Impulse

Chapter Fifty-One

*NARRATOR'S POV* 

"Dad?" Louis stood in the doorway of Mark's hospital room, so shaky with nerves and reliefthat he could hardly see straight through his tears. 

Both Harry and Edward consented when he asked that they just wait in the car for him to come backout. He didn't want them in there with him because this is something he'd like to do on his own.Mark was lying on the hospital bed with his body covered by a blanket up to his lower torso. Hehad a food tray over him but made no move to eat from it. 

The scratchy hair of his scruffy shadowwas darkening his chin, making him appear so much more tired than he feels.When Louis had rapped his knuckles on the gaping door, Mark's head turned away from thewindow to his son. His smile was brief but powerful enough to get Louis into the room, rushingover to his father's side.

 "Dad." Louis gets onto a chair and drags it closer, no care for the noise as he gets to hold Mark'shand in both of his. "How- How are you feeling?" 

Mark coughs into his fist and rolls his eyes, wincing at the end because the vengeance of hissinusitis hasn't eased. "Better than expected, son." 

Louis can smile without a chip of it falling away, his thumb grazing the back of Mark's hand. Heknows what he's going to say next but just the reminder of it makes his eyes sting with emotion."I-I'm-" He takes a deep breath to steady those feelings of uncertainty, of regret. "Dad, I'm so sorry.I never thought-"

 "What are you sorry for?" Mark angles his head towards Louis, not expecting this outburst from hisonly son. 

"For asking you to go to Middleston." Louis rushes to say, fending off the vicious memories thatthreaten to attack him. He looks to raw and desperate to be forgiven, wide eyes and flushed skin."You never should have been there. It's my-" 

"Son, if you say what happened to me is your fault I'll be most disappointed in you." He saysstrictly, aware of how his son is tearing himself apart just because he's such a passionate person whogave his total devotion to everything he did.

 "What?" Louis brought one knee up on his chair, resting it against the edge of Mark's bed.

 His father squeezed his hand and reached for the remote that controlled the positioning of his bed.Louis woke up and did it for him, going so far as to check his pillows and blanket.

 "You're not the reason this happened." Mark says, pondering as he stared at his untouched meal."Doctor said I was out for nearly eight months." 

"You were." Louis swallows thickly. "You were stable the entire time, Dad. Please don't even thinkabout it now." 

"He failed to tell me when I got back home." Mark goes on again. "When in that time line did weget to Seattle?"

 "Six months ago." Louis replies cautiously. "I um- moved back home too."

 Mark's lips twitched into a real, unbarricaded smile. "I'm glad you did, son." 

"Me too." Louis clears his throat, remembering that he never got to introduce Mark to the twins. Hedecides to bring up his sisters instead. "The girls are waiting outside to see you. I uh- asked them tolet me come in first."

 "I want to see my girls. I've missed them." Mark unlidded the transparent container with his saladand wiped the prongs of the fork with his napkin. "Is your.....issue in Middleston now resolved?"

 "Issue?" Louis blinks ignorantly, toying with the pudding cup they both know Mark will give to himbecause he hates it. 

"The reason you gave me that phone call, Louis." Mark specifies, stabbing a bit of lettuce and acherry tomato. "You seem perfectly alright which I am glad to see."