta. His heart raced, but with each second, he felt a surge of anger. Hatred, unlike anything he’d ever experienced, like a current of electricity, flowed through his body.

“Do you know where I can find them?” he muttered. His voice was controlled.

“What?”

“The men that did this to her—” He finally turned to look at her, his eyes held a fierce gleam. “Do you know where to find them?”

“They usually hang around Pittsburgh bar late at night, waiting for an unsuspecting victim to walk by,” Dreda revealed. “If it’s a guy, they would beat him up and rob him of all his possessions, and if he is lucky, they would let him live. But if it’s a girl, she could be sexually harassed, or worse, raped.”

She returned her gaze to Natasha. “I’m so glad that did not happen to her. Right now, her dad is doing everything he can to catch them. He works with the cops.”

Kevin bit his lower lip, not uttering a word. Seeing Natasha like that reminded him of Loretta—it reminded him of the one night he was helpless. He resented that he couldn’t help her then. Maybe he could still help her by getting justice for Natasha. Would he feel better after that? There was only one way to find out.