Disclaimer: I only own the plot :( not the characters.

Sorry if I confused anyone, but Charlie is a doctor in the story. It kinda fits in later on, you'll see :).

To answer flower123' question, Bella is supposed to be in 5th year of secondary school (remembering that this is supposed to be set in Ireland) and so that makes her 16.

Lucky for you guys I have been sick the last two days so I'm now up to chapter 7 lol.

Chapter 3 – Why Him?

As I pulled into the hospital car park I felt violently sick. What it I did lose him? What would happen to me? What would I do without my dad there to look out for me?.

As soon as I parked the car I cut the engine and raced up to the reception of the hospital. A middle aged woman sat at the desk. She wore glasses and had a reddy-brown kind of hair colour, she was actually quite pretty for her age.

"Yes dear?" She politely asked as she lifted her eyes up from the computer screen in front of her to look at me.

"I'm looking for my dad. Charlie Swan" I rushed it out, I would be surprised if she understood any of it.

"Charlie Swan?" She questioned and I just nodded as a reply. She typed something into her computer and then continued.

"He's in intensive care on the 3rd floor. I'm not sure if the doctor's are still with him or not. If you go out to the 3rd floor and take the first left there should be a nurse's station. They will update up on your fathers progress. The lifts are just around the corner" She pointed to her left.

Numbly I walked to the lifts and pressed the button to the 3rd floor. What had happened? How did he end up in intensive care?? Just this morning he was sat at the breakfast table with me laughing and joking and now twelve hours later here I was going to see him in intensive care.

Just then the doors dinged "3rd floor" the automated voice rang as the doors opened. I walked out and slowly made my way to the nurses station where a young looking nurse sat.

"Are you alright?" She smiled sweetly at me. If I was alright would I really be up in the intensive care unit? I don't think so. But she was only doing her job and I really wasn't in the mood for my sarcasm to take over me.

"I'm looking for m-m-my d-dad" I bit my lip trying to hold back the tears that where threatening to fall.

"What's his name?" She looked at me full of worry and sympathy.

"Charlie Swan" I finally got out just as a tear slid down my cheek. I didn't want the nurse to see my cry and so I quickly wiped away the tear with the back of my hand.

"Alright sweety. The doctors are just finished, would you like to go and see him?" She asked politely. I knew that I couldn't get the words out of my mouth without crying and so I just nodded my head.

The nurse walked out from behind the desk and down the corridor right in front of us. I swiftly followed behind her. The corridor was brightly lit up with them stupid, overly bright lights that they have in hospitals. I looked in some of the rooms as we passed, most of them were wards. I had thought that his floor was just for intensive care but obviously not. Maybe it was also for patients who had been in intensive care and were now recovering...I hoped to God that my dad would soon be one of them patients.

The nurse suddenly stopped outside a door. If it wasn't for my quick thinking and reflexes I am sure that I would have walked right into her.

"Here you go. I warn you, he might not be exactly how you remember him sweety but he's still the your father" she then left me to my own devices as she walked back up the corridor, presumable back to her nurses station.

I stood outside the door for a minute thinking about what lay behind them. I loved my dad to pieces and I wasn't sure if I could stay to see him laying there still with all them wires going in and out of him; he wouldn't be my dad then. Then I thought for a minute about HOW he got in here. Well his car was missing from the drive when I got home form school. The first thought I had, and probably the most realistic, was that he had been in a car accident. A pretty bad one if it left him in intensive care. My dad had always been a safe driver though, he never broke the law. Which therefore meant that if he was in an accident it wasn't his fault, I was sure of that at least. But what if it wasn't an accident? What if someone had intentionally hurt my dad? He was one of the good guys though, he wouldn't hurt a fly so why someone would want to intentionally hurt him was totally beyond me. I would have to ask the nurse later how he ended up here.

But for now I had to go and see him. As much as I would hate to see him lying there lifeless with wires everywhere I would hate even more for him to be on his own in that bland, cold room.

I slowly walked to the door and pushed it open, edging myself into the room. I walked up the side of his bed and took a look at him.

