Everything's Alright (Sequel to "Please Be Okay")

~ Thirteen ~

        "Today's the day." Dan said after he woke me up. I felt instant worry in my stomach but smiled anyway. 

"Today's the day." I repeated. 

Dan's surgery was scheduled pretty early in the morning, so we didn't have a lot of time to talk and hang out before going to the hospital. But we did have breakfast together. Just us, Phil, and Lydia. That was the one thing that was normal. 

On our way to the hospital, I was more nervous than I'd ever felt in my entire life. I felt like my insides were going to explode. 

"It's going to be fine." Dan tried to tell me, but I ignored him and just focused on not breaking down and having a panic attack. He put his arm around me and when I heard the speed of his heartbeat I could tell he was doing the same. When we arrived we were already a little late which is part of the reason the doctors wanted Dan to be admitted the night before but of course, he refused even though we would've gone after the wedding. He said he just wanted to have one more normal night. 

"Alright, in about thirty minutes we'll come prep you for surgery and then take you up. Sound good?" The doctor asked, smiling. I hated that. The fact that he was smiling made me so angry that I could've stood up and punched his teeth out. But, I stayed quiet because he was about to cut my husband's brain open. 

"Sounds good." Dan smiled. "Thank you." 

The man gave him a reassuring nod before walking out the door and down the hallway. I looked at his face through the window to see that the smile had disappeared. He all of a sudden looked just as scared as we were. I looked back at Dan to see him talking to Lydia. She was going home with my Mom and Dallas before the surgery so she didn't have to sit in the hospital all day. 

"After the doctors fix you, will we be able to go home?" She asked. 

"Yes love, we will." Dan said smiling through the pain I could tell he was feeling. 

"Yay!" She said, hugging him happily. 

"Lydia..." Dan said, holding her in his arms. "Lydia I want you to promise me something okay?" 

"Okay..." Lydia replied. 

"I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, you'll take care of your mum for me. She can be a real trouble maker sometimes."

They both laughed and Dan looked Lydia in the eyes before kissing her forehead. 

"Can you promise?" Dan asked again. L nodded and kissed Dan on the forehead in return. 

"I promise." She told him. Dan hugged her again, holding onto her tighter than he probably should've been, and then letting go and letting her climb off the bed and walk over to my mom. 

"We should get going. Let the three of you have some time alone before.." My mom suggested. 

"Okay.." Dan smiled. Dallas walked over to his bed and leaned down. 

"You're a good man, Daniel." He said, patting him on the chest. "You're a good man." 

Dan put his hand over Dallas's and smiled up at him. 

"Thank you, Dallas." 

My mom gave him a hug and then did the same to me and Phil. 

"Good luck. I love you all." She said. 

"Bye mummy, bye daddy, bye Phil!" Lydia yelled, running out of the room. Soon enough, all of them were gone. Dan let go of his smile and broke down crying. 

"Dan?" I asked. "What's wrong?" 

"That might've been... the last time I... ever speak to my daughter." He said between sobs. 

I leaned in and wrapped my arms around him and Phil walked over and sat down next to him on the bed. 

"You're going to live." Phil said. 

Dan managed to calm himself down and looked over at me, smiling. I smiled back and sat up slightly. 

"Thirteen years..." Phil said after a few minutes of silence. "We've been best friends for thirteen years and I still can't get over the fact that you're married with a kid and I still can't manage to stay in a relationship. Dan and I both laughed. 

"You'll find someone." Dan told him. "So many people would be lucky to be with you. You just have to believe that." 

"Don't do that." Phil said. "Don't do the thing where you give me good advice because it's the last time you'll ever speak to me and you want it to mean something or whatever. You're not dying." 

"But if I do..." Dan started. "If I do, don't stop making videos. I know it'll be weird but you'll get used to it after a while. I don't want everything to change because I'm not here..." 

"I know, Dan." 

"And make sure you upload that video." He added. "The fans need to know that I'm gone, and I don't want you to hold off. When they tell you I'm gone, you can have a few days to wrap your head around it but then you need to upload that video." 

"Okay." 

"And Aria... god, Aria I don't even know what to say to you... not because there's nothing to say but because there are a million things to say and I can't choose. You mean more to me than anything in the entire world ever has. You saved me Ari. Thank you for that." 

I felt a tear run down my cheek and I hugged him again. 

"Thank you." I whispered.