Author's Note
This is just a quick drabble about Gabe and Joshua reuniting. I am actually planning on making this a collection of short stories/drabbles about the pair. There isn't going to be a real plot to it, just short stories that talk about touching father son moments, from a span of when they are reunited (this chapter) to Joshua's high school graduation. So in a way in kind of has a hidden plot about them trying to overcome the separation and such. I just love both of them so much, especially how adorable Joshua, and I can't help but be obsessive.
Alright, I'll stop talking now, I hope you like it!
~~Wave~~
Father of Mine
Doctor Gabriel Cunningham dashes around the hospital, searching in every door he sees but never finding what he is looking for. He pokes his head into an on going surgery, a janitor's closet, both the women's and men's bathrooms, and all the patient rooms but keeps leaving them in a huff. His burnt out cigarette is clenched in his mouth and his fists shake by his side. Where is he?
In all of his haste, Gabe almost crashes into the skilled surgeon, CR-S01, as he flies around a corner. They fumble for a second, trying to get around one another as the prisoner mumbles, "S-sorry, Doctor Cunningham-,"
"No need for that, kid," Gabe cuts him off in an edgy voice, looking over his companion's shoulder anxiously but, like before, finds nothing of interest there. Still searching the hall with his wandering gaze, he asks, "Have you seen Joshua…you know…my son?"
He whispers the last part, fearful that the younger version of him might actually be around and hear these words.
"He's leaving the hospital today, he should be in the lobby on his way out now."
Even before he can finish the sentence Gabe is already sprinting down the hallway; a nurse barely has time to jump out of his way as he flies past her.
"Lisa!" Gabe cries out at the sight of his wife and his heart pounds in his ears, terrified at seeing her for the first time in ten years. She's about to walk out the hospital doors, speaking to a little boy beside her and she smiles down at him.
"Lisa!" The doctor yells again as he runs through the lobby. He stops short when his wife turns around to face the person calling him, Joshua looking over his shoulder too to greet him too.
Gabe's breath hitches in his throat at the sight of her beautiful face, he has forgotten how gorgeous she is and how people always teased him about her being out of his league. So many happy memories come rushing back, it's almost too much for him to handle. His mouth runs dry and his hands get sweaty. All he can think is that thank God RONI isn't here, she'd just love to point out all of these signs of terror.
A lavender dress clings to her slender figure and her big chocolate eyes blink in surprise at the sight of him. Her dark brown, curly hair ends at her shoulders and her pale face is flawless. Just like he remembers.
He notices how his wife's eyes grow wide at the sight of him but nothing more than that. She has always managed to have the best poker face, even after seeing her husband for the first time in so long it slips only a tiny bit.
"Hey, mom, this is the guy I was telling you about," Joshua breaks the silence between the two adults, tugging at his mother's hand and grinning childishly. "He figured out what was wrong with me and saved my life. But even cooler, he has the same last name as me, the same hair type, and even the same eye color. Weird huh?"
Lisa doesn't hear the comment, her husband's gaze transfixes her. He still looks the same as he always has, his dark green hair a huge mess on the top of his head and his orange suit is hidden partly by his lab coat. He used to be clean shaven but even from here she can see the small stubble along his chin and, even more surprising, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. When did he start smoking?
"Hey, Joshua," Gabe addresses his son, finding his voice again and taking his eyes off of his wife. He takes a few steps forward and smiles at the kid, who grins back in return. "How are you feeling?"
"Great after you helped me."
"That's good to hear, are you leaving now?" Gabe clarifies, glancing at his wife but then focusing his gaze back on his son.
"Yep, I got the list of things I need to do right here," he says, waving a piece of paper that lists everything he needs in order to have a full and healthy recovery.
"That's good, good…" Gabe mumbles, preparing himself for what is to come with a deep breath. "I need to talk to your mom for a moment…privately…so can you wait here for a second, please?"
Joshua nods eagerly and lets go off his mother's hand, who can't help but send Gabe a confused look. Her husband scratches his chin, obviously on edge, and starts walking down the hall and around a corner, his wife following him reluctantly. Once out of ear shot and hidden from view, she doesn't even get a chance to speak before he whips around and declares, "I want time with Joshua."
