“I know, but I met her, while I was… I saw Dad too.”
“Peyton, I’m sure you were dreaming. You’re on some pretty heavy drugs and the nurses say they can cause hallucinations.” She starts reading again, but I need her to believe me.
“I wasn’t hallucinating. Dad and I were in the same room, and he looks exactly the same as the pictures I have.”
“Of course he looks the same as the pictures, it’s all you remember.”
“He told me he’d be there to help me, that he’s always watching over Elle and I.”
“Peyton, that’s enough.” Mom slams her book shut and immediately pinches the bridge of her nose, a sign she has an impending headache. “It’s the drugs, nothing more.”
“I almost died, Mom.”
“But you didn’t. You survived and you’re here, with us. Your family is here and I promise, we’re not going to let anything happen to you.” She doesn’t say anything else as she opens her book again and starts reading. I close my eyes and think about the images of my grandmother and father. They seem so clear and present in my mind. I want my mom to believe me, but I’m not even sure myself.
At some point I must doze off because when I wake again, my dad is sitting in the chair, playing on his phone.
“I miss my phone,” I say groggily.
He leans forward and kisses me on my cheek, careful not to get anywhere near my head wound. Most of the damage was done to my right side, except for the missing chunk of scalp I now have. My long hair has been sheared on one side, giving me some emo look that I’m not fond of.
“Nice nap?”
I smile and nod. “I guess. Although I’m always tired.”
“It’s the medicine.”
“So I’ve heard. What am I missing in the world?” I ask, nodding toward his phone.
He turns it around and shows it to me. “I’m chatting with JD about the construction on the house.”
“They’re building?”
Dad shakes his head. “No, we’re putting in a temporary ramp for when you come home.”
“Oh.” I look down at my leg and that’s when it hits me. I don’t get to return to my sorority or stay in Chicago. I can’t walk because of my leg, and I can’t use crutches because of my arm. I’ll be in a wheelchair until who knows how long. Tears stream down my face and my dad is there to wipe them away.
“Don’t cry, baby girl. It’s going to be okay.”
I shake my head. “But it’s not. I’m damaged and broken. Nothing will ever be the same.”
“You know that isn’t true, sweet pea. Your uncle Xander is the best out there and he’s going to make sure that you’re back at school in the fall. Your mom and I have already met with your professors and because of the circumstances, they’re letting you finish out the year this summer. You can take courses over the internet.”
“It’s not the same.”
“You’re right, but for us, it works because the alternative wasn’t exactly going to.” He smiles and doesn’t need to tell me he’s referring to the fact I almost died.
“What would you say if I told you I saw my father?”
My dad leans back and sighs. He shakes his head slightly before making eye contact with me. “First, I’d say it’s likely the drugs you’re on, but I have a feeling you’d try to convince me otherwise, so then I’d say it’s probably likely. You were on the brink of death. I’m not naïve to think an afterlife doesn’t exist and I would hope your father would be there to meet you.”
More tears come as I nod my head. “He was. I called him daddy because--”
My dad comes forward and hugs me the best he can. “It’s okay, baby girl.”
“Mom doesn’t believe me.”
He nods into my shoulder. “She’s in denial about a lot of things, right now. Be patient with her, she’s struggling and having a hard time coping with the fact she almost lost you the same way she lost your father.”