Chapter Twenty – Katy

I glance nervously at the windshield anxiously as an unexpected bolt of ice cold terror circles my heart. I don’t know where it comes from, but it grabs my hard. Ever since Evan’s phone started ringing I had this weird feeling inside and now it’s just culminating into a volcano eruption.

What’s going in? I ask myself anxiously. Who is he talking to? What’s happening here?

I quickly tell myself to stop panicking because it’s pointless, it’s probably just my nerves for my upcoming meeting projecting into something else. Just because Evan’s phone has rung doesn’t mean it’s anything to worry about. It could just be someone from his work calling about nothing important, it could just be one of his friends, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.

But then Evan appears in view and the sickness intensifies. He’s pale, almost deathly so, and his hair is all tousled like he’s been pulling at it like there’s no tomorrow. It was something bad on the phone, I just knew it. I could feel it in my bones. Now my bones feel even worse, like glass that could be shattered at any given moment. I’m shaking, trembling, but I push my way out the car to see Evan. I hope this isn’t something new related to the case, I don’t know how we’ll cope with new information but whatever it is I need to keep my cool for Evan. He clearly needs me right now.

I and race towards him quickly with my heart pounding in my throat. My brain buzzes with anxiety but I push all of that to one side and focus only on his beautiful, tormented face.

“What’s going on?” I gasp as soon as I reach him. “Are you okay?”

“It’s Liam,” he whispers back almost staggering as he does. “He’s hurt.”

Oh fuck, this is much worse than I was expecting. His son is hurt… this is terrifying. I don’t even know what to think. “Liam?” I ask desperately. “What’s happened?”

He stares at me, dead in the eye, which is the moment that I can see the true unbridled terror there. I understand it, his son is the last person he has in the world. All the rest of his family have been killed in a terrible accident, and now he risks losing the only person that he has left. This is killer.

“He was in a car crash,” he says as tears ball behind his eyes. “A car crash. Nancy was driving and she isn’t too hurt, but Liam, because he was in the back and he’s so young… he… he… he’s in hospital. He might need surgery and… oh my God, I have to go. I need to be with him.”

“Oh my God, you go,” I insist right away. “Go and be with him. Check that he’s okay. I’m sure that he’s fine, but yeah you go and check on him.” I watch Evan’s eyes glance towards the court house which should be the least of his problems right now. “I’ll deal with everything here. Honestly, don’t you worry about the meeting, I’ll sort it. You have to be with Liam.”

“I know.” He tugs his hair once more. “But I need to be at the meeting, they won’t listen if I’m not there. Plus, there’s all that stuff I need to say. We have a plan, we discussed it…”

This is shock, pure and simple. Evan knows that he needs to be in the hospital with Liam, his brain is just freaking out. He probably can’t process the information about his son. I grab onto his shoulders and try to calm him down by staring deeply into his eyes.

“Evan, you need to get to the hospital, okay? You need to check on Liam. This isn’t as important as him, you do realize that, right? I can take care of everything here.”

“Oh, I know, but my father left me this company and I want to make him proud,” he babbles desperately. “That’s why I’ve worked as hard as I have to keep it going, that’s why I pushed too hard, that’s why I screwed things up. I can’t lose the company because it’s the only legacy that I have of his. It’s important… but I also know that he would want me to be a good father, he was a good father to me. He would want me to be with my son, wouldn’t he?” He looks up and stares at me with nothing but question in his eyes. “He would want me to be with him, wouldn’t he? Don’t you think?”

“Of course, he would,” I insist. “You have to go. Liam needs you. I will get everything out of the car and I’ll take control of things. I will do what I can at the meeting to protect your father’s legacy okay. You can trust me. You go and make sure that Liam is alright. Your boy needs you.”

Finally, Evan nods and I drag him towards the car to make him go. He needs me to push him and to take control for once and I’m more than willing to do it. I’m willing to be whatever he needs.

“Will you promise me that you’ll drive carefully?” I ask as I push him inside. “Don’t go too fast because you’re desperate to be there. You don’t want to have an accident too.”

“Right,” he rasps back. “Of course. No, I won’t. And will you let me know what’s happened once you come out? If I don’t answer my phone it’s because I’m busy but just… leave me a message..”

