We peel ass through the city, heading toward the studio. When I get there, Elise struggles to keep up with me as I rush in the front door. “Where’s Derrick?”
“I’m sorry,” the receptionist says, “but Mr. King-”
“Goddamit, I’m Kat!” I yell. “His Kitty Kat!”
The receptionist’s eyes flash in recognition, and without another word, she leads me down a short hallway to a studio, where she knocks on the door. “Derrick? You have a visitor.”
I step into the studio, where Derrick cuts off his most recent monologue mid-sentence. “Excuse me everyone, we’re going to cut to some music. Uh . . . Kat’s here. Wish me luck.”
In another connecting booth, an older, slightly balding man in a suit throws some switches, and Nirvana’s ‘All Apologies’ starts playing.
“Kat,” Derrick says, but before he can say anything more I collapse into his arms, holding him close. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m so sorry too.” I cry, burying my nose in his shirt. He smells a little funky too, and is going on a couple days growth of untrimmed beard for sure. Somehow, those two little details tell me that everything he’s said is the truth.
Derrick holds me close, “Kat, I know I hurt you—”
“No . . . she did,” I reply, looking up at him. “Yeah, I was furious at you last night, but I should’ve trusted that something wasn’t right. It wasn’t like you to do that, but it was hard to trust my heart over my own ears. It brought up old issues and insecurities, and I just fell back into that dark place so fast, but it was so much worse because it was you and I love you so damn much. But I heard you just now, it wasn’t your fault and we were both hurt by her actions. It wasn’t our fault. Where is she?”
“I love you too, Kat. She’s been fired, and both me and the station have retained lawyers,” Derrick says. “Illegal wiretapping, invasion of privacy, I don’t fucking know what you call it but it’s damn sure illegal. She’ll never work in radio again, and might do jail time. Quincy, the station manager, says he’ll back me in whatever I want to do.”
I nod and settle deeper into Derrick’s arms. “Okay, we’ll deal with that. But I’ve got more important things to worry about now that I know it wasn’t you.”
“Like what?” Derrick asks, and I reach up, cupping his face.
“Tell me what happened with your dad,” my eyes imploring here, the concern shining genuinely.
Derrick nods. “He’s gonna be ok, but he had a major heart attack and it was pretty serious for a while last night at the hospital. It was scary.” He shrugs as if even saying he was scared isn’t okay, but it’s obviously the truth. “He’s my dad, and I thought I was gonna lose him.”
I wrap both arms around his waist, hugging him tight. “I’m so sorry, Derrick. I know that must have been terrifying. I’m glad he’s gonna be okay though.”
He smiles a bit, his eyes crinkling at the corners, “I told him about you, by the way.”
The fact that he was thinking about me at all with everything going on with his dad warms my heart. He was lost last night, unaware of the storm raging on the radio and in my heart, but even in his dark moment, he thought to tell his dad about me. “Really?”
He kisses the top of my head, “He can’t wait to meet you.”
He turns to the producer, who gives him a single finger. “One minute, then let’s get out of here.”
I wait as Derrick slides behind the mic, leaning forward and looking at me, his eyes gleaming. As soon as the little red light on his board lights up, he speaks. “Love Whisperer fans, there are times when I don’t know if I’m reaching anyone with my show. But tonight, I know the most important person was listening and I reached her, and she reached right back out to me. So, we’re going to flip the show over to one of our Best of the Love Whisperer shows, because I’m taking the love of my life to see my father. Until next time.”
Derrick tosses the producer a wave as another song starts up. I have to laugh as Smashmouth’s version of I’m A Believer starts playing. As we walk out, I see the receptionist give a little fist pump. “You know all your fans are going to want to find out the details now.”
“They’re going to have to wait,” Derrick says. “Our business is our business.”
“Actually, I was thinking . . . It might do you both some good to get in front of the gossip and address it, maybe do a bit of damage control on air with a special guest . . . chick named Katrina. Might help your reputations, the show and the station. Just a thought.”