It All Started With a Diary

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I'm so sorry for the long wait. I hope you guys like it. Enjoy! 🤍

"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do." — Mother Teresa
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Chapter 37
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I continued to press the pads of my fingers into the palm of my hand. My organs were in knotted twists as I watched the lit arrow.

Finally, the elevator doors began to open. I hurried out. Ever since Ryland had picked me up from school, my nerves were to the roof. I had fiddled with every strand on my shirt, crinkled every piece of paper I could find, and clutched the two thighs I had more than I could count.

I was impatient to see my dad, to the point of pain. I hadn't heard any type of news concerning him from anyone all day, and that irked me to the very core.

The only thing I heard from Ryland was that our dad was alright. But, I could only take into consideration what I'd seen with my own eyes. I didn't want to raise my expectations for my dad only to have them lowered again.

The doctor stopped us before we managed to make it to dad's room. I looked at him, my expression surely unreadable.

"Is he alright?"

"The test results for a stroke came back negative, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't very close to one. His blood pressure was dangerously low..."

I thanked him with a small smile. I said nothing as Ryland told me to wait for him by the door. I watched as he turned, walked back to the doctor, and carried off into a small conversation.

Before I knew it, I was in front of our dad's door. The freshly painted teal door stood in front of me, with the either terribly painful, or very helpful truth behind it.

I heard the footsteps behind me cease. "I can tell you're nervous from a mile away," Ryland teased from behind me.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. I ran a hand through my hair, attempting to calm myself. I said nothing in response, though I knew he was telling the truth about my uneasiness.

I walked into the eerily quiet room, overshadowed by my fear. I was taken aback when my eyes fell on my dad. Everything seemed to go quiet.

He was partially out of bed, with two feet on the floor and his upper body on the bed. He was leaned over, face scrunched in unreadable emotion. Once he noticed Ryland and I, his brown eyes grew warm.

"About time," my dad joked, his lips rising in a small smile.

I beat a world record as I rushed over to him. I didn't realize I was crying until one of the tears slipped down my cheek. I hugged him tighter, clouded by emotions. I never wanted to let him go.

I was gentle but urgent with my hold. "I missed you," I whispered into the crook of his neck.

My dad's grip loosened as I raised myself up. "I missed you, sweet girl." His hand gently pushed the loose strands of hair out of my face as he smiled.

"Do you...do you feel any better?" I attempted to ask through the thick void of emotions.

He placed his hand on top of mine. "Now, I wouldn't be up if I didn't feel any better, baby. I may not feel like I'm the strongest in the world right now, but I'm still able to speak and move. I'm grateful, and beyond happy just to see you and your brothers' faces, again."

We hugged again. I basked in the warmth he provided for the both of us. I continued to scold myself for the mistake I made when I said such hurtful things to him. My lesson was learned, and even though he was no longer completely healthy, it still meant the world that he was here, that he was alive.