“Psst. Sora, Wake up, quickly” A distant voice called. “Make me” I mumbled back. The grip on my arms released me. There was some mumbling I couldn’t understand but there was a sudden blinding light and my arms fell from my sides. I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes and see what or who it was so I allowed myself to be scooped up into my rescuers arms. I recognized the scent, I just couldn’t picture who it was. “Hands up against the vehicle” A police men called.  I realized that this was a rescue team for me and Delsin was carrying me. I opened my eyes for a minute. “Delsin” I said reaching up to touch his stone hard face. He wouldn’t look down at me. I looked at my own hand compared to his face; I was all bruised and dirty. “How long have I been out?” I asked examining my hand. “Mia, you’ve been missing for a week” He said gently. A week? “What? But the last thing I remember was driving away. It had only been several hours!” I protested. “And put me down, I can walk”

“No you can’t” He said holding my head back before I could look. “Yes I can, I asked struggling against his iron grip. “Just sit still ok? And don’t look down, what ever you do” He said as he lay me down on a stretcher. I did the wrong thing; as soon as his back was turned to me I looked at my leg. It lay over the side limply twisted in multiple ways. I heard screams and saw people turned to me. It was me screaming. My father ran over and grabbed my head. “Oh, Sora Elizabeth! I am so glad you are alright. You are not going anywhere with him anymore” He said as he clung to my head. “Back off” Delsin said as he pushed my father away. “She’s my daughter and she was kidnapped under your care” He protested. “Go away” Delsin continued. “No, boy, you go away you let her be kidnapped under your care.” My father yelled. “You hit her. She showed me the marks. You drunken bastard, you should be ashamed of yourself!” Delsin said pushing past him to grab my hand. I squeezed his hand as the tears welled up in my eyes. “Help, me” I said before I passed out again.

            I woke up with my head in Delsin’s lap. “Hey, you’re up” He said rubbing my head. I tried to sit up but my head was so heavy, I fell back down onto his leg. He laughed at my attempt. “Are you in your sane state of mind?” He asked holding my hand. “I think, was I not before?” I said holding his hand in mine. “You were pretty loopy the other night” He admitted. I laughed but then stopped and gasped in pain as my ribs cracked. “Relax” He cooed. “How bad am I?” I asked “You’re horrible for making me that anxious!” He responded. “Not what I meant”

“Well several ribs are broken, your leg is completely shattered, your head is bruised, and your arm is broken clean in five spots. I give you a fifty fifty chance” He concluded a full diagnosis with a smile. “Thank you Dr. House.” I grimaced. “Your fine” He admitted, his arms hung over my chest. “You know, there is something that I have wanted to tell you” he started, his hands balling into fists. “Remember that first night, when I said that I didn’t like you like that?” He asked slowly. “Yes, I remember, what about it?” I replied trying to look up at him “Well, seeing you are helpless as you were a week ago when I pulled you out of the forest, it made me realize how much a cared about you and how much I really did like you. So-Mia I really do like you and I would like to give dating you another try” He said, picking his words wisely. I stared into the ceiling listening to him. “Wow, I really don’t know what to say. That’s not the thing I expected to hear when I was in the hospital in the most unattractive outfit ever.” I stuttered “Yes? Please?” He begged. “Then yes! Of course!” I practically screamed my response. The blood flooded my face once I realized how loud I really was. He chuckled. “Hey, don’t laugh” I snapped back. “C’mon, It’s cute. And I actually believe that that is a pretty attractive gown you have on” He responded innocently. I rolled my eyes and snarled comments under my breath. I looked around the hospital room. “How long have I been here?” I asked, judging from the flowers and cards all around, I would say quite awhile. “Eh, well, it’s been ten days from rescuing you and 10 from the surgery so about three weeks.” He said. “Three Weeks!” I cried “What surgery? Who signed, my father would have just let me die! Did you-? You can’t-!” He nodded and reached over for a sheet of paper “Delsin McMan, Brother to Sora Barton, Agreed to let Sora Barton go into surgery.” He read aloud then handed the sheet to me. He was right. I tossed it back to him and crossed my arms. “Ow!” Not the best way to try and argue. “Hey, relax.” He laughed as he helped me relax a bit. “What was fixed” I asked taking a deep breath. “Your spine was twisted in one spot, nothing life threatening at the time but it would have progressed to be life threatening.” He said rubbing soothing circles in the skin above my thumb. I closed my eyes and took in his scent. He tensed up underneath me. I heard foot steps come in the small room. My eyes opened as I looked over at who it was. It was my father. His expression was calm and relaxed. I can’t remember the last time I had seen him like this. He sat down across the room from me. He seemed to be keeping his distance. The only sound between the three of us was our breathing and my heart monitor which sped up as the silence progressed. “Before she has a heart attack say what you have to say” Delsin snarled at him. My father sighed and nodded. “Sora, I’m sorry. I have been horrible since your mother died. I know it was my fault and we have been moving from place to place to hide it but I never should have taken it out on you. It was something I sincerely regretted afterwards and I was so mad at myself. Then I was mad at myself for taking my anger out on you and constantly drinking. I can’t take it anymore. I am going to turn myself in. I just had to stop by and say good bye to you. It is my fault that you left and ended up in this danger.” He explained, I could tell he had sobered out while I was in the hospital and he was telling the truth. The tears pricked my eyes again. I didn’t know what to say. All my life, or the parts that I remember, he had been a drunken abusive monster and now he wanted to be my father who loved me? How could this be? I wanted to love and forgive my father but it wasn’t that easy. “I can’t just forgive you after everything” I cried, letting the tears drip out of my eyelids “I know, but Sora, please, I am trying my best here, I want to make up for lost time. I just wish I could have been there for you. I am sorry I was never there. I miss when you were little, about 3 months old and you would cry and cry and I would get annoyed but I realized that I probably wouldn’t be there for you.” He started to cry, he looked away from me. I held my arms out for him. He came and sat down next to me on the bed. Delsin helped me sit up and I hugged my dad for the first time in years. Our relationship had just come back and now he was leaving. I couldn’t stand this. The nurse came in to give me some more pain killers. I lay back down and stared at my dad. The dad I had known before he got angry at life was back. “Don’t leave me” I whispered. “I promise I’m not going anywhere” He said taking my other hand. The two men in my life with me when I needed them both loved me as they should and both watching over me as I slept. I closed my eyes in satisfaction as I drifted off to sleep.