Banish Me

Beep, Beep, Beeeeeeeeeeeep

I woke up to a beeping noise and for a split second I couldn’t help but think it was all a dream. But then that distinct smell of a hospital filled my nostrils. I opened my eyes slowly, expecting the room to be bright but instead it was dark, one light was on and that was over a sink to my left.

My mouth felt dry, like someone had shoved cotton balls inside. There was a tube wrapped around my face and up my nose, blowing a sterile smell that was clouding my brain, or at least it felt that way. It was very uncomfortable and a tab of plastic was rubbing my skin raw at the base of my nose.

I lifted my hand up to pull it down but instead someone else’s wrapped around mine and put it back down on the bed gently.

I looked up and my father’s gentle smiling face was looking down at me.

“Daddy?” I whispered.

His smile was sad and tears sprung up to his eyes. “Hey, baby girl.”

I smacked my lips and tried to sit up but pain lit me up when I moved more than inch. Moving was obviously not a good idea so I just did the least amount of movement. I rolled to my back and then my father used the little remote control to adjust the bed so I was sitting up.

The lazy man’s way of not having to move.

“What happened?”

“Oh baby…”

The only thing I could think of was someone was dead and there were only so many possibilities. Since my father was here that only left two other people…

“Peter…”

That made me try and move again but he just gently pushed me back down.

“He’s fine.” My father picked up my hand and leaned his face against it. “He’s at home. They wouldn’t let him stay.”

“Steven?”

My father’s face was a little grim. “He’s better. After…the fire went out, part of the ceiling collapsed and he was pinned.”

“Is he alive?”

“Yes. He’s going to be fine.”

I sighed. “Then why do you look like someone died?”

He looked down from my face and a strange look of grief crossed his face.

“Because someone did die, sweetheart.” He looked back up at me and I understood.

“Your brother…oh, Dad, I’m sorry.”

“Oh baby, you don’t have to be sorry.” He threaded his fingers through my hair and moved it off my face. “I don’t even know why…”

“Dad, he was your brother. It’s ok to be sad.”

A choking sound came up and he looked away from me. He covered his mouth with his fist as tears silently fell down his face. I reached over with my one hand and placed it on his head. Granted I was stretching it since my pointer finger was attached to the heart monitor but I had to do something.

“I’m sorry, Cassie.” He looked up at me. “I’m so very sorry for what he did. To you…to your mother…I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, Daddy. There was no way for you to know. I know you think there was but…there wasn’t.”

He moved closer and hugged me and it was then I realized I trusted him. All it took was his brother trying to kill me and a burning barn but I did.

Finally.

I trusted him to stick around. I trusted him to come after me when I was in trouble. I trusted him to be my father.

And that was all that mattered.