Chapter 42 A Legend Has Fallen

...Cassandra POV...
There is a suffocating grip that takes hold of my heart as I see Christian slumped over the steering wheel. As I reach over to him and call his name, he does not respond at all. I can feel the tears start to trickle at the corner of my eyes. I jump out of the car and run to his side. As I begin to scream at the top of my voice, Mason pulls him out of the car.
His body is lifeless, his arms dangle to the ground, and his head is falling loosely to the back. There is blood all over his face, but I cannot see where it is coming from. I can not see any other wounds, but it does not mean that they are not there. Why is he not moving? The crash was not really that hard, but then again, Christian was not wearing his seat belt as I asked him to do.
I watch in horror as Mason takes his wrist to feel for a pulse. He does not say a word, but I know that there is not one. Then he puts his ear against his chest. And as he begins CPR, I know that Christian's heart is not beating at all. The world around me becomes blurry, and I feel a darkness that sets over me.
Then out of desperation, I push Mason away and furiously start pumping his chest. With every breath I give him, it feels as if my world starts to slip away. I cannot lose the man that I love. Not now. Not ever. I am not giving up.
So I get on top of him and begin to slam my fist hard into his chest over and over. Every second I take a break, I lay my head against his chest, hoping that his heart is beating again. Mason and Lucy have gone dead quiet; all I can hear is the echo of my screams down the valley and the open road.
"Dammit, Christian, please wake up! I am not losing you today! Please wake up!"
I slam my fists into his chest with as much force as what my body can give. And every breath I give is longer than the one before. I plead and beg and give everything that I have.
"You listen to me, Mr. Caine; I am not letting you go. So please, I beg you, wake up!"
Then with the last bit I have left, I slam hard, the hardest that I have done.
"Fuck Christian, please wake up."
And all of a sudden, he gaps for air. His eyes flicker open, and he looks at me, confused.
"What happened."
He looks over to the car and gives me a damn cocky smile. I am glad his stupid ass finds it funny right now. Does the damn idiot not understand that he was almost dead.
"Did I do that?"
"You are never driving again, well, at least not when I am in the car."
"I am sorry, princess. Are you all okay?"
He looks at Lucy and Mason that are in each other's arms. I watch as the anger creeps over his face.
"Don't even dare say a word, Christian."
"Damn, I love how bossy you are."
With that, he tries to get on his feet, but he is a bit unsteady on his legs. I force him to sit down as Mason calls for Damian to come and fetch us. Lucky with his crazy driving, it is not far away. And as we all finally calm down, the reason why this all happened comes to the surface again. My heart breaks as Christian starts to fumble at his words.
"Mason, did he say anything about my dad?"
"Sorry, Christian, he did not want to say anything."
With that, I pull him closer to me and begin to wipe the blood from his face. He has a few small cuts where he hit his head against the windscreen. After I finish, I take him deep into my arms and place his head against mine. Then I softly whisper in his ear.
"Everything is going to be okay. Don't give up on hope; please keep strong. If not for yourself, then at least for your father."
"Thank you, princess, not just for saving my life but for being in it. I love you so much."
Then finally, Damian arrives to pick us up. The very first thing he asks him is if his father is okay.
"Damian, if you value your pretty face, you will tell me how my father is."
"Chris, it is bad; I am sorry, man. They shot him three times. One in each kneecap and one in the stomach."
"What does the doctor say?"
"He is refusing to see a doctor."
"For fück sakes! Why not?!"
"Bruce has taken the bullets out and stitched him up. Your father said he is fine, but you can see that it hurts like a bitch."
"Please get us there as fast as you can."
…Christian POV…
Trust my father to say he is fine when he is not. He knows how bad a goddamn shot in the gut is. Does he have a death wish? The minute I set my foot in that door, then I am going to knock him the fück out. I am beyond done with this bunch of grown-ups that are acting like a bunch of kids.
But then it strikes me. Where is my mother? I doubt that she shall know that he has been shot unless she is still in contact with one of the guys, but I highly doubt that. But if she is, then that asshole is going to find his stupid ass with his feet tied to a cement block at the bottom of the docks.
When did everything become such a mess? Oh, wait! Since our parents starting lying to us, they dug their own damn graves that very moment they make that stupid deal to split a turf and put the two most arrogant men in charge of it. But that arrogant man is still my father. And in saying this is Damian is driving backward.
"Can you not go any faster?"
"Christian."
"Yes, princess?"
"We will get there, baby, we will get there."
I don't even know if this is the right time to get excited that she called me baby. Then she wraps her hands over mine and squeezes really hard. The only thing that is right in my life is her. She is the rock that steady me, the one that shows me that the next breath is worth taking. If it were not for her, then I would not be focused, for I would be too busy falling apart.
So it is with much frustration that we finally find our way to my father's home. And as I step through the door, I can sense that it is worse than Damian said. My father's crew and even mine are gathered in the kitchen. This does alarm me; they might just be concerned, but it can also mean something else...my father is dying.
And as I pass through the lounge, I find something more alarming. There are three other Mafia Bosses sitting in the lounge. I ignore their presence and make my way up to my father's room. And as I step through the door, I am shocked by what I see. They failed to mention that my father's face has been cut up pretty bad, too; I do not know the purpose, but I can only imagine that this is something personal between him and Joseph.
When he sees me pull up a chair next to him, he smiles as if there is not a thing wrong with him. But you can see the expression of fear and pain hiding in his eyes. He is not the powerful Foster anymore; he is a man that is scared with every breath he takes. He has no control over what happens with each next second. He seems defeated, but the is something else...regret. He has been brought to his knees, and by the tremble in his voice, he knows he is not getting up.
My father is dying, and the sad reality is, for once, in the most unfortunate situations I will ever find myself in, there is nothing I can do about it. I am helpless; I always thought that even though of our differences, he would have been by my side through my first steps of taking over. We might be sitting at different ends now, but he still is my father. And with every fiber, I try to be strong for us both, but I can't.
"Father, please let me get you help; it is not late yet. Please, I beg you, please let me help you."
"Christian, I have made my peace. The only person I need to make right with is you. You are the only thing I care about. I was more proud of you than you know. You were my reason for me trying to be a father you could look up to, but that I failed miserably at."
"You did not have to prove yourself to me, father. I loved you just the way you are. There is no proving from both of us; all I ever wanted was us to be father and son. I beg you please, please, dad, I can not lose you."
The very minute I call him dad, he burst into tears. I have always respected him and treated him like an idol, but never as what he truly is, and that is my dad. The time had come to let go of the ugly past, for at this moment, we are not guaranteed about the future. As I step aside for a few moments, Lucy goes to stand by his side. Watching this young girl say goodbye to her father breaks me into a fragment even smaller than the pieces I already am.
And as I step back by his side, I say the only words that matter.
"I am sorry, dad. I never meant to hurt you."
"I am sorry, Christian, you are a great man. Do not ever change. And you look after Cassandra, hold onto her, she is a good woman."
"Dad, I will always love you. The past is the past."
With that, we sit in silence for a few moments. I am clenching his hand; I do not want to let go; I am not ready. Not today and not even tomorrow. This is killing me with every breath that I am taking. I am going to miss this man.
And as I watch him open his eyes and smile, he says the words I have always wanted to hear for so long.
"I love you, son."
He sighs in relief, and with one final breath, he closes his eyes and drifts off into an eternal sleep. It takes me but two seconds, and my body crashes to the floor; an incredible pain has consumed me. I am shattered, I am broken, I am dead inside, but most of all, I am lost. And I cry the hardest that I will ever cry, for I have just lost a part of me.
But then I feel the gentle touch of a familiar hand.