I Will Always Love You

Chapter Twelve: Reconciliation

Tori Vega

"I'm here to see Jade West," said a somber voice. I didn't recognize the voice at first, but once I looked up and matched it with the face, it hit me. Mr. West. This was the first time since 'Well Wishes' that I had actually seen her Dad.

Jade had told me all about her father when we were dating. It took awhile, but she opened up to me. She told me how her father used to be this nice, supportive, chipper guy. He even seemed to support her want to become a Hollywood film writer/director, which I found weird. When she told him she was bi-sexual, he was all for it. Apparently, he was nothing like the guy who'd come to Jade's play 'Well Wishes.' When Jade's parents divorced though, everything changed. He seemed to go into a depressive shell, or what Jade liked to say, 'he started wallowing in his shit and fucked up my life.'

"She's in Room 501," replied the nurse at the desk.

"Thank you," he said with a terse nod of his head.

I felt it was my duty to approach him before he went to talk to her. "Hi Mr. West," I said. I plunged out my right hand, "Tori Vega."

He looked down at my hand awkwardly before giving it an unintentional death-grip shake. "Roy West."

"I'm your daughter's girlfriend," I clarified.

A look of utter shock crossed his face. "Oh," was all he could muster up. "I didn't know she was dating anyone, much less a girl."

"Neither does she," I muttered. He looked at me awkwardly, like he wanted to comfort me but didn't know how. He put an uncomfortable hand on my shoulder as an attempt. I gave him a thankful look, but his sympathy was of no help to me.

"Do you know how far back this memory condition goes?" Asked Mr. West.

"Approximately 2 years," I replied.

"So... when did you two start dating?" He asked, clearing his throat. The tension in this conversation could've been cut with a knife.

"Mr. West?" I asked abruptly.

"Yes?"

"Do you love Jade?"

Mr. West looked flabbergasted. It took him a few seconds to answer. "Of course I love her. She's my daughter."

"I love her too," I stated. "I love her so much I just sent her ex-boyfriend, who she was just making out with ten minutes ago, to go into that room and try to comfort her." Mr. West didn't know how to react, and I didn't blame him. What were you supposed to say at that kind of statement? "And I know that when you and Ms. Swift divorced that had a huge impact on your kids. You might have a chance to fix all the mistakes you made in the last two years. So don't blow it."

"I won't," he responded immediately.

"Good. Now I'm going to stop keeping you away from your daughter," I said with a smile. As Mr. West walked away, muttering to him, I called out, "Mr. West!" His head turned. "You are an amazing father." The sincerity in the statement thankfully bled out onto my voice.

A smile slowly crept on his wearisome face. "I'm going to be."

"You are."

Jade West

Seeing my Dad was awesome. I missed him and our quality father-daughter time. I had only been awake for less than a day, but it seemed like weeks. Seeing Beck was amazing until he turned me down, then kissed me, and then told me I lost my virginity to him. Surprisingly once I spoke to Tori I thought that she might be the best part, mostly by default, but it was actually nice talking to someone like her. Now that my Dad had come 'round, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. It was literally impossible.

I snuggled deeper into his shoulder, my head resting there naturally. My neck was starting to cramp, but it didn't matter. "Did you and mom get divorced?"

"Yeah," he replied sadly.

"Did she go back to John?" I wanted to snarl as I said his name, but I said it more exhausted than anything. I already knew the answer, but I needed confirmation.

"Yeah." I sighed. Normally I would care more, start threatening to break both of their bones just for the hell of it, but today had been emotionally exhausting, and I just needed my dad.

"What happened to Geoff?"

"Your mother got custody of him," he said sadly.

Now for the million-dollar question, "What happened to me?"

"I got custody of you." I let out a sigh I didn't even know I was holding. I tilted my head up and stared into his eyes.

"As it should be," I said, snuggling closer. His hand slowly brushed up and down my back, filling me with warm, fluffy, un-Jade-like feelings. We stayed there in content silence for a few minutes before he spoke up once again.

"I made a lot of mistakes in the past two years," he started off.

"I'm sure it was nothing. I forgive you," I responded instantaneously. I could never be mad at my bad. Not even if he murdered someone. That would just be cool.

"No Jade, I need to say this," his voice was all breathy and it sounded like he was going to hyperventilate.

"Relax old man. No need to go into cardiac arrest on me. Just because we're in a hospital does not give you free reign to have a heart attack," I joked.

"I was a terrible father to you for the past two years. I started ignoring you, I plunged myself into my work, I abandoned you, and I stopped supporting you. I did worse, but I'm too embarrassed to say it. I know that you don't remember it, but I do. You were constantly furious with me and I didn't support your dreams to be a movie writer." Is this a joke? This guy he's describing sounds absolutely nothing like my father. "When I almost lost you it made me rethink everything. I'm going to start paying attention to you again, supporting you, spending more time with you and Geoff. I'll come to all your performances. I promise. I'm promising you and myself," he finished with resolve. "If I ever even miss one of your fantastic plays I want you to call me out and punish me the way you see fit."

Tears erupted in my eyes. "I love you Dad," I said, squeezing him tightly. "You're an amazing father. You could never be less."

"I love you too Jade."

Feeling the mood getting far too serious for my taste I added, "But you should miss one of my plays. I'm thinking one hundred push-ups. The last two years are giving you quite the gut," I commented playfully.

He laughed a dark, rich laugh. Unmistakable. Even to the deaf. "I promise that I will never miss more than one of your plays," he chuckled.

"Good."