Just A Job (Lauren/You)

Chapter 36

The five hour flight to Miami was a blur.

I didn't know how I got there or how I even managed to pack my bags. It was like after Uncle Rob told me about my father, I just blacked out and my body went on auto-pilot to compensate. I never even said my goodbyes to the girls. At least, I didn't think I did. The taxi weaved its way through traffic while the sky grew darker as the night approached. I tried leaning my head on the window so I could try to rest but the anxiety prevented me from feeling remotely okay.

"We're here, kid."

I pulled away from the window and saw that we arrived at the hospital. Even if I hated him, in the end, he was still my father. And somewhere deep inside me, I still longed to have a complete family. I wanted to go back to that time when he was proud of me and he didn't despise my very existence.

I paid the driver and step out of the taxi. I had him go to my house first so I could drop off my bags before I told him to hurry here. My heart was pounding in my chest ever since I got off the plane. The last time I found out his condition was when Uncle Rob told me he was in the operating room. I'm pretty sure he was out of it by now.

Alive or dead? That was the question.

I jogged up the steps of the hospital and went through the door. Making my way to the nurse's station, I passed by several patients as they moved towards the elevators. The nurse greeted me as I asked her the status of my dad. I swore my heart stopped the second before she answered me.

"Room 304 in the private ward. He just got out of the operating room," she said.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I was finally sure he's okay. I thanked her before moving to the elevators. I could just imagine what my mom was going through right now. She was a sweet and gentle woman but she was sensitive and often crumbled under pressure. I just hope someone was comforting her while I wasn't there.

I moved out of the elevators and into the corridor. The white, angelic walls that brought comfort to countless patients now mocked the darkness inside my heart. Once I saw a few police officers, I knew I was going the right way. Some of them nodded their head in my direction, recognizing me, but I couldn't remember any of them. Soon enough, I saw my mom seated on a chair outside room 304. I called her out before I jogged up to her. She looked up and met me with a hug.

Her eyes were red and swollen but tears still fell from her eyes. She must have been crying for hours. I hated not being here with her from the start but I wanted her to know I was here now and I wasn't going to leave her—not until my father was okay.

She pulled away from me and wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's going to be okay, mom. He's okay now, right?"

She only nodded at me and didn't say anything else. I wanted to know what exactly happened but I didn't want to worry her any more than she already was. I pulled her to the chair and sat her down before I moved to the small window on the door and looked inside the room.

He looked better than I expected. He was asleep and a doctor was beside him, writing something on a clipboard. It's weird how this seemed like the first time in a while that I truly saw him vulnerable. The doctor put away the clipboard at the end of the bed and walked towards the door. I met him just as he came out.

"Doctor, is he going to be okay?" The doctor seemed confused for a moment so I opted to introduce myself. "I'm his son. I just got here and I didn't want to bother my mom by asking for the specifics."

"Oh, sorry," he said, reaching out and shaking my hand. "I'm Dr. Conrad. Your father is stable. The operation was a success and we got both the bullets out without complications—"