Love, Dad | Joe Cruz

Chapter 4: Pop The Question

---Later---

Tatiana walks out of her school looking around for any of the three cars that would pick her up. Lily's car sat waiting for her. She hurries to the car.

"Hey, Lily!" She climbs into the back of the car.

"Hey Tots. So things are crazy at the firehouse so you and I get to have a sleepover." Lily smiles. With the flesh-eating bacteria thing and the firefighters being exposed Cruz didn't want Tatia to be exposed to it. He figured it would be best for her to stay with Lily.

"Okay, but can we stop by the firehouse? I want to see Uncle Cruz." Tati says buckling her seat belt.

"Well how about we call him first," Lily suggests handing Tatiana her unlocked phone.

"Okay!" Tatia says before she finds Joe's contact. She clicks on it and listens to it ring. She clicks the speaker just as Cruz answers.

"Hey, Lily."

"Hey Uncle Cruz can me and Lily still stop by the firehouse I want to see you. I heard bout that zombie thing." Tatia says looking out the window.

"Tatiana. There are no zombies."

"Everyone at school said it made people look like zombies though." She says.

"Okay. Tatia I don't want you getting exposed to it so I think it's best if you go straight to Lily's place and then maybe we face time. Okay, I'll show you I'm okay." Cruz tries reasoning.

"Okay fine." She says as she hears the tone go off in the background.

"Okay Kiddo I got to go I will call you as soon as I get back from the call," Cruz says.

"Okay, Uncle Joe." The phone disconnected and she tucked it into the cup holder.

"How about we go get some Mcdonalds or something before we get to my apartment huh?"

"Okay!"

---That Night---

The night was going well so far. After the call, Cruz face timed lily and Tatiana. They stayed on the phone for another hour or two. After the call, Lily set up her couch for Tatia, and then they watched a movie. Tatia was less stressed about the flesh-eating disease or so it seems. It was about three am, the apartment was silent. Both of them were asleep. Tatiana stirs in her sleep tears falling from her eyes. She shuffles on the couch soft whimpers falling through the silence. Her nightmare getting progressively worse.

Tatia walks into the firehouse it was a normal day. She just got off school. She just got a new game for her switch she wanted to play it with Capp. The firehouse was silent as she walked through the halls.

"Uncle Cruz? Capp! Mouch! Chief? Anyone here?" She shouts. She walks into the bunk room. Cruz laid on one of the beds facing away from her. She walks over touching his shoulder. He rolls over revealing how the skin of his face was healing off. A scream leaves her throat as she runs out of the bunk room running into Mouch. "Mouch! Uncle-" She screams again noticing skin healing off of his arms and face.

She jumps awake curling into her knees as she cries. It takes a few minutes before Lily comes running out. She crouches beside the couch.