The Seventh Step

1

My dad parks up the car badly and takes the key out of the ignition. He slumps into his chair. We sit in the car for a few minuets, my dad drumming his fingers on the stearing wheel. Soon his little tune gets annoying, so I pick up my bag and swing open the door.
"Come on." I say.
Dad looks at me sadly and then steps out of our small once family car.
We walk silently up to the hospital door, then through the long white corridors.
My dad suddenly places an arm around me.
"I'll do it this time, Jess. I will."
I laugh quietly. "That's what you said last year and the year before that!"
I chuckle. "I know, but this time I mean it"
We stop and I knock in the rehab reception desk.
A large woman with her back hair scraped into a bun walks up to it.
"And what can I do for you?" The woman asks.
"I've got Harry Song for the alcohol rehab program"
The woman nods and types a few things into the laptop. She then picks up a phone and says "could Dr Harris come to the rehab reception that's Dr Harris to the rehab reception, thank you" the woman's soft, soothing voice echoes through the hospital.
The woman smiles at us and types a few more things onto the computer. Suddenly the rehab doors burst open and man in his late 50s with grey hair and small beard walks up to the reception.
"Ahh, Dr Harris, this is Mr Song, he's here for the alcohol rehabilitation program. To my computer he is in room 34."
Dr Harris nods then turns to me.
"I'm his daughter" I say quickly and he nods.
"I'm just going to take your father to one of our consulting rooms, would you mind fetching his luggage and taking it to room 34 and then placing it on his bed, then go and take a seat in the waiting room or you can leave if you wish. "
I nod and start walking towards the hospital exit. I stop at the casualty waiting room and grab one of those triangle cups made of paper and fill it up with foul tasting water.
"It's weird" I hear a voice behind me say. Startled, I spin around quickly to see a boy, my age maybe a little older, leaning on the wall behind me. He has sandy hair and light green eyes which stare intently in to my own.
"What's weird?" I ask
"It's weird that the paper doesn't crumble when the water is put in"
I shake my head. "I expect they coat it with wax or something" I say then I start walking. The boy follows me. I look over my shoulder to find he is quite a bit taller then me.
"What's your name?" He asks
"Jess Song" I answer sharply.
"Oh," he says "I'm Leo Tyler"
I nod and continue walking towards the car.
It is unlocked so I pull the near empty suitcase out of the boot and start dragging it to room 34.
"Why are you here?" The boy asks
I smile "you ask a lot of questions"
He smiles to
"and I expect you to answer them" he says, grinning.
I sigh and sit on one of the steps leading up to the hospital. Leo joins me.
"My dad is an alcoholic and he is here on a rehab program"
"Oh right, so it'll just be you and your mum for a few weeks"
"No my mums dead" I say quietly. Leo breaths in quickly. Then bursts into apology, which is hushed after about two seconds.
"Don't say your sorry" I sigh "because I know your not and that you just say that to sound like a nice person."
"No really, I am sorry" he says
"How can you be sorry if you never met her?" I ask and with that the 'I'm sorry' conversation is over.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your mum?"
I gulp and bow my head slightly "well, my mum got fired from her job as a nurse because she couldn't work the hours, then she could not find a job for a few years. She finally got one in a hospital. She became casualty nurse. One day she tripped and cut her leg. It was fine but then it got infected and she refused to go and see her GP so it got worse. For about six months she couldn't do anything for herself and it was then my dad started drinking.
"Most of the time he was so drunk he couldn't see anything so I became the sole carer for both of them. Suddenly my mum died and my dad got depressed and started drinking about six bottles more then usual. I phoned the hospital about three years ago and asked if they could help and my Dads been coming here once every year." I looked at Leo who was looking at my shoes.
"I've got a pretty messed up family" I sigh, a hint of humour in my voice.
" yes but you've also got a pretty beautiful story, and pretty beautiful face."
I laugh and stand up.
"I'll see you later I suppose" I say and start walking to room 34