Sure enough he was still my dad but he looked so different now. He had bruises covering his arms, well what I could see of them, and cuts all over his face. He looked so pale and peaceful, he looked just like people do when they are laid out in coffins; there wasn't one sign of life in him. I looked at all the wires coming out of his arms and hands and then up to their corresponding machines. I had never seen so many machines in one room before.

Before I could stop myself I started crying; I just couldn't hold back the tears anymore. My dad was lying lifeless in front of me in a hospital bed. If I lost him then I truly had nothing to live for; my dad was the centre of my universe. I know that most teenage girls hate their dads and find them embarrassing but not me. Some of the best times of my life had been spent with my dad. After going through so much with him it was so hard to even imagine life without him. He had raised me single handedly and never once complained when I threw a hissy fit over something. He was the one to hold me and make me feel better the first time I got my heart broken. He was the one that had been there for me my whole life and now there was a chance that I could lose him.

I sat there crying for about 10 minutes; as the tears subsided I took his hand and started talking to him. I wasn't sure exactly why I did this; but I was sure that he had once told me something about people in coma's being able to hear what you are saying, even though they can't reply or even show you that they can hear you.

"Hey dad, its Bells" I kind of smiled, I think that by now he would know what my voice sounded like. "I can't believe that you're here. I was in such a rush to get here and come in to you that I even forgot to ask what happened that made you end up in here. Though my guess is that it was a car crash because I can never imagine somebody actually wanting to hurt you intentionally. I'm also pretty sure that it wasn't your fault either." I stopped because once again the tears where threatening to fall from my eyes. Normally I wasn't an emotional person, I could quite easily keep my emotions in check. But with the centre of my whole world in intensive care emotion just seemed to overwhelm me and I couldn't stop myself. If anybody was worth crying over it was definitely my father.

The tears once again started falling before I could stop them.

"Dad why you?? Y-y-you d-don't d-d-d-deserve this!" I spluttered out in between sobs.

Just then the door opened, it was the nurse that had showed me to his room earlier.

"I'm sorry but visiting times are over. You have to go home now sweety" She walked out of the room before I could ask exactly what had happened to my dad. Though I was grateful that she left me to say goodbye alone.

"I love you dad" I whispered as a kissed his forehead. I tear fell onto his face and I rubbed it off with my thumb. I took one last look at him before I quickly exited the room.

"Sorry" I said quietly as I reached the nurses station.

"Yes dear?" The nurse asked as she looked up.

"How did my dad end up in here?" I asked. I wiped away the finally tear as it rolled down my cheek.

"Did the woman who called you not tell you?" her forehead creased.

"I'm not too sure. I kind of blocked out whatever she said after she told me my dad was in critical condition" I admitted and I felt myself blushing, but the nurse just smiled sympathetically at me.

"Well he was on his way back from the grocery store. He was at a junction to which he had right of way. But a drunk driver was speeding down the road and crashed into the drivers side of your fathers car. He hit it with such force that it turned over and fell into a ditch at the side of the road. This was found in the passenger seat of your fathers car, maybe you should have them. You know its a miracle that they survived" She smiled sweetly as she handed me a packet of pop tarts, my favourite. My dad knew that I was having a tough time at school recently, he didn't know why though. He must of brought me them to try and cheer me up.

Then realisation finally hit me, and it hit me hard. My dad was in here because of me! He had gone to get me my favourite food to treat me and now he was in here. Why him?? Why couldn't it be me?? Lord knows that I have done enough things wrong in my life. But my father was like a saint, I can never recall him doing anything wrong, I can never even remember him being selfish.

I ran to the lifts and punched the button to go down. A second later the doors opened and I hit the button for ground floor. By now I had started sobbing, this was all my fault! As soon as the lift arrived at the ground floor I ran to the car park and hopped into my car and just sat there sobbing.

My dad could die because of me.

So what did you think?? I know that you are probably thinking what the hell does this have to do with the story but trust me it does have an effect on it.

So anyway please review, the more reviews I get the more encouraged I am to write more :)

xxxxx