I barely registered the journey to the hospital.
I don't remember the roads, the turns, or anything. My eyes were focused on the dashboard of Liam's car, the way the streetlights would occasionally cast a glow onto the surface, before disappearing.
It was weird, but I just kept counting how many times that occurred. I need something to focus on, other than what I knew my mind would drift to if I didn't do that.
Liam didn't say anything. He didn't offer me that fake comfort, that he knew I wouldn't want. I wanted real answers. I just wanted to see my Dad.
As soon as I felt the car stop, I looked up and saw the hospital had come into view. I immediately undid my seatbelt and jumped out the car, not even waiting for Liam.
I sprinted towards the entrance as fast as my legs could take me. I didn't slow down when a parked car was about to pull away or even when I heard Liam yell my name.
When the entrance doors slid opened, I quickly ran into the hospital and went straight towards the reception desk. I could see other uniformed policemen in the hospital but I ignored that and went to the desk.
Before the receptionist could even look up to see my face, I began talking.
"Excuse me. M-my name's Rena. Serena Hastings. My father, Mark Hastings, was brought here. H-he's a cop, he was sh-shot." I managed to get out with my shaky voice.
My eyes were fixed on the receptionist, who was now just looking at me with a blank expression.
"Rena," I heard Liam say my name and a hand on my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze.
"Please," I looked at the receptionist, who still wouldn't give me an answer. "Which room is h-he in?"
Before I could go ballistically mad, because she wasn't telling me anything, I heard a familiar voice call out my name.
"Rena?"
Instantly, I turned around and saw a familiar face.
"Joseph," I said and then ran towards him, instantly wrapping my arms around him and his pulled me into a hug, gently holding me as I clung onto him.
Joseph Adams, is my father's partner. He's was practically like my Dad's brother, since they always had each other's back on the job. To me, Joseph was like an Uncle, who'd spoil me rotten any chance he'd get. Despite his giant-like stature, I always found him adorable.
As soon as he hugged me and kissed the top of my head, I felt a heavy weight on my heard, I missed my Dad's hugs. They always felt like home and I really needed one right now.
"Come this way, love," Joseph said and tugged my arm. "Your father's still in surgery, but your mother is in the waiting room," he told me.
Joseph kept an arm around me securely as we began walking, however, my mind was elsewhere.
The word 'surgery' made the panic settle in once more. I didn't want to believe that it was a bad injury, but that word kept sending my mind down a bottomless pit of anxiety.
Before I could lose myself, Joesph's voice pulled me back out.
"Don't worry love, he'll be fine," he tried to assure me.
He'll be fine. I kept repeating those words in my head, like a chant. I needed to believe it, there was just no other alternative for me.
We walked into a waiting room and immediately I could see my mother.
I saw her sitting down on one of the chairs, her elbows resting on her knees and her head buried into her hands. I just couldn't bare to see her like that. She never seemed to broken before, but now, it was like she was just a gentle touch away from shattering.
It just breaks my heart in a million different ways seeing her like that.
I felt Joseph's arm loosen around me and then I stepped towards her.
"M-Mum?" I called our her name in a shaky breath.
She immediately looked up at the sound of my voice and wiped away her tears, as if she were trying to hide her fear. I could tell she wanted to remain strong for me, no matter how scary it was right now.
Mum then pulled me into an embrace, her arms wrapped around me tightly as if the moment she were to let go, I would disappear in front of her very eyes.
"Oh, sweetheart," she mumbled into my hair and hugged me tighter.
I held onto her, squeezing my eyes shut and letting myself just enjoy the warmth of my mother's embrace for a moment longer. The warmth that made everything bad just go away, like magic.
However, I knew that this situation wouldn't just go away.
We pulled away from each other, but Mum held my hand, making sure I was near her.
"How's Dad?" I asked.
"Nothing yet, baby. He's still in surgery," Mum said, sniffling in between her words.
"What-...what happened?" I questioned.
There were so many different scenarios that had been running through my head from the moment that I had received the news. They were all worst than the last, and I hoped none of them were true.
"Joseph," Mum looked towards him, as did I, and he nodded.
