Just Friends?

by K E Osborn

  ~ WILL ~

  I drive frantically to the retreat just in case she left of her own free will and it’s the only place I can think of that she might have gone. I drive way over the speed limit as my cell rings. The number is blocked and I answer it immediately.

  Fuck the road rules!

  “Kat?”

  “No, sorry Kat isn’t able to come to the phone right now,” a woman’s voice fills my ears.

  I screech to a halt on the edge of the road not caring about the people behind me.

  “Where is she?” I demand.

  “She’s safe, for now. She’s having a little nap at the moment, but it won’t be long and I’ll be performing the surgery,” she says.

  I shake my head, what the hell? Kat hasn’t got any surgery booked in that I know of.

  “What hospital is she in?”

  “Oh, dear, sweet Will. She’s not in a hospital, she’s with me. I’ll take great care of her.”

  “Who are you?” I demand forcefully.

  “I’m hurt that you don’t recognize my voice, Will. You know we belong together and we will be soon. You, me and our baby,” she states.

  “What the fuck, our baby? What are you talking about?”

  “You see Kat is very generous and is donating your baby to us both, so I can be with you and we can be a family.”

  “What do you mean donating?”

  “She’ll be ready for the surgery in about an hour. I have to prep her first and make sure that the incubator is ready for our baby,” she says matter-of-factly.

  “I swear to God, if you hurt her or our baby, when I find you, I will kill you!”

  “Oh, now, now don’t be so rash. I know you love me. You show me all the time when I see you.”

  “Listen here, I do not love you whoever you are and I will find you.”

  “Yes, and by then we will have a healthy baby to add to our family.”

  “You’re delusional.”

  “Okay, honey, I have to go. Our donor is waking up,” she says and with that, she hangs up the phone. I exhale sharply as I punch the steering wheel repeatedly.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck!

  I turn my car around and head straight for the Los Angeles Police Department. I can’t believe that phone call. My breathing is erratic as tears stream my face.

  She better not hurt Kat or Cohen. Fuck, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost either of them.

  A strong pain fills my chest and a sinking feeling engulfs me. I can’t think straight and I feel like time is standing still. I know I’m moving, but it doesn’t feel fast enough. I wipe my nose with the back of my hand as I race closer to the Police Station.

  I pull up and race in; almost hyperventilating by the time I reach the front desk.

  “Are you alright?” a policewoman asks.

  I shake my head while I try to catch my breath.

  “Oh my God, you’re Will Sanders, aren’t you?”

  I drop my head and draw in deep breaths, trying to breathe.

  “I’ve got this,” I hear a man’s voice. I raise my head to see the policeman who came to the house only forty minutes ago. “Mr. Sanders, what’s wrong? Can you talk?”

  I nod my head as he leads me over to a seat.

  “I received a phone call. She has Kat and she told me she’s going to do surgery on her and I don’t know where she is… I have to find her… You have to help me,” I sputter while I try to get the words out.

  “Okay, okay, try to calm down.”

  I look at him.

  What an idiot! How the hell am I supposed to fucking calm down, when a lunatic has my wife and unborn child’s lives in her hands?

  “We ran a DNA test on the hair you gave us. It came back as belonging to a Danielle Killoran. She’s well known to us and has been the assailant in several obsessive stalking cases, mainly of celebrities,” he says, as a shiver runs down my spine.

  “Okay, good. Let's go find her. She has Kat,” I beg and the policeman looks at me intently.

  “Mr. Sanders, tell me about the phone call?” he asks.

  What? Fuck… Why are we wasting time talking about a phone call?

  ~ KAT ~

  I slowly wake from another induced sleep and I find my hands now untied but handcuffed to either side of the table along with my ankles. I’m now dressed in a surgical gown, the type that you put on before your surgery, but it is put on backwards so the ties are facing the front. I still have my bra and underwear on but nothing else under the gown. I struggle from side to side as I look over and see her playing with some machinery by an incubator.

