Hailflower and Her Memory

Chapter 6

Rider's POV
It's been a week since Hail has been healthy and awake. I miss her a lot and couldn't sleep. So, I decided to visit her at Ace Care Hospital. However, I wasn't allowed to see her since it was past visiting hours. I couldn't leave her all alone, so I waited in the lobby trapped in my thoughts until I heard a voice.

I look up and make eye contact with one of the nurses, "Are you waiting for someone?"

"My sister is here, and I wanted to see her, but visiting hours aren't until another hour," I respond looking at my watch.

"Oh I see, unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't help with that. But do you mind me asking you a question? Simply out of curiosity, are you all alone? Are there any other family members coming to see your sister as well? Any friends?"

I was taken aback when she brought up my parents, although not in a direct manner. I took a deep breath and clenched my fist eagerly hoping for this conversation to immediately end but I responded calmly with a hint of frustration, "My mother has passed away, and my father has been absent ever since. I only have my sister now."

"I apologize, my condolences." I felt nauseous when I saw the change in her eyes. Those eyes said it all. They became like a child curious about an innocent thing to someone who regretted asking a simple question. A question that unknowingly would cut deep into one's heart, but which would normally not affect anything in another's.

I unlock my phone completely ignoring her. The atmosphere had shifted. Her hesitance was clear when I no longer heard her voice. She probably didn't understand the significance of her silence but it put me at ease. I didn't want anyone prying into my personal matters again.

"Hey, you awake?"
I am. You need something?

"The nurse brought up my parents."

On my way. Don't do anything you'll regret.

"I'm not dumb. Just hurry."

She then decided that silence wasn't cutting it, pushing where she shouldn't, she continued to play detective, "Did your father leave immediately after?"

Once again, I chose not to respond. Were nurses supposed to be like this? All I wanted was for her to respect my privacy and leave me alone. I'm still clueless about the reasoning behind her random appearance, but I have no interest in engaging in any activities similar to the one from that night.

"Where are you?"

Just arrived.

"No wonder you took so long," I said with an amused smile. Daniel shook the '24/7 Burgers' bag in his hand, which was a fast food place we came upon with Hailflower when she recovered from a cold.

"Bon Appétit," handing me a hamburger while grabbing a fry for himself.

"Want some?"

"No thank you, I should really be getting back to work."

"Finally, she was definitely testing my patience," taking another bite out of my burger, relieved she was taking her leave.

Daniel is good to me. He always knows how to lighten the mood. When my mother died my father started coming home drunk and soon after, he became violent. It became a daily routine for me to take Hailflower to Daniel's. I trusted him to take care of my sister while I dealt with my father. He understood that I was the only thing keeping him from touching my sister. But in spite of my efforts, it still happened. I came home one day only to find him slapping her, and being Hail, she didn't attempt to fight back. When she noticed me, she smiled weakly as a tear ran down her cheek. And that was it, that was the last straw. Ultimately, I ended up severely injuring my father... and he might have died had Hail not stopped me by hugging me with shaky hands and then whispered, "He doesn't deserve to die yet."