She's taken a back by the comment, it leaves her standing there with her mouth hanging open and blinking her brown eyes in surprise. "What…" she whispers in shock but Gabe is quick to fill in the tense silence that follows.
"I know it's crazy," he starts to reason with her, shaking his head as if trying to rid such ridiculous thoughts. "But…after seeing him for the first time in so long I…I-I really want to be with him again."
Gabe looks at his wife with pained ochre eyes. She used to be proud of the fact that this witty and normally rude man was so open with her but now she is just perplexed by him. He never even said why he left.
"You left your family, Gabriel," she sighs, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. Suddenly, she feels drained and on the verge of tears. She had forgotten how much she loved his rough, deep voice. Her son always reminds her of her husband's appearance but, seeing him here now, is so much more powerful and it sends her on an emotional rollercoaster of sorrow, betrayal, rejection, and love. Oh how she has missed him.
"I know, Lisa, and if I could I would go back in time and never leave I would," he apologizes rapidly but the woman cuts him off. She jerks her head up and stares at him, the amount of hurt in her eyes is enough to make Gabe feel like the worst person ever.
"So you just want to jump back in Joshua's life?" She snaps, venom slipping into her disconsolate tone. "And then what? You just leave once more? I don't want to be the one to try and make Joshua feel better again after the one person he wants the most abandons him. I've already been doing it for ten years, don't make it any worse."
She turns away, ready to head back to her son, but Gabe grabs her arms and spins her back around.
"Please, Lisa," he implores, staring at her with hopefully. "I know I've made a lot of mistakes but I won't anymore, I won't abandon him. You know how much he wants a father."
She sighs and closes her eyes. She needs to leave her husband quickly, the tears are already threatening to form and she hates crying in front of anybody.
"Listen," she says quietly, making Gabe have to lean in a bit closer to hear. She takes in a deep, shuddering breath before whispering, "I'll think about it." Then she tugs her arm away from him and quickly walks away, round the corner and out of view, leaving her husband to stand there hopelessly and longingly staring at the spot where she had previously been.
Gabe is interrupted from his nap by the sound of a phone blaring in his ear. After pretty much being rejected by Lisa, he had went home and fell into a restless sleep, trying to escape the pain and guilt he feels. As he sits up on the couch, stretching his sore limbs and letting the phone ring, he already misses his son. When will be the next time he sees him? Will he ever see him again? What about Lisa? Maybe that's her on the phone…
At the thought, Gabe instantly snatches the phone in hopes it is his wife. "Hello?" he greets eagerly.
"Hey, Gabe, it's me," Maria says from the other line and Gabe sighs loudly, slouching back on the couch.
"Ouch!" Maria chuckles, "No need to sound so down, what's the problem?"
"Nothing," he instantly responds, more bitter sounding than he intended. "What do you want?"
"Well I'm getting ready to head off to downtown, the paramedics need me, though I'm going to need a place to stay afterwards."
"Huh? Why!" Gabe snaps, looking around at his terribly messy apartment. The coffee table before him is littered with empty bags of chips and beer cans, along with an ashtray so full of cigarettes that it looks like a pyramid. His kitchen table is like that too…along with the floor…and the bathroom. Crap.
"Why!" Maria exclaims as she turns on her motorcycle, the engine roaring to life. "Did you not just see that huge tornado fly through the city? Almost every house has lost power and a ton of buildings are destroyed, some of them – like mine – are deemed unstable and I can't stay there tonight until they fix it."
Gabe looks up and notices that his lights are still on. He must be one of the few people with power.
"And you need to stay at my place because…?"
"Because you live on one of the few streets with power, idiot! Clean up your place a bit before I come over there, I need to get going, see you later!"
The second the phone goes dead it starts ringing again and Gabe groans. Please don't' tell me…
"Hello," he mumbles blearily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Hey, it's Tomoe -,"
"And you need a place to stay," Gabe finishes for her, standing up and heading for a trash bag.
"Yep," she chirps from the other line.
"See you in a few," the doctor reluctantly agrees and ends the call, preparing himself for a very rapid and messy clean up.