"Some punks were all doped up and decided to go and break into another house near your neighbourhood. Mark and I were the closest, so we got there first. We called for back-up, but they were going to be a few minutes. There were four of them and we weren't too sure what they were on. However, Mark, being his usual self, decided he wanted to handle this as peacefully as possible. He decided to talk to them and tried to calm them down. We didn't expect one of them to have a gun. When Mark tried to step forward and handle the situation, the boy got spooked and accidentally fired the shot."
I felt anger bubble up within my entire being.
My Dad was currently lying on a surgery table, because someone else had made the choice to get high and break into someone else's home?
I always knew my Dad's job is dangerous. I mean he's a police officer. His job description is basically to go after the bad guys. But in eighteen years, not once have I had to worry about his safety. Not once was I scared I wasn't going to see my Dad again. Never. And now, I'm feeling all kinds of fear, worry and scared because of an idiotic situation that my Dad just wanted to handle calmly?
He's always been the kind of person to try and handle things calmly. He didn't have a bad bone in his body. Whilst others may even try to use force to get the job done, my Dad would never, and was never afraid to speak out against something wrong like that.
He was one of the good ones. I don't want to lose him because he tried to help.
Dad wasn't even supposed to be working tonight, since it was my graduation, but he went in anyway. They needed someone and he offered to work the night. If only he didn't.
"I'm so sorry, Zara." Joseph then sighed.
Mum shook her head. "No, it's not your fault Joseph." She then took a deep breath. "I-I just need him to be okay," she said, but it came out more like a prayer.
"He will be, Zara. Don't you worry about that," Joseph assured her and I held my hope with his words.
***
Hours passed by and we were all still in the waiting room, hoping for some positive news.
I stood against the wall, just waiting for someone to come tell us that my Dad is okay, that he's fine, that nothing is wrong. Yet so far, I'm left disappointed.
We were all unsure on how to act right now. Joseph was currently pacing around the room. If he was sitting, he would be fidgeting about in his seat uncomfortably, as if something in the seat was bothering him. If he was on his feet, he'd be pacing and wearing out the floor.
Mum sat silently on one of the chairs. She clutched onto the coffee cup in her hands and just stared into oblivion. She didn't say anything, I could just tell all her thoughts were about Dad.
Liam just stood next to me. He carried on to wait with us here and informed out friends that there was an emergency, which is why we had to leave the party in such a haste. He didn't mention the specifics.
His parents had also arrived at the hospital. As soon as they came, they were trying to assure as and tried to make sure we stayed positive and hopeful.
Finally, another voice broke through the silence.
"Hastings family?" A Doctor asked.
"Yes," Mum replied, her voice full of hope.
"He's out of surgery," the Doctor said and we all breathed in relief at those words. "The bullet hit the right side of his chest, just below his shoulder. It was a tricky surgery, but we managed to get the bullet out of his system before any real damage was done. He's very lucky nothing vital was hit. He'll be okay."
He'll be okay.
Those words were like a breath of fresh air in a room that was suffocating not so long ago.
"Oh thank goodness," Emma said, her hands folded towards her chest.
"C-can we see him?" Mum then asked.
"He's still unconscious from the surgery, but he'll be awake soon. One of our nurses will come get you when he's ready for visitors," the Doctor told us.
"Thank you so much," Mum said, truly looking grateful.
"It's alright," the Doctor smiled. "He's a brave man," he said and then left us to finally breathe.
I watched as Mum hugged Emma in pure joy and Mr Hunter and Joseph also did the same.
After finally hearing that my Dad would be okay, I dropped down into one of the seats, clutching onto the edge of it tightly.
"He's okay," I managed to say, the only two words that I have said out loud in hours.
I felt Liam take a seat beside me and placed his hand over one of mine, gently squeezing it, which made me loosen my grip on the seat.
***
Not long after, a nurse came into the waiting room and lead Mum and I into one of the rooms to see my Dad.
As soon as I walked in, the sight in front of me was one that I don't think I'll ever forget.
Dad was laying on the hospital bed, wearing one of those awful hospital gowns. His had drips attached to him, along with some other wired too. He was hooked up to a heart monitor and I could see his steady heartbeat on the small screen.
