The Inceptive Flame⎪✓

❨11❩

♀︎

The pep in my step, or limp from cheering and falling, whatever, is torturing me as I walk down the long hallways in the hospital, the smell has already engulfed me and as I take a deep breath it is as if the shift in smell never happened. Clearly, I have been here too much, but never in a million years would I leave my dad alone in a cold hospital. The hallways are empty except for the occasional greeting from a nurse. 

As I reach his room, I suddenly stop by the voices booming from the inside. It's obviously my mother and him arguing, it doesn't make sense why they want to waste their time fighting. The anger in both of their voices throws me off, it seems weird. My dad doesn't have many months left and they do love each other, deep down, I know it. 

"Penelope," My dad scolds. "That is not your call to make."

"You cannot come home! Do you not understand how much this is ruining our daughter? Having you home during your last time will only remind her constantly," My mom's voice is as cold as ever, the words she is spitting at the man I love are painful. It truly is not her call to make and I don't want her to speak on my behalf, especially not if she is lying to my dad about something painful. Without a doubt, this is her ensuring that she can be alone and do what she wants without him judging on the sides.  

He sighs in clear pain, "The last thing I want is for her to be upset that I am home."

"Then stay here, they can treat you and know what to do if anything ever happens. Let me worry about Dakota, god knows I have picked up the pieces multiple times after her visits here either way," She spits. 

I cannot listen to the hateful words she is spewing at my dad anymore, barging into the room their eyes cut to me in shock. Dad is visibly hurting by his sad eyes and mom looks like she got caught red-handed, none of them expected for me to come in here, as much is clear. 

"Who do you think you are?" I hiss at her, the anger squeezing my entire body. 

"Dakota, don't lie to your father, you can't handle having him at home," She seems sober today, but it is only a matter of time. Her alcohol problem is the only reason why she doesn't want him to come home, I would love for my dad to come home with me. No one deserves to die in the hospital and I know how much that exact thought scares him. He wants to die in the safety of his own home.

"No, mother. I am not the one lying, so do not place the blame on me. I swear if you as much as utter one more detestable word towards dad, I will leave you here and take him with me. In fact, I will either way. You are so disgusting, I am truly ashamed," I seethe at her with a spiteful glare. Meeting the eyes of my dad I try my best to smile at him, "Dad, pack your stuff, I will bring you home."

He doesn't waste another second before packing up. "I will just go tell the doctor and get the medicine," He smiles at me before leaving me alone with my mom. 

Turning towards her I cock an eyebrow, a tainted smirk falls on my lips as a defense, "Did not know you were so pathetically desperate to keep your dirty little secret, mother. I may not be home all the time, but if you ever speak to him like that again, I will make sure he knows what a failure of a parental you are. Probably not the best image to have of your own wife while you are dying, now is it?"

I'm completely bluffing I would never use my dad against her like that, but scaring her a little is fair. She seems completely shocked that I would ever talk to her like that though, "I don't have a secret. Your father needs constant care, I do not want to give it to him."

"Clearly, you aren't quite grasping the concept here," I spit. "Your husband is dying right in front of your eyes, you are losing your daughter to swallow some liquor. Hopefully, it will be worth it in the end, because I refuse to pick up your shit again."

"I don't have a problem," Her sneer doesn't come as a surprise. I know she has a problem and that I shouldn't be so hard on her, but I am very protective of my dad and she crossed the line by saying stuff like that to him.

"Keep telling yourself that. And while doing so, I will take dad home and get him comfortable."

Leaving her in the room I almost run into my dad in the hallway, he smiles at me and I take his bags from him. He shouldn't be carrying such heavy stuff, not when I am here at least, "I'm sorry about her behavior, dad." 

Walking out the hospital with him and getting into my car is so liberating, it feels like a fresh start even though I know it's him signing that he wants to die at home. The thought of losing him scares me so deeply, but this is completely his call to make. I won't be egotistical with him, I simply cannot do it. 

"I don't want you to be sorry, my baby. Let's just get home and play some Poker, maybe eat a delicious home-cooked meal?" He tries with an easy smile, he seems 10 years younger already. Hospitals really suck the lives out of people, it is just the vibe you get from being in there and especially for a long time. Driving onto the streets I meet his eyes, before focusing on the road again. 

"I know something that will make you laugh," I smile at him. 

"Oh really? Please enlighten me then."

"So, I said yes to this thing and now I am kind of stuck doing it for the rest of my high school career."

He raises his eyebrows, "Intriguing, what mess have you created for yourself now?"

Deciding to tell him everything about my cheerleading disaster, he bursts out laughing, especially when I tell him why I have a slight limp to my leg. One of my trust falls with Dani did not work out the way I had hoped, she spotted Brock from across the field and when I tried to catch myself I twisted my ankle. So this is the story of my life. 

My dad's eyes light up by me explaining literally every single thing that went wrong today, he always teases me about my clumsiness and I always refuse to accept that I am anything near clumsy. This is unfortunately only proving his point and I'm annoyed, it's not that I am clumsy either, I just suck at coordinating movement. No one should blame anyone for that.