Two hours later and Gabe's apartment now acts as a refuge. Tomoe and Hanzou are the first ones to come and, thankfully, they offer to help clean. With Tomoe's urge to follow the path of honor and both of them being ninjas, the place becomes spotless in less than five minutes. The floor is vacuumed and the tables scrubbed down. The trash is all gone and some special Japanese air fresheners have been scattered throughout the house to cover the stench of smoke and they work surprisingly well.
They finish just in time before the next guests arrive: Naomi, Little Guy, and Alyssa. Naomi lets him know that she can live without electricity but, unfortunately, she needs to work on her case, which requires analyzers and her laptop. Naomi and Little Guy gather on the couch and begin working diligently as Tomoe and Gabe entertain Alyssa. Normally the diagnostician wouldn't waste time with a kid, but it reminds him of Joshua and he has to admit, Alyssa is really cute.
Hours pass with just the six of them enjoying the quiet evening, but things get a bit more riotous when Maria and Hank soon show up at the door. The pleasant time they were all just sharing is instantly destroyed the second Maria enters the room. She slams her radio on the table, starts blasting rock music, and screams, "PARTY!"
While at first nobody decides to join her, Gabe's apartment soon actually does become a party. A few other friends come over, like the Chief and Claire, but most of them Gabe has never met. He soon finds himself hosting a party, something he has always hated doing because it requires a lot of effort on his part. He's forced to give up some of his beer and the few items of food he has to keep the people happy. The only reason he hasn't kicked them out yet is because Tomoe keeps pestering him about the path of honor but he's more concerned with the fact that she's a ninja.
With the blare of Maria's rock music and the din of conversation, he's surprised none of his neighbors have bothered him. They are probably still trying to wrap their minds around the fact that lazy Gabe is hosting a party.
Just when the doctor feels like he's going to crack, the phone rings again. He groans loudly, assuming it's another person looking for refugee, but answers nevertheless before Tomoe can accost him.
"Hello, he grumbles, covering his other ear to keep out the noise.
"G-Gabriel?" A familiar voice stutters from the phone, sounding nervous and worried.
"Lisa!" He exclaims while quickly rushing into his bedroom, a quieter area, and says in a much softer tone, "What's up?"
She takes in a deep breath, a sign that this phone call is very difficult for her, but she manages to continue on. "The tornado knocked the power out over here and part of our building collapsed. My friends are all without power or they are evacuating and the hotels are booked and we can't leave the city because the main roads are destroyed and…" she pauses for a moment, as if taking a respite from her stressing tone of voice, before asking awkwardly, "Joshua and I need a place to stay. Do you think you can help us out?"
Gabe hesitates, not because he doesn't want them, but because he can't believe how lucky he is now. He also wonders how desperate she must be for her to call him. He is probably her last – LAST – choice, things must be real bad out there.
"Yeah, definitely," he agrees, a bit too eagerly on his part. "You can come over whenever you want."
"Thank you, Gabriel," she sighs in relief before clicking the phone off and leaving her husband with a dead tone. He lets himself smile. He might be having some stupid party right now, but at least the house is clean…for the most part.
He spends the next twenty minutes hovering by his window, gazing through the blinds and waiting for the two people he cares about most to jump out of every car that comes by. He's grateful nobody notices that he's been staring out of a window for a long time, or maybe they don't care, but he's happy either way that nobody pesters him as he leaves the room and to the lobby.
He meets Lisa and Joshua there, feeling his heart flutter and his stomach tighten at the sight of them. Lisa is still as beautiful as she was this morning but her face is creased with worry lines and her eyes are deep with concern. A large backpack is slung over her shoulder and a sleeping bag is in her free hand. Joshua stands beside her, about half of her height, and waves cheerfully at his former doctor. His big eyes sparkle under the lobby's lights and his dark green hair looks fuzzier than his father's. He never gets over the fact that they look so alike.
"Hey, guys, are you both okay?" Gabe asks with concern as he steps closer to them, his keen eyes scanning up and down their bodies for any bruises, cuts, or other abnormal signs.
"We're fine, just had part of our apartment building scratched away," Lisa sighs, stress making her exhausted. "Thankfully it wasn't our room that got torn."
