Like Father Like Son

Boring Recovery

I woke up still feeling pain in my sides. I slowly got out of bed and made my way to the stairs. It hurt badly to walk downstairs, but I pushed through the pain.
"What are you doing out of bed?" Dad rushed over to me as I reached the bottom of the staircase.
"I have to go to school" I mumbled as I kept walking towards the kitchen.
"You need to stay home and rest" dad said has he stepped in front of me, stopping me from walking any farther.
"What about the studio?" I asked. Dad shook his head.
"Sorry bud, you need to stay home" he said again. I sighed and made my way to the couch, slowly sitting down.

"Let me know if you need anything" dad said as he headed out the door. I ignored him, feeling mad at the world As soon as he left I stood back up. I was not going to lay around all day. I went to the kitchen to look for my pain killers. Dad didn't want me taking it because he was afraid I'd become addicted, but I really needed it right now. After some searching I found them hidden behind the plates. The grabbed the bottle and read the label. Two should be safe to take, the bottle said it was what I needed. I grabbed a water bottle and put the pills in my mouth, washing them down with a sip.

I knew I was pretty tired after the nurse gave me the pain killers yesterday, but I wasn't sure if it was the pills or my exhaustion. I decided not to do too much just in case. I slowly made my way to my room, careful not to move my sides too much. My head still hurt as well, but I handled it better than my sides. Once I reached my room I went to find my guitar. I found the case sitting in my closet. Dad must have moved it when he cleaned my room. Luckily he propped it up against the wall so I didn't have to bend over to grab it. I pulled it out and placed the case on my bed. I did my best to keep my back straight while unlatching the case and pulling my guitar out. It took me a moment to sit on my bed and put it on my lap. I can't wait for the pain killers to kick it. I tuned my guitar and started playing different shinedown songs. I knew I wouldn't be playing music with them during tour, but it was always good to practice.

I finished playing after "Miracle" and decided to get something to eat. I didn't realize how much time passed until I looked at the clock. It half past noon at this point. I placed my guitar back in its case and headed down to the kitchen. The painkillers were working so walking wasn't as bad. Once I got to the kitchen I realized I left my phone on the counter. I decided to check it. I missed a text from Daisy and 5 calls from dad. Better call him back first.

Dad picked up after the second ring.
"You okay bud?" He asked.
"Yeah, just calling you back"
"Oh right. I just wanted to make sure you were resting"
"Uh, yeah. I just got into a movie" I lied so he wouldn't get upset.
"Did you eat?"
"I was going to look for something now"
"I have some time, do you want me to bring you something?"
"That'd be nice"
"Okay then. See you soon"
"See ya"
I hung up and opened up Daisy's message.
"Where are you? Are you okay?"
I sighed and wrote back to her.
"Yeah I'll tell you everything when I see you" I don't know when that'll be, but I didn't need her worried. She had a right to be though, I have missed a lot of school. I just hope this doesn't affect me graduating.

I decided to wait in the living room for dad. I played Pink's music on my phone as I waited, lounging on the armchair and trying not to fall asleep.
"Hey bud, I'm home" I turned around to see dad walk in the door with a brown paper bag in his hand.
"Hey dad, watcha got?" I asked as I sat up.
"I got us broccoli and cheddar soup from that cafe down the street from the studio" he said as he lifted the bag higher. I got up and followed him to the dining table.

Dad sat down with me and we enjoyed our soup together.
"So how were things at the studio?" I asked.
"Good. We got another song recorded today. When I go back I'm recording vocals for another one. We should be almost done this album"
"That's cool"
"Everyone was asking about you. They all hope you get better soon"
"Me too" I chuckled slightly, causing the pain to return. "Tell then I said thanks and that I miss them"
"Don't worry son, you'll see them again too" He said. He must have noticed me get upset. "What's wrong bud?"
"I'm worried about school. I missed so many days. What if I don't graduate?" I asked.
"You're doing you're best to keep caught up, and I know you're good at keeping those grades up. If you're that worried though, talk to your teachers. I'm sure they understand"
"Thanks dad"

After lunch dad had to go back to work. I needed to get out of the house but had no where to go, so I just went into the back yard. The fresh air was so nice. I walked over to our picnic table and took a seat. The birds sang from the trees and I watched the squirrels scurry around the yard. The only thing missing was was a dog to share this space with.

Between the fresh air and my medication, I must have fallen asleep outside.
"Parker. Wake up sleepy head" dad was gently shaking my shoulders while speaking softly.
"Ugh, I must have passed out" I slowly lifted my head and yawned. Dad laughed.
"Long day?" He asked. I looked up to see the sun was setting.
"I guess so" I stood up and stretched, wincing in pain at my sides.
"Careful bud" dad said. He started towards the house so I followed him inside.

"I made steak and a salad to go with it" dad said as we entered the kitchen. Everything was already plated at the table.
"Sounds yummy" I said as I sat across from him. I listened to him talk about his day as we ate. Man was I sad I wasn't there.
"Tell me about your day" dad said.
"Nothing happened" I admitted. I hated it, but I understood it was only for my health. Maybe tomorrow I could do something.

I went back up to my room after dinner. I was starting to feel depressed from sitting around the house all day. My guitar case still sat on my bed. I propped it up against the wall and crawled into bed.
"You going to sleep already?" Dad asked as he walked by my room.
"Yeah, I'm still tired" I mumbled as I pulled my covers up.
"Well, good night then" dad said as he kept walking. I turned my body away from my door and closed my eyes. Tomorrow was a new day.