The heartbeats

Chapter 19

>Ian

We've been in the hospital for a week. If I'm not at high school, I'm with her at the hospital. Neither me nor Lili want to leave her alone. The others come during the day, stay a few hours then leave.

She is sleeping and I am sitting next to her. Lili is at home, she is taking a bath and changing her clothes. My dad calls me for the first time in a while. I don't pick up. He chose the wrong time to call me. "Answer the phone, Ian" she said to me with a broken voice.
"Forget it, it's nothing. How are you?" I ask.
I never talked about my father or even my family with Abbie. My parents live in Boston with my older sister and my little brother. My father is the CEO of a large and important company. He is a very powerful man. He wants me to take his place in a few years, while I want to become an architect.
"I'm fine" she replies.
I give her the notebooks I brought her after yelling at me.
"Thank you" she thanks me by taking them from my hands.
"Are you sure you can study here at the hospital?" I question her.
"You underestimate me, Ian" she said, looking at me for two or three seconds before continuing to leaf through the papers in her hands.
He calls me again, "Ian, answer this phone" she orders me.
I exhale then respond as I leave the room.
"Where are you?" he asks angrily,
"why didn't you answer me?" he continues.
"Hey dad, what do you want?" I'm not answering any of his questions.
"We need to talk, where are you?" he informs me. "I'll send you the location" I tell him before ending up the call.
After about an hour, he arrived at the hospital. I join him outside. He is sitting on the bench. I sit next to him.
"So, tell me what do you want" I say, "and when did you leave Boston?" I ask.
"Since two days and you will leave with me tomorrow morning" he orders me.
"Wait what?" I don't think he will answer this question.
"Look, you're going to come with me, you have to start getting used to work. You like it or not. Your sister can't take my place, she's a woman and your brother is still young, so you're the only one who can take my place," he said.
"Dad, I still have two months of high school, I can't go with you" I try to convince him.
"You're going to continue these two monthes from Boston, you will have online lessons" he tells me. "Dad—" he interrupts me,
"I am your father and you will obey me" he growls before getting up and leaving.
I hate him. I hate this fucking man. He thinks because he is my father he has the right to control my life. And the worst part is that I can't contradict him. The last time I told him no, I was ten years old and I ended up in the hospital with bruises and scratches on several part of my body and a broken arm.

They are all in my girl's room. They are sad or angry. "What's the matter?" I ask a little worried.
"Your father came to tell us that you will travel with him tomorrow morning and that we should not hold you back" Ethan answers.
I look at Abbie but her head is down, she is looking at her hands.
"What will you do?" James asks.
"I have no choice James. None of you know my father. None of you know what he can do, just for me to go with him" I scream, hitting the wall by my hand.
I take a deep breath then walk out of the room. I find an empty one and enter it. Does he really think he's a father? Does he treat my sister and brother this way? Or is it just with me? My mother never said a word to him and over time she began to resemble him more and more. I sit on the bed when Abbie comes into the room. She looks at me then she sits next to me.
"I don't know your situation with your father but tak—" I interrupt her,
"forget this whole thing, it doesn't even concern you. And why are you getting involved?" I told her with a serious tone, while placing my elbows on my knees. She exhales, "yes you're right, it's none of my business but I brought you something to treat your hand" she said angrily before placing the medicine and bandages on the bed.
She gets up and leaves the room.
"Fuck" I said to myself as I lowered my head.
After one hour, I came home after they informed me that she is at home. But she's nowhere to be found. I'm in my room when Ethan tells me to come downstairs.
"What are you doing here?" I ask my father.
"Have you packed your bags?" he responded with another question as he always does.
"So?" he insists on knowing.
"No" I answer, rolling my eyes.
Abbie arrives, she looks at us then goes up to her room.
"If you want me to go, pack my bags yourself" I order knowing he won't do it.
I go up to find my little butterfly but she locks the door of her bedroom. I hurt her when she only wanted to help me. She doesn't want to see me or talk to me. She escapes from me, she runs away from me. And it's fucking killing me. I go back downstairs and leave the house.

It's evening and I've just returned. Suitcases are present next to the front door,
"whose suitcases are these?" I ask the guys sitting in the living room.
I know very well that they are mine but I was certain that he would not do it. He doesn't obey orders just as he doesn't like it when someone orders him.
"You didn't guess?" Ethan mockingly asks a rhetorical question. I exhale.
"Are you going to go with him?" Laura asks,
"he packed my fucking bags" I scream.
"If you leave, when will you come back?" Jane ask a new question.
"No idea, Jane. I have no idea" I reply.
I turn around and go up to my room. Her bedroom is still locked.

I just woke up to calls from my father. He called me twenty-five times. I get up, get ready and go downstairs. Everyone is downstairs except my little butterfly.
"We told Abbie to join us but she told us she already said goodbye to you and she doesn't like goodbyes" Lili informs me. My butterfly lies while keeping our little agreement a secret.
"Listen bro, I'll always be there for you" Ethan said to me, giving me a hug.
"I know man, me too" I tell him, tapping his shoulder.
"Your father is outside" Christian informs me as he enters. I nod.
"Goodbye" Laura and Lili say in harmony, with a small smile on both faces.
"Goodbye girls" James approaches me, gives me a hug, "take care of yourself" he orders me.
I let out a laugh, "don't worry" I respond to his order.
"Goodbye Ian. Have a safe flight" adds Jane from behind me.
"Thank you" I thank her before taking my so-called suitcases.
I meet my father in his fucking car.
"Are you happy now?" I ask him.
"Of course son" he replies coldly.
I left without seeing her. I left without knowing if I would see her again. I left without saying goodbye to her. I left without kissing her. I shouldn't have spoken to her that way. I miss every part of her, every fucking part, her smile, her voice, her lips, her eyes, her hair, her touches, her way of speaking ... everything.

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