He looked so pale, I felt my face lose all its' colour too.
I had never seen my Dad like this, so weak and vulnerable. Even when he had that bad case of food poisoning, there was still colour on his cheeks and life in his eyes. But right now, he looked so different.
"Mark," Mum called out his name in the softest tone, as she took a seat beside him, holding his hand in hers.
I stood a little further away from the bed, scared if I came any closer, I may do something to the wires and all hell will break loose.
Dad let out a slightly grumble as his eyes began to flutter open. I could see his grip tighten on Mum's hand.
The finally he blinked his eyes a few time and turned his head slightly towards us.
"Hey, baby," he said, when he eyes landed on Mum.
"Mark," Mum said his name and began crying, bringing bringing his hand up towards her lips and placing kissing on the back of it, but still careful of the wires.
"Oh, honey. I'm okay. I'm fine," Dad tried to reassure her, but this only seemed to make her tears fall more.
"Ah, shit. Come on. Don't do that, Zara. You know I hate to see you cry," he told her.
"Don't you dare tell me not to cry, Mark Hastings. You're terrible. You do this and tell me not to cry. Am I supposed to smile or laugh seeing you like this? You took twenty years off of my life with this stunt. I can't believe you," Mum then rambled.
I stood there a little shocked, not expecting this reaction from her in the slightest.
Instead of saying anything, Dad somehow took his hand out of Mum's death grip and wiped her tears gently, placing a hand on the side of her face.
"That's better," he smiled and that caused seemed to have caused Mum's lips to turn upwards too.
Mum stood up from her seat and placed a kiss on his forehead, clearly trying not to touch any of the wires, before sitting back down again.
"You know, Serena, I could use a hug from you too," Dad then said, looking at me.
I took a few hesitant steps towards him and gently bent down to give him a hug. I felt so grateful for this moment. Grateful that I could have this moment.
Dad placed his hand on top of my head, stroking my hair. "I love you, Rena. My brave little warrior," he said.
"Love you too, Dad," I told him, before moving away.
There was knock on the door to the room and I saw Joseph peek his head through, before he walked in, along with Liam, Emma and Mr Hunter.
"Ah, I knew it. You weren't going to leave me that easily," Joseph exclaimed.
"Ha, you think a bullet was going to take me down? It's not going be that easy," Dad replied, to which Mum smack his shoulder - the good shoulder.
As they continued with their jokes, with Emma and Mr Hunter saying how happy they were that Dad was okay, I quietly slipped out of the room. I just needed a moment.
I walked out of the hospital and saw a small bench in front of the building. Walking towards it, I took a seat.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
My head was filled with awful thoughts that I didn't want to think about ever again. I was so close to losing half my family in a split-second. The weight of that realisation sat heavily on my chest, and I felt a warm tear run down my face.
Ever since Mum told me about Dad getting shot, I haven't actually shed a tear. I couldn't. I felt that if I even shed one tear, all of this would become too real, my nightmare would become real.
If I shed one tear in that waiting room, then I would've had to cope with the fact that my Dad could be dying on that surgery table and this feeling of helplessness would've eaten me alive.
Moments ago, I felt like I was about to lose him.
Now I cry in relief, that he's okay. I cry in happiness, that he's going to come back home. I cry in anger, that some idiots nearly cost me my Dad. I cry because I'm scared.
I cried out all my emotions, everything that was building up within me, in that waiting room.
When I felt someone take a seat beside me, I glanced to the side and saw Liam.
He smiled at me and then pulled me close. One of his hands was around my back, resting on my shoulder, the other, cupped my head as he gently pulled me into his chest, his chin resting on my head.
"Let it out," he said, and that's all it took for me burst into tears.
I never liked it when someone else saw me cry, but right now I don't care, I just needed to let it out.
Clutching onto his arm tightly, as I sobbed into his chest, feeling overcome with emotions. This had been the worst night of my life and now that it was finally over, I couldn't help but break down.
Liam held onto me securely. He didn't say a word, but just let me cry away all the fear that I'd held all night.
We stayed on this bench, even as the night began to slowly pass and the sunlight creeped up.
Because like Dad says...
The sun always rises even after the darkest of nights.