The Inceptive Flame⎪✓

❨42❩

♀︎

Stepping inside the house with an easy smile on my lips, I try not to dwell too much on what just happened between Elijah and I. Our bond strengthened and he knows it, too. It's weird how easily it comes to us, being in this strange stage between friends and something more. Doubt hasn't been a part of the equation, we fit so perfectly into each other's minds. The sadness from how the timing is horrific evaporates during the time I'm with him. 

Walking into the kitchen I sit down by the island and open my phone for the first time in hours, multiple unanswered calls light up on my screen. My mom has called me several times. The pounding in my heart is unreal as I call her back, she picks up instantly. 

"Where have you been?" Her voice asks, clearly out of breath. 

"I'm at home now, what is going on?"

"It's your dad," She pauses and my heart immediately stops beating. "He's awake, they want me to go over there, but I'm quite occupied at the moment. If you don't mind, will you maybe check up on him?"

Not giving her a chance to continue, I hang up the phone and frantically run outside after putting on my shoes. My feet take off sprinting in the nightly air, carrying themselves all the way to the hospital. Darkness has settled across the sky and sweat trickles down my back when I enter the sterile building, following the steps I've taken multiple times before. Opening the door to his room roughly, there is my dad sitting up with a bowl of soup in his hands. 

His face lights up in a small smile when he sees me, my eyes are crazy and judging by how warm my cheeks are, I must resemble a tomato right now. None of those things matter as he barely manages to put down the bowl of soup, before I attack him with a needy hug. He hugs me back with as much intensity, as much as his weakened body can handle, that is. 

"Hey, my baby. How are you?" His speech is way better and I find myself choking up, I understand him. He pulls me away gently by my shoulders and smiles at me. 

"I'm great now, dad! How are you feeling? How long have you been awake for?" The questions fall from my lips before I can catch them. He laughs lightly and pinches my cheek, the strain making him cough. 

"Currently feeling surprisingly well. They found me awake two hours ago, but I can't really remember. Now I'm fully awake and managed to get some food down, I haven't felt this good since they gave me the diagnosis. It's weird."

"It's amazing, dad! I'm so happy you're feeling better, your speech has improved tremendously."

Even through the immense happiness, there is this weird feeling in my gut. It seems too good to be true that he feels so much better, when he was on the verge of dying before he ended up in a coma. Something about this doesn't sit right with me, but I'm not sure what it is exactly. Shaking those thoughts away, I hand him his soup and urge him to eat again. 

"So what have you been up to?" He asks and takes a spoonful of the food. My heart sings in happiness by his grey eyes looking at me again, I've had a hard time with my own eyes since he got to the hospital. They remind me of his. 

Shrugging my shoulders, "Not much really, I've been hanging out with Dani and Relly, they came to visit by the way."

"Oh yeah," He nods. "The nurse showed me the chocolate, I already ate a piece. Was it because of my problem with buying flowers?"

Smiling, "Indeed it was."

"Those two have always been incredibly considerate, I'm glad you have them in your life, baby."

"I am too, dad."

My dad and I catch up. He wants to know everything, he even asks about Elijah. When I inform dad of how Elijah and I hung out a couple of times, he smirks knowingly and nods his head. After telling me that he really likes him, the conversation stirs away and for that I'm relieved. Nothing like talking about cute guys to your dad, nope. 

We plan that I'll visit him tomorrow again, I want the most time with him here. Hopefully we can discharge him soon enough and get him home again, he doesn't like hospitals and I won't be the one forcing him to stay in one. He especially begged me to allow him to die at home, something about his soul leaving his body in this cold building makes him upset. Our talk keeps going in a rapid pace never dimming down. 

The relief of my dad being awake is so intense it hasn't even processed yet. He is here and he is okay for now, that's everything I could have ever asked for. The love and respect I have for my dad is unreal, but that also means I wish the best possible death for him under these unfair circumstances. 

A sudden knock sounds on the door and a nurse pops her head in, "Sorry to disturb you, but visiting hours are over soon. I'll give you privacy to say goodnight."

She leaves again and when I look at the time it's almost 10PM, my eyes bulge out of my head by the realization. Time has gone by so quickly, but we had a lot to catch up on. My dad brings me down into a tight hug, "Thank you for being here, Kota. It's been amazing talking to you again."

Every time I leave him it feels like a goodbye, my eyes well up with tears but I get it under control and hide my emotions before he sees. Tightening my hug on him, I release his frail frame and walk towards the door. Grabbing the handle, I turn around and give him a confident smile, "I really am happy that you're okay, dad. Thank you for fighting it."

He smiles, tears welling up in his eyes, "We gave each other a promise after all, you are my biggest supporter and I want to live up to that. Have a safe walk home, my baby."

"I love you, dad."

"I love you more, Kota, to the moon and back, always."

"To the moon and back, always."