by Simone Elise
The club had access to the prescription database, with doctors’ and specialists’ real details. Paying real doctors off to say they write the prescriptions is easier than faking doctors’ details altogether.
I had fetched the medical aid kit from under his cabinet; it was the emergency one.
“Now sit down, Dad, and I’m going to tell you all the things your body does when you sleep.”
“I should have headed to the hospital, at least then I would have avoided the lecture.” He was giving me a smile, though, as if I could say whatever I wanted. He didn’t care, as long as I was talking to him.
I started to list off what happens when your body enters the first stage of sleep. I was doing it to give him a lecture and reality check, but mainly to make sure he knew never to do this again to his body.
***
It didn’t take me long to dress and clean Dad’s arm. I had given him a prescription that he needed to get from the pharmacy. He said he was going to be a walking drug chart if he took it all. I was now reminding him how much healthier it was to be a walking drug chart than an infected junkie.
The knock on Dad’s open study door got our attention.
I swallowed sharply at seeing him.
“I’m off, Reaper.” Brad’s words were empty, his normal tone that he spoke to Dad with wasn’t there. “Night.”
He didn’t even glance at me.
“Can you get Roach to head over?” Dad spoke up just as Brad went to turn and leave.
“Why?”
Dad got up. “Need to head to the chemist. Don’t want the girls here by themselves; Tyson’s been drinking too heavy tonight to be left in charge.”
“You aren’t riding, are you, Dad?” I didn’t want him in charge of any moving vehicle.
“After the lecture you just gave me, Hannah, I’m surprised my brain is even able to put two words together.” That was his way of telling me he had listened to what I’d said. Dad’s attention went back to Brad. “Don’t worry about it, Brad. I can go get him. Know all too well what he’s like being woken up.”
I looked at Brad. Was this fate giving me chance with him? Was this the universe putting Brad back in my path?
His eyes were on Dad. “I can do it, Reaper.”
“Nah, brother, it’s all good. I know Roach is actually a rather good shot when woken abruptly.”
“No, I meant I can stay and look after the girls.” Brad reworded what he was getting at. “Eve’s already gone to bed. Tyson is with Layla on the couch. Cyrus and Meg left with Alfie when the game ended.”
“Right.” Dad looked unsure, like he really didn’t want to put Brad out. I sort of felt the same; I didn’t want Brad staying here because he felt like he had to.
Him being forced to babysit me—could it get worse?
“Well, I’m going to watch the midnight classics.” I got up. “You can come, Brad, if you want. Otherwise Granddad is really into black and whites.” I acted like it wasn’t a huge deal if he didn’t stay. And really it wasn’t. I knew that the love he said he felt for me was temporary—it was out of shock. “After all, they came out when he was born.” I gave him the easy option—leave or don’t. Simple, really.
Brad leaned against the study door. “Had to watch the classic horror scream session by myself last weekend.”
I scoffed. “As if you willingly watched TV without me forcing you.” I walked toward him.
“It’s our tradition, how could I skip?”
“Okay, if you watched it then what was the feature scream film for the year?”
“It.”
“You just guessed that.”
“Hear that, Reaper? Your daughter is accusing me of lying.”
“Because you are.” I pushed him on the shoulder as I walked out. “Don’t drag my Dad to your defense. So, you up for it, Brad?”
I was silently holding my breath as I walked out into the foyer, with Brad and Dad behind me. If Brad said yes that meant he was going to hear me out. If not, it just confirmed what I had thought to begin with. Him and I were a fling. Temporary.
But even if he did say yes, it was just a good chance to clear the air and release the tension between us.
“Guess I’m here for the night, Reaper, unless you want me to give you a lift to the chemist?” Brad said and his words got me excited and nervous at the same time.
Just as if my luck couldn’t get better, Mum walked up the hall. I took the opportunity quickly.
“Mum, Dad isn’t allowed to drive or ride. He has also been self-medicating, so can you make sure he gets what I printed on the script and takes it correctly.” I didn’t tell Mum that Dad had been taking drugs to stay awake but she wasn’t stupid—she knew it wasn’t normal or acceptable to be awake the lengths of time Dad had been.
But then again, she may have not known he wasn’t sleeping altogether.
Mum’s eyes went from the script to Dad; her lips twitching up somewhat evilly. “I don’t know about this sleeper, Kade. Really don’t think you’ll need it when I’m through with you.”
“Ew!” I did not need to hear that. “Dad needs rest, Mum. Just because he isn’t sleeping on the couch tonight doesn’t mean you can go on some crazy sex bender!”
