Chapter 22

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Sabrina sang. Emma groaned as she opened her eyes and was assaulted by sunlight. Pain throbbed behind her eyes, and each movement brought on a new wave of nausea.

​ “Ugh, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus,” Emma remarked.

​ “You look like it,” Sabrina teased. “Here, I’ve got you a nice greasy breakfast, a tall glass of water, and some Tylenol.”

​ “You’re an angel,” Emma said. She began by guzzling down the water and attacked her breakfast. Sabrina laughed.

​ “Hungry?”

​ “Starving,” Emma replied through mouthfuls of food. After she ate her food, and tossing back the medicine, she began to feel more like herself. “Thank you.”

​ “You’re welcome,” Sabrina smiled. After a few moments, her demeanor changed and she stiffened up a bit. She looked at Emma with concerned eyes. “So last night was wild, huh?”

​ “I…” Emma didn’t know what to say. She had lied to both Sabrina and Jess so much. *And for what?* She scolded herself. *None of it was worth it.* “Listen. Some stuff happened, but the bottom line is that I’m okay. Can that be enough for now?” Sabrina frowned, but her eyes were soft.

​ “Sure. For now.”

​ “Thanks.”

​ “So, what are you going to do today?”

​ “I don’t have classes or any work shifts today. I’m going to go to the hospital and check in on my dad. See if I can get any updates on his progress.”

​ “Want a ride?”

​ “No,” Emma remarked. “No, I’d kind of just like to wander today.”

​ “I get that. I left some clothes for you in the bathroom. Take your time.”

​ After Emma got up and dressed, she thanked her friend and went off to see her father. She knew it would have been better to take Sabrina up on that ride offer, but she really needed to think. There was a real possibility that Will fired the private nurse that was caring for her father. Now that she had broken things off with him, and essentially breached their contract, there was no reason for him to provide any help to her. Emma kept trying to remind herself that it was for the best that she separated herself from Will. But she couldn’t help feeling a sort of emptiness inside.

​ When she arrived at the hospital, she went straight to her father’s room. One of his doctors was coming out, and was delighted to see her.

​ “Good morning, Miss Wells.”

​ “Good morning, Dr. Hastings,” she greeted. “Any news?”

​ “Well yes. Your father has woken up.”

​ “Has he?” Emma squealed with glee. It was the best news she’d received in a long time. Whatever she had gone through didn’t matter at that moment. “That’s great! Let me go in and see him right now!”

​ “Please wait for a moment. There is some bad news as well. He is awake, but the road to recovery will be long and hard. He is currently in a partial vegetative state. He can’t move all that well, and he can’t really speak. It also seems there is some memory loss. At this time, we don’t know if it’s from the accident or if there is some degenerative dementia. He will need strenuous amounts of both speech therapy and physical therapy. And he will also suffer some withdrawal symptoms because of his excessive alcohol abuse.”

​ The words swirled around Emma mind like menacing storm clouds. She felt as though all the air had left her body. For a moment, she wanted to shut down and disengage from the world. Her father had been a shell of himself before. But now, there wasn’t much of him left at all. As much as she wanted to give up and cry, she knew she couldn’t. She had to be stronger. She proved she could be last night when she decided to break it off with Will.

​ “I understand,” Emma said. “Thank you, Doctor. When will he be discharged?”

​ “As soon as we know where he will be discharged to, and who will be caring for him, I can start the process.”

​ “Yes sir. I will let you know as soon as possible.” The wheels in Emma’s head began turning. She’d have to figure out where to bring him. She couldn’t bring him to the dorms, and there was no way Jane would care for him. The only solution she could think of was moving them to an apartment. She was positive she wouldn’t have any extra help. It would all fall to her.

​ “Daddy?” Emma called out when she entered the room. She could see that her father’s eyes were open, but he couldn’t move his head to look for her. She ran up to his bedside and took his hand. “Daddy! I’m so glad! I knew you’d wake up! I just knew it!”

​ A small smile graced his face, and Emma couldn’t help but cry.

​ “I’m sorry I haven’t been a good daughter. I’m going to take better care of you. I won’t let anyone hurt us or take advantage us ever again. Things will be better, I promise. First, I will find a more suitable place to live. We can’t go back to the house.”

​ Emma was surprised to find that her words had distressed her father. His eyes grew wide. His mouth opened and he made an effort to speak. At first it was just puffs of air, but then his voice came, rough and pained.

​ “Ho…Ho…Home,” he rattled. Emma was stunned.

