Somebody That I Used To Know

Lily

Tom sits on the couch under the window, anxiously awaiting for Molly to bring Lily.

It'd been three weeks since he'd seen her, he couldn't wait.

The door opens, and Lily’s face lights up in a wide smile. “Daddy!” she exclaims and runs over to the couch.

“Careful, careful,” Molly recites.

“Come here you,” Tom holds Lily in his arms, pressing her head tightly against his chest. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too. Are you feeling better?”

“Well, a lot now that you’re here. Mummy said that you could stay all day if you’d like.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

Lily holds tightly onto Tom, burying her head in his sweater. “I’m here, darling, I’m right here.”

Lily looks up and pulls on the front of Tom’s shirt, revealing the almost patch-like monitor.

“What’s that?”

“This? It’s just to make sure that everything is running smoothly. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Why is it there?”

“Did Mummy tell you about why you haven’t seen me for a couple of weeks?”

“Yeah. She said you have a bad heart. What if I give you mine? Will that make yours better?”

“Darling,” Tom chuckles. “You need your heart. You can’t give me yours.”

“But yours is faulty.”

“It’s alright now. There’s nothing to worry about with this.”

“Good. I don’t want it to get more broken.”

“It won’t, don’t worry.”

“Oh, Daddy?” Lily asks.

“Yes, Lils?”

“You’re coming to my birthday party, right?”

Tom looks up at Molly and mouths, “Party?”

“It’s next week,” Molly says. “On Saturday.”

“It is? It’s because her birthday is… next-”

“It’s tomorrow!” Lily smiles.

“Tomorrow, yes, darling.”

“Did you forget?”

“No, of course not. I was going to say next day, but that’s impractical compared to tomorrow.”

“I’m gonna be six.”

“I know, love. I remember the day you were born.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Tom looks up at Molly again, and she slightly bites her lip. There was no way he’d be out by tomorrow.

“Mols?”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t… why don’t you take Lily to Nurse Catherine’s station so she can get some birthday stickers? Catherine will bring her back here so you can leave and come back to my room while she’s gone.”

“Sure. We’ll be right back.”

Tom sits, watching as they leave. Molly comes back, and she walks in with a sorrowful look in her eyes. “I-”

“I didn’t remember her birthday.”

“You’ve been in the hospital for three weeks. It’s fine.”

“She’ll always remember her 6th birthday being the one where her dad wasn’t at the party because he was in the hospital from an eating disorder.”

“Well, you got loaded at her 5th,” Molly teases, trying to lighten the mood. Tom’s face shows that it didn’t work. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to help.”

“Nothing can help. I’m ruining her life.”

“Tom-”

“I am. She’s going to have a lot of trauma as an adult because of me.”

“You didn’t do anything to her. All of the possible trauma is because she knows what you went through, not because of anything you did to her. You didn’t yell, you never hit her-”

“As you like to rub in my face all the time, I was drunk when she fell down the stairs. If I was sober, I would’ve been awake and I could’ve told her that playing on stairs is dangerous.”

“We’re over that now. Yes, you did a bad thing but she’s going to be okay. Don’t worry about anything.”

“I can’t be there tomorrow. What are we going to do?”

“Tell her that you won’t be there and we’ll have our own celebration. It’s fine, Tom.”

“I hope so. I feel so guilty.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“That’s the first time you’ve ever said that to me.” Tom whispers.

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. You’ve always blamed me for everything that happens. Okay, you blame me 90% and Matt 10%.”

“He caused the issues, you go through with them. But not being able to come tomorrow because you’re iin the hospital isn’t your fault. You can’t control that.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Molly looks into Tom’s eyes and leans forward, planting a kiss on his lips. He doesn’t away, but puts his hand on the side of her face, embracing the kiss.

Finally, Molly pulls aeay and clars her throat. “I need to go.”

“You need to go. Um, have Catherine bring LIls, please. She can be here longer.”

“Sure. Yeah of course. Bye.”

“Bye.”