What Happened to Daddy's Little Girl?
Miss. Kristen's Pov:
After learning about the letter X, I sat at my desk and began to go over lesson plans. The kids were eating lunch at the moment, and this was my only free time to work on what I was going to have the class do tomorrow. Looking up from my desk to check on the kids, I smiled. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves; especially Zachary and Vanessa.
I watched as they swapped sandwiches along with sharing their snacks. Before Zachary gave her half of his sandwich, he broke it up in little pieces, which I thought was adorable. He then took his napkin and wiped her face, which Vanessa didn't really seem to care for, but what kid does? You always dread when the parent goes and wipes your face, or wipes your nose. For some reason kids always seem to turn away.
Zac has been exceptionally good to her. He has made sure she has everything she needs, including more juice which he made a point to tell me the second she finished. However, I haven't seen her talk to the other kids. She seems shy. Shaking my head and chuckling, I returned to my papers. I waited about ten more minutes before getting up from my desk.
"Ok boys and girls. Let's clean up so we can have story time." I said as I went around carrying the garbage. I put it down when I got to Zac and Vanessa.
"Vanessa, would you like to pick the story today?" I asked her as I picked her up and stood her on the chair so I could wipe the crumbs off of her.
"Cindawella." She said as she lifted her arms up to me. I smiled as I picked her up.
"Good choice. That one's my favorites." Vanessa smiled and started to suck her thumb. I could tell she was getting tired, but naptime wasn't until after story time.
"Don't take her away." I watched as Zac quickly got up from his chair. He looked up at me with a scared look on his face.
"We're just going over to the rug. Would you like to sit on the rocking chair with Vanessa?" I figured since I rotate who gets to sit on the rocking chair, he would be a good person to pick next. He really stepped up today and is taking care of Vanessa. He smiled and nodded as he took my hand.
The class was already sitting down waiting for me. After placing Vanessa on the chair, I helped Zac get on before sitting down in front of the class. I smiled as I watched Zac put his arm around Vanessa. My only thought was that I hope the two of them are in my class next year.
Gabriella's Pov:
My palms were getting clammy as I sneaked a peak at the clock for the third time in the past twenty minutes. Helen was interviewing Troy, so I was outside the office on the green uncomfortable chair waiting for him. My interview went ok, I think. She seemed to be impressed by my experience, so I think I have a pretty good chance. The interview only last for about thirty minutes, but to me it felt like a life time.
It was the only think that kept me from looking at the clock. I wanted to get back to Vanessa. I wanted to see how she was doing. Did she make any friends? Were the other kids being nice to her? Somehow, I found myself wandering the halls. My mind seemed to be off somewhere on its own. The only thing I could think about was getting back to my daughter. I just needed to know if she was ok.
As I came to her classroom, I peered into the window. The sight I saw was adorable. While her teacher, Miss. Kristen was reading a story, she and Zac fell asleep by the looks of it. Reaching for my cell phone, I took a picture of the two. Vanessa had fallen asleep leaning against Zac. Zac had his arm around Vanessa and his head on hers. Worrying about her was silly. She was fine. Heck, she was more than fine. After watching her for a few more minutes, I walked back to the office. Troy's interview should be about done.
"Ok thank you," Looking up, I found Troy shaking Helen's hand. I got up from my chair and walked over to them.
"So you probably will be hearing from me within the week if you two get the job. I just need to go over a few things, such as background checks, and stuff like that." She said with a smile. We both shook her hand before collecting our bags.
"Can we get Vanessa?" I anxiously asked Troy. I couldn't wait to see her again. I needed to have her in my arms. To keep her safe. It scared me.
Troy's Pov:
Gabriella and I walked hand in hand as we made our way back to Vanessa's classroom. Through the window I could see about eighteen kids sleeping peacefully. Just by glance, I couldn't find Vanessa though.
Gabriella and I were very quiet as we entered the room. Some of them shut their eyes as soon as I walked in, pretending to be asleep. I remember when I used to do that. I always hated naps when I was in school. The funny thing is though, as time went on, I look back on how easy things were. During my last years of high school I realized that it would be great to have a nap during the day. I found it funny that naps were "un-cool" in kindergarten, but as you got older it became the opposite.
As soon as Miss. Kristen saw us, she got up from her desk. "Why don't we go some place we don't have to whisper." Miss Kristen said quietly as she led Gabriella and me out of the room.
"How is she? Did she behave?" Gabriella's voice was anxious.
"She did pretty well thanks to Zachary. He really helped her today. She is behind developmentally though. It's not something to worry about now though. Most kids catch up by age four." She was fine. I let out a breath of relief that I wasn't aware I was holding in.
"Is there anything we should work on with her. You know, to catch her up?" I wanted what was best for Vanessa. Gabriella would agree with me. A long time ago we agreed that what ever happens, we would make sure Vanessa was our first priority.
"Like I said before, it is nothing to worry about. If you want though, encourage her to use her words. She's a very quiet girl so if she needed something she would either point or say, "dat." I nodded and squeezed Gabriella's hand. It was hard listening to Miss. Kristen. To me, Vanessa is perfect.
