The Football Player's Roommate

32.

Theo and I climbed out of the car and rushed into the hospital in an effort to get away from the rain quickly.

As soon as the sliding doors sealed shut behind us an emotional impact immediately hit me.

It'd been months since I'd been here, and I automatically felt like a terrible daughter. I should've went to the community college to be closer to him and visit him everyday.

I read somewhere that being with someone throughout recovery can actually help them. But my priorities seemed to out of order.

My selfish self was too busy trying to get into my dream college with the benefit of getting away from here.

"Amaya?" The nurse at the front desk asked.

I plastered on a sickly sweet smile and walked up to her.

"Claire!" I went around behind her desk and hugged her tight.

In the first few weeks after the accident Claire had been the one to help me understand everything and comfort me through the emotional pain. I had grown to know so many nurses and doctors in the facility, but Claire had always been my favorite since she was always like a second mother to me.

"It's been too long, young lady." She told me as we both pulled away from the embrace.

"Yeah I know. College has been hectic and all." I told her, but it sadly seemed like a lie.

"Oh you kids grow up too fast...and who might this be?" She smirked looking behind me to Theo.

Theo strode up to the desk beside me and lended a hand to Claire.

"Theo." He said with confidence evident in his voice.

"Claire." She said back. "Is this your boyfriend, Amaya?"

My face immediately burnt red before I averted my eyes to everything except Claire.

"Haha. Unfortunately I'm not her boyfriend, she's far too good for a punk like myself." Theo laughed beside me.

"Ah. Our Amaya here is one of the sweetest girls I know. Although you seem to be clearly decent yourself and mighty handsome if I may so myself." Claire chuckled.

She was such a mischievous woman for her age. I knew she'd been quite the flirter back in her day from the stories she had told me whenever I was having a bad day which in the early stages had been quite frequent.

Claire was always there to cheer me up when no one else was. My mother had been in her own grief so I had relented in sharing with her my emotional problems to prevent her from having anymore unneeded stress.

"That's mighty kind of you, Claire. And I thank you. Your husband is a lucky man." Theo told her.

"That he is." She agreed.

I watched as Claire went back behind her desk and picked up a file and read it thoroughly.

"Well although I'm an amazing conversationist and extremely attractive, I don't think you two came to see me. Your father's been holding steady, Miss Amaya. Going to see him?" Claire asked.

My throats seemed to close up just at the thought of seeing him, but I cleared it and straightened my back. I needed to be strong. It's what my dad would've wanted. He didn't raise a girl who back down from a fight. "Yeah. Me and Theo."