Damien dresses slowly, putting the time to good use by allowing the mundane task to steal away his concentration for a few minutes. As he steps into his pants and slides them up his legs, his breathing finally returns to normal. His emotional outbursts had once been few and far between, but something seems to have triggered them to reoccur more often; unfortunately, the detective isn't sure whether that's a recent development or something that's been happening for a while. Just as he pulls his t-shirt over his head, the familiar tune begins playing from his cell phone once more. As his screen lights up with his mother's contact information, Damien takes a deep breath, trying to both stuff down his feelings and mentally prepare for whatever bad news he's about to receive; that's the only reason his parents ever contact him anymore.
They'd have no reason to contact him otherwise.
Damien accepts the call, holding the mobile device to his ear. Before he can even mutter a greeting, his mother's strained voice rushes through the phone. "Your father had a heart attack," she blurts out, a tremor in her voice that doesn't usually exist there. Damien remains silent, taking a moment to process the information while simultaneously awaiting further details, his breath catching in his throat as if stubbornly stating its refusal to release until he can see the whole picture. "I can't understand a lot of the words these doctors are using; I don't know why they can't just speak plain English. Not all of us went to medical school, you know? But somewhere in the string of impossible-to-understand words, I heard the word 'mild.' Mild is good, right? Anyway, he's at St. Francis if you want to stop by and see him after work today," she adds.
After work? Well, certainly, it must not be a critical situation if his mother isn't demanding his immediate arrival at the hospital. Slowly, the breath he'd been holding escapes from his mouth, his shoulders slumping forward as if the action of exhaling had literally evacuated what remaining strength he possessed. Still, even with the news that his father's condition isn't emergent, Damien definitely needed more time to be prepared for something of this magnitude. "Are you okay?" he inquires worriedly, knowing that his mother has a history of not doing so well with major incidents. And unfortunately, this is likely close to the top of that list.
"I'm... Well, we're both alive, Damien," his mother answers breathily.
There's a moment of silence between the two as neither knows what to say; however, Damien understands the importance of ensuring the safety of both his parents at a time like this. A pressure in his chest forces the words out for him as if his body knows he'll never be okay unless he knows his parents are. After verbally verifying that they're both as stable as they can be considering the circumstances, he promises his mother he'll visit the hospital as soon as his shift is over.
He'll just have to scour the woods tomorrow instead, unfortunately. Damien can't put off seeing his father, even if they aren't on the best terms anymore; the man is still his father, after all.
Work is typical for the detective, enough to keep Damien busy and prevent him from completely absorbing himself in his thoughts. Yet not enough to obscure them entirely. His heart feels heavy with the weight of his father's sudden illness, making concentrating on his paperwork more difficult than usual. There's always a distraction hanging over his head in the form of Tally, but today is different. It's worse. Although his father's heart attack was said to be mild, Damien won't be able to let go of the worst-case scenarios that are blinding his focus until he sees the old man in person.
Damien fears losing another family member more than he's ever been afraid of anything before.
When his seemingly endless shift finally comes to completion, the detective goes directly to the hospital, unable to put it off for even a minute longer. Sitting at work all day had been torture, not having been able to personally make sure his father was out of the danger zone. Damien's steps are hurried as he enters the building, following the information panels to the cardiac wing of the hospital, so he doesn't have to attempt making conversation with another living soul until he's had the opportunity to settle his nerves. He knocks lightly on the door of the room with the number matching the one his mother mentioned when they spoke earlier before entering. As his eyes land on his alert and responsive father, relief washes over Damien, his shoulders sagging slightly at the release of tension.
His dad is really okay.
Finally able to breathe easily-- well, as much as one can in Damien's shoes-- he takes a seat in the hospital room and attempts to have a proper conversation with the people who gave him life. Their discussion is stiff and uncomfortable, their loosely-knit family not quite able to find a connection with each other. If Damien is honest, he feels as if they're more like people who once knew each other, who were once close and now are like strangers. Blood-related strangers. As much as he doesn't like how his relationship with his parents has changed over the years, he's still appreciative of the fact that he has them. They're still alive, still here. They haven't abandoned him completely-- not physically, anyway.
Damien remains with his parents until the discomfort of their visit is no longer tolerable, the hours of awkward near-silence and obviously forced conversation exhausting him further. He wishes his mom and dad well before excusing himself, intent on returning to his apartment for some much-needed solitude.
Not that he'll be able to enjoy his aloneness or anything.
Uneasiness gurgles in his stomach as he tells himself that it's far too late to venture into the woods to check out that footpath tonight. He'll undoubtedly be going tomorrow, though; there's no way he'll allow himself to put it off for another day, not when it could possibly be the answer he's been searching for. Not when it could lead him to even the slightest clue about Tally's whereabouts.
YOU ARE READING
I'll Find You
Mystery / Thriller**This story is currently under construction. Damien has spent the better part of a decade searching for his sister, who was abducted from a nearby park when she was fifteen. Devoting his life to finding her, Damien hasn't had much time for anything...
