Filed to story: Katy and Brayden Cooper Novel
Braydon’s lips twitch, but his eyes soften.
“She’s ridiculous,” I murmur. “Always calling me dramatic, then does that.”
He steps closer, gently pressing my head forward until my forehead rests against his stomach and his hand settles on the back of my head.
“She’s gonna be fine, Katy,” he says quietly. “Trust me.”
I nod, clinging to both the doctor’s words and his. In a few hours, the doctor will walk back out and tell me it was successful, that Allie’s okay and then I’ll finally get to see my best friend again.
Still leaning against Braydon, I close my eyes and try to push positive thoughts into my head. Ironically, I follow the same method Allie taught me: deep breaths, then think of everything that could go right instead of wrong.
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
I do it over and over until my phone suddenly goes off in my pocket and the sound is too loud in the quiet room.
I pull away from Braydon and grab it quickly, my heart skipping, but it’s not a call or text…it’s just my alarm.
Slowly, my fingers tighten around my phone as I stare at the screen for a long time, my lips trembling. A shaky breath escapes before I let out a weak scoff and shove the phone back into my pocket.
“Everything okay?” Braydon asks, sliding into the seat beside me.
I shake my head, my eyes fixed on the blank wall across from us. “It’s nothing.”
But it’s not nothing. The alarm was for the Blackrock Grant application that opened today, something I’d been waiting for and it closes in forty-eight hours. I was so excited about it, especially when Allie offered to help cover the application fees.
And now… this.
A part of me wants to laugh at how cruel timing can be. Another part feels guilty for even thinking about it when she’s lying in there, fighting. What kind of person worries about an application while their best friend’s in surgery?
Tears sting my eyes again. Screw whoever’s up there, whoever keeps messing with my life, testing me, and taking things away right when I start to hope again. If they wanted to punish me, couldn’t they have picked something else? Why Allie?
“Katy.” Braydon’s voice pulls me back. I blink and turn toward him. He’s watching me closely, his brows knit with worry.
I force a smile, though it feels paper-thin. “What?”
He tilts his head slightly. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head again, even as the tears won’t stop and they stream down faster than I can wipe them away. “I’m such a terrible friend,” I whisper, turning my face from him.
Braydon leans closer and cups my cheeks, making me look at him. “Hey, hey. What’s going on? Has something happened? Talk to me.”
I pull back, my chest tight. “I just-” I stop myself, shaking my head again. “I’m going to use the bathroom.”
He watches me, clearly unconvinced, but he doesn’t stop me. I slip past him and hurry down the hallway, my vision blurring.
The bathroom is thankfully empty and the moment I step inside, the sob I’ve been choking back finally breaks free. It comes out loud and messy, and I press a hand over my mouth, trying to muffle the sound.
I stumble into one of the stalls, lock it, and sink onto the toilet seat. My whole body shakes as I cry, the kind of crying that makes your chest ache and your throat burn.
“Allie, I’m sorry,” I whisper into the sleeve of Braydon’s jacket. “I’m so sorry you’re in so much pain and I’m sitting out there thinking about… stupid things.”
Another sob catches in my throat. “I shouldn’t have even cared about that grant. Not when you’re fighting to stay alive.”
My voice breaks again, and I press my forehead against my knees. “It just feels like the universe keeps dangling good things in front of me, just to snatch them away in the cruelest way possible. Every single time.”
I choke out a shaky breath. “If you hadn’t offered to pay for me, maybe… maybe this wouldn’t have happened to you. Maybe it’s my fault.”
I jolt when I push open the bathroom door and nearly run straight into Braydon. He’s standing by the wall, his arms folded with his hoodie sleeves pushed up.
I press a hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing. “You were waiting?”
He nods slightly, his eyes scanning my face. “That was a pretty long, nothing’s wrong cry. At this rate, you’ll wither away before the surgery’s even over.”
I bite my lip. “I’m fine now.”
“You sure?” he asks quietly.
“Yeah.”
He studies me for a beat, then sighs and rests a hand on my back. “Alright, come on. Let’s go wait for Allie.”
We walk back to the waiting area together, and when we sit back down in the same seats, I check my phone again and there’s still no word from Sean.
I open our chat, hoping maybe I missed something but nothing. And the worst part is that he read the messages thirty minutes ago. My stomach twists.
“Why won’t he respond?” I whisper.
Braydon leans closer. “Who?”
“Sean,” I mutter. “He didn’t reply or call. Do you think he’s on his way?”
Braydon takes the phone from my hands and glances at the screen. “I have no idea,” he says after a second. “But maybe he probably freaked out and jumped in a cab without saying anything.”
I nod slowly. “Maybe.”
The silence stretches for a moment. I scroll aimlessly, trying to distract myself, when my phone vibrates again.
A notification flashes across the screen and it’s another reminder for the Blackrock Grant. My jaw tightens. I swipe it away quickly and set my phone face down on my lap.
Braydon notices. “What reminder is so important right now?”
“Nothing,” I say a little too quickly.
KATY’S POV
The glass door slides open, and Allie’s operating doctor steps out, looking tired. My heart jumps into my throat, and I scramble upright, brushing Braydon’s head off my thighs.
“How is she?” I ask breathlessly.
He exhales, running a hand down his face, and then nods. “The surgery is successful, but we have to wait a few hours for her to wake up.”