"I guess it is just the environment here. At home she talks a lot more, but I will encourage for her to not be so shy." I felt the need to defend my daughter. I wasn't lying either. She tells me what she needs. That isn't a problem.
"It was a pleasure to have her in class today." Miss Kristen said as she opened the door to the room. Gabriella detached her hand from mine. I watched as she walked to get Vanessa's bag from a cubby.
I didn't know whether to feel sad or happy when I saw Vanessa sleeping against Zac. I was so happy and thankful that Zac helped her through the day, but I don't think she should be starting such teenager trends so young. I'm not ready for her to have crushes just yet. After walking through the obstacle course of sleeping bodies to get to Vanessa, I bent down and picked her up.
At almost the exact same time, Zac and Vanessa's eyes fluttered open. She gripped onto my shirt with one hand, while the other wrapped around my neck. Her head lay on my shoulder as I kissed her forehead.
"Vanessa no leave." I heard Zac say sadly. Bending down to his level, I helped him off the chair he was trying to get off of.
"I'm sorry buddy, but we have to. Thank you for taking care of Vanessa today." I ruffled his hair and stood up.
"Never gonna see Vanessa again?" He exclaimed sadly. I looked at Gabriella for some help.
"How about a play date one day? Would that be better?" Zac listened to Gabriella and nodded his head while smiling.
"Tell your mommy, ok?" I tried to place Vanessa on the floor so she could hug him goodbye, but she wouldn't let go of my shirt. "Say bye-bye to Zac, Ness." I pried her hands off my shirt and set her down. Zac wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "Bye-bye Zac. Me gonna miss you." I smiled as I watched Vanessa hug Zac back before turning to Gabi and lifting her tiny arms up.
"Do you think you can give Zac's mom our information?" I asked Miss. Kristen.
"Absolutely. It was nice meeting you." We all said our goodbye's before walking out of the door. As Gabriella was carrying Vanessa, Vanessa looked over Gabi's shoulder and waved to Zac before he was out of sight.
"Home Dada?" I shook my head. "We're going to visit Daddy. Remember? I pushed her bangs out of her eyes that lit up as soon as I mentioned him. She missed him. It was obvious. I missed him too. It's weird not having him around.
"You missy are going potty first." I kissed Gabriella and took Vanessa's bag from her as we stopped at one of the many bathrooms in the school.
"Dat icky Mama." I chuckled as I heard Vanessa say in the distance. If only she would stay as innocent as she is right now. I only waited about five or so minutes before I saw my two girls again. After taking Vanessa from Gabi's arms, I took Brie's hand and started walking out of the building.
"Did you have fun at school?" I asked Vanessa as I strapped her into the car. "Me drawed a piture." Vanessa exclaimed.
"You did? What else did you do? Did you make friends?" I closed the car door and opened Gabriella's for her before I got into the drivers seat. "Zaccy! Him's my friend. Him's nice." I smiled as I watched her eyes light up in my rearview mirror.
For the most part, the rest of the ride was silent. Needless to say Gabriella and I were very worried about Carlos. We didn't know what he would look like, and we were worried about Vanessa recognizing him. I knew he would look different, but Vanessa didn't. She didn't know how sick he was. We didn't know how much longer he would be around, or if he would get better. We didn't know and it killed us. I pulled into the first spot I could find and parked the car. I wasn't sure if I was ready to do this. I wasn't sure if I wanted to. I wanted to remember Carlos the way he was – when he wasn't sick. I didn't want to see him hairless and sick. I wanted to see the strong man I grew so close to in the past few months. I wanted to see that strong father who always wanted the best for his daughter. Most importantly, I wanted to see him get well. We could pretend like none of this happened. As if this was all a dream. Everyone would be well again and the only thing we would be worried about is if Vanessa scraped a knee.
Sighing, I opened the car door and got out. I must have missed Gabriella get out of the car because she was standing behind the car waiting for me.
"It's going to be ok, Boo." Gabriella reassured me as she took my hand in hers. The hospital was crowded today. Doctors were running all over the place, nurses screaming to find doctors. Going up to the receptionist, I found her searching through what I assumed to be an address book.
"Hi Carlos Montez." I was confused as to why she gave me a sad smile, but waved it off.
"I was just trying to find you number. You can proceed down this hallway, there should be a doctor waiting for you." She said as she pointed to the hallway on the right. Gabriella and I locked eyes for a brief second before we ran down the hallway. Something was up. Something wasn't right, it was obvious.
There was a doctor sitting right outside Carlos' room. His face was somber as he stood up to greet us. "What's going on? What's wrong? Is Carlos ok?" I couldn't stop the questions from escaping my mouth. I needed to now what was wrong with him.
"I'm sorry, but we have done everything we can. It seems that the cancer is over taking his body. He is not responding to any medicine we put him on. He is fighting to stay alive to see his daughter. He is drained, physically and mentally. The best thing to do for him is go in now, so he can finally have some peace. He won't rest until he sees her. I'm so sorry. I wish there was more that we can do."