“Of course, I will.” I touch his cheek for just a second so he’ll know that he can trust me. Evan gives me an emotional, barely readable look which is understandable since his child is at risk. I just desperately hope that everything with Liam is okay. “You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

My heart sinks as I watch the dirt kick up from the back wheels of Evan’s car. There’s no way he’s going to drive sensibly to the hospital. If I didn’t have this meeting to get to, I would have driven him to the hospital, but I know that Evan needs me here most of all. He can’t do both, he can’t split himself into two, so the most useful place that he can be is here.

I pace outside the court house for a moment, wishing I had someone I could call right now to speak to about this. I suppose I could talk to Robyn, but this is all a bit delicate. It’s Evan’s private life and I really shouldn’t share. Plus, I feel like I’ve put a lot on Robyn, I don’t want to call her with bad news. I can’t wait to tell her about my new life plan, but now isn’t the time for that.

I sigh deeply, deciding that it’s time to just face the music and get on with it. I might as well go and wait inside until the meeting begins. I’m already in a bit of a bad position, tackling things without my client. I don’t want to add being late to the list as well. Evan was right to worry, they won’t like the fact that he hasn’t turned up, but I’m hoping that once I explain the extenuating circumstances, they’ll just get it and everything will be fine. I don’t have too much hope, banks aren’t exactly known for being big hearted, but I have to try. I have to give it my best shot. I promised Evan.

As my feet move up the big steps, my head is all over the place. I’m definitely not as centered as I usually am when I face a case like this, but I can’t help myself. I like Liam, he’s a great kid, he doesn’t deserve to be in an accident which has put him in hospital. Evan doesn’t deserve this either, he doesn’t need another car accident in his life, it just isn’t fair. I don’t understand why he’s being punished. It isn’t right, he’s a good person with a kind heart, this is just horrible.

The idea that he’s about to find Liam in some sickly, damaged condition makes my heart bleed for him. Even for me the thought of that sweet little lad in a white, faceless bed with tubes attached to his body breaks my heart, so I dread to think how Evan is feeling.

I don’t even get a chance to sit down in the waiting room once I get inside, it seems more time has passed than I thought while outside. I get called into the room right away, a lady in a pencil skirt that’s even starker than mine leads me into a small room with a table in the middle of it, and chairs running up either side. On the opposite side to me a selection of business men in suits all glare at me as if I’m dirt beneath their feet, indicating that I need to sit on the other side.

Butterflies flap violently in my stomach, reacting far harsher than during any other case I’ve faced before. I think it’s because it’s for Evan, someone that I really care about, someone who trusts me with their livelihood and I don’t want to mess it up.

“And you are?” one of the men asks me gruffly.

“Oh, I’m Katy Atwater,” I reply shakily. “I’m the lawyer representing Evan Debroils.”

“Hmm, I see. And where is Mr. Debroils?” He peers at me over the top of his glasses, looking at me with sheer disgust. “He does realize that this meeting is happening today, doesn’t he? He is here? He does understand how important all of this is, doesn’t he?”

I shrink in on myself as I answer him because I know he isn’t going to like it. I don’t like taking the wrath for something that’s completely out of my control, but I’ll take a bullet for Evan.

“No, he isn’t here,” I admit. “But that’s because he just got a call from the hospital and his son has been taken in.” I don’t like being so honest, it feels wrong, but it’s the only way that I’m going to make these people understand. “He might be going into surgery so Evan needs to be there.”

One of the men leans across to whisper to the other, as if this is something that actually needs to be discussed. As if it isn’t totally obvious that Evan would be at the hospital. So many arguments and expletives race through my mind, but I clasp my hands together and I wring them impatiently.

Finally, the man who originally spoke to me with a graveness to his tone. “Because of this unprecedented event, we will give two options. Either we have this meet now in the absence of Evan Debroils, or we reschedule.”

I suck in a deep breath, knowing that the second option isn’t really a possible one since all of the plans me and Evan have made need to be set into motion immediately, plus I don’t think Evan will able to deal with this any time soon, depending on what’s happening with Liam, so while that might be the preferable option, it isn’t the one I can stick with. I have to take the hard road.

“I would like to do this today,” I say a little breathily. “I have all the paper work and plans with me. I know what Mr. Debroils wants to say. I will speak on his behalf.”

The men share a glance but then they nod curtly, accepting my decision. I don’t think it’s the one that they want, but that’s tough. I’m taking charge today. I’m in control and there’s nothing they can do about it.

Now I just need to ensure that I get it right…