My smile almost instantaneously changed. "John…" I said looking looking at my brother, I holding his child who seemed to have passed out it pain.
"Hey Virg - what happened?!" John exclaimed as he ran to his daughter Hoshiko who was clutching my chest.
"She seems to have shattered her knee...From what I can see, I need to take her in for further examination…" I responded and held the young girl closer whilst walking towards the infirmary so she wouldn't fall out of my grip.
I layed her down on the infirmary bed as she woke up. "D-Daddy! W-Where are you?!" She yelled sounding confused and scared as John ran into the room and held his little girl.
"I-It's okay, D-Daddy's here…" John said with his lip quivering.
"Daddy, my knee hurts...lots…" She said with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Sweety, can Daddy leave for a minute? I need to give you an x-ray, is that alright?" I asked, looking at her then John. "I promise he will be outside and when it's done, he can come back in… okay..?"
She slowly nodded and John left and I performed the x-ray.
"C-Can Daddy come back in now..?" She asked squeezing my hand and I squeezed back.
"You've been a very good girl, of course Daddy can come back in." I said waving at John to come back in, he ran back in and almost tripped but didn't let that faze him. He grabbed his daughter's hand and held it refusing to let go. "W-What happened…? Is it at sprain..? Please tell me it's a sprain…" John said, a tear spilling over his eye. What else would a parent do other than what John was doing in the situation he's in?
"John…" I said grabbing my brother's shoulders and slightly squeezing. "It's-It's quite bad…" I said voice lowering in sound to a whisper so I wouldn't scare my niece.
"What?!" John yelled making Hoshiko cover her ears.
"John...it's fractured...in more than one spot...I-I need to operate…I'm so sorry, John…" I said placing my hands on his shoulders again as John sat there looking at his child, frozen. "John…? You know me… I'll be doing the procedure… It's going to be okay…" I said in a soothing voice trying to calm my brother down.
"V-Virg...I-I need to have some time with my daughter...alone…" he said, his eyes spilling more silent tears.
I nodded and left shutting the door behind me to be surrounded by the other Tracy's.
"Is she okay?" Alan asked looking at me.
"I-I've got to operate…" I said bowing my head and letting my tears fall, as Scott placed his hands on my shoulders.
"Will you be okay...doing the procedure..?" Gordon asked looking at me as I slowly nodded.
"I-I think so...I don't know…" I said sitting on one of the nearby chairs.
Scott finally said something. "You'll be alright...You're a Tracy, Virgil...You're smart...You can do this… And if you say you can't, I'm painting your piano bright pink…"
I smiled and looked back at John through the window.
"Fine…" I said as I got up and walked in.
"John...It's time…" I said as I placed my hands on his shoulders for the third time this evening.
"C-Can daddy come..? Please…?" Hoshiko whispered to me. I nodded and pushed her bed to the operating room.
I watch as John takes his daughter's hand, and turn my attention back to the anesthetic, making sure that there aren't any bubbles in it.
I turn around and Hoshiko looks at the needle.
Her eyes widen and she screams, scrambling towards John. "Daddy!"
John gently grabs her shoulders. "Hoshiko, darling, it's alright."
"Daddy, daddy, I'm scared."
I noticed Gordon looking in the window, checking on her, knowing that it was a scary thing that she was going through.
I sighed and tried to calm her down. "Hoshiko, can you close your eyes please..?"
"O-okay…" she said as she clenched her eyes shut.
"Okay good girl...now can you think of your favorite star or constellation for me…?" I asked taking a deep breath as she did.
I didn't really want to do this but I knew I had to if I wanted to help her.
"Good job, now just slowly un-tense your muscles please..?" I asked dreading the moment she did.
"I-I can't! It's too scary! Daddy! Are you here?!" she exclaimed with panic rising in her voice.
"I'm here! It's okay, I'm right here…" John said rubbing Hoshiko's hand and she began to tense less. I inserted the needle into her arm.
"See that wasn't so bad...you're a very good girl…" I said, very proud if Hoshiko.
She was only five and so brave already, just like her father.
"Daddy?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"I'm sleepy…"
"That's good, baby. Just, close your eyes and go to sleep, it'll be okay if you do." He said, rubbing her hand and smiling softly.
"Okay, Daddy." She said. "Good night, Uncle Virgie!" She waved, not understanding what would happen.
"Good night have a good rest…"
"Good night, Daddy." She closed her eyes.
Hoshiko's breathing leveled out, letting me know she was asleep. My smile faded and I looked at John.
"John…" I said, seeing him holding Hoshiko's hand and looking at his child.
"Virgil, how did things go so bad so quick…?" he asked his eyes glued Hoshiko whose chest was rising up and down in a steady rhythm.
I knew what he was thinking about. He was thinking about Hoshiko's mother, Lisa, had rocked up on the doorstep of his house on the mainland and demanded an abortion. About how he had managed to convince her not to go through with it, to have the child, and how she managed to have the child without John knowing, then abandoning their daughter on John's doorstep.
How we haven't heard from Lisa since.
I immediately regretted saying what I said next. "I'm sorry John...You have to leave…I can't operate with you here...I'm sorry…" I said reaching for his shoulder but he pulled away silently and left.