Kill My Time || Sequel to Wildflower

Two

"Mr. McCabes." Frank looks up from where he was listening to Zac relay his day meeting Hazel's family to meet Dr. Jensen's eye.

"Is she done?" he asks. Zeppelynn had been taken back to surgery two and a half hours previous, quite possibly some of the longest hours of his life.

"They are waking her up in post-op, she will be drowsy and in quite a bit of pain, but everything went beautifully. Hopefully we can get her talking and get some fluids into her. She should be brought back here in the next twenty minutes. We have no worries at this point about her recovery." Dr. Jensen smiles.

"Thank you." Zac offers when Frank stays silent.

"Right, thank you. For everything you've done for Zeppelynn over the last eight months."

"It has been a joy for me to work with your daughter, let's all hope we can see some big progress as we move forward now that this big moment has come."

"Definitely." Zac nods.

"I'll check back in with you guys once she has been brought back here. But you can stop worrying, she's going to be just fine."

"Thank you." Frank smiles again, letting out a deep breath he wasn't sure he was fully aware he was holding.

"So do you think she's dropped to like 75 pounds without the leg?" Zac chuckles quietly.

"If that." Frank laughs, "She was already so tiny, taking like a fourth of her body weight away..."

"But she has the chance to get better now right? She can become more herself again? She's been so lost for the last while, so not herself. I miss Lynn, the real Lynn, carefree and happy."

"Me too. But yes, she has her best chances after this, and she was very optimistic about the surgery. Hopefully that attitude lasts through rehabilitation too."

"Hopefully. I think being out of pain will help. It sucked to hear her when it would flair, she was just dying all the time with the pain, and there was nothing we could do to stop it."

"I hope it all helps." Frank nods, "And thank you for being here, she will be so glad to wake up to you here too."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Hazel knew I needed to be here for Lynn, but it was the only time her family was going to be around and after being together for six months her mom was insistent on meeting me."

"Zeppelynn understood that too. She isn't mad you went to the lunch."

"Good." Zac sighs before they both fall into a comfortable silence, wasting the time on their phones until the door is opened, Zeppelynn's bed being pushed through the door carefully.

"You've got people waiting for you still." The nurse coos at Zeppelynn.

"Dad." Zeppelynn's voice is slurred heavily as she asks.

"I'm here baby girl." Frank stands, meeting Zeppelynn at the side of her bed as the nurse locks it into place, hanging her IV fluids above the bed.

"She's still pretty out of it, but she will slowly come to. She did wonderful, the operation went perfectly. Just gotta heal up now."

"Thank you." Zac offers, stepping to the edge of Zeppelynn's bed too.

"Zac!" Zeppelynn slurs, giving him what he assumes is supposed to be a grin.

"Hi Lynn." He chuckles, taking her hand in his, "How you feeling?"

"Oh just legless." she giggles.

"She's definitely still Zeppelynn." Frank laughs.

"Chris taught me that word. Means super drunk." Zeppelynn giggles again.