Chapter Forty: Three Years Later

All Grown Up

" Hendricks! Table Five is Dirty GO clean it!" Kyo Goya Yells. Katie Looks up from the sink and nods at her boss. She grabs the large bin and scurries out of the kitchen. When she reaches Table Five she sees that the people who had been sitting there, a family with two small children under the age of five, had left a large mess behind, lo main noodles and soy sauce scattered everywhere. Sighing she takes the towel out of the bin and gets to work cleaning up the mess, tossing the dishes into the bin with a crash. The simple work lets her mind wander.

 

It has been three years since She graduated High school, and all she had to be proud of was a high school diploma and a crappy bust "Boy" job at a dingy diner named Uncle Kyo's Diner. The Pay was good, in Us dollars it would could out to seven dollars and fifty cents, minimum wage. She sighs as she thinks of how her life had turned out. She has been clean and drug free for the past three years and she didn't have the urge to ever touch it again, she had a job, she had the diploma, her family was still loving and supporting. A thought brushes across her mind but she pushes it down not wanting to think about what it was she was missing. She quickly finishes cleaning the table and smiles as she stares at the now clean and shiny table, tossing the dirty rag into the bin with a satisfied smile. Checking the clock she grins bigger, her shift was over. Grabbing the bin she heads back to the kitchen, smiling at a little girl who waved at her.

 

"Kyo I'm out of here, See you Monday!" She shouts to her boss, and owner of the diner. Kyo grunts and just waves over his shoulder, not looking up from his desk in the back room. "Don't give yourself a headache looking at those figures." She teases. Kyo's shoulders shake up and down with his silent laugh.

 

"Goodnight Hendrick's have good weekend." he says in his booming voice. Katie smiles at his back and closes his office door. Going into the break room she grabs her purse out of her locker and heads out the back door, shuffling through her purse for her keys, it was then that her phone rang, The sound of We own it by 2 chainz shattering the quiet of the alleyway behind the diner. Katie freezes as the song washes over her, she hadn't heard that ring tone in almost three years. Quickly recovering she snatches her phone from the depths of her purse and presses accept before she can talk herself out of it.

 

"Han?" She says shakily.

 

"Kit?" Bryan's voice says, equally as shaky. Instantly ever nerve in her body was on high alert. she fishes her keys out and walks over to the red Evo, Shawn gave her as a graduation present, it was the old car he use to drift with.

 

"Bryan whats wrong? why do you have Han's phone?" She says as she turns the key in the door and slips in, tossing her bag onto the passenger side seat.

 

"there's been an accident, Han and Dom crashed the Civic, Han got away with minor injuries and a concussion, But Dom, He's in surgery, I think you should come home." He says, his voice showing his worry. All blood drains from her face as she lets his words sink in, Turning the car on she steps on the gas, backing out of the parking spot and peeling out of the alley.

 

"I'm just getting off work now, I'll call you back when I get home, I'll talk to Shawn, OK? I love you bro, bye." She says and shuts the phone, tossing it on the seat with her purse. She grips the steering wheel tightly until her knuckles turn white with strain. Dom, He was injured, in surgery. Tears leak out of her eyes as she thinks of her father figure, "Please let him be OK, Please." She prays to no one in particular. She speeds down the Highway heading toward the garage, saying the words over and over again like a mantra.

 

 

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"How was work, Woah Hun you OK?" Twinkie says as Katie slams the door to the car, He looks up from the Green monster and notices her tears, putting down the wrench he was using and goes over to her. "Hey whats wrong?" He asks his voice gentle. She just shakes her head.

 

"Dom and Han got into a car accident, I need to go back to L/A, I need to be there for Dom, Han's fine." She says as she notices his face paling at the Mention of Han being in a car crash. "Where's Shawn?" She asks. Twinkie nods his head to the office on the landing. She smiles at him and rushes up the stairs, "SHAWN!" She shouts, saying hi to the couple on the couch playing video games before bursting into the office. Shawn startles, the phone pressed to his head almost slipping. He takes one look at her tearstained face and quickly ends the call.

 

"Hey whats wrong?" He asks, his voice gentle but concerned. She takes a shaky breath and retells what happened. Shawn's face pales like Twinkies when she mentions Han as he swivels to his idle computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he looks at plane dates. " The earliest plane ticket I can get you is for tomorrow at noon, is that OK?" He says looking up from his computer at her. She nods her head wordlessly. He holds out his hand. "Let me see your phone, I need to talk to Bryan." He says. she hands him over the phone.

