Christian's POV – 2 months later

She started physiotherapy immediately after she was on her foot. She pushed herself to the limit in getting back fully functional. At times, her legs were giving up on her, but she pushed through it, and she did it. She was now fully walking and mobile on her own. She didn't want any of our help. She seemed to be getting closer to Ana. I felt left out. She was talking to me, but I could feel some distance between us. John suggested that maybe I should voice my opinion with her, but how?

I over-looked the digital watch on my bedside table. It was already 2.30am and sleep still didn't come easy. I looked towards Ana, and it made me smile at how peaceful she looked. I kissed her gently, making sure I don't wake her up, however if I wasn't going to, my stomach was going to do so. I always got hungry whenever I stayed up late. I got up slowly and made my way to the kitchen making sure that I don't make any sound. Ana was such a light sleeper… she felt anything that went around.

I went downstairs, wanting to make some cereal, but as I entered the room, I found my daughter with her head on the table still in her work clothes, dozing off. I moved forward and shook her gently from her shoulders.

'Honey…' I started as she moaned.

'Give me a second… Still working…' She replied back, which made me chuckle. Even in her dreams, she was working.

'Come on Sera…' I said again as I shook her again. 'Time to bed…' I said again as she opened her eyes slowly.

'I'll sleep here…'

'No… Come on…' I said again as I pulled her chair and lifted her off.

'Dad… I can walk… I have to clean up…'

'Yeah right…' I chuckled as she hid her face into my chest. 'I'll organise your books…' I smiled lightly as I tucked her in bed. 'Now sleep peanut…' I continued as I kissed her forehead. 'I love you baby girl…'

'I love you daddy…' She replied as I closed her door.

I made my way back downstairs. One thing was sure, she still loved me… although we were having some disputes every now and then. I quickly closed off her books, making sure I'll leave a mark on where the pages were. However, as I removed her jacket from the back of the chair, something made a sound. It got me wonder… those weren't keys for sure. I checked the pockets, and my suspicions were confirmed. I brought out a bottle from the left pocket.

'8 hour energy pills…' I read to myself. I dropped the jacket and opened the bottle. There were only few left in a 60 pill bottle. I felt my chest tightening. This is how she was going by. This is how she kept pushing herself to the limit. I knew that she had to get back what she lost, and she had GEH… but this wasn't the way.

Sera's POV

The alarm buzzed early making me jump ready for another day. I realised that I was all warm in bed. I smiled to myself. Probably mum or dad tucked me in. I just wanted to remain cuddling in bed, but the second buzz, got me out of bed and getting all ready. I looked around for my jacket, and there it was, on my chair. I moved checked the left pocket and nothing was there. I thought I left everything in there… maybe I forgot… I checked my drawers, closet, wall unit… but nothing was there. I even looked in my bag.

'Where the hell did I put them?' I said to myself, as I felt two hands on my shoulders.

Christian's POV

I decided to get this at the core. There was no use in letting her keep on with this. If she got depended on these, nobody would be able to get her off them. One thing was positive, she wasn't doing drugs as I thought she was.

I went to her room, and she was searching in her drawers. I've never seen her search for things this way. I understood her in a way.

'Sera…' I stopped her.

'Morning dad…' She quickly composed herself, and closed the drawer. 'What are you doing up so early?'

'Work…' I smiled. 'Listen… we need to talk…'

'Um… I'm kind of busy… Can we talk later after school?'

'No Sera…' I replied as I placed the bottle in front of her. 'Are you looking for this?' I asked her as she reached for it and I took it away.

'Where did you get it?'

'I'd better ask you that…' I challenged as I crossed my arms.

'Dad… I really have to go…'

'I'm driving you… we have plenty of time…' I insisted. 'Sera… why?'

'Dad… it's nothing they're natural.' She replied.

'I don't want you to take them! Do you know what they can cause? Heart Arrhythmias, muscle spasm…'

'Dad… those are one in a hundred!'

'…and you could be that one…'

'Dad...'

'Don't dad me Sera…' I said again. 'Look I don't want you to take them again… You are not to use any substance to get you going through the day… if you need to sleep sleep, if you need to rest, rest! Hell, don't come to GEH every single day… I know you have your own things to do…'

'Dad… I can handle…'

'Yeah right… I can see that Sera!'

'Dad, I'm keeping up with everything… it's fine…'

'Fuck! Sera IT IS NOT FUCKING FINE!' I raised my voice. 'I don't want you to use these and that's final. Am I clear?'

