Getting Dad up the stairs to the apartment is tricky, but we manage. He crutches to the kitchen table and sits down, lifting his leg up onto a chair. Looking around, I see that I should've cleaned up the apartment a bit. There's nothing I can really do about it now, but I push some of the boxes against the wall to make it a little less treacherous.
"Can you make something? Hospital food is gross," he tells me.
"Sure," I reply quietly as I pull out a box of macaroni and cheese. After a few awkward minutes of stirring, I think aloud, "I can't wait until we're settled in so I can start cooking real food instead of moving food."
Dad laughs once, a short, staccato laugh. "It will be nice to have some real food, won't it?
I chuckle, "Absolutely." Once I finish up the noodles, and Dad and I eat pretty much in silence. We're finished and I'm putting the dishes in the dishwasher when it dawns on me-
"Dad, where are you gonna sleep tonight?"
He leans back in his chair, stretching. "That…is an excellent question." He looks around. "I'm guessing my bed still isn't set up."
"No, not really. You're welcome to sleep in mine. It's closer to the bathroom, anyway."
"Are you sure? I can sleep on the floor…" he offers.
"Really, take my bed. It's gonna be impossible for you to get up off the floor in the morning." I assure him.
He stares at me. "As long as you're sure."
I nod and start to laugh. "I am."
He smiles, "Thank you."
I head into my room and clear the floor as best I can of boxes and moving debris. On the way out, I snag my sleeping bag. After helping Dad into my bed, I take a deep breath and push his bedroom door open. The little red dots are still on the carpet, exactly where they were before. I roll out my sleeping bag on the floor of his walk-in closet and close the door, just so I don't have to look at the blood or the shelf. I'm sure when Dad heals, I'll be fine, but right now, I'm still pretty freaked out. The thought of even possibly losing Dad terrifies me.
Once I was all tucked in, I curled up against the wall and quickly fell into a long, dreamless sleep.
I know this is suuuuper short, but I had a really hard time writing it.
Stick around. We'll be getting into band camp soon! :)
Reviews are much appreciated!