"Well you are welcome to stay here as long as you want," Gabe offers and Lisa nods in appreciation, staring at him with her mesmerizing chocolate eyes. It makes him feel tiny under her powerful stare, it seems that she has gotten over her initial shock and is back to the witty and strong person that he had fallen in love with.
"Thanks for helping us out so much, doctor," Joshua smiles up at the man that looks so much like him as they head towards the elevator. "It seems we keep bumping into each other."
"No problem," Gabe grins down at his son, ruffling up the boy's hair, which he notices is much softer and cleaner than his.
They get to the doctor's floor and, before they enter his apartment, he quickly informs them that he currently has at least twelve people staying for refuge and Maria has made it into a party. He let's them know that they are allowed to stay in his bedroom where it is quieter.
Inside, the apartment hasn't changed much. A Linkin Park song called "Bleed It Out" is blasting from the paramedic's radio and people are scattered throughout his living room in idle chitchat. Food that people brought over (though most of it belongs to Gabe) is spread out across the small wooden table and, behind that, members of the trauma team lounge about on the couch. Most of the people are standing around in small groups, sipping drinks out of their plastic cups and yelling over the music.
"Wow, Gabe," Lisa chuckles from next to him. "You never wanted to host a party till now, huh?"
She turns and grins mischievously at him as he chuckles, "Trust me, I am still bitter about these…events," he says the word with a shudder and she smiles at him.
Before either of them can say anything more, a familiar voice screams, "JOSHUA!" and then their son is tackled down by a short, brown haired woman who hugs the daylights out of him.
Maria clutches onto the ten year old, lifting him up and swinging him back and forth as if she's a little girl holding a teddy bear for the first time. Joshua's eyes grow wide and he looks desperately to his mother and Gabe, scared out of his mind.
"Maria!" Gabe barks at her but she continues hugging him till he can barely breathe and he tries desperately to pry her arms away.
"MARIA!" Gabe has to shout over the noise and he finally gets her attention, her green eyes glaring at him, probably ready to punch his face out. "Put the kid down! He just had surgery!"
"Oh God!" Maria gasps, letting go of the boy and, the second he lands on the ground, hides behind his unknown-to-him father. "I forgot about that. Sorry, he's just so cute!"
"I thought you found punching people's faces was cute," Gabe grins, a mischievous gleam lighting up his eyes, and his cigarette dangling loosely from his mouth.
"First of all," Maria starts, taking a step towards him and snatching the cigarette out of his mouth. "No smoking around kids. And secondly…" She nails a punch in Gabe's gut so he can't yell at her about taking away something so precious to him. He hunches over a bit, clutching his stomach as the rest of his family stare at the pair with wide, surprised eyes.
"You'll thank me later," Maria winks before running off to throw the disgusting item away as the man sneers at her.
Moments later, Hank strolls up to the trio and, though it's difficult to tell with his eyes closed, he's quite surprised to see the entire Cunningham family here.
"Aw, Lisa," he smiles pleasantly at Gabe's wife, her hand puny compared to his gigantic one as they shake hands. "It's great to see you again."
"As it is to see you," she smiles in return as Joshua stares up at the super huge man in front of him, his eyes narrowed, trying to imagine where he has seen this enormous man before.
"You look very familiar…" he mumbles and the adults turn their focus to the little boy. "Kind of like…" he hesitates for a moment before the thought finally comes to him. Snapping his fingers, he exclaims cheerfully, "that Captain Eagle guy!"
Gabe and Lisa instantly start laughing and Hank chuckles nervously, backing away slowly and mumbling incoherent words about kids and their fantasies. By the time the parents have recovered from their laughter, the big man is already gone.
Gabe leads them to his room and lets them place their stuff in there (he doesn't plan on staying in that area tonight), and then they head back out again to the party. The second they reenter the family room, Maria shouts from across the room, "That's him! Isn't he adorable!"
Maria, Hank, and Tomoe are gathered around the couch, each one either looking at Gabe in surprise for being with his family or staring at the adorable little boy hiding behind the doctor.
Sighing, the diagnostician walks towards them and plops on the couch, unaware that his wife and son are heading over too. Tomoe greets both of them for the first time as Maria ruffles the kid's hair, remarking how fluffy it is, and Hank glances around nervously. After a while of short conversation from them, Lisa sits down next to Gabe and her son rests beside her, discussing the music blasting from her radio with the other doctors.