 

"He was using Han's phone, hold down number one, he's number one on my speed dial." She says. He takes the phone and after dialing holds it to his ear, waiting as it rings. Katie watches her brother and listens to his side of the conversation. 

 

"No, its her brother Shawn, Yeah she just told me what happened," He falls silent as he listens to Bryan "Well the earliest I can get her there is Noon tomorrow our time, No Its fine I have it covered, Alright then, yup bye." He says snapping it shut and tossing it back to Katie. He looks at her and smiles. "get packed, you're leaving tomorrow." He says. She smiles at him and leans into him as he opens his arms up for a hug.

 

"Thank you Shawn." She says breathing in his scent of oil and garage fumes. She feels his head nodding.

 

"Do you mind if I come too?" He asks, She lets go of him and looks, an eye brow raised. " I'd like to see Han again, even if its under these Circumstances." He explains. She smiles wide.

 

"It would be amazing to have you come with me." She says. At that moment Shawn's phone goes off, cutting off any response he was going to say. Checking the Caller ID he groans and answers it, speaking in rapid Japanese. Katie smiles gives him a kiss on the cheek and slips out, closing the screen behind her. Saying hi again to the couple she heads o0ff to her room, already thinking of what she needed to pack. Suddenly an Idea pops in her head and she takes her phone out of her pocket and hits speed dial two, putting it to her ear as it starts to ring.

 

"Hmmmm?" Comes a sleepy response making her Smile.

 

"Well Hello to you too." She laughs.

 

" CHICKA!!!!!!!!!!! Omg!" Melina squeals as all traces of sleep leaves her. Katie laughs as she heads into her room, telling her soul sister how she was coming back.

 

 

**************

 

Katie pushes the metal doors open and heads to the landing, the light of the TV attracting her. Twinkie had once again forgotten to turn the TV off when he went to bed, in the dark she could just see his feet sticking out of his tube bed. She looks around the landing with tears in her eyes. For the past three years this had become her home, and tomorrow she was leaving it all behind, her and Shawn, though she knew he would come back here eventually. She walks over to the railing and leans against it, something that she had done many many times since she had come here. Looking down at the garage she spots her Red Evo, Twinkie's green monster, and Shawn and Neela's cars tucked neatly and safely in their spots. Turning her head she sees the White tarp that hid a car underneath that for the past three years she still hadnt seen, Twinkie had told her though that that was the great Mona.

 

" Hey." Comes a voice behind her. She turns her head to Find Twinkie crawling out of his bunk. He smiles at her and jumping down he heads over her, " You all ready for tomorrow?" He asks Leaning against the railing, his back pressed into it so he could look at her. She smiles at him and nods

 

"Yeah I'm ready!" She says excitement entering her voice, " I cant wait to get home, though I wish it was under better circumstance." She says as She remembers why she was going home in the first place. Twinkie watches as her face going from Excited to terrified and he pulls her into a hug.

 

"Hey everything is going to be OK Katie, from what you told me about Dom He seems like a strong guy, hasn't he been in car crashes before?" Katie nods against his chest.

 

"Yeah but he's never had to be rushed to a hospital for internal bleeding before." She whispers. Twinkie pulls her at arms length and wipes away her tears.

 

"He's going to be just find, you'll see, and hey Han's OK right?" He says trying to make her smile. She blinks up at him and nods.

 

"Yeah he's OK."

 

"You know when you said that Han was in an accident my first thought was s**t did we lose him again?" Twinkie confesses, Katie nods

 

" Yeah I know what you mean, when I heard he was in the accident too that was the first thing that flew in my head too." She admits. Without hesitation of complaints she leans against him, resting her head on his chest as his arms wrap around her. Since that day three years ago when she said she couldn't give him all of her they had grown closer, more like siblings then anything else, and it wasn't an uncommon sight to see them curled up on the couch watching Horror movies which had become their favorite past time. Tears spring up in her eyes and fall down her cheeks.

 

"Katie whats wrong why are you crying?" He whispers looking down at her. She looks up at him and gives him a sad smile through her tears.

 

 " I just remembered, We wont be able to do Horror movie Saturday's anymore." She whispers against his chest. He laughs, the vibrations rumbling through his chest, shaking against her head.

 

"Yes we will, there is this new invention called Skype, We can Skype chat while watching the movies." He says. She smiles wide.

 

"So Does this mean you wont forget about me when I'm gone?" She teases. He looks at her with all honesty.

 

" I couldn't forget you even if I tried." She blinks up at him and hugs him hard, not caring when he crushes her to him. She settles in his arms, feeling safe as another smile stretches wide across her face.

 

" I'm going home Twinkie, I'm really Going home."