"Poor baby." A woman coos. I open my eyes. It's my grandmother. Juliana. I love my grandmother - she's lovely.
"Nana!" I exclaim. I try to prop myself up, but my arm gives up. "Ah! Shit!" I gasp and fall back down.
"No, no, don't do that, Sophia. You've sprained your arm."
"What? How?" I frown.
"We had a car crash." James says. I look at him. He has a bruise over his eye.
"What? I don't remember." I rub my forehead.
"You were out cold, sweetie." He says, giving me a look that tells me to shut the hell up or he's going to make me pay for it. "Mum, could you give us a moment?" He asks her. She nods and leaves the room. He sits down on the mattress. "You called me Dad." The faintest of smiles plays on his lips.
"D-Did I?" I stutter, embarrassed. I wasn't sure if that actually happened or not, it's all a bit hazy still in my memory.
"Yeah," he looks away. "Listen, I've kind of lied to my Mum and Dad for a long time. They think your Mum died in a car accident and that you were kidnapped and held for ransom by Sherlock." He says and then looks at me. My eyes widen.
"What?" I gasp. "Jeez, you really are low, aren't you?" I sigh. Whatever painkillers he gave me suddenly wear off and I exclaim. "Oh, crap!" I cry.
"Look away." He tells me. I frown, but do as he says. There's another sharp pain and then I feel better. "There. I know you hate needles." He says and smiles at me once I've looked back.
"Thank you." I whisper and tilt my head.
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm wondering about you. How... different you can be." I frown.
"I'm bipolar, if you hadn't noticed." He grins. "Or at least have the traits."
"Yeah, I guessed." I sigh sadly. "I wish you didn't make me..." I can't finish the sentence. I start crying loudly. He watches me sob. "Things could've been different!"
"Don't cry, now, Sophia, please." He strokes my face again and I slap his hand away.
"Don't touch me." I watch him frown at my words like he's genuinely hurt by them. "I just... why couldn't I have had a normal life? Why do you have to be so... you?"
"This is the hand you've been dealt, Sophia. There's nothing you can do about it. Play the game the best you can with the cards you've got. That's all you can do."
"I don't want to play the game any more, James." I weep and see his look of sympathy, or as close to it as he can get. "You've ruined me."
"I didn't mean to, Sophia, truly. I just wanted to make you like me, that was all. I wanted to have someone that would understand me, how I act and how I feel. I wanted that person to be you." He strokes a piece of my hair after a moment of silence. "I don't like this." He murmurs about my hair colour.
"Neither do I. It doesn't suit me." I wipe away my tears. "I'll dye it back." I tell him, making him smile.
"Good. You know how much I've missed you, Sophia?" He sighs and lets my hair go. I feel myself weakening. "You're my little girl. Of course I've missed you." His voice is deep with emotion. This is rare for him. I put my hand up to silence him.
"Please, just don't." I beg. "I hate you."
"Do you mean that?" He asks, and, for a moment, I'm not sure. This is my father, for Christ's sake. Can I really hate him? Really?
"Go away." I whisper, giving up. I close my eyes. "Please, just go away, James."
"I'll come back up later." he says after a beat. "Have a nice nap," he whispers. "Sweet dreams."
YOU ARE READING
Daddy's Girl
Fanfiction"Why couldn't I have had a normal life? Why do you have to be so... you?" // "This is the hand you've been dealt, Sophia. There's nothing you can do about it. Play the game the best you can with the cards you've got. That's all you can do."// "I...