The doctor bowed his head. My fists gripped my pants as I tried to control my anger. "Isn't there anything else you can try? A different medicine? Something else, please?" I tried to control my anger so I didn't yell. The doctor shook his head and opened Carlos' door. Sucking in a breath, I walked in before Gabriella and Vanessa did.
There he was. It looked like he had aged ten years at least. His face was pale and his head was bare. There were dark purple rings under his eyes, showing his lack of sleep. His chest rose up and down quickly as he fought the urge to close his eyes. "Carlos" I whispered as I walked towards the bed. "It's…alright..son. Sit…down." He gasped between each word he spoke. The only word that stood out to me was son. I couldn't take it anymore. I engulfed him in a hug. His frail arms patted my back.
"You are one of the strongest men I ever knew. You can overcome this. You can get well. I know you can." Tears leaked out of my eyes and down my cheek as I watched him shake his head.
"I.. no…longer have…the ..energy. No..matter what…I…will..always be….right here." His shaking fingers pointed to my chest. "I love you, Carlos." I tried to keep my tears at a minimum for Vanessa.
"I… love you …too, son. Take… care… of… my daughter." I nodded my head and stepped back, letting Gabriella say her goodbye's. I took Vanessa from her and sat down. Hugging her close to me, I waited patiently for Gabriella to finish up before bringing Vanessa over to him.
"Daddy." Vanessa held her arms out to him. She remembers him. Hair or no hair, she remembers her best friend. I set her down right next to Carlos on the bed. "There's….my girl."
"Yous come home?" That broke my heart. I had to sit down. I motioned for Gabriella to come and make sure Vanessa didn't fall off the bed so I could sit down. My head went into my hands as I tried my best to listen to what Carlos was saying.
"Remember… when you… were… sick and then… you… got better… the next day, Van?" I bit my lip to keep myself from crying.
"Icky pink stuffs." I tried to smile as I heard the word Vanessa referred to her medicine as.
"Yea…that… made you…all better. Daddy's… not getting better. I'm going… to that nice place up… in the sky." Looking up, I watched as Gabriella tried to control the tears that were now flowing freely down her face. Getting up, I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. My head rested on the back of her neck.
"Dada no buh bies." I heard Vanessa mumble. "You.. be good for..Daddy and Mommy. Ok? I..love you..so much Vanny." My arms squeezed tighter around Gabi's mid section. "I yove you. Daddy." I looked up to see Carlos hugging Van.
He looked up at me. "Get...her...out of…here." He struggled to catch his breath. Gabriella picked Vanessa up and started walking out the door.
"Bye Daddy." I heard Vanessa cry. My feet were frozen. I couldn't feel my body. He looked at me and smiled.
'Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep'
My breath hitched as I watched doctors and nurses come into the room and shut the monitors off. "I am so sorry for your loss." I faintly heard someone say. Unable to say anything else, I walked out of the room. I couldn't feel my legs or any other part of my body as I walked with Gabriella to the car. I fumbled with the keys, trying to open the car door. I felt them disappear from my hand as I was lead to the other side of the car. Before Gabriella put Vanessa into her car seat, she took my hand, and put my index finger through one of the belt loops in her jeans, probably scared that I would run away.
"Go sit with her. You are in no shape to drive." I faintly heard Gabriella as I climbed into the back seat. I wiped Vanessa's tears before I stared out the window. My head was spinning. I was in a daze. My head and my heart hurt. It took me a while to realize why we were at our friend's house. I hardly noticed that I was walking behind Gabriella and Vanessa up to the house. "I texted them while I was waiting for you at the hospital. They know about him, but aren't going to bring it up." I think I nodded, but I wasn't too sure. I wasn't sure of anything at the moment. Before I knew it, we were in the house, giving our friends hugs, or being hugged by them in my case. They all had sad looks on their faces.
"We just took the burgers off the grill about thirty minutes ago, but you probably aren't hungry. We ate already not knowing if you were up to coming or not." I numbly shook my head.
"Maybe we will have something later. Do you mind if I go out on the hammock? I want to try to get her to take a nap." I faintly heard Gabriella say. I saw Sharpay and Taylor follow her.
"We were just going to play some x-box. Do you want to come?" Zeke came into my line of vision. Ever so slightly, I shook my head.
"Alright, well, if you do, come downstairs. Make yourself at home." I nodded. My body carried itself to the back of the house. I was in a daze when I found myself on the porch. The girls' backs were to me as they lay on the hammock. Sitting down on the patio chairs, I noticed about six bottles of beer left unopened on the table. I stared at them for a minute before I grabbed one and popped the cap off. I took a swig of it, letting the liquid burn my throat. Little did I know this simple decision would be the worst I ever made.
I'm so sorry it took so long. I have been studying for finals. My last one is on Tuesday, so hopefully I will have more time to update quicker. If you have anything you want to see in the next chapter please tell me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!