Reliving life

Chapter 26

"Emmy!! My god have I missed you" my dad called out as I walked into the front room.

I'd left Spencer's once I'd received a message from my mum to let me know her and my dad were home. He was supposed to have been home several hours earlier however his flight had been delayed. My dad brought me into his arms and hugged me tightly with a big smile on his face which I reciprocated. I'd missed him so much and was definitely going to make the most of my time with him over the Christmas holidays.

"How have you been?" He asked me as we walked over to the couch and sat down.

Mum was in the kitchen preparing tea and as the smells wafted in and caught innit nose I realised how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten since lunch time and it was now nearing 9pm, Spencer had offered me food when her parents had called her down to eat however I politely declined and stayed in her room studying as I wanted to join my dad for his first meal back.

"I've been good, great in fact. Schools going well and I was offered two full scholarships thanks to swimming. I've spent a lot of time with my friends, Hanna hasn't changed at all. And the rest of my time I've spent with my girlfriend, Alison" a giant smile spread across my face as I finished my last sentence.

I had rambled on with my answer, barely stopping to breath but my dad just sat there taking it all in. Obviously I had already told him about my scholarships on one of our Skype sessions and about Alison but it felt so good to tell him face to face.

"I'm glad you're happy Emmy" he replied.

Hearing his nickname for me just made my face light up even more. It felt as if he had never gone away. We enjoyed tea as a family before I reluctantly went up to bed. It was a Friday night and I didn't have school in the morning but it had been such a long day that I felt exhausted. My dad had caught me dropping off a couple of times at the table and told me to go to bed so I would be fully awake and ready to spend the day with him tomorrow. I wasn't sure what he had planned for us but I didn't care either, anything we did together would be amazing.

I put a pair of shorts on and a vest top before climbing into bed, checking my phone for the final time before I fell asleep.

Alison: Glad your dad is home safe. Are you free tomorrow? Love you xx

I felt bad that I had to turn down the opportunity to see Ali however I knew she would understand and I would make it up to her the next time I saw her.

Emily: Sorry my dad has planned for us to spend the day together. I might be free Sunday but not sure yet. Love you too xx

Alison: No worries. Have a good weekend and I'll see you on Monday xx

Emily: Xxxxxxxxxxx

Alison: You dork.

I was upset that she hadn't put any kisses back but before I could even start typing my reply I noticed the three dots signalling that she was sending me another message.

Alison: Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (I always win Fields) xx

I smiled to myself as I read the last message before turning over and getting comfy. I was so exhausted I basically fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes.

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One shot.
Two shot.
Three shot.
Four.

Pain. Searing pain.

The scream that erupted from my mouth was so loud that it woke myself up upon leaving my mouth. I was shaking and covered in sweat yet again but there was something different, a tightness around my chest. I began to regain my focus as my breathing evened out and I realised that the tightness was my dads arms wrapped around me. Normally my parents left me to it, having gotten used to it being a nightly occurrence a couple of months after the incident. But every time my dad got back from tour or Texas he would spend his first night back comforting me. Even though the incident had only happened 14 months ago my dad had been away several times. He'd even done a tour in Syria for a couple of months earlier in the year.

I pulled myself slowly out of my dads arms before heading over to the bathroom. I didn't know what to say to him so I gave him a small smile before shutting the bathroom door behind me and turning the shower on. I spent longer than usual in there and just allowed the hot water to run over my head and down my body until I felt fully relaxed.

Climbing back into bed I grabbed my phone and unlocked it. I had two messages from different senders tonight, normally I would just have a message from Hanna.

Hanna: What did the blanket say as it fell off the bed?

I sighed as I read the message knowing full well this would be a typical bad joke from Hanna. I couldn't believe after all this time she still managed to come up with jokes and occasionally they would make me laugh. I was so lucky to have a friend like her.

Emily: I don't know.

Hanna: Oh sheet.

Emily: Ffs. Night Hanna Banana

Hanna: I'm still laughing. That was hilarious. Don't deny it. Night Em

I exited our conversation and opened up the other message that I had received.

Alison: You're ok xx

Emily: I am now :) xx

It was a short and simple message but it meant the world to me. I wasn't sure why Ali was awake at this time of the night but the fact that she was and had though of me brought a smile to my face and made my heart skip a few beats. Even with the PTSD my life was good and it was all manageable thanks to my family, friends and most importantly my girlfriend.