28. 28

28

Kalle

S ince my mother died, I've had a recurring nightmare about losing my father.

It's not pleasant, and it makes it worse that I never know how he dies in my dream.

This is worse than any dream because it's really happening.

I haven't been able to take a deep breath since Dad hit the floor.

That was an hour and thirteen minutes ago. It's a blur of faces and voices—of Spencer on the phone with Jonathan McKibbon, telling him to meet us at the bottom of the hill for a police escort. Of Dillon—who never took the night off—and Dad's head of security, Etienne carefully—ever so carefully—carrying him to the biggest SUV, with Bo hovering and trying to support Dad's back.

Minka, behind the wheel, ready to take off as soon as Gunnar is tucked in the second SUV with Dillon in charge. "It's not a heart attack," Gunnar keeps repeating. "He didn't have a heart attack."

Castle security moves in orchestrated precision, like they've planned for this.

How can you plan for your father to collapse during dinner?

I guess you have to when your father is the king .

They choose to drive him to the hospital instead of waiting for the ambulance because the castle is at the top of a cliff and we're in the middle of a storm. Etienne has the paramedics on the phone as Minka takes off with him and Duncan. Dillon takes lead on the second SUV, with Gunnar, Stella, me, and Spencer. Bo and Lyra are with the rest of the security, and the last thing sight of my sister is her white face crumpling as Bo takes her in his arms.

The half-hour drive to the hospital takes seventeen minutes. Seventeen minutes of my father being unconscious. Not dead. I know he's not dead because Spencer is on the phone with his father the entire trip down the hill.

When I look back on it, how Dillon careened down the hill, close behind the tail lights of the SUV that held my father, windshield wipers going double speed, and the darkness on either side threatening to swallow us whole, I will be terrified. Even Gunnar, whose top speed has been over two hundred miles an hour, hangs on tight, one hand on the strap affixed to the ceiling, the other gripping Stella's hand so hard I'm sure she loses circulation.

They meet us at the hospital; Etienne doesn't leave Dad's side as they get him on a gurney and whisk him away, while Minka and Dillon shepherd us into a private waiting room, with Duncan torn at whom to follow.

Spencer pushes him toward Stella and heads to the front desk.

It's as if a monster clutches at my chest, scrabbling for my heart, and I can barely breathe, can't speak as I pace the waiting area, the voices of my family in a haze far beyond my understanding .

What if he dies ? That's the only thought that spins through my mind, and I refuse to take it any further because I know what it means.

If Dad dies, I will be king. Right then and there—Spencer and Duncan will make it so. Bo, Gunnar, and Lyra will agree, and I will become King Kalle of Laandia.

I've never known such fear.

I'm not ready. I'm not ready to lose him, so not ready to become king. I can't even bring myself to answer Minka's question on whether she can get me a cup of coffee.

She brings me one anyway, and I clutch it gratefully.

"Kalle?" I blink and Stella comes into focus, standing before me with a worried look on her face. "I called Edie. I know we're supposed to keep it quiet, but it's Edie, and I thought maybe you'd want her here. She'll be here soon."

Edie. Here. I nod, and keep nodding.

Stella drifts back to Gunnar.

Edie is coming. She'll be here soon. She's coming.

"Kalle?" Bo's voice breaks into my spiral. "Bro, you've got to chill. You're freaking us out. Lyra's a mess, and you're not helping."

I look at the others, at the tight group whispering together. I thought they were talking about Dad, but it looks like it was me. "I don't know what to do." My voice is unrecognizable, hoarse and raspy like I've just had my tonsils removed.

"Nothing you can do." Bo claps me on the shoulder. "He'll be okay."

"You don't know that. And if he's not—"

"Don't go there," Bo tells me. "Not yet. He'll be okay because that's what I need to believe. We'll figure it all out, whatever happens."

"How?"

"We'll figure it out," he repeats. "It's going to be okay."

"Mom…" I manage.

"I know." Bo leans forward in an awkward hug and grips the back of my head. "It's not her. It's not the same thing."

My brother holds me for a long minute until he goes back to Lyra because our little sister starts to cry when she sees us like that.

I resume my pacing, and then, suddenly Edie is there.

One moment there is no one, and then she's standing at the door, wearing the same jeans and pink T-shirt, along with her white apron still tied around her waist.

I draw in a shaky breath, and then another as I watch her from across the room.

Her gaze locks with mine, but as she takes in the room, she goes straight to Lyra, who is back to gnawing her nails, face tearstained and makeup smeared.

"How is he?" Edie asks as she pulls Lyra into her arms. My sister kind of melts into Edie, sniffling into her shoulder, and Edie looks at me.

I don't answer. I can't. It's enough that she's here and I can breathe again.

"Surgery," Duncan says in a heavy voice. "It's wait and see."

"He'll be okay," Gunnar insists like he's been saying all night.

"Stop saying that! You don't know," Lyra cries. "They took Mom into surgery and she never came out. "

It's what we've all been thinking but no one was brave enough to say.

"It's not like your mom," Edie soothes, tightening her grip on Lyra.

Something she wouldn't let us do.

"What happened?" Edie mouths at Duncan but it's Bo who answers.

"It's his appendix," he says. "No one knew he was having problems and it burst. Right there at the table and he…" Bo swallows hard.

"What needs to be done?" Edie asks Duncan, but this time it's Spencer who steps up with eyes as tired and worried as the rest of us.

"Mrs. Theissen has everything under control at the castle," he tells her. "The hospital has assured us this will stay private until we give the okay to release it. I've been trying to draft a statement," he finishes, gaze tracking to Lyra.

"I'll get Kate and work on a statement with her if you like," Edie says. "We can run it by you before doing anything. You can focus on being here."

"That would be great." Spencer's shoulders sag. "Odin and Camille are flying in. They'll be here first thing in the morning."

"I'll go with Dillon to pick them up."

It's so smooth the way Edie walks in here and makes everything better.