One Night in Santiago/Football Under Flashing Lights (Neymar Jr. Fan Fiction)

90.*

-Katerina POV-

My reflexes worked quickly to catch Anada as she collapsed and Neymar held her up as I tapped her cheek until she regained consciousness. Her eyes fluttered back open and she groaned, closing them again and pinching her nose bridge. My mom, on the other hand, was still frozen at the sight of her dead ex-husband. He stood there in a brown suit and a mask sticking out of the front pocket. He noticed me looking at it and I looked away to avoid his eyes. "Hi, Marina," he said calmly.

"You're supposed to be dead, Sergio" was her reply.

"I'm supposed to be a lot of things but here I am," he said cryptically.

"Serg- this is your-"

"Father, yes," I answered Rafaella's late revelation without taking my eye off of him.

"I thought he was-"

My mother slammed the door shut on him and turned the lock. "Dead? He is," she said.

"Mom, did you just slam the door in his face," I gasped at her.

"Katerina, my husband is upstairs. Yes, I absolutely did. We're not going to speak of this," she whisper yelled at me.

"So, just to clarify, this is an okay secret to keep?" I asked.

"Don't be smart, young lady," she scolded me. The irony of this situation was not lost on me.

"What was that noise, Marina?" Jose asked, jogging down the steps. I wasn't surprised to see him still fully dressed. Working across time zones would do that to you, especially when your step-daughter goes missing. "Katerina, oh my god. We've been worried sick!" he said. "What's wrong with Anada? What happened?"

"All the stress. She was so relieved when we found Katerina, we all were," Neymar answered quickly.

"The most important thing is that you're okay. Everything else can be handled in the morning. You all should get some rest. We can call the Opazo's tomorrow to examine you if you aren't feeling well. You're close with their son, right?" he asked me.

"Yeah, yeah, no need to call Dr. Rob and Dr. Eliana. Oscar already took care of me. All good," I shook my head. "We're going to take Anada upstairs," I said. I asked Neymar with my eyes to help and he scooped her up in his arms and followed me up the stairs as we slipped past him. Rafa was frozen in place until Neymar called her name.

My room was untouched, polished and my bed had fresh bedding. Neymar laid Anada on the bed. I got a wet towel from my bathroom and laid it across her forehead and I heard her groan again. "Can you get her some water? Go all the way down the hallway and use the other stairs to the kitchen," I instructed Rafaella realizing she'd never been here before. What a welcome.

"Kat, I think I'm seeing ghosts," Anada mumbled.

My lips were quivering too much for me to respond. Neymar put his hand on top of mine and it was only then that I realized I was trembling. I saw water drops on his hand and felt my face with my other hand. I swallowed and felt the lump in my throat. "Katerina," he said. "Baby, look at me," he said louder. He grabbed my hands and I tried desperately to focus on the warmth of his. My eyes drifted up his arms to his face and landed on his eyes. "You're crying," he told me, probably knowing I was not at all comprehending what was happening to me, "and that's okay but I need you to breathe while you do it."

His request amused me in the weirdest way and I laughed. His eyebrows pulled together but he repeated, "breathe." I inhaled on command and started to feel the rest of my body after a few breaths. I snapped out of it and blew out a long breath to stop myself from crying.