Chapter 18: The Joy of Family
A/N: Oof, sorry for the long wait. And this chapter is quite a bit shorter than usual... I just wanted to take a bit of a break to do other things. Also didn't help that I didn't really have an idea of what to do for this chapter. So... yeah. Sorry, I guess. Hope the chapter itself makes up for it.
For what seemed like an eternity, I just sat at the ship, thinking to myself about what on earth to name the kid.
I sucked at coming up with names, I could do it, but it was one of those things that'd take me forever to think of something good. I wasn't sure if I'd have enough time, given the inhuman speed at which the kid seemed to be recovering at.
I just... I didn't want to let her down.
After the longest time, I clutched my head and groaned in defeat. I had made zero progress toward a decision since I began.
And then I saw something out of the corner of my eye, out in space.
I looked up, and saw... a shooting star... no, a comet. I watched as it darted across the cosmos elegantly, its brilliant tail shining bright behind it.
I couldn't fathom my luck, witnessing such a rare event by chance. I remembered that most comets back on Earth had an orbital period of decades... you'd be lucky to witness one even once.
And then, with that thought, I had an idea.
An amazing idea.
I knew exactly what I would name her, now.
It would be perfect.
I took a deep sigh of satisfaction that I had a name for her.
And to think that a comet caused this...
I stared at it and nodded in a silent thank-you. I knew comets weren't people, but it deserved appreciation anyway.
The odds of it just appearing at this exact moment... and it giving me exactly what I needed... it wasn't luck, it couldn't be.
No, it was fate.
And out there, some cosmic deity was smiling upon me, I just knew it.
I let out a yawn. What time was it... how much time had I actually spent just thinking away?
Well, it was late and I'd accomplished my goal, so there was no reason to stay up.
So, as I meandered over to the attic and crawled into bed, I only had one thought.
If only the kid could've seen this.
The next day, I returned to visit the kid again. I couldn't wait to see how she was doing.
When I walked into her room, I immediately noticed a difference in her. The colour had returned to her face, and she appeared bright and full of energy.
"You seem much better," I said.
"I am!" She beamed, "I'm not even coughing that much anymore!"
"Good, very good," I replied, "So we probably just have to wait for the results of your bloodwork and you'll probably be ready to come home."
"And then I get a name!" She squealed in excitement.
I grinned.
"Mhm."
Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door and one of her doctors entered.
"Morning," They greeted, "The results came back from the lab."
"Oh, good," I said, "And the results are?"
"We found a very rare, and very dangerous bacterial infection. It's an extremely good thing that you took her here when you did," They explained, "It has a 100% mortality rate if left untreated."
A chill went down my spine. I knew it was bad news from the get-go... one doesn't just get that sick that quickly.
"And if treated?" I asked.
"With proper treatment, it's practically harmless. In fact, if she's feeling well enough, we can send her home with a prescription," They said.
The kid audibly cheered for that.
I smiled.
"Seems to me like she is," I said.
"Well, let's just make sure," The doctor said.
They then proceeded to check her temperature and quiz her about if she was still feeling any symptoms at all. When they were finished, they clapped, clearly satisfied, and walked toward the door.
"I'll go prepare the prescription and come back to remove that silly IV," They said, then left.
I whipped around to face the kid, a grin on my face.
"Well, well, well," I said, "Ready to see your spaceship again?"
"Our spaceship," She corrected, "And yes! You also made a promise."
I chuckled.
"Well, you won't be waiting much longer," I said.
This was a bit faster than I was expecting, but I wasn't scrambling to think of a name for her.
I'd managed to narrow it down to one that I felt suited her best... I just hoped she would like it.
From there, we waited around for the doctor to return with her prescription and give us the all clear to leave. I kept the kid entertained with some jokes, and it didn't take very long before the doctor returned.
They walked in and handed me a bottle. A light sloshing noise told me it was a liquid.
"Make sure to give her a tablespoon of this twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed, every day until there's none left," They directed, "And try to make sure she doesn't overexert herself, because even if she is feeling well, it's still in her system."
"Got it. I don't know if we have any measuring spoons, though..." I muttered.
"Oh, the cap doubles as a dropper. Just fill it up to full for the dosage," They explained.
"Ah, makes sense," I muttered, "So, is she ready to leave now?"