There is a reason why Mum and Dad’s room is on the top floor. To know your parents had a very active sex life was way too much information for any child. Us kids always refused to go to the third level—Mum and Dad’s level.
My phone started buzzing in my pocket and I pulled it out, seeing my doctor’s number. Shit. “Um, I just need to take this for a minute.” I was quick to walk away from them, though I felt Brad’s eyes on me as I walked up the hall answering the phone. “Hannah speaking.” I glanced around, making sure no one was around or could overhear.
My heart sunk when she said she had to see me tomorrow. I swallowed sharply. I knew it wasn’t good to be called in. I hung up, staring at my phone for a minute. I couldn’t believe I was going to get bad news on my birthday.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hannah
If only I had thought this through better. Maybe if I had, I wouldn’t be so interested in trying to find the television remote while Brad stood awkwardly in the doorway, watching me.
God, what was I thinking, offering for him to stay? This would be the last place he would want to be. It wouldn’t even be going too far to say I was also the last person he would want to be with tonight.
The feeling slowly swirled through my blood when I remembered that I was that girl. The girl that forced the guy to be with her for another night. I wanted to scoff. Screw that. I wasn’t just forcing him to be here—my Dad was and on top of that, it was looked at as ‘babysitting’ me.
“I think I’m going to have an early night.” I finally threw the last pillow off the bed, giving up on finding the remote altogether. Clearly it was a sign. A sign that I shouldn’t be forcing Brad to stay here with me.
I couldn’t look up. I couldn’t even glance at him, I was that embarrassed.
Still, I could feel he was still in the room; well, barely in the room—he was standing in the doorway.
“Okay.”
And just that one word confirmed what I was thinking. He was here because I was forcing him.
“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” he added, his voice cold and distance. My heart was beating but I swore it stopped a minute ago when he confirmed that he didn’t want to stay. Why had he even pretended to want to in front of Dad?
I actually thought that he had missed me. I knew it was too true for him to be saying he loved me; I knew deep down, it wouldn’t last.
My bedroom door closed quietly and I had to admit it wasn’t just the door on my bedroom being shut—it was also the door on our relationship; fuck, it wasn’t even a relationship.
I wasn’t going to lie and say I hadn’t pictured tonight going differently but reality was quick to wash over me.
Wha
t’s the point of love, if the person you love is incapable of loving you back? How the fuck is that fair?
I wiped the tear off my cheek. Why the hell did it have to hurt this much, especially when I already knew it was a possibility?
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I automatically pulled it out. Seeing as I had been ignoring my phone most of the time, I guess it felt rather odd to look at it. But it could be Dad, confused on what he was getting.
But it wasn’t Dad.
Tatz’s name was across my screen. Why would he message me?
Happy birthday
I read those two words over again. Tatz had seriously waited till midnight to send me a happy birthday message? Why would he do that? I was stunned because he had spelled the words correctly and he was always talking to me how he struggled with spelling. Clearly he had been lying.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Should I write back?
Then it started to ring.
Brad
Just go back in. Just go fucking back in. My hand went to her doorknob. Fuck I was stupid. She gave me the perfect opportunity to tell her how I was feeling and instead of being a man and telling her the way it was, I was a coward and left. I made it halfway down the stairs till I was forced to come back up.
Reality had slapped me, reminding me that I was a fucking dickhead.
I went to knock on her door until I heard her phone, causing my closed fist to pause. Who would be calling her at this time of night?
“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again.” Hannah’s voice was low and if I could put a pin on it, I would say she had been crying.
I left a few minutes ago, so what on earth would cause her to be crying in that space of time?
Fuck, I’m an idiot. The answer was obvious.
“I don’t understand, Doctor Murray, I’m coming in tomorrow as it is.” Hannah’s voice echoed with sadness, the type of sadness you would hear in someone’s voice after they lost someone they loved.
I knew it was wrong. I knew I shouldn’t stay here. But I did. Instead of backing away and giving her privacy, I listened harder.
“I don’t care.”
Silence.
“I’m not coming in tonight. I don’t even know if I will tomorrow.”
Where was she meant to be going?
Hannah scoffed. “I have cancer already, Doctor Murray. I don’t see it getting any worse than that.”
Cold blanketing, straggling, excruciating emotion captured my body. Hannah had cancer? As soon as that thought drifted through my head, I forced the door open, barging in. I could blame it on the sudden hit of adrenaline, but the reality was I opened that door not believing what I had heard. But as soon as her head flung around, her eyes landing on me, I knew the answer.