Gabe acts like he doesn't notice her gaze as she stares at him, waiting for him to acknowledge her. After a few seconds, he glances her way and raises an eyebrow. A sly smile stretches across her face and she says pleasantly, "It has been a while, Gabriel, tell me how it has been with you for the past…eight or ten years."
The doctor hesitates, wondering if his wife is toying with him as she loves to do. After a moment, he lets out a deep breath and says casually, "Well…I started smoking after I left…um…my family," he mumbles, glancing towards Joshua but his son is fully absorbed in a conversation between the other doctors. Lisa nods, as if everything is normal between them and he didn't abandon her without explaining why. He pauses for a moment, reflecting back on his memory of those lonely and probably the worst ten to eight years of his life, and then admits, "Well, nothing really that exciting has happened, though I did help eliminate a deadly virus and what not…which caused me to be thrown out of a plane…oh, and I tricked the FBI into following me in a helicopter while their prisoner did an operation on Naomi's kid. I also got hit by a bus, which kind of hurt."
Lisa stares at him with her hazel eyes wide. Even her great composure can't hide her surprise at her husband's dangerous action. "Okay…" she mumbles, totally awed by what she just heard. "Do you mean the bus that crashed into the mall?"
Gabe nods and scratches his chin. "Yeah, that dumb thing. How do you drive anything into a building? If you see a wall in front of you, you don't run into it! Stupid people," he grumbles and Lisa chuckles from next to him.
"Well at least you are okay, though what was with the tricking of the FBI agents?"
And then Gabe spends the next ten or so minutes explaining to his wife how that event all went down, stopping to listen to the occasional cry of Maria or Joshua. The two are playing a game to see who can name the song that plays on the radio first.
Once that story is wrapped up, Lisa goes on to explain how she has been. She tells about Joshua's schooling, how he is a fantastic student whose lowest grade is a B+ (in art) and she talks a bit about her job. After a while, Gabe realizes that he is enjoying the casual conversation with his wife, even showing off one of his rare, charming smiles and trying not to make rude comments. He remembers all of the things that he loved about her, the little dimples when she grins, her big chocolate eyes staring up at him, and the sly smile that graces her pale, heart shaped face every once in a while. He likes the way she drinks from her plastic red cup, elegant and tiny little sips. The way she chuckles at things that most people would be frantic about or how, occasionally, a strand of dark brown curly hair will fall in her face and she'll gently bat it away.
But then Chief Esha pulls her away from him, taking her into a conversation about their jobs and catching up on old times. Lisa was always friendly towards everybody, so when she and Gabe split a lot of people at Resurgam were sad to see her go.
Gabe props his feet up on the coffee table, leaning back on the couch and pulling himself away from the women's conversation. He turns his gaze to his son, who is only a few feet away from him, eagerly listening to the doctors around him discuss a funny story that recently happened.
Dr. Cunningham smiles to himself, watching Joshua grin politely whenever addressed but being silent most of the time. According to Lisa, he's a bit of a shy kid but really opens up if you get to know him well.
The song that had just been playing suddenly changes to one with a powerful guitar and a man singing the words,
"Father of mine,
tell me where have you been?
You know I just closed my eyes
and my whole world disappeared."
"'Father of Mine' by Everclear," Joshua instantly calls out, getting out of his shy demeanor for a moment and sending a cute, small smile towards Maria.
"Aw, you won this round, bud," she admits with a grin, clapping him on the back. "You knew that one is seconds!"
The song continues to play behind them, blasting the words,
"Father of mine,
Take me back to the day,
When I was still your golden boy back before you went away."
Gabe shifts uncomfortably at the lyrics as Joshua explains to the paramedic's girl with a shrug, "It used to be my favorite song."
"Really, why?" Maria questions and Joshua blushes at this, glancing down at his feet and confessing,
"I can relate to it I guess…"
A huge hit of guilt punches Gabe in the heart, making his breathing come short and his mind fog with regret. They all go back to their previous conversation as if nothing has happened but Dr. Cunningham remains overwhelmed by what he just heard. He continues listening to the lyrics in hope that maybe the song gets better.