"Yep, everything is all set. You can leave whenever you'd like," The doctor answered, "But she can't go leaving with that stuck into her wrist, now can she?"
I turned around to face the kid. She did still have that I.V. in her arm.
I smirked.
"Yeah, that probably wouldn't be smart," I chuckled.
"Let's get that removed," They said, walking over, "Don't worry, this won't hurt at all."
I looked away for a few seconds as it was removed.
"There. All done."
I looked back, and where the IV used to be there was now a bandage.
The kid grinned and practically jumped out of her bed. She then ran over to me, and I knelt down to pick her up in a hug.
"You know, it was lonely all by myself at the spaceship," I said, "Without you driving me up the wall, I had nothing to do!"
She giggled.
I then gently rubbed her back.
"I really did miss you, though," I said with a sigh.
"Sorry..." She muttered.
"Don't be," I dismissed, "It's not your fault."
I then set her down and smirked.
"Well? Should we get going?" I asked.
She nodded rapidly and ran out the door.
I chuckled and took off after her. She'd probably get lost very quickly.
When we got out of the hospital, I heard her take a deep sigh of relief.
"It's nice to see something else again," She said.
"I bet it is," I replied, holding the Time Piece I kept on me to the sky and grabbing her hand.
A few seconds later, and we were back. Finally.
She bolted out to the main hub, and I slowly walked over there, seeing her lying down in the center of the carpet with a huge smile on her face.
Well, she was home. I had a promise to upkeep.
"Are you forgetting something?" I asked.
She let out a confused 'huh?'
"What did I say I was waiting until you were back to do?" I questioned her.
She shot up immediately with a squeal of excitement.
"Right!" She shouted, "No more delays, tell me!"
I chuckled.
"I think you'll like it," I told her
"Well, what is it?!"
"Your name will be..." I began, "Hailey. Hailey Madison Lane."
She stopped, appearing to take it in.
"Do... you like it?" I asked.
She grinned from ear to ear and tackled me to the ground in a hug.
"I love it!"
I laughed and hugged her back.
"And one extra thing..." I said, "You might've noticed that I gave you my last name. So it's official: you're my daughter now."
She nuzzled her head into my shoulder and spoke:
"I love you, dad."
I completely broke, unable to process what she just said.
And then... all composure I had just crumbled, and I couldn't stop the tears from flowing down my face.
I never would've thought a man could feel anywhere near as much joy as I did in that moment.
And I especially never thought that it would be me to be the one to experience it.
I thanked everything. All of existence. For it must've been the will of the whole Multiverse that someone like me would be the one to be blessed with such a gift.
"I-I... I love you, too... daughter."
A/N: Fluff levels: maximum. I'm glad I finally got this arc over with, now I can get started on new stuff. Like some father-daughter moments between Markus and Hat Ki-I mean... Hailey.
Also, as you might have guessed, her new name is taken from Halley's Comet. You see, a common misconception is that it's called Hailey's Comet. I've seen it be called that just as much as its actual name (although it is incorrect, but let's just ignore that). I personally think it fits her really well. Let me know what you think about it.
And... woah, lots of reviews this time!
Phantaum: Wait no longer, my friend, it is here!
Xenuro (two reviews on one chapter, cool): Glad you liked it. Ain't no sweet like bittersweet. Also, if I can go 'MIA' on uploading then you can go 'MIA' on reading and reviewing. Ain't no rush when this story ain't going anywhere. And, well, that's a good idea for her name and I was thinking of that, but I didn't want anything too fancy, if that makes sense. Thanks anyway, and... sorry if I disappointed you.
meh: That was a really good suggestion. I was planning on using it, actually... but a) Markus doesn't know Aeon language, and b) like I said for Xenuro, I didn't want to come up with anything too exotic for her. However, I'll definitely keep that name in mind in case I ever need to name new characters.
Thank you all for reviewing, you guys really are awesome... all of you, I mean.
I still can't believe how much this series took off, and it's all thanks to each and every one of you. So give yourselves a pat on the back: you made this series what it is just as much as I did, if not more.
Well, that's it for this time, folks. Will the next chapter be soon? Err... probably not. I've found a new game that's taken basically all of my focus (Heck, I'm even planning to write a fanfiction or two for it, but we'll see how that goes given the last, like, four times I planned to write a new fanfic), and I don't know exactly what I'm doing for the next chapter. Once again, I'll do my best.
See you then.
