Apology Not Accepted

Chapter 2: Philip's Recovery

(3 weeks later)

Philip began to feel restless. He wasn't used to being still.  Always doing this and that, going here and  there. He couldn't help it, he's a Hamilton. So after a few days, Philip tries to walk. The doctor told him that  he may never fully be able to walk again and he was determined to prove the man wrong.

Philip would stand up and take a few steps. Everyday, he's almost brought to tears because he can barely lift his legs off the bed and onto the floor. The pain becomes too much and he stops to himself a moment of relief before trying again. Alexander offers to help but gets turned down immediately. One day, He just gets fed up with his son's behavior. "Philip, please just let me help. Maybe you could put a little weight on me so it will be less sufferable." He begs walking over to him.

Philip stops moving and stares at his father. "Pops, I have to get better on my own. I don't always need-" Alex stands up and grips his sides. "You don't always need to take care of things by yourself. Sometimes you need someone else to help you." Philip looks down and presses his lips together. "Alright." Alexander relaxes and helps Philip off the bed. He feels Philip hold onto him tightly and put most of his weight on him. Alex eases his feet to the ground and takes a step forward. Philip does the same. Then another step. Philip follows. Soon enough they make it across the room before Philip starts sweating, exhausted from the exertion. Alex smiles and lifts Philip into his arms and walks back to the bed. He sets Philip down and covers him back up with the quilt Eliza made for him the week before.

2 months later, Philip had gotten a cane, courtesy of the doctor, and now tries to walk farther by himself. Alex helps occasionally when the pain flares up again. Eliza stands at the end of the hospital's hallway with a smile on her face and Alexander has an arm around her waist. Philip smiles at them and tries to walk towards them slowly. Once he gets about 5 feet in front of them, the cane slips from his grasp and he stumbles and grabs the wall. Alex lets go of Eliza and heads to Philip when his son holds a hand out to stop him. "I got this, Pops." He stands up and gets off the wall slowly. He takes his steps slowly one after the other on his own.

Eliza stares at him as she suddenly remembers his first steps. She couldn't stop the tears from coming even if she tried. It broke her heart to see her son be reduced to having to relearn something he had already knew how to do. Alexander, on the other hand, was beaming at this. His firstborn overcoming a seemingly impossible ordeal. He's walking again. Philip doesn't need help. While they were off in their own little world, Philip came to stand in front of them with a shocked look on his face.

Alex was the first to break free of the trance and see Philip standing on his own. He grabbed him and held him close. "That's my boy." Eliza sighs and hugs them both. "You did it!" Philip smiles and nods. "I dropped the cane but I still got here." Alexander ruffles his curls and thanks God under his breath.

6 months after that, Philip continues to walk. His siblings, mainly Angelica and Alexander Jr , come and visit him bringing him gifts from the others. Once, they brought in a kitten with  white and black fur, brown and orange spots and green eyes. The second Eliza caught sight of it, she tried to kick it out of the room but luckily Alexander Sr saved it and held close to his chest. "Eliza, maybe we should keep it. I'm sure she'll cause no problems." Eliza glares at her husband. "I am not keeping that filthy creature in my house, Alexander." "But look how happy she makes Philip." Alex holds up the kitten next to Philip's face and Philip's eyes water and he makes cute little noises to it only to get a soft mew back. Both men gasp and start cooing at it. This honestly had to be a sight to see if it brought in 10 to 15 other patients and doctors. "Fine, we'll keep it." The father and son cheer and kiss the cat. Eliza just shakes her head and smiles.

Finally, Philip was up and running around as he was almost a year ago. All that food from the hospital made him miss his mother's cooking. He'll never complain about her undercooked or overcooked, you never really knew but sometimes she got it right, steaks. Philip also missed his brothers and sisters. The way Angelica would always force him to wake up, how John and James would run around and eventually break something, those days where Jr and Eliza would read together on the couch and how William would come by and ruined that. What he was really looking forward to, was sleeping in his bed. The nice warm blankets and pillows. He loved the barrier between all that craziness and his own rush that the sheets provide, the only moments of peace he gets in his life. He better not come home to see that someone slept in his bed or else Hell will be brought upon every living soul in that house.

Eliza and Alexander laugh at Philip when he runs and jumps into the carriage. "Calm down, Philip. We'll be home soon." Alex puts a hand on his shoulder after he gets in. Eliza grabs Philip's hand as he takes a few deep breaths. "I know but it feels like forever since I've been home. I wonder if Angelica's doing okay trying to keep all of them in check while I was gone." He freezes as he realizes the situation. He left her, by herself, with 5 normally hyperactive children. Angelica, his very tempermental sister who has no issue killing someone, with 5 kids who don't know what the words 'sit down and shut up' mean. Fuck.

Eliza and Alex seem to realize this too as Alex begins to pray for the safety of his offspring while Eliza winces and rubs his back. "I'm sure they'll be fine. Right, Alexander?" Said man just keeps looking out the window and crosses his fingers. Philip stifles a laugh at his father's actions.

The carriage slows down and stops in front of the Hamilton Residence. Alex is the first one out and helps Eliza down. Philip hops out and stares at the house with wet eyes. Wiping away the tears, He takes off to the door leaving his parents behind. Alexander looks down at Eliza and smiles. "Should we tell them tonight?" His wife continues looking forward after their son. "We already are going to celebrate, might as well add another thing to the list of why."