  What the hell is she planning and where the fuck did she get all this medical equipment?

  “Oh, you’re awake again. That’s good.”

  “What do you want with me?” I ask as tears flow down my face.

  “Don’t cry, you’ll stress out my baby.”

  Her baby? What hell is she talking about?

  “Your baby?” I ask and she nods happily smiling.

  “Yes, Will and I are going to be so happy with our new family. I want to thank you for your donation.”

  “What do you mean donation?” I ask hesitantly.

  “The baby, of course. I can’t have my own children, so Will and I thank you for giving us one we can love together.”

  My chest tightens as I’m now starting to realize what she means. I try a different approach.

  “How did you get all this medical equipment?”

  “Oh, I borrowed it from the hospital,” she says matter-of-factly.

  “How can you borrow things from a hospital?”

  “Okay, so I stole them, so what? You would too, if you were in my shoes.”

  “How did you take them without people noticing?”

  “Because I work there dummy. I’m a fourth year medical student and I’m studying to be an Obstetrician so don’t worry, you’re in safe hands with me. Although, maybe you should worry, because my baby is all I care about and after he or she arrives into the world I’ll be looking after it, not you. You can bleed to death for all I care.”

  I start to cry uncontrollable sobs. I can’t believe this is happening.

  Maybe it’s just a terrible nightmare. If it is, please wake me up, now!

  She walks back over and puts on some scrubs and covers her hands in surgical gloves. Fear and panic rip through me as she wheels over a tray of instruments. She lifts a cloth to show scalpels and other medical instruments. I scream when I see them.

  “Now, now, you have to be quiet,” she says, “because you’ll upset my baby”.

  She grabs a ball gag and shoves it in my mouth to keep me quiet. I thrash around on the table as the cuffs bite into my wrists and ankles. She slowly undoes the ties on the front of my gown revealing my protruding stomach. Tears fall down my face one after the other as the horror and realization hit me – she’s going to cut our son out of me. I scream through the ball gag, but it’s a muffled scream. She looks at me and smiles while she puts on her surgical mask.

  She then pulls out her cell and sends a text message.

  What an odd thing to do at a time like this?

  “Time to come into the world, my little one,” she says while she puts down her cell and holds up a scalpel into the light, the reflections shine across the room.

  ~ WILL ~

  I’m in a Police car and we are racing toward Danielle’s house with an escort of five other Police vehicles and an ambulance. I sit in the back frantic with worry and not doing anything other than waiting for them to get to her before we’re too late. The patrol car skids to a halt outside a nice looking home on a quiet suburban street. The neighbors all come out to watch as the Police stand behind their vehicle leaving me in the car.

  “Mr. Sanders, stay here. If she’s in there, we’ll rescue her and bring her out to you,” he demands as he stands over the car with his gun drawn.

  A voice on a megaphone drowns the air.

  “Danielle Killoran, this is the Los Angeles Poli
ce Department come out with your hands up,” he calls out, then the front door opens and the redhead walks out showing her palms above her head and grimacing. Two policemen move over to her and pull her head down to the ground and pulling her hands behind her back. The other men run into the house in search of Kat. I look up and see her smug little face turn to a frown when she sees me.

  “Will, I love you,” she calls out.

  I try frantically to open the car door, but fail miserably.

  Please, fucking please just let me go inside, I need to see her… to hold her.

  A policeman comes to my door and unlocks it. I get out and go to run toward Danielle, but he yanks on my arm and stops me.

  “Where is she?” I yell at Danielle, who gives me a clouded gaze.

  “Mr. Sanders– ”

  “Where is she Danielle? I swear to God, if you’ve hurt her– ”

  “Mr. Sanders– ”

  “Kat? Kat, are you in there?”

  “Will,” the policeman yells gaining my attention.

  My head snaps toward him, I’m breathing heavy as he holds me back.

