Chapter Five. Their Blessing.

I was surprised to see that he was awake. Lately he was rarely awake by the time we got up here. Dr. Winthrop walked us in. He looked at my father before he let us come all the way in. “Ezekiel,” he said, “your family is here to see you.” Dad turned his head to look at us, and smiled weakly. Dr, Winthrop looked back at us. “Be careful, he’s still not doing the greatest. Just take it easy and things should go fine.”

“Okie dokie Dr. Winnie.” Tony said. She liked the doctor. He smiled at her and ruffled her hair. He nodded his goodbyes, pointed to the clock and walked out of dad’s room, closing the door.

Alexis sat in one of the chairs and opened one of Tony’s coloring books as Tony and I went to dad’s bedside. Tony gave her backpack, jacket and Oyster to Lexi as we walked into the room. She put her present to dad on his shelf beside his bed. It truly was a picture of mom. It was a wonderful picture. I knew that she would want to explain the picture, so I went and sat in the chair next to Lexi, and took her hand in mine.

“Daddy, I made you a picture in school.” She started. Dad turned to look at her, his grey eyes sadder now more than ever. “We had to make a picture of something that made us happy. I never knew mommy, I knew that she made you and Glenny happy, and seeing you happy makes me happy.” She started to cry and dad tried to raise his hand to wipe her tears, but he couldn’t. He still wasn’t strong enough. Tony saw the tear roll down his cheek. “Oh daddy,” she said as she climbed up in the bed with him so she could wipe his tear, “Please don’t cry. I know that you miss her, but Glenny, and Lexi, and Oyster and me are here to make you happy.” His eyes started searching for Lexi and I as Tony said our names, and Tony saw that. “They are sitting in the chairs over there.” She said as she motioned in our direction. She leaned in closer to him so she could whisper to him, “I think he is gonna marry her, but that’s okay. She’d be a great sister. She almost is now.” I smiled when she said that.

I got up and kissed the top of Lexi’s head so I could go over and talk to dad. “Alright Tony, why don’t you go color with Lexi?” I said as I picked her up off of the bed and pointed over to Lexi. I grabbed the doctor stool and wheeled over to dad’s bedside. He looked up at me and smiled. Damn, I missed his smile. “Hey dad. I’m taking care of her, just like you wanted. I wish you could be here with us. She’s growing up so much.” I stopped speaking to regain control. He must have noticed my struggle because he gripped my hand in his. I looked up at his face and he lowered his head to try and get me to continue. “She has been worse lately. I’ve had to check up on her every hour. I can’t lose her, dad, I can’t. She’s the thing that keeps me sane lately.” I chuckled. “Yeah, a six year old, keeping me sane, that’s a laugh.” He smiled at my failed attempt at humor. “I know that you’re wondering about it, so I’ll tell you now. We won the big game. We won it by a touchdown, thanks to the best team that I’ve had yet. That Finn guy was getting on my case again. Oh, how I wanted to smash his face in, but I couldn’t, not in front of Tony. Oh yeah, she went to the game. It was so cute. She was on mike’s shoulders with Katie’s megaphone. It was the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.” I sighed and rested my head on the side of his bed. “Dad, I don’t know what to do. The nightmares are coming more and more frequently, and I’m having trouble doing anything. My car is in the shop, and the jag off that works there said that it’s not worth fixing. I don’t have the money to get a car. I can’t get a job right now, with taking care of Tony. I’d be way too tired to play with her, and that’s what she needs, stimulation, I mean.” I looked up to see him looking in the direction of the girls. “Man, Lexi is great. I would have never been able to do half of the shit that I do without her. You’d like her. Mr. and Mrs. Hashimoto like me and Tony and are willing to let us move in with them. I always refuse though, because I can’t leave the memories that we’ve made at the house. There are too many to just throw away. Lexi’s parents have even let her stay at the house pretty often. The only deal is that the house has to be kept clean. Tony and I do that all on our own, well, Tony tries, but the sock monster keeps hiding all her toys all over the floor so I need to call the socksterminator,” I smiled, “or get another dryer. Byron said that you’re getting worse. I don’t understand that. I don’t understand how some of the best treatment in the world isn’t working. He said that your immune system is failing, and turning on itself. I’m so afraid to lose you. I know that it is inevitable, but I still don’t want it to happen.”

I looked up at the monitors when his grip loosened and his breathing slowed. The girls noticed because the beeps got slower. I pushed the nurse button on dad’s remote. Just like I normally did every other time that he fell asleep. Dr. Winthrop and his nursed had to check dad’s vitals every time that he drifted out. Most of the time everything was fine, but it was mainly just a precautionary thing.

Lexi got Tony’s jacket on her as well as her backpack. Tony headed out the door just as Abigail, dad’s nurse, came through the door. She was so used to that that she just simply stepped out of her way. Lexi gave me a hug as I watched Abigail take dad’s vitals. She layed a folded piece of paper right in front of the picture of mom before we left. She walked out in front of me to keep up with Tony, and so that I could give dad a kiss goodbye. I waited until she left to read the paper. It was addressed to dad:

Ezekiel~
I know that we don’t know each other that well, but I’ve been coming on the visits for almost a year and a half. You have the greatest son in the world.
He is amazing and I love him. He doesn’t know it, but I love him to death. My parents have given me their blessing. That is a very big deal. In Japan, when a family gives a suitor their blessing, it means that they are prematurely accepting the suitor as a son in law. My family loves him.
You have nothing to worry about, I know that you are sick, although I do not know why, I feel that is not my business to know. If Glen wants me to know, he will tell me. I hope you get better. For everyone.
~Alexis Hashimoto (or Lexi)

I read the note aloud to dad after I read it a couple times. He smiled, although I’m not for sure if it was in his sleep or at the note. I kissed his forehead and said my I love you’s and flipped the light off when I left. I met my girls in the hallway and Tony giggled. “What are you two up to?” I asked them.

“Nothing.” Lexi said, “Nothing at all. Are we ready to go home?” She asked as she wrapped her arms around Tony and me. I smiled at the word home, and knew that in her heart she meant our home.

“Yes,” I sighed, “yes I am.” I yawned and knew that I was going to fall asleep in the car.

“Me too.”  Tony replied.

We walked out of the hospital arm in arm, looking at the magenta sky of the end of another day. It was perfect. I had my girls, my dad, and the orange hue of the hospital, all behind me, urging me to push foreward.