"I remember blue skies
Walking the block
I loved it when you held me high, I loved to hear you talk.
You would take me to the movie
You would take me to the beach
You would take me to a place inside that is so hard to reach."
Gabe doesn't find anything terrible there, just nostalgic memories.
"Father of mine, tell me where did you go?
Yeah, you had the world inside your hand but you did not seem to glow.
Father of mine, tell me what do you see?
When you look back at your wasted life and you don't see me."
Dr. Cunningham shifts around on the couch, sadly wondering if this is what his son really thinks of him.
"I was ten years old, doing all that I could.
It wasn't easy for me to be a scared white boy in a black neighborhood.
Sometimes you would send me a birthday card with a five-dollar bill.
I never understood you then and I guess I never will!"
"Maria!" Gabe calls out, feeling his hands become sweaty and his stomach tightening at all the guilt that keeps being hurled at him. She doesn't hear him though, just continues talking as the music plays on.
"Then he walked away…
Daddy gave me a name!
My daddy gave me a name!
Then he walked away…
My daddy gave me a name!
Then he walked away…
My daddy gave me a name!"
"Maria!" Gabe shouts a little louder, causing his wife and Esha to send him confused glances. He ignores them, glad he finally has the attention of the green-eyed girl.
"What?" She snaps, placing her hands on her hips as she glares at him.
"Would you care to change the song please?" He asks casually, making his voice sound indifferent as usual. "It's giving me a headache."
Maria grins wickedly at him and pats her huge radio like it is her pet. "Sorry, buddy, this is the only radio station playing right now so you are going to have to deal."
Gabe groans and sends her a death stare for a second, before looking away and listening to the words again.
"Father of mine,
Tell me where have you been?
Yeah, I just closed my eyes
And the world disappeared.
Father of mine,
Tell me how do you sleep?
With the children you abandoned
And the wife I saw you beat!"
Gabe rubs his temples, the music throbbing in his head as he thinks to himself, at least I didn't beat Lisa.
But the line about abandoning his child hits home and he feels himself breaking inside. Fury races through him and he can't help but yell much louder this time, "MARIA! CHANGE THE DAMN SONG!"
This time he attracts a lot more unwanted attention, Esha, Hank, Tomoe, Maria, a few other random people, and Joshua all stare at him with confusion. Everybody is startled by his behavior except for Lisa, who sends him a sympathetic look and opens her mouth to speak but gets drowned out by Maria.
"What's your problem!" She snaps, sneering at him as the music continues to play.
"I will never be safe,
I will never be sane.
I will always be weird inside
I will always be lame."
"Just…" he grumbles, shifting his piercing glare over everybody but his family members. "Shut up!" He retorts before flinging himself off the couch and storming away in a huff, the lyrics still blaring into his ears.
"Now I'm a grown man,
with a child of my own.
And I swear, I'm not gonna let 'em know
All the pain I have known!"
"Just shut up!" He repeats as he swings the door open and slams it on his way out of the apartment.
The second the door closes he releases a deep breath and shuts his eyes, happy to be away from that clamorous room full of obnoxious songs. He lets himself wait to get his heart rate down and his mind to become clearer before walking to the end of the hall. He passes the other apartment doors, still surprised that nobody has complained about the noise yet, and stops in front of a large clear window that opens up to the city below him. He can only see buildings that are a few roads around him, anything else is completely black due to the lack of power and starless night sky.
He closes his eyes and listens to the sound of somebody opening up a door from a ways behind him. He hears the swell of music and chatter flow out of it for a second but it is cut off by the door closing with a soft thud. He listens to the quiet footfalls of somebody walking up to him. He knows who it is, it may have been a long time since they have been together, but he hasn't forgotten a thing.
"Is that what he really thinks of me?" He whispers, his eyes still closed and his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Does he think that I just gave him a name and left?"
"In all honesty I am not sure," the woman confesses from behind him, her voice caring and soft. She has stopped walking and Gabe can feel her stare burning at the back of his head. "You never explained why you had to leave…you just did."
