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“If you want your business, go for it.”
“That’s what I intend to do.”
Darren and I did a little salute, clinking our glasses and drinking to me getting back to business.
Chapter Fifteen
Scarlett
Two Weeks Later
My dad had been discharged from the hospital, and I had spent the past week helping him get situated back home. It looked like things had only gotten worse since I left. The house was a mess, as was he.
“Dad! Are you ready? We have to head out to your appointment in a few minutes.”
The doctor wanted to have a follow up to track my dad’s progress. They were able to get him stable-ish, but they were worried that due to his history of alcohol abuse that things could turn sideways.
“I’m coming, Scarlett. I’m ready.”
My dad came down the stairs, and we packed ourselves into the car and headed out. It was a bit of a drive to the hospital, about thirty minutes, so I put on the radio to avoid the silence. After we were on the road for about five minutes, my dad turned the volume down.
“Is everything okay, Dad?”
He shifted in his seat. “There are a few things I wanted to tell you.”
“Okay.”
“First off, I’m grateful that you’ve taken care of me this long. You shouldn’t have to take care of me, not like this.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I love you, and I want you to get better.”
Dad dropped his head. “I don’t deserve to. I wasn’t good for your mother. I wasn’t faithful. She stayed because she loved me, but I would step out again and again. It drove her to drink. I’m the reason she’s dead. I don’t know if I was a good father. I tried, but I don’t know. Then Kylie died… I don’t think I deserve to have a happy life.”
I had already known that my parents didn’t have a happy marriage. I had come to terms with what had happened, and I didn’t want my dad to entirely disregard it, but I also didn’t want him punishing himself for the rest of his life.
“I know you’ve made some mistakes in the past, Dad, and it’s always good to own up to what you’ve done, but you can’t kick yourself forever. Part of the process is healing and forgiving yourself. What happened is in the past, and if you want to have a good life, you’ve got to move forward.”
My dad was crying, so he didn’t say anything. He just nodded. We were arriving at the hospital, so I took that as enough for the time being.
We got checked in and were led to an examination room pretty quickly. While we were waiting for the doctor, a nurse walked in to check my dad’s vitals. While she was writing on the clipboard, she gave me a once over.
“You know, Scarlett, you are positively glowing. Is there a secret I should know about?”
“What are you talking about?”
I had been tired ever since coming to take care of my dad, and I wasn’t doing anything special. In fact, any routines I had were falling through the cracks, so I could get an extra twenty or thirty minutes of sleep.
“I don’t know. Your skin and something about you is glowing. I’m not sure how else to describe it.”
“Oh, well. Thank you.”
“Of course.” She finished up with my dad’s chart and left us alone.
There were more people coming in and out, but I was lost in thought. Glowing? Could that mean I was finally pregnant? People always say that’s what happens when you’ve got a baby growing inside you.
I’d have to pick a test, that was my first thought. After I dropped my dad off back home, I’d go to a nearby pharmacy and get one. But excitement needed to stay low. I’d already had two months’ worth of disappointment. This was just to see. Whatever the results, I’d be okay with it.
***
I was sitting in the bathroom, waiting for the timer to go off. My brain had been racing ever since the nurse made that comment. I was sitting on the toilet, tapping my foot. I hated the wait time on these tests, but what else was I supposed to do.
I distracted myself long enough, and the alarm went off. I grabbed the test from the sink and looked at it. It had two stripes. Two stripes… What did that mean? I couldn’t remember what it meant. I looked for the box. It was in the trash. I rifled through it and found the instructions.
Results section, results section…
Pregnant! Two stripes meant pregnant! I was going to have Noah’s baby! Holy shit, I had to tell him. I’d rather do it in person, though. The doctor had given my dad a clean bill of health, or he was healthy enough to not have to come in again as long as he cut down on the drinking. I knew I wasn’t going to be the one who got him to quit. I had done all I could do. It was time for me to go back to Livvy and Noah. It was time for me to go home.
