Light

Chapter 12: Black light

I kept my ear to Dad's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. My hands ached from holding onto his coat collar, but I didn't want to let go. 

"It's been fifteen years," I whispered, afraid that if I spoke too loud he'd get annoyed.

Dad inhaled and his chest rose, moving my head along with it. He held me tighter, and I let the tears seep out of my eyes. If I didn't cry now, I'd never be able to smile again.

"Too long," he replied softly, and lightly stroked my head.

I stared at the receptionist sitting in the glass booth, as she typed away on the keyboard. She looked bored as she handed a file to her colleague, and absent-mindedly twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger.

"I'm scared." I confessed quietly.

"Don't worry, Holly-bear. Everything's gonna be alright." His voice sounded exactly the same as it did on the phone.

"What if this is a dream?" I asked as I buried my face into Dad's coat.

He sighed and rubbed my back gently. I felt so small in his arms, like a child. He still hadn't let me go.

"I'm really here, honey. I came as soon as I heard. It takes four hours to get here from Greece, but I came as quick as I could."

Summoning the strength to break away from the hug, I peeled myself off of Dad. But he still kept his arm around the back of my shoulders. He looked older than the pictures we had, but he was still handsome. In person, Dad didn't look a lot like Joshua. His features were sharper, and more defined than Joshua's. Dad's navy tailored coat and grey trousers only added to his sharpness. He looked liked he'd just left a business meeting, but I didn't see a briefcase. 

Dad held my hands gently, both of them fit into his one hand, and I almost broke down again. He was really here, my Dad. I'd dreamt, hoped and wished for this moment for so many years.

"You got here fifteen years late, Dad." I spoke with an undercurrent of anger, and pulled away from him. Not wanting to hear his reply, I left the waiting room in search of Joshua.

My head felt heavy. I needed to find him and tell him about Dad. Maybe he already knew. As I turned the corner, I saw Kai standing in front of Joshua, who looked like a sulking child. Kai looked pissed off, and his folded arms made his shoulders look even broader. I walked up to them, taking care not to bump into the medical trolleys lined up in the corridor.

"...stopped pretending that you didn't have emotions, you wouldn't make such stupid decisions."

I only caught the end of Kai's statement, but it shook me to the bone. Joshua's eyes narrowed, and he leant forward into Kai's face. I felt a flash of fear as I remembered the last time someone got in Kai's face. He'd better not hurt my brother.

"You have no idea about my life, the struggles I—"

"Everyone's struggling, we're all poor. You think you've got it worse than a kid whose parents spend all their money on alcohol? Imagine working night and day to earn, but it's not enough. You think your life is harder than the guy who can only afford to live in a one-bedroom apartment, shared with five other people? Quit your sob story, and work towards getting a real job. You wanna chase money? Then you'll never stop running, Josh. Chase the right things."

I didn't see Joshua's face as he barged past Kai. He walked away so fast that he was almost running. He didn't even see me standing there. 

I glanced at Kai quizzically, and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Someone's gotta tell him," he said flatly. 

I leant on the wall, and took a deep breath. The clinical smell of disinfectant assaulted my nose and I grimaced. Hospitals were going to be one of my favourite, and least favourite places. It was the place where I might lose my Mum, but where I found my Dad.