  “Oh God, is she?” I ask as panic races through me.

  “No, no. She isn’t inside and the suspect has an alibi. She’s been at this address all day. She isn’t here, Will. Danielle didn’t take her.”

  “Then where the hell is she?” I yell.

  “We don’t know.”

  My head falls into my hands.

  “We did find enough evidence inside Danielle’s house to give you a restraining order against her though.”

  “Oh well, that’s really helpful now isn’t it?” I say sarcastically. “I’m sorry I just… ”

  “I know. Look, Will, we have everyone on the lookout for Mrs. Sanders. We will find her.”

  My cell beeps telling me there’s a message and it’s from an unknown number. I open the message to find a photograph of Kat practically naked on a surgical table. I gasp as I look in horror. She’s handcuffed to the table by her wrists and ankles and she has a gag in her mouth. I drop to my knees and cry into my hands.

  “Will, what’s wrong?” the policeman questions and then he bends down to retrieve my cell from the ground. He looks at the picture on the screen and then scrolls down further.

  “Will, did you see the address at the bottom of the picture?” the policeman questions me.

  I look up at him through my tear soaked eyes and shake my head. Standing up, I take my cell from the policeman and look at the message on the screen below the picture. My face contorts with rage.

  Our baby is ready to come into the world,

  come and meet our newborn, Will.

  I love you xo

  3003 Runyon Canyon Rd,

  Santa Monica Mountains

  National Recreation Area

  “C’mon lets go,” he says and he opens the back door of the car for me to get in. He calls to the other policemen and they all get in their respective cars, excluding two, who stay behind to gather evidence against Danielle.

  We move off into the Hollywood Hills with lights and sirens flashing. Violent panic, tears through me as we make our way to the address.

  What the hell am I going to see when we get there? Who the fuck is doing this to us and what happens if it’s too late?

  Tears track down my face again. I’m literally terrified of what I’m going to find when we get there. I start to inwardly prey for the first time in my life. God, please help my wife and my unborn boy.

  ~ KAT ~

  She’s holding the blade up looking at it in awe. She’s fucking crazy. I thrash about on the table as she lowers the scalpel down toward my abdomen and suddenly I’m paralyzed with fear.

  Shit, shit, shit, I need to mentally prepare myself for this... Oh God she’s really going to do it.

  “Now, this may hurt a little,” she says.

  Fear grips me, I’m breathing quite shallow and if I wasn’t laying down right at this moment, I surely would be now. I watch as she plunges the scalpel into my abdomen. The sharp edge of the blade pierces my skin. There’s nothing but overwhelming pain as she slides the knife through my flesh. I scream while a flood of tears flow down my face.

  “Hush, little baby, don’t say a word, Mamma’s gonna buy you a mockingbird,” she starts singing while she continues to cut me open with no anesthetic. I cannot describe the pure unadulterated agony she’s causing; I unequivocally think I’m going to vomit or pass out – I’m really not sure which one, perhaps both.

  Will, where are you? I need you so much. Will, I’m so sorry, Will… Will…

  “And if that mockingbird don’t sing, Mamma’s gonna buy you a diamond ring,” she continues as my screams become nothing more than whimpers. The pain and the emotion become too much for my body to handle and I feel the room spinning, then nausea overtakes me before the room turns to black.

  ~ WILL ~

  We arrive at Runyon Canyon Road and drive frantically along the dirt road to locate the dwelling where Kat is being held. The Police have turned off their lights and sirens a minute or two ago so they don’t alert the culprit.

  “Up there,” the policeman calls out over the radio.

  We pull up out the front of the abandoned house and the policeman turns around to look at me.

  “Will, you need to leave this to the professionals. I can’t have you running in there before us. Please, just let us do our job and we’ll get Kat back to you safely. Do you understand?”

  I can hardly fucking concentrate my head is spinning so fast. And yes, all I want to do is run in there ahead of them and find her.

