The Lost Girl (Complete)

Chapter Thirty Two - Derrick! First and Final

With the warmth of Sang's hand enclosing her own, Celestia felt surprisingly steady as she watched her Uncle Sean and Derrick walk through the door, their attention on the sheets of paper clipped in a simple white envelope.

"How's my favourite patient this morning?" Sean asked happily, his green eyes smiling as he took in the sight of his wife and niece.

"Feeling 100% again," Celestia replied, eyes picking up on the pale tinge to Derrick's skin and the way his eyes seemed to be locked onto her. "So? Shall we just get it over with?"

"Tsk, so impatient," Sean replied. "But, you're right. The results from the test are in and there is absolutely no doubt that Derrick is your biological father."

Breath gushing from her lungs, she felt her composure crack along with her voice, "Really?"

"Yeah," Derrick answered gruffly. "You're my daughter."

Glancing at her aunt, Celestia was relieved to see a smile even though tears were slowly making their way down Sang's cheeks.

"Well," Sean shoved his hands into the pockets of his white coat, "shall my gorgeous wife and I leave you two to chat? I'm sure that there is a lot that you both need to say."

"Will you be ok?" Sang asked, the tone of a mother bear ringing clearly.

"Yeah," Celestia cleared her throat before returning Derrick's gaze. "We'll be fine. Thank you for coming in."

Silence reigned in the hospital room as the two of them were left alone, both filled with anxiousness and a sense of wonder. After so many years they had finally found the answers to so many of their questions but they were truly only standing at the beginning to a very long road of building a future together.

"So," Derrick finally sighed and lowered into one of the comfy chairs beside the bed. "It's a little much, isn't it? I never ever thought that I'd be sitting in a room with my grown daughter. How do you feel about all of this? Have you thought about what you want to do now?"

Forcing herself to keep a somewhat calm expression, she wondered if he was truly happy about the news. She was a grown up and after accepting the fact that she didn't have a father during the years when he probably could have made the most difference, she wasn't sure exactly how she should be feeling. Glad that a huge question had been answered and excited to get to know him but somewhat saddened that she wasn't overwhelmed. Perhaps she had grown up enough to actually feel like an adult.

"I'm glad that I get to meet you," she answered honestly. "From everything I've heard about you and your life, I'm proud and excited that you were the one to be my father but I'm not sure what to do now. I mean, I want to hear everything about you and your family but what are you thinking?"

He smiled, "I'm thinking that I have a beautiful daughter who looks scarily like the woman who I have loved since I was sixteen. A young woman who makes me proud to have had some hand in creating her. All these years and I never had any opportunity to know and love you like a father should but all I hope for right now is the chance to share your life in whatever way you would like." Laughing as a stray tear crept down his face, Derrick grinned, "I can't wait to tell my parents and sister. They'll probably keel over like they did when I decided to enlist but they'll all be on the first flight down here."

Laughing as well, Celestia relaxed further into the mattress of the bed, "I need to prepare myself before than I think. I went so long thinking that I had no family other than my mother and grandfather to relatives dropping from everywhere."

"Yeah. You definitely will have an exciting life from now on." He leant forward, "I would love to take you back with me but I'm assuming that your plan is to stay in Charleston? You've got Sang, a job and college here."

"Yeah," she breathed out. "I want to visit and I want to have a relationship with you but now that I've finally become happy, nothing could make me leave this city."

"I figured as much," he sighed sadly, "but I'm really happy to see you doing so well even after landing yourself in the hospital."

Celestia laughed, "Did Uncle North really bulldoze the house?"

"Yeah. They emptied it out first and Owen mentioned something about a guest house being set up for you and your friend, Riley?" He sat forward with a half smirk, "Care to talk about how you managed to pick up a roommate so soon after starting college?"

Feeling heat in her cheeks, she waved a hand, "It was just a matter of circumstance. Technically the triplets were just keeping me company and I did have two spare rooms so I offered one to a friend who really looked like he could use time away from his family."

Looking as though he was disappointed that he couldn't tease on the point anymore, Derrick pushed himself to his feet, "Well, with Owen and all those other guys around I know that I don't have to worry. They'll take better care of you than I probably could."

She smiled, "Maybe so but I'm glad that you turned out to be my dad and I think that we'll find a way to get along in the future."

"Count on it," he moved forward to squeeze her hand and kiss a cheek before saying goodbye for the afternoon. His home wasn't in Charleston anymore and at some point he was going to have to make a move back to where he managed to set up a nice little apartment on the other side of the country. Maybe time and a little bit of distance would give him a chance to work exactly how things with Celestia were going to work in the future. They'd exchanged contact details and he now knew how to track down the Academy boys should he need to check in without her knowing.

But even before all of that, he still had one stop to make before he headed back to the hotel to pack.

She couldn't answer any of his questions but he sure as hell had a lot to say to Miss Marie Sorenson and no matter what he was going to make her spirit listen to his complaints.

He chuckled sadly as the front entrance of the hospital came into sight. He'd come all this way for one thing and although he'd never hear her reply, there was a small box sitting in the glove box of his car that he also had to deliver to her grave - a ring that was supposed to have meant that the past and all of their regrets could be turned into something strong enough to endure the future but now all he had was a whole heap of fading memories and a beautiful gift that would help him keep going.