Stolen HeART
The Man in a straw hat
To some people it would seem odd, that this building full of sadness was one of my favourite places to be. The beautiful lush green land and the glass building that lived in the middle surrounded me like a warm blanket.
Parking the car and heading towards the main reception. I was never anxious or nervous of walking into this place. It seemed to hide its purpose of why it was here, and that was reassuring. No chemical odours, sickness, or death could be smelt. With the random scatter of art deco vases filled with fresh cut flowers. It was more like a top class hotel than a residential care facility.
Smiling at Cynthia who managed reception, she indicated with a slight nod that I could go straight in. The thick carpet under my shoes muffled the sound of my steps.
My father's home was full of light and space. The neutral colours and generic prints that hung randomly around the walls were calming. With his sleeping quarters off to the left being the only reminder that he was hospitalised. The huge patio doors that were open exposed the large gardens and ponds, which were metres away from him. I smiled at seeing him sitting in his chair in amongst his roses, Rosalie sitting next to him chatting away. She was the one person in my life that I would give everything I owned too, and it still wouldn't be enough. Her patience, loyalty and love for my father could never be matched. Not even by me.
My father was dying of lung cancer with a matter of months left to live. Diagnosis had been swift, the constant coughing and gasping for air had been the clue.
The promise of new drugs and trials encouraged us to be positive, but our hopes faded far too quickly. It was hard for Charlie to accept for a long time that he was ill. Carlisle and James took the brunt of his angry outbursts of frustration, and it took tremendous strength on their part to pull him back. That was a dark time for Charlie. The love of his work was what kept him going, and it was taken away.
"Bella," Rosalie shouted. Her voice bringing me out of my thoughts, and I smiled at her reaction. Her soft blonde hair sparkled in the sunlight, and the beams of light seemed to bounce of her pale skin. Apart from my father she was the only other person who used my first name. She never asked why I referred to Maria whenever I was on the phone, or when talking to others. She knew I was wealthy that was an obvious fact, she wasn't stupid. So her take on my profession was that of some sort of entrepreneur. I'm sure all the stories my father had told her validated her theories.
"Charlie?" Leaning over the back of his chair to wrap my arms around his chest, I snuggled into the crook of his neck, inhaling the familiar scent of sandalwood.
"Good morning beautiful." His voice now husky and dry sounding, it was rare for me to use the term dad. Charlie was what I've always called him. We were more like father and son, than father and daughter.
I reached over to touch Rosalie's shoulder and winked. "So Charlie, Rosalie tells me you've been banned from the poker room for one game. Did you cheat? Tell me you didn't cheat?"
"I won fair and square, their just a bunch of sore losers." I laughed at the thought that the con-man in him would never fade. I placed my warm hand against his smooth cheek, and sighed.
"Charlie, tell me it was worth it? Tell me you made a killing?" This time it was him who laughed. "My darling Bella, I won eight dollars and a packet of gum."
Rosalie left us to enjoy the company of each other, as I settled in the chair next to him and held his hand. The sound of the garden helped us to relax and the odd random comment from other residents causing us to grin every so often. Sighing out loud I squeezed his hand deliberately, not turning my head to face him as I spoke.
