It Started With A Wrong Number ✯

17. When I See You Again

I hear a loud, really annoying beeping, and disappointment fills my mind. A hospital, of course. I don't need to open my eyes to know that's where I am.

Why am I not dead? I want to be dead! Why did someone have to find me?

Not just someone either. Right when I try to die, Dad has to reappear in my life.

What a cliche.

Do I feel happy that Dad's back in my life? Mad that he never tried to contact me? I don't know. I missed him. I wanted him to come back because maybe we could all be happy again. But that's not how life works.

Now, I just feel... Empty.

I sigh softly, keeping my eyes closed and hoping to go back to sleep. My head hurts, and my ribs sting softly.

"Please, Lucas. Just let me see my son," Dad's voice pleads on the other side of the door.

"Jeremiah, he's still unconscious and recovering," replied a voice, Lucas.

He must be a doctor or nurse of some sort if he's deciding if I get visitors or not.

"Lucas, I found him bleeding out," Dad says. "It's been almost two weeks. Please, I need to see him."

"Sure, now you need to see him," Doctor Lucas mutters. "Fine, but only for a few minutes. But I'm staying with you."

I hear the door open from somewhere to the left, followed by the sounds of footsteps and the door being closed again. Someone, probably Dad, sits next to me, while Lucas (screw saying the Doctor title every time) stands somewhere in the room.

Dad takes my hand gently, thumb running softly over the back of my hand. "I'm so sorry, Skye," he whispers. "I should've gone to see you sooner."

"See, you should've listened to me," Lucas says, sounding annoyed, fed-up. "You know what, screw professionalism, I'm telling you this as your boyfriend, not your doctor. I told you again and again to go see him, Miah, but nooo. You were too scared to face him after you just up and left. If Skye loved you, he wouldn't care that you're bi, you damn idiot."

"I... I know, I see that now," Dad mumbles. "I— What's this bruising around his neck?"

Lucas sighs. "It was a lot worse before, it's healed pretty well."

"Lucas," Dad says sternly. "What's this from?"

"Signs of attempted or uncompleted strangulation," Lucas replies. "The bruises are from two attempts, from what I've gathered, the first time smaller hands, likely a woman, and the second time likely a man. They looked to have either taken their time to start healing, or were inflicted less than two days before you found him."

Dad doesn't reply for a long moment. Then, he whispers, "who? Did they do anything else?"

"I..."

"Lucas."

"Fine, I'll drown you in guilt. You deserve it and you'd find out eventually anyway," Lucas huffs. "Where should I start? Well, Skye had three fractured - one nearly broken - ribs, bruises in various stages of healing all over, a small shard of glass in one foot, and dozens of scars, from both others and himself."

"What?!" Dad says disbelieving. He pauses. "God, I'm a terrible parent. Maybe it is better I left him with Rose."

"Your ex-wife?" Lucas asks skeptically, his tone making me imagine him with his arms crossed. "The hospital's called that home multiple times. She's picked up once, we told her Skye's here, and she said, and I quote, 'did he get an STD from whoring himself out? Fix him up and send him home, or kill him I don't care.'"