​ “Daddy,” she whined.

​ “Home,” he rasped. “Home.”

​ Tears welled up in his eyes and Emma felt her heart break. Her father wanted to go home, to the very last place that she wanted to go. She had left one toxic relationship, and now had to return to another.

​ “But why?” she pleaded with him.

​ “Home,” he croaked. “Pl…Please.” His eyes implored her, and she could not deny him.

​ “Okay, Daddy. We’ll go home.”

​ Arrangements were made, and her father was formally discharged from the hospital. The doctors urged that Mr. Wells should have gone to a rehabilitation facility, but Emma told them her father wanted to go home.

​ “I told them I’m taking you home. I’m going to find a nurse to help us.”

​ Emma felt hollow. She sank into a chair in the hallway and let her head fall into her hands. The reality of her situation hadn’t set in. Returning to that house was one of her worst nightmares. But how could she deny him the one thing he wanted?

​ “Miss Emma,” someone called to her. She looked up and the nurse from the agency Will hired. Emma was surprised to see her. “I heard Mr. Wells has been discharged.”

​ “Yes,” Emma answered in shock. “I’m sorry, how did you find out?”

​ “The agency is listed in your father’s chart as second contact. We are to be updated about your father’s condition at all times. After you, of course.”

​ Emma was stunned.

​ “He hasn’t been taken out of your care?”

​ “Heavens no, my dear,” the nurse came towards Emma and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We are dedicated to care for him and assist as needed. We understand the toll this can have on patients and their families and just want to ease that burden off of both of you. How about we get him home?”

​ Emma felt a lump from in her throat, and her heart swelled with warmth.

​ “Yes, thank you. May I have your name?”

​ “Yes, dear. My name is Gina. Gina Carlisle. Please just call me Gina.”

​ “Thank you, Gina.” Gina was an older woman with a sweet face. She looked like a friend’s mom, the kind that baked amazing apple pies.

​ With Gina’s help, Emma was able to get her father out of the bed and into a cab. Gina said she would be there later in the week to check on how they were settling in, and establish a schedule.

​ As they rode home, Emma couldn’t help but think about Will. She was horrible to him, and then broke with him and he didn’t retaliate like she thought he would. He hadn’t sued her father for damages, hadn’t revoked the payments for the medical bills, and hadn’t fired the care agency. There was good in him, and this proved it. Why was he so cold then? He was so callous and cruel, but then he did things like this. There had to be a reason. But she’d never know. She was certain she’d never see him again.

​ The cab driver assisted Emma with getting her father out of the car and into his wheelchair. She thanked him, and wheeled her father towards the house. As she got closer, she could see Jane out front gossiping with the neighbor. Emma felt bile rise in her throat at the sight of that woman. This would not go well.

​ “What are you two doing here?” Jane asked in a panicked voice. “Are there any debt collectors coming? I’m not paying a dime, you hear me?” Emma rolled her eyes.

​ “Daddy was discharged from the hospital and he wanted to come home.”

​ Jane took a look at him, and narrowed her eyes.

​ “Like that? No. I won’t allow it.”

​ “Have you forgotten this is his home? He’s going in whether you like it or not,” Emma argued.

​ “Fine! But you better move back in to care for him. I will not be doing anything like that. Bathing him? Feeding him? No. You understand? You’re going to deal with that, and you better not expect any help from me or Anna!”

​ Jane was the ugliest person Emma had ever known. Inside and out. There was something rotten in her soul. Emma wouldn’t leave her father at the hands of that demon.

​ “Yeah, I figured. I’ll be coming back. Now let us in.”

​ Jane moved away and let Emma roll her father inside. She wheeled him to his room, and got him in bed. He looked at her, his eyes trying to convey all the words he couldn’t say. Tears flowed freely down Emma’s face, and she fell to her knees at his bedside.

​ “Daddy, I don’t know why you wanted to come back here. This place is horrible,” she cried.

​ “Home,” he whispered. Emma buried her face in her hands and sobbed. This house hadn’t been a home to her for a long time. And the man in that bed was so different from the one she loved. He would sing to her when she felt sad. He would tuck her in at night, kiss her forehead and tell her she never needed to be scared. He would fight all the monsters away. There was a time she believed in him. He was her hero once. Now he couldn’t save her anymore. He couldn’t even care for himself. The father she knew died when her mother did. After they lost her, he was someone else.

​ She needed her father back.

​ “It’s like I lost you both,” Emma cried. “What happened to you? Please come back. I need my Daddy back.”