𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 | ✓

53

My head pounds and it's as if my eyelids have been glued together. I flex my fingers but the back of my right hand gives off an odd feeling. As though something is taped to it.

The mattress beneath me is not soft... not mine. The scent of antiseptics rubs in the back of my throat.

My heart hammers in my chest. Hospital. The accident. Everything comes crashing down.

The phone call.

My eyes fly open and I frantically take in my surrounding. The harsh white light, the ridiculous white walls.

"You're up," Wright's voice startles me.

I sit upright, thoughts racing in my head too fast for me to voice out anything. My mouth stays agape as he stands and walks over to me.

"You shouldn't move much," he adds. With a sharp inhale, he pushes his glasses up his nose. "Your family should be here any time now."

"The phone call?" my voice breaks as I ask. Please say it was just a bad dream. I hold my breath waiting for his answer. "It d-didn't happen, right? J-just a bad dream?" Tears well up in my eyes.

His gaze locks on me, the grimness makes me choke on my breath. I shake my head. His shoulders curl inwards. "I wish I could say it didn't happen," he softly says and drops his gaze to the floor.

I shake my head as hot tears trickle down my cheeks. "No," I cry, pressing the heel of my hand to my forehead, trying hard to hold back my tears. The IV stuck to my hand gets pulled back slightly, but I can't care less about it.

"This- Why? I..." words fail me again as the lump in my throat grows. Aimlessly my eyes search the room, looking for something and yet not knowing what. "No," whimper. "Why?" My voice breaks as I desperately struggle to stay put.

He pulls me into a hug and once I'm in the safety of his arms, surrounded by his calming cologne scent, I let the pain take over me and I weep, holding onto him tightly like my life depends on it.

I sob and snivel, my brain refusing to grasp the context. Dead. My father is dead.

Nothing makes sense. I talked to him less than twenty-four hours ago...the thought only makes me cry harder.

He's no more.

Slowly the phrase settles inside me. I won't get to see him ever again. I won't hear his voice. He won't ever be here for me. I've lost him. Forever.

"Why?" I choke out into Wright's shirt, as the tears keep streaming down my face. He runs soothing circles on my back as I lay my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and trying to calm myself down.

"I-I still need him... I-I just... I ca- I don't want to lose him." I sob.

"I know," he murmurs, holding me tighter.

As my sobbing subsides, I wipe the remaining tears on my cheeks with the back of my hand. The sense of being so close to him feels too good to just let go, so I stay in his embrace, letting my mind slowly go blank and numb.

I focus on the warmth of his hand, gliding up and down my back. For a brief moment, I close my eyes and inhale deeply, filling my senses with his musky scent. I still can't believe today is real. Truth is, I don't want it to be. I didn't even get to tell Dad I have eight percent of Nathan's shares under my name.

If the solution gets published, he won't be there to see it. I won't see how he'll react, how pride will gleam in his eyes.

I won't ever see him again.