Chapter 584: Frayed (2)

Three days.

Three days and Katherine was still unconscious. Most of the tubes and wires that were attached to her were already removed. She was breathing fine, and her vitals were back to normal, but she just wasn't waking up.

In the first twenty-four hours of her being unconscious, Damien was somewhat calm as he patiently waited for her to wake up. She suffered so much and endured the torture that he didn't even want to imagine. He cleaned her gently with a wet towel and read her a book that she had once told him she wanted to read but just didn't have the time.

He received calls from Chairman Young since she hadn't come home to the mansion that day she was supposed to. At first, Damien was able to come up with an excuse not to worry the old man. However, with her condition, she would need weeks to recover and there was just no way they could lie about how she got the wounds and bruises.

Damien thought about telling Grandpa Theo that she got into an accident, but Katherine staying in the NIA facility just wouldn't make sense. The longer he would keep dodging the older man's questions, the more difficult it would be for them. He spent a long time thinking about what he should do.

In the end, he went to the Young Mansion and spoke to Grandpa Theo in his study. Even though it wasn't his secret to tell, he decided that it was best to be honest about it—at least part of the truth, leaving out the bit where they suspected that Deborah had something to do with her parents' death.

Knowing that the news would be a big shock, Damien was hesitant to confess. Just for precaution, he brought Grandpa Theo's doctor with him to the mansion. He didn't want anything to happen to him, but he deserved to know what happened to Katherine—and what happened to her over sixteen years ago.

Grandpa Theo was quiet yet emotional the entire time Damien explained to him almost everything. He hadn't spoken a word since, and even when Damien finished. The latter was extremely worried as Grandpa Theo only cried and cried. For what seemed like forever, there was only crying in the study. Even Damien shed tears as he listened to the older man. There was nothing else he could do as that was expected.

Katherine's grandfather was stronger than he thought. He did not ask Damien any questions as if reserving his questions until his granddaughter would wake up. But he insisted on seeing her.

Director Hughes already gave permission as long as they followed protocols, so Grandpa Theo visited Katherine on the second day.

Now, it was the third day. Damien had only left Katherine's side when he had to go to the Young Mansion. He couldn't even bring his work here, so he had to take a leave from his CEO duties in Crown Resort Group. It was a good thing that Caleb was competent and that he could take on more tasks while others had been pushed back.

Damien had been sitting in the armchair next to her bed. It was two in the afternoon, and in a few more hours, it would be four days since she fell unconscious. With his elbows on his knees, he held his head in his hands as he looked at her. He hated seeing her wounds. She had bruises on her arms, a cut on her hairline, and a busted lip. Her body was covered, but he saw the bruises on it too whenever he changes her.

It seemed as though Parker and his men had harmed her but didn't use anything sharp on her. Still, he could only imagine how hard and painful it must be for Katherine. If only he could trade places with her, he would do so in a heartbeat.

Reaching for her hand, he pressed his lips to it and whispered, "Baby, please wake up."

…

At around ten in the evening, Katherine's chest heaved as if taking in a long deep breath. Then her eyes slowly fluttered open.

The first thing she saw was the ceiling. It wasn't dark, but the lights were dimmed. She blinked a few times, adjusting her vision until she managed to open her eyes fully. Scanning her surroundings, she saw a man sleeping in an armchair next to her. Her gaze traveled from the familiar long legs up to his face.

Damien.

Katherine tried to push herself off the bed, realizing an IV was stuck to the back of her hand. She nearly collapsed back on the bed as her body was still quite weak, but she grabbed the railing and kept herself up in a sitting position.

The rustling of sheets and noise of her struggling to stay up woke Damien.

"You're awake," his gentle yet enthusiastic tone put a smile on her face. He quickly came to her side, sitting on the bed to support her. "You should take it easy. Don't move so much. You still need rest."

"How…How long was I out?" she asked in a groggy voice. Clearing her throat, she touched her neck and looked up to him.

Damien handed her a glass of luke-warm water, which she finished in one go. He poured her another one when she asked for some more.

"A little over four days. You had a fever the other day, but it has subsided already. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a sixteen-wheeler. Everything hurts."

She leaned into his arms. He wanted to hug her, but he was afraid that he would hurt her—what with all her bruises. So he carefully enveloped his arms around her and stroked her gently. He froze when she winced as his hand touched a bruised spot on her lower back. "Sorry… I'm so sorry," he whispered to her ear. The pain in his voice was apparent.

He still blamed himself for what Katherine went through. If he hadn't sent her to the hospital, Shadow wouldn't have found her. He lowered his hands, not wanting to hurt her anymore, but she stopped him.

"I'm fine, Damien. Just keep holding me. Please…" She looked up at him, pleading.

Pulling her back to him, he continued to soothe her, making sure he did it very carefully so as not to hurt her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

They stayed in the same position for a while before Katherine shifted and met his eyes. "What happened…after the explosion?"

Damien hesitated to tell her right away as she had only woken up just now. To reassure her, he curled the corners of his mouth and cupped her face as he told her, "You don't have to worry anymore. I'll call the doctor and tell him you're awake so he can check on you. You must eat first too. And then we'll talk. Is that okay?"

She checked for any signs that he was lying to her, but apart from the concerned look on his face—probably because of her—she couldn't see anything else. His smile was genuine. However, he looked a bit sad too. Trusting his words, she nodded and watched him get to his feet and walk towards the door.

He twisted the doorknob, but before pulling it open, he turned to face her and stood there just looking at her for half a minute.

"Katherine… Once you're allowed to leave this facility, why don't we go somewhere for a while."

Confused, she wondered, "What do you mean? Like a vacation or something?"

Damien nodded, walking back to her. "You've been through so much. You deserve a break. You need to recuperate anyway… It will do you good."

She didn't respond, so he gave her some time. "Think about it. I'll take you anywhere you want to go." Then he kissed her forehead before leaving the room to get the doctor.