Sweet afternoons

Chapter twenty-five

It took a while for the room to return to normal. My mother's hug had not lasted too long, but she was now stood by my side, tearful eyes looking up at me. My father was sat up in his bed still, concern shadowing his features while Andres stood to the side of me, his face almost mirroring my fathers.

Perhaps I could've found a better time to say this, but I knew that time was running out. "I know you must be confused, but after thinking about it I've made my decision." I took a deep breath, ready to confess my feelings about the subject.

"Lena..." My father started. I quickly cut him off with a shake of my head.

"I want to do this, I've already decided," I began, "I have some money saved up that can probably cover most of the costs."

"We can't ask you to do this Lena, you saved that money up for yourself." My mother spoke with a conflicted tone. It was obvious to me that as much as she wanted my father to get the help he needed, she was no longer willing to put me in a difficult position to do so.

I could see that her confliction was genuine and that now, for whatever reason, she cared for me. What had changed? I didn't know. But at that moment it didn't matter. What I wanted, more than ever, was to help my father.

Before I could speak again and tell my mother that this is what I wanted, another voice filled the air.

"I can help."

The voice was calm, conveying that this was something he had thought through. I was shocked and fell into silence I couldn't seem to climb out of.

My Mother and Father turned to look at the man next to me, their faces not showing many emotions. "Son, as our daughter's partner I can't allow myself to disadvantage you either."

"In all due respect sir, I have more money than I could ever need. Please, allow me to help."

"Andres!" I exclaimed, my voice finally returning to me. We hadn't spoken about him helping with the money and I didn't want to be an inconvenience to him. Especially since we hadn't even been dating for that long and had never had a commitment talk.

"It's okay Lena, whatever happens, I'll make sure we can pay those costs. Together." Andres' voice was soft and reassuring, it was hard to argue with him at that moment. He hadn't claimed it would be paying the costs alone and so I decided to leave the conversation for a more private venue.

I nodded my head, agreeing to the situation so that my mother and father could finally accept my decision.

They were silent for a moment.

"Lena...are you sure?" My father asked, still not convinced by the scenario. I took a long look at my father in his hospital bed. His eyes were baggy and sore, his cheeks hollow and his arms thin and shaky. My father needed care desperately and I wasn't ready to leave him like this.

"Absolutely," I said simply. My mind made up completely. My mother looked over at my father for reassurance and with a reluctant nod, she rushed into his arms, tears cascading down her red, puffy cheeks.

Her sobs were loud and powerful, and my father seemed to be unable to console her tears. Andres took me into his arms, leaning over to whisper in my ear. "I will not take this heroic deed away from you," He said, "But, I want to support you with it."

I didn't respond, instead choosing to wrap my arms around his waist in a vice-like grip. Tears threatened to escape me as well, however, I feared I might mirror my mothers state so attempted to hold them in.

"I love you," I whispered in a quiet, raspy voice that was muffled by Andres' chest. He repeated my words back to me and we fell into a comfortable quiet as all in the room basked in their emotions.