Broken Love

04 || Daddy? Daddy!

"Lacey you have to wake up!" Two-bit comes into my room in the middle of the night with a panicked attitude.

"What's going on?" I mumble tiredly.

He sighs as he walks over to me, "we have to take dad to the hospital."

My eyes shoot open and I jump out of bed, "let's go."

We all hop in the car and I watch as my dad clutches his chest not talking gasping for air.
***
"I'm right here," I rub the back of my dad's hand as I whisper softly to his sleeping body. "I love you daddy and I forgive you. I forgive you for leaving me. I forgive you for hurting me. I forgive you for starting this war inside of me. I forgive you for your drinking. I forgive you for everything you've ever done to hurt me. I'm sorry for holding in this anger toward you. I'm sorry for not being the best daughter.I'm sorry for being mad at you last summer. I'm sorry for leaving early. I'm sorry for not coming back. I'm sorry for everything I've done to hurt you daddy. I love you. Please, don't leave me. I need you daddy and I love you. You can't leave me dad."

Beep....Beep....Beep....Beep....Beep....Beep....Beep

I sigh as I kiss his forehead, "I wish you would wake up and tell me everything will be okay. I hope you wake up and tell me your gonna make it through. Daddy, please wake up. DAD!"

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

I shake him, "daddy? Daddy!" I hit the emergency red button before running outside the door. "HELP! HELP! WE NEED HELP IN HERE! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!"

Nurses come running in and I get ushered out. I watch as the blinds go down and I can't see my dying dad anymore. I lean against the  across from it closing my eyes as I let the tears stream down my cheeks. Footsteps come closer as I continue to sob assuming it's a doctor, but as I hear a deep voice I know it's not, "Lacey? Are you okay?"

I turn around and throw my small body, his arms wrap tightly around mine as I sob reminding me of the past. His scent stayed the same bringing me back to when everything was okay. As I sob onto his chest everything in that moment is perfect, "what is he dies and I-I hated him most of my life? I've been so mad at him. I am such a bad daughter."

He presses his soft lips against my forehead and for a second everything is okay as he whispers in my ear, "you're doing great Lacey."

I look up into his eyes and there's a magnet pulling me closer, closer, to his lips. He leans in slightly, but stops opening up his eyes as if asking, 'can I kiss you?' I hesitate for a second before nodding my head slightly and slowly. He leans in his lips touching mine. I put my hands on his chest to keep my balance as he places his on the small of my back pushing me into the kiss. Everything in this moment is perfect. You know when it feels like the world stops because everything else isn't as important as what's happening right where you are, to you, in that very moment? That's the way it feels. Time is frozen as his soft lips move in sync with mine. The taste of salty tears burning in my mouth. The mascara that I forgot to take off the night before running down my cheeks and my hair in a messy bun. He just rolled out of bed, his hair messy falling sloppily into his face ungreased and long. 

He picks me up by my thighs and slams my back softly so that he doesn't hurt me, but so that I can feel the passion running through our veins. His hands lay on my butt as I run my hands up and down his sides. The tears continue to drip down my face, but yet this moment we're untouchable. He pulls away for a second and breathlessly whispers, "I never stopped loving you Lacey."I nod my head trying to tell him me too as I smile against his lips. All of my love is in him and everything is perfect. The love I feel in this moment is more than I've ever felt with any other boyfriend.

That all gets broken and shattered as I hear a broken voice whisper just so we can hear it. She lets us hear the pain behind her voice as she speaks making me feel like a terrible remind me of just under a year ago, "Sodapop?"

He pulls away from me dropping me, so that I land on the ground and Soda turns to Amber his mouth dropped, "Amber, I-uh, I never meant for you to-"

"See you cheating?" She asks. "Was she your secret little affair? Is that why the gang never talked about her? Is that you needed me to leave when she came into the DX? Is that why the whole gang won't tell me what she was to you or what happened between her and ya'll? Is that why there's so many secrets revolving around this little slut? All because she's your affair!"

"Excuse me," I say rudely. "I am not a little slut!"

She scoffs, "you were just heavily making-out with my boyfriend while I'm sure hearing about you, you have a boyfriend of your own. Oh yeah and all of this while your dad is fighting for his life in the fricken hospital, but you're not a slut!"

I walk over to her slapping her across the face not even thinking of how many people I've already slapped, "listen Sodapop and I dated! He kissed another girl for my protection, but I was too stupid to see that! He might of cheated on you, but in his heart he didn't cheat at all. He loved me and I love him. I've loved him since day two. The reason the gang won't talk about me is because, we all ended on bad terms. He asked you to leave because, we had to talk. There's secrets because, I'm a touchy subject. We all ended up hurt. So why don't you shut up about what you don't know about! I don't need you're opinion!"

She looks at Sodapop, "you're a douche just like my last boyfriend!"

"I am nothing like him," he says calmly. "I've never once touched you or called you names breaking you. I put you back together! I cheated, but I didn't cheat then tell you it was all your fault. It was my fault, I wasn't over Lacey when I started dating you. I also never meant to cheat, I was gonna break up with you."

"Well it's too late. I'm now the one breaking up with you," she sighs as she pulls off a small rose-gold ring and handing it to him. "Goodbye Sodapop."

He clutches the ring tightly as he turns to me, "this wasn't engagement or anything. It was our one month."

I nod my head, "don't worry about it."

He grabs my hand, "wanna go for a walk?"

I remember the second day we met and I remember the exact moment I fell in love with him. I nod my head pecking his lips, "after my dad wakes up."

"Let's go to the waiting room," he grabs my hand leading me to the gang. As we sit down he pulls me onto his lap resting his head on my shoulder as he wraps his strong arm around my small waist. "I love you Lacey."

"I love you too," I mumble so only we can hear it, but I know that right now all eyes are on us as we act all coupely right after Amber storms out of the hospital angry and crying. 

Awe! I am so happy that Sodapop and Lacey are back together! They are so cute together even if they seem to always hurt each other. This is such a bitter sweet cute little chapter. Stay gold. Do it for Johnny!
-Beth