Surfer's Sense//l. hemmings

out there//xiii.

Sadie

It's been two weeks. Two weeks since I came home from the hospital. Two weeks of Johnny not being here. Two weeks of the constant watching and check ups. Two weeks off a board.

I let out a sad sigh as I got up out of bed. I still haven't regained full feeling from my wound, but I have been able to move around a lot better. The pain comes at night. I usually wake up screaming and my family or boyfriend will rush in. The doctor said it's pretty normal for this to happen, but that doesn't make it any better.

I got dressed in a pair of black denim high waisted shorts and a bright red rip curl bikini top and headed downstairs, holding the railing for support as I slowly walked down. I smelt bacon and eggs and smiled softly at the sound of my mom humming.

"Morning mom." Her head turned to face me and she gave me a bright smile. I walked over to Kaden who was already eating at the island bar. I kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair as he shot me a toothy grin and did the same.

"Morning suddy." They both responded. I walked into the kitchen and wrapped my arms around my mom, resting my chin on her shoulder.

"Can I help with anything?" She hummed and thought for a minute.

"You can go yell at your father and tell him breakfast is served." She said with a light chuckle and I nodded. Walking out the back door and off of the porch, I walked down to the beach. Standing on the sand for a while as I watched my dad drop into a wave.

He pumped his board down and came up, snapping the lip before swiveling himself into a 360 turn so that he came down the wave, facing the other side. The wave started to curve so I bit my lip as I watched his back knee drop down and the Barrel surround him.

I watched in anticipation for him to come out the other side and right before the wave curled and swallowed him, he was spit out and dived into the water.

I couldn't help the big smile appearing on my face and the small fist pump I did as I watched him resurface. He sat on his board and wiped his face with both of his hands. I took this time to waddle over to the ocean and call out to him.

"DAD! BREAKFAST! GET YOUR BOOTY INSIDE!" I yelled, catching his attention. I saw him laugh and shake his head before turning his board around and paddling out.

I felt the water lap over my feet and gasped slightly at the contact but smiled nonetheless. I missed the feeling. I stared at my toes and wiggled them in the sand. Dad came up next to me and jokingly shook his bald head, sprinkling little droplets of water on me as I smiled and giggled. I passed him the towel I grabbed and he thanked me, sticking his surfboard in the sand as he dried off.

"Lookin' good out there dad." I said causing him to smile.

"Yeah, well I have to take this time to get better than my daughter again." He joked with a light smile, pushing me softly causing me to laugh and jokingly shove him back.

"In your dreams dad." The two of us laughed and I looked out at the water again, letting out another sigh.

"I miss it out there dad, so much." He nodded and draped his arm over my shoulders as I rested my head on his chest.

"One more week Sadie." One more week and I get to get my stitches and bandages removed. One more week and I can start swimming and training again. I'm going to need to be fully re-trained, and the thought of that made me worry.

"What if I'm not ready in one more week." My words came out softly, but he heard me. He smiled lightly and squeezed my good shoulder.

"The ocean isn't going anywhere Suds. It'll be waiting for you whenever you are ready." He said. I sighed and looked up as my dad kissed my head, the two of us sharing a light smile before he turned us away from the ocean and walked slowly with me back to the house.