"I left when he was two," Gabe continues, like she hasn't said anything. "I cared a lot about him…and I still do. I didn't even think of that name -,"
"Ignore the song," she advises. "It's just something that he…"
"That he what?" Dr. Cunningham snaps, spinning around to stare at his wife with fury and hurt shining in his ochre eyes. "That he can relate to? He hates me, I know he does!"
"He doesn't hate you," Lisa struggles to reassure him calmly but rage erupts inside of him and he can't help but shout at the top of his lungs.
"YES HE DOES! HE WANTS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME!"
"He does want you!" His wife yells over him, taking a step forward and staring into his eyes with her piercing chocolate ones. "He wants a father -,"
"AND I CAN'T GIVE THAT TO HIM!" Gabe screams, both of them going silent except for his heavy breathing filling up the space between. They stare at each other for a second, waiting for the other to do something, before Gabe turns away and stares outside. His green hair falls in front of his face and he closes his eyes as he whispers meekly, "I'm never going to be good enough for him. That's why I left. When he got sick that time when he was two…I found out what was wrong with him but…but I had to wait helplessly and put his life into the hands of others. I didn't save his life – I don't save anybody's life – so how am I supposed to be a good dad when I can't even do anything to help him?"
"You saved my life," a new voice says confidently from behind the adults, and they instantly spin around to see a small boy staring up at them with large ochre eyes. He stares up at his father, looking determined but scared nevertheless. His hands are held in fists by his side and he holds his head high. Without breaking eye contact, Joshua goes on to say sincerely, "If it wasn't for you I would still be sick. You figured out what was wrong with me, therefore saving my life. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have told anybody that I was hurting so bad. Y-you saved my life…" he finishes with a stutter, gazing longingly and with bewilderment at his father.
There is a long pause of silence as the two gaze at each other and Lisa stands to the side, wondering how in the world Joshua managed to sneak out of the apartment without making a sound.
"I want a father," Joshua mumbles, swallowing nervously to clear a lump in his throat as he tries his best to continue speaking without the water in his eyes building up too much. "M-mom says people make mistakes sometimes…that they get lost. Maybe you go lost too and…and I-I'm not mad at you. But maybe you still…don't want me," he adds quietly, looking at the ground as a tear falls down his face. The fear of rejection of his father is too great, it makes his knees shake and causes him to start crying. He's never been so terrified before in his life.
But then Joshua feels warm arms wrap around his small body and he instantly hugs the person back, stuffing his face in their shoulder and letting the tears fall down freely.
Gabe, kneeling before his son, holds his child in his arms for a long time. He doesn't care that his suit is getting soaked from his son's tears nor does he mind that he finds that he himself is crying a bit too.
He rubs his son's back soothingly and ruffles up his dark green hair that is so similar to his own.
"I love you, Joshua," Gabe whispers into his son's ear as Joshua's fists clutch onto his suit. "I want to be there for you."
Gabe feels his son nodding and then Joshua steps away from him, wiping away the tears in his eyes. "R-really?" He asks quietly, staring through his watery eyes at his father.
Gabe smiles at him and brushes away some tears with the back of his hand. "Really," he states and Joshua instantly engulfs him in another hug, one so powerful that he almost falls backwards.
He starts laughing as he continues to hold him, thinking about how all it took for him to get reunited with his family was a deadly disease called Wermer's Syndrome, a tornado, and a song about family abandonment. Gabe makes a mental note to thank that band someday for getting the two people he cares most about back into his life.
Author's Note
Yeah, it isn't my best work but it's my only thing for Trauma Center/Team at the moment. Like others, nobody knows how Lisa is with her personality or her looks so I totally made it up. I think that Gabe would fall in love with somebody witty like him but more caring and somebody who understands him.
I do not own the song "Father of Mine", that belongs completely to the band Everclear. I TAKE NO CLAIM TO IT! (along with Trauma Center/Team)
I'm not sure if people will like the idea of all of these one shots about the two's growing relationship, but I'm going to do it nevertheless.
Please tell me what you think of this, critics or comments will be welcomed. And, like I said before, I am pretty aware that this story isn't amazing. Every writer needs a drabble to relax on. :)
Thanks again, please review!
~~Wave~~