'Dad you cannot keep telling me what to do!' She replied as she moved away from me and continued her own things.

'Hell yes I can young lady…' I pulled her back from her arm. 'When I talk to you I expect you to listen to me…and you talk to me with respect… we had an agreement Sera…'

'Like we had an agreement that you wouldn't get angry? That you wouldn't lose it?' She threw back.

'What do you mean?'

'Don't play dumb dad… You're not innocent in this…'

'Sera, I'm not warning you twice… mind your language…'

'Why should I dad? Tell me… why?' she challenged. 'Did you think that I wouldn't remember what you said?'

'Sera…'

'Don't dad… I've given you a lot of chances…'

'You remember what I said?' I replied with tears in my eyes.

'Yeah…' She replied. 'I'm sorry for forgiving you dad… I'm sorry for making you feel anything that you may have felt… but I don't understand! My fault for loving me? What kind of thinking is that?'

'Sera… I didn't mean it like that…'

'There is only one way you could decipher it… and for you information I was keeping the food diary so that just in case you, mum, john or my grandparents ask me how I'm doing, I'll show you that one…' She replied. '…but as usual you arrive to the conclusion before even asking me…'

'Baby… I was afraid that you were never going to regain your memory back…' I replied. 'I couldn't take it seeing you like that… I felt alone… you didn't even remember who I am!'

'…and I'm sorry for that… but I never regret loving you dad…'

'Neither do I!'

'Do you really dad?' She asked again. '…because it seems to me that you do…'

'No… no no no no Sera! No in a million years! Sera… I love you! You're the only thing that holds me together apart from your mother. The love you give fills my heart and holds me strong Sera. I want you to know that… you don't know how much I love you… I'm willing to give my life for you…'

'…and you don't need to dad…' She replied as she came forward and raised my face. 'Dad, all I need is you… There is no use in beating yourself up about this. You couldn't protect me, and you will never be able to protect me from anything… because shit happens in life… and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Hell, I can trip and break my leg. What are you going to do? Beat up the floor?' She chuckled.

'If I can!'

'Dad… I'm serious… Please… stop doing this…' She continued as I pulled her onto my lap and hugged her tight to my chest. 'Dad, why are you doing this? I mean before Jason died… you weren't like this… too overprotective…'

'Sera, when Jason died I promised myself that I won't let anything happen to you… only the opposite things happened… and look where you are… I couldn't protect you from many things…' I continued. 'We've tried adopting again, but everybody put us down after Jason…' I left it hanging. '…I want to keep you safe… I want to protect you at any costs…'

'…but you do protect me from one thing daddy… and that's the fact that you never leave me alone… and you always care…' She smiled as she hugged me tight. 'Dad, this will kill you… and you will never gain peace.'

'Sera…'

'Dad… it's no use saying otherwise. You know I'm saying the truth…' She smiled lightly.

'Come here peanut…' I pulled her close to me. 'I thought I've lost you… Do you know how afraid I was?'

'I'm sorry…' She replied as she let me comfort her.

'Sera, there's something else I need to talk to you about…' I continued. There was something that the Dean of medicine had talked to Ana and I behind her back, and we still didn't know what and how to tell her. She let go of my embrace and looked straight into my eyes.

'What is it?'

'It's… um… about the course…'

'Continue…'

'There is no easy way how I can tell you this…'

'Dad… just say it…'

'The Dean called us…' I started. 'He wanted to speak to us, about your progress.'

'I'm keeping up my grades…'

'It's not about your grades…' I explained. 'Sera, you failed your physical exam.' I finally blurted out. 'You're weak… you're under the 20 percentile weight, your heart is weak…'

'What… what are you saying?'

'They didn't approve your placements…' I continued as she stood up and paced away. 'He suggested that you should repeat the placement year when you're at a healthy…'

'What, so I'll be repeater? They're holding this against me?' she replied defeated. 'Great, so everything I work for turns into vain!'

'Sera, you won't be repeating, you'll be spending extra hours once you pass your evaluation, but for now they can't do anything else. You'll continue the work as usual, but you won't be taking patients… only rounds…'

'That's not fair!'

'I know… your mother and I tried… but Sera, we had to agree… your health is far more important…'

'Dad you don't get it! I've worked my ass off!'

'I know… we all know that… but your anorexia was kept unnoticed for so long! The damage… you need time to heal…'

'That is what I don't have dad! TIME!'

