𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒀𝒐𝒓𝒌 {𝑯.𝑺}

Chapter Seven | Family Reunion

But I held my ground. "Have you been showering him?" I asked Dad, ignoring her question. "He likes that one lotion with shea butter. It's good for his legs. I usually rub him with it in the evening time. And you have to make sure to replace his socks. It keeps him warm-"

"He's fine." Dad pressed, waving me off.

"He only eats the tomato soup that I make. But it's an easy recipe, I can text it over to y-"

"Goddammit, Mia. I said he was fine, didn't I?"

I clamped my mouth shut, counting to ten in order to shove down the anger that he just ignited. "I'm just trying to look out for him. That's all."

"He's 24. He knows how to eat. He knows how to get his ass up and take a shower if he wants." My dad was angry now, fueled with bottles of whiskey and pent up aggression. "You're in the hospital bed with nothing to do but recover. So shut up and take care of yourself for once, alright?"

I knew that he was right. But it didn't stop me from worrying.

Reluctantly, I nodded. "What about you? Have you been eating? There's TV dinners stashed away in the freezer that I bought a while back. In case of...emergencies."

The word caused him to flinch because he knew exactly what I meant by that.

The word 'emergency' was synonymous to something fatal happening to me; in which my dad would have to fend for himself again. I knew that he disliked being so codependent but I didn't mind it all that much. I had become complacent with the fact that I was the caregiver.

He grabbed my hand, sitting down in a chair nearby with a look of pure determination in his eyes. "I want you to listen very carefully, Mia."

I analyzed the way that his hazel eyes hardened, how his forehead held a thin sheen of sweat and the level gaze that he kept with me. He hadn't been this serious is a very long time...

Weakly, I nodded in response, "I'm listening."

He stared at the sheets of my bed for a moment, wrinkles appearing in his forehead as he thought deeply. A few moments passed of that occurring-in which my dad held my hand as he tried to form words into coherent sentences.

Mom was sitting in a chair somewhere in the corner, talking to Nick in hushed whispers. My step-siblings were seated on a couch, too distracted by their phones to have a care in the world.

And Alice was somewhere in the cafeteria, trying to find food that I would be able to tolerate.

It was just my father and I in this moment. The air suddenly became solemn.

"You won't spend another second in your life worrying about anyone but yourself," Dad finally spoke, his voice cracking with emotion.

My eyebrows furrowed. "You guys are my family. It's my job to look after-"

"No!" His voice raised in volume, causing Mom to look over with a raised eyebrow. He cleared his throat, before trying again. "No, Mia. It's not your job to look after us. For a long time we let you because it's who you are. But it's not your job and I'm sorry that we made you feel like it was. Your mother failed you, Aiden failed you, and I most certainly failed you-we shouldn't have allowed you to take on that responsibility." He squeezed my hand. "But when I got the phone call that you had been shot...

"I was hoping that you would survive. These last five days, I've been driving myself crazy. It was too soon for you to die. And I kept think that it wasn't fair that you wasted your life away caring for us; that you risked your life for some stranger before you even experienced what it felt like to be alive."

He clenched his jaw in an attempt to stop himself from crying.

"So you're going to stop saving my ass at work and you're going to stop sacrificing for Aiden. If I'm passed out drunk on the floor, you're going to keep going. You're not going to cancel your plans and nurse me to health. If Aiden decides to stop eating again, you're not going to beg him to try for you. Because this all has to stop. You've got to stop putting us before yourself and starting trying to live, do you understand that?" He was furious now. His words were filled with vehement anger. I couldn't understand if he upset with himself or me. "It's time to live, Mia."

Before I could reply, he stood up to his feet. "I'll be back to visit tomorrow." And then he walked out of the room, leaving me in my own puddle of thoughts.

It wasn't long before Mom decided it was time to leave as well. She made me promise to call her the following morning, forcing her step-children to give me a hug before dragging them out along with Nick.

Right when I was about to take a nap, Alice knocked on my door, holding a tray in her hands.

My shoulders relaxed at the sight of her. "I wish you hadn't left me alone with my family." I grumbled but smiled nonetheless. She was the only person in my life that didn't give me a headache.

"Sorry 'bout that. I got...caught up. I ran into someone." Then she side stepped, displaying a curly-headed English boy that caused me to do a double take. "He said he wanted to see you." Alice added.

I dragged my eyes towards him, heart rate speeding up the moment I met his green eyes.