Diner Girl! (IN THE PROCESS OF EDITING!)

Chapter Twelve: As Time Passes

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Chapter Twelve: As Time Passes

Chance. I remembered that word as time passed, and the meaning it held. Sometimes it liked me and sometimes it despised me. At times it'd support me, letting me have my time in the limelight with Larry and Karl, but others times it would choose to strike me with a zap of thunder, putting my father in Hospital and aiming to tear best friends apart - I wouldn't let it though. Me and Aaron were best friends forever, and I was not going to jeopardise that. I'd have no idea how to cope without him. Sometimes it's almost like he's my other half.

Anyway, as the days passed everything remained the same. My father was still clueless as to who most of our relations were and I was still trying to build up our relationship. But it was difficult trying to explain everything to him- 1. Because I didn't know where to begin and 2. Because it was practically heartbreaking- tearing me and my father apart, piece by piece.

It was this one morning I was in the ward, sitting opposite my father on an uncomfortable plastic chair and holding up photographs that he'd hopefully identify, but we'd had no luck.

"Do you recognise this man?" I asked, holding up a photograph, easily identifiable for anyone who knew him.

He shook his head, gritting his teeth in annoyance and aggravation.

"It's OK Dad," I put my hand over his reassuringly and let out a false smile, "This is Uncle Rob- he's also mums brother. He lives by the lake in Somerset Valley and-"

That was when I heard the curtain fly open and the scuffles of footsteps filled my ears. I turned in my own time, ready to see what demons awaited me, what was going to try and defeat me this time.

But to my surprise, it was Aaron and the man I'd met before, the one on the business card. I'd only just remembered he was supposedly called 'Chase Copperton' and for a moment, relief spread through my bones, supporting me. But then I realised, he wanted to have that discussion with me. About my father. It wasn't all bad - it would help me, surely. But the only sign of hesitance I had was when I realised that this would be unbearable - facing this directly. But hadn't I been doing that already? My mind was lost in a daze of confusion.

Aaron smiled, pointing towards me- not rudely though, as if waiting to introduce me.

"Chase, as you probably know from my endless discussions about her, this is Lola and her father, Mark Haster."

Chase smiled, saluting my father and shaking my hand earnestly. "It's nice to eventually meet you both. I've heard so much about you."

And that was it. Our first... Well, second meeting. It wasn't anything perfect - although he seemed like a nice, genuine man I still felt a little patronised as though he looked down on me in pride of himself, and empathy of me.

Anyway, we didn't have that discussion about my father, well not instantly anyway. Instead he just kept on the down low whilst my father slowly recovered and whilst I grew stronger. Aaron helped me through as the days passed, then the weeks and then it had been over a month. This was around the time me and Chase had that long-winded discussion about his health, and the ways in which he could help me and my father.

My father had almost fully recovered when me and Aaron sat down to speak to him about his options, with consent from the nurse. He said he was feeling a whole world better and that he was ready to discharge himself. Even though he was still suffering from Letarchamonia and would be for a long duration of his life, I'd helped him remember relatives names, occupations and details whilst also reminding him he could regain any lost memories.

So then we were packed up, all ready to leave. We'd packed Dads things in a mini suitcase and me and Aaron gathered our belongings. As quick as it seemed, the nurses said goodbye to him, even nurses he'd seemed to becoming close with. And then we pulled the curtain open to stroll from the ward when, we saw him. Larry - standing, and watching me, Aaron and my father. Looking shocked, worried, a little frustrated and impatient at the same time.

I was as baffled as him, surprised by his reappearance and completely unsure to what would happen next.

Crap.