  “Will, do you understand me?”

  “Yes, yes, I fucking understand! Now go do your job,” I snap back.

  He gets out of the car and looks at me through the window then opens the rear door. And as much as the protector in me wants to run in there I know it’s probably safer for Kat if the Police go in first.

  They draw their guns and walk slowly and carefully toward the door of the house. It’s open and a Welcome banner hangs from the entrance above the door. I walk behind an Officer who signals me to keep quiet. Adrenaline is racing through my veins and not in a good way as I walk through the doorway behind about eight or so Police officers. Suddenly, I hear a commotion and a whole lot of yelling.

  “Get on the ground… On the ground now,” is yelled by every Police officer in front of me as my panic kicks into overdrive. I rush past them and into the large room to see two policemen restraining a woman who’s in a full surgical outfit covered in blood. I hold my breath as she looks up at me.

  “How could you Will?” she calls out as they pull the surgical cap and mask off to reveal her face.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Kira, what the fuck?” I call out in disbelief.

  “Will, I did this for you, for us,” she says.

  I run past her and into the next room to see a sight that will forever be ingrained in my memory. Kat is passed out on an operating table with her abdomen sliced open and blood everywhere.

  “Oh God, Kat, what’s she done to you,” I yell while running to be by her side. Terror leaches through me while I frantically check for a pulse. I kiss her cheek and remove the ball gag from her mouth.

  “Oh God… oh God, baby, hang in there. Please don’t leave me. I love you so much.”

  I reach for a cloth from the bench and hold it across the incision in her abdomen.

  “Please help me, she needs help now,” I yell at the EMT’s as they come in through the door.

  “Oh God, please help her… please I’m begging you. You can’t let her die,” I plead.

  “Sir... sir… sir, move now,” he yells, “Sir, we need you to move so we can help her, please step out of the way, now.”

  “Key? Does that stupid bitch have a key on her?” I yell out to the policemen taking Kira into custody. They look at me strangely. “For the handcuffs,” I point to Kat’s hands and they initiate a search for the key.”

  “F
ound it. Here try this,” he answers and then throws the key over to me. I turn it in the lock and it works.

  “Oh, thank God.”

  I rub her bleeding red welted wrists after I undo each cuff. “Oh no, what has she done to you?” I walk around and set her feet free while the EMT continues to work on trying to stop the bleeding. Moving back up I take her hand in mine and then I gently stroke her face with my other hand. A tear falls from my eye onto her face as she just lies there pale and unconscious.

  “Will, how could you? I love you. This was meant to be our day together with our new baby. How could you do this to me? To us? Will… Will… Wiiilll,” Kira calls out as she’s dragged away by the Police. I don’t even look at her, I can’t fucking look at her. If I do, I won’t be held responsible for my actions.

  “Sir, we need to move her to the hospital as quickly as possible.”

  I nod and they transfer her to a gurney and wheel her out to the waiting ambulance. I wipe my nose with my sleeve and get in the back with her. There’s no way I’m ever leaving her alone again… ever. I sit in the seat near Kat’s head as one EMT steps in the back with me the other shuts the door.

  “Do you think she’ll be okay? I ask still grasping Kat’s hand tightly.

  “She’s lost a lot of blood and her blood pressure is extremely low. We need to get her into surgery as soon as possible.”

  “Her name is Kat.”

  “I know who she is. My daughter’s a big fan of your movies,” she says and gives me a sympathetic smile.

  “And my baby boy?”

  “There is a heartbeat, but it’s irregular. The baby has been put through a lot of stress due to the mother’s anxiety and pain levels. The incision was not deep enough to penetrate the amniotic sac, which is good news. How far along is Kat?” she asks.

  “Seven and a half months,” I answer.

  “Right, well my guess is that your baby boy will need to be delivered by caesarean section as soon as possible.”

  “Will he be okay though? Like he’s not going to be in danger is he?”