Alone Together {Patrick Stump}

Chapter 37

~3rd Person~

The doctor tried to bring the teenage girl back to life. Her heart had failed. He needed to get her back. He wasn't going to lose another child. He'd already lost one, he couldn't possibly lose another. 

He worked tirelessly to bring her BP up. He worked tirelessly to get her heart beating again. His only drive was the sound of her father in tears behind him.

Finally, after what felt like hours, her heart rate jumped and her BP was back to normal. The monitors slowed to steady paces. He'd saved at least one child's life today, and that would have to be good enough for him.

~Lyra~

I slowly opened my eyes to the bright light that filled the cold room. The beeping monitors seemed to overwhelm my senses. I blinked several times to find that I was still in the hospital. Dad was sleeping in the chair next to my bed, his head lying on the side of my bed. I watched the calm rising and falling of his body as he breathed, his quiet snores something I had missed. I saw Andy spread out of the couch opposite my bed. I tilted my head, smiling slightly to myself. He looked so peaceful. Joe and Pete were nowhere to be found. I looked over at Dad, smiling to myself. I loved my life. Minus the tumor and always being in the hospital, of course. I had the greatest family in the history of ever. In all honesty, I couldn't have asked for a better family. They took care of me, despite all the trouble I'd caused.

The door opened and I looked up. Pete and Joe were standing in the doorway, eyes wide. I smiled at them before putting a thin finger to my lips and pointing to Dad and Andy. They clearly didn't listen, because they ran over.

"Lyra!" they said loudly, making Dad sit up groggily.

"Shhhh!" I said, giggling. "You're going to wake up the whole hall!" I was hugged tightly by Pete and Joe. It took Dad a little while to comprehend. When he did, he was crying and hugging me and whispering into my hair.

"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered. "Please, don't ever do that again, baby girl. You had me so terrified."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes. "I didn't mean to. I won't do it again, I promise. I love you, Dad."

"Don't cry," he whispered back. "I love you too, baby girl. We'll be okay, I promise. Everything will get better."

"Do you know when I can leave the hospital?" I asked. Dad shook his head.

"It might be awhile," Pete sighed from the end of my hospital bed. "They don't think you are stable enough to leave. Plus they are trying to convince us to make you have chemo- and radiation therapy. We told them you didn't want it--"

"I change my mind," I cut him off. "I want to get rid of this tumor. If my hospital visits and near- death experiences have taught me anything, it's that life is too short. So I want the treatment. And I want the surgeries. But if I do die, I don't want you to be sad forever. I'll expect you to move on."

"We know, baby," Dad said. "I'll talk to your doctors later and let them know what you decided. I'm glad you changed your mind, L."

~Time skip a few weeks~

Two rounds of chemo. One of radiation. The tumor was still too large after that. I spent most of my time in the hospital. I used Skype and email to keep up with my classes. Danni either came by or we Skyped every day. She helped me with homework and sometimes we just talked. I played guitar and sang every day, no matter how tired I felt from the treatments. My doctors didn't like it, but I didn't care. I needed the music.

"Lyra, it's time for your next round of radiation," the doctor said, entering my room as I was tuning my guitar. I sighed and set it down gently. Dad wasn't here yet, but I couldn't keep the doctors waiting.

As they wheeled me out of my room to head to get my radiation therapy, I saw Dad standing down the hall talking to a woman. He glanced this way looked up and the ceiling before walking quickly over to me.

"I'm sorry, L, I got caught up," he explained.

"It's fine," I replied. "I could have done it alone. I've done it before."

"No, I want to be there," he said. He walked beside me all the way to the room. He wasn't allowed in, because of all the radiation, so he waited directly outside the door, just as he had the last times. I always felt really sick after one of my treatments, so Dad always stayed with me until I felt better. He refused to leave my side until I could pick up my guitar and sing.

When we got back to my room, I laid in bed and tried not to throw up everywhere. Dad sat beside me on the bed, allowing me to place my head in his lap. He brushed back my hair and rubbed my back. I eventually fell asleep, like I almost always did. When I woke up, though, Dad was gone. 

I tried to fight the urge to throw up, but it didn't work. I reached for the bucket and threw up my breakfast. I pushed my hair back from my face and threw up again. After throwing up a few more times, the door to my hospital room opened with a knock. I wiped my mouth and saw Pete walk in.

"Where's Patrick?" he asked, rushing over. "You should be alone after one of your treatments."

"I don't know," I whispered in a raspy voice. "He was here when I fell asleep, and when I woke up he was gone."

"Ugh!" Pete sighed. "I know exactly what he's doing. I'll call him."

Pete called Dad while I threw up some more. I listened to the conversation between my vomiting.

"Patrick, you better get your ass over here," Pete said. "You shouldn't have left. No, I don't care about her. You should be here with your daughter right now. Patrick, we agreed that she wouldn't be left alone after her treatments until she felt better. Patrick, she's been throwing up since she woke up from her nap! Fine! Stay there! I'll take care of her from now on. Don't bother showing up unless you're ready to commit." Then Pete hung up. I held back my tears as I realized Dad wasn't going to be here for awhile.

Pete sighed heavily and sat next to me, holding my hair back while I threw up again. He rubbed my back.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "This is all my fault, isn't it? You don't have to lie."

"No, Lyra," Pete said. "Patrick just needs to sort out his priorities. And until he does, I'll be taking shifts with Joe and Andy to stay with you. I'd tell you what Patrick's been doing, but that's probably he should tell you himself."

"It's about that woman, isn't it?" I asked. 

"What woman?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"He was talking to woman down the hall earlier," I explained. "I saw her when I was heading to get my second round of radiation. Dad was talking to her when he noticed I was leaving, then he left her and came with me."

"Do you remember what she looked like?" Pete asked. I thought for a moment before I answered.

"Yeah," I replied. "She had long, blonde hair. And she was just a little bit shorter than Dad." Pete groaned, and I knew she had everything to do with this. "Pete, tell me."

He sighed. "Her name is Charlotte. Her and Patrick met at a coffee shop two weeks ago. I guess they've been talking a lot and have gone out a couple of times. I told him you were still a priority, but obviously he hasn't listened." I felt betrayed by Dad. How could he have not told me?