Daddy Issues

Love and Loss

Nico's POV)

After waking up and getting dressed, I went to her room and gently shook her. "Hazy... It's time to wake up, dear." Her eyes popped open for a minute before closing again as she stretched awake. "Oh, by the way, today's your dentist appointment. You gotta be there by nine." 

She groaned. "Really? Can't you cancel it?" She whined. "I hate the dentist. What if they take my teeth out and sell them on the black market while I'm all hopped up on laughing gas, and then I have to use dentures for the rest of my life?" 

I smiled a bit, sitting down next to her. "That probably won't happen, and if it does, we'll sue them for medical malpractice." 

"No amount of lawsuit money is gonna un-steal my teeth. I just... I wish they could get their act together, and I didn't have to constantly take care of them. You don't have to do that with your other bones." 

"Because your other bones are protected by flesh." 

"Yours aren't." She sassed back, sitting up. "... I don't wanna go, Nico." She reiterated, her golden eyes sad and pleading. "Don't make me go." 

"You have to. Look, if you need me to come with you, hold your hand, I can come with you." 

"Just because I'm taking time off doesn't mean you get to piggyback on it." She teased, making me nostalgic. She sounded so much like Bia sometimes... I really miss her. "Besides, I'll be with Frank. He's driving me there and everything." Snapped me back to the present, and I scolded myself for getting distracted. She then stood and walked over to her vanity table, brushing the tangles out of her messy brunette locks, ranging from dark burnished auburn to shiny brass. She was so beautiful, Frank was lucky to have even laid his eyes on her. To be her boyfriend? He needs to go out and buy a scratch off or something. "... Get out of my room, I'm about to get dressed." 

My face heated up. "Alright, alright. Bye." I closed the door between us and sighed, going downstairs to make breakfast for us. Well, for her. I don't tend to eat like I should, and I don't know why. I never had much of an appetite, not since... 

Is that normal? I mean, sure, grief does that, but to this extent? Years later? 

Well, I'm handling it better than him, anyway. So I'm ok. 

Once I had her plate set up, I chugged my coffee, set the mug in the sink, and looked over at dad's TV. Surprisingly enough, he was watching the news, which he almost never did. "Officer LaRue was last seen by his partner, Officer Nicholson, who we've brought on here today to repeat what he's told us back to you."

The man still looked like he was in shock, but took a deep breath. "Right. So, he left me in the car and got out, running straight into the bank, screaming 'I am the law, motherfuckers! I am the goddamn law!' And I knew, even then, he wasn't gonna make it. He was a real hothead, y'know, watched too many Nick Cage movies-" 

I sighed and reached for the remote, clicking off the TV. She didn't need to see that kind of news about her boyfriend's dad, especially not so early in the morning. And especially especially not when she's already nervous. But I was glad to see him go down, at least. 

Once she ate her breakfast, I walked her out to the street, noticing that the rain seemed to have cleared up, at least for today. It was only then that I actually took in Frank's, or I guess his dad's, car. I wasn't that familiar with cars, but it was a convertible, sleek and sporty and bright red. It looked expensive, almost as expensive as my dad's old black Mercedes. He looked so out of place driving it, with his young, friendly face and unassuming posture. I could even hear the car radio playing some trashy pop song I didn't recognize as he slowed to a stop, waving over to Hazel, watching her slide into the passenger seat before he looked up to me. "Um... hi." He bit his lip, clearly nervous to be around me, which, as horrible as this may sound, felt really good. I liked that I intimidated him, because it meant he would be extra careful to treat her right, and that was the most important thing to me. "U-uh... Do you want a r-ride?"