'Look, you can use the extra time in the morgue, your grandmother agreed to overview anything you may need, the Dean also agreed to let you go on rounds…'

'…but I won't get my hands on, on living patients…' She reasoned with herself. 'How long have you known dad?'

'Over a month…'

'…and you didn't dare to tell me?'

'What did you expect us to do? Tell you in the middle of your exams?'

'I can't believe I'm asking you this… but can't you just make your way through this? Please!' She begged.

'No Sera…' I replied as I stopped her from pacing around. 'This time I can't… the better word is I won't… I don't want you to push yourself harder than you already are. I am not endangering or putting you and your health at risk…'

'At risk for what? For doing placements?'

'Yes Sera… You need to be healthy to do so…'

'You're agreeing with them? You're supposed to be on my side!'

'I am on your side Sera! I only want what's best for you!' I replied raising my voice as Ana came into her room.

'Would you two mind telling me why are you bickering?' She asked staring at us.

'Ask dad… He controls whatever he wants…' Sera replied.

'You told her?'

'Just now…' I replied.

'Honey, you need to understand…'

'I need to understand? What about you? You know this is the most important thing I was looking forward to! How could you agree to this?'

'We had too… You won't thank us now, but in the future…'

'In the future, I'll be the only one in my group that will always be the one year later… I can do it… I can keep up with everything!' She replied as she grabbed her bag and made her way to the door.

'Where the hell are you going?' I asked her as I grabbed her from her arm.

'To school… or is that also too much for me as well…' she said as she shrugged my hand off.

'Ok, calm down you two…' Ana tried.

'That's it Sera, you're grounded for a month…'

'Yeah right…' She replied.

'SERA ELIZABETH GREY… GET RIGHT BACK IN HERE BEFORE I INTRODUCE MYSELF TO YOU BEHIND! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE 18, BUT TILL YOU LIVE UNDER OUR ROOF YOU DO AS I SAY…'

'YOU CANNOT DO THAT DAD!'

'I CAN AND I WILL!'

'Christian Sera…' Ana started.

'Mum that is all he does! He orders around…'

'Christian…' she stopped me before I answered back. 'Now, you two sit down right this instant. You're acting like a pair of 2 year olds… even 2 year olds behave better than you do.' She raised her voice. 'What are you waiting for… SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW GREYS!' She ordered immediately, while both Sera and I obliged. 'Good, now tell me what happened…'

Ana's POV

They started saying everything together; I couldn't even understand one word they were saying. One thing was for sure. They were not agreeing on anything.

'Ok stop… I want to hear both versions.' I stopped them. '…and nobody talks until the other one finishes. Am I clear?'

'Yes…' They replied in unison.

'Ok… start Christian…' I ordered.

'I found these…' He started as he handed me the pills while I stared at Sera. '…she flipped, I told her about what the Dean told us and she double flipped. She expected me to let her push herself further.' He finished.

'Now your turn Sera…'

'What he didn't tell you is that he thought I'd forget whatever he told me in the hospital. He blamed me for forgiving you both and for loving you. He wants to control everything. I admit I made a mistake on taking those, but he can't expect me to obey to everything he says. And yes, he controls everything… why can't he just pull this string?'

'I can't because you're already pushing yourself too much…'

'I can handle it dad!'

'No you can't… look at you! You're fucking exhausted…'

'I'm not! I go through the day…'

'With what? Caffeine? Cortisol?'

'So what? I do the work don't I?'

'That's not even the point…'

'Ok... I Said STOP IT!' Ana said again. 'You two argue because you are the same. Christian you made your point. Sera, you made yours. Christian you are wrong in ordering around. Talk for God's sake! That's why we have words. You Sera, need to listen to your father, and me for the matter. We love you and we want you to go far in life… but this is out of our control and reach. I'd rather have my daughter than anything…' I explained. 'Now… hug it out… and stop bickering… it's still 6am and you're already arguing. Is this how GEH goes on?'

'Actually, we work pretty great together…' Christian smiled.

'Yeah… we do don't we?' Sera smiled as she looked at him. 'I'm sorry dad…' She admitted.

'Forgiven…' He smiled as he pulled her close to his side and kissed her forehead.

'Still grounded?'

'Oh yes… you have a week with no reading for fun…'

'…but dad?'

'I cannot take your tv privileges because you don't watch it, and I can't take your laptop and phone because they are needs these days… and I'm driving you around so I can't tell you not to drive…'

'Your father is right…' I smiled. 'Now you see what you can achieve with communication?'

'Yeah…' Both replied.

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