Chapter 1 LEAH
I could hear beeping all around me. I had no clue where I was. I couldn’t open my eyes, but I knew I was on something soft. There were a few murmurs of voices. I tried to speak and move, but I groaned as the pain shot through my head. “Leah,” someone says softly. “You awake?” I slowly began to open my eyes, but it was bright. I groan. After a few attempts, I blinked away the blurriness and stared at a woman in a white coat. She smiled back. “Leah,” she said. “I’m Doctor Nadia. You were in an accident. Do you know what happened?” I shook my head, but my head started to throb. “Ah,” I said as I placed my hand on my head, trying to figure out what was standing on my head. After a few seconds, I looked at Doctor Nadia. She sighed. “You have a serious concussion, sweetheart,” she said. “You need to stop moving.” I did as she said. I looked at her. Doctor Nadia smiled again. I was on my own; where was Dad? “Where’s my Dad?” I asked, staring at her. Doctor Nadia’s face changed, but she didn’t say anything. She quickly glanced over to the side of me. I glanced over to the side where she was looking and was shocked to see who was standing there. My mum. Why the hell was she here? I stared at her, but I felt sick. Where was my Dad? My mum stepped closer but moved away from her. “What are you doing here? Where’s my Dad?” I said, raising my voice and turning my attention back to Doctor Nadia. 1 Doctor Nadia looked between my mum and me but said nothing. I looked between both of them. My mum had been crying, but why would she be crying? I was starting to get angry. “Will someone please tell me what is going on?” I shouted. “I want my Daddy.” I could feel my heart break as I needed the answers, and no one was talking. I only called him Daddy when I was scared, and right now, I am. I wanted the man who tucked me in every night, even before all this, would make sure I was in bed and tell me he loved me. Doctor Nadia cleared her throat, which made me look back at her. “Leah, there is no easy way to say this, but your father passed away due to the injuries he sustained in the crash,” she said softly. I felt like my heart had suddenly stopped, like someone had ripped it out of my chest as I stared at her. Tears flowed from my eyes and down my cheeks; there was no stopping them. My Dad was gone. I heard a movement and looked toward mum, who got closer, but I moved further away from her. I didn’t want her. I wanted my Dad. Anger started to fill my veins as I turned toward her. “Get the fuck away from me?” I shouted to her. “I don’t want you; I want my Dad.” I turned over and stared at the wall to my side, feeling the tears come with such force. There were a few murmurs from each, but I ignored them. I needed them to leave me alone. I needed to grieve for the man who was the only consist in my life. 1 I didn’t look at either of them. I could hear the door open and close, knowing that Doctor Nadia and my mum had left. As soon as the door closed, I couldn’t stop crying. I cried hard. I closed my eyes, but I was taken to the car accident. Everything came flooding back like a short movie. Now I remember, I was in a car crash with my Dad. A car went into our car, not just from behind but from all sides, I think; I can’t remember how many, but something like that happened. I remember the argument we had; it was about my mum. Why the hell was she here at the hospital? I didn’t want to see her. There was no way in hell I wasn’t going anywhere with her. 1 After crying for a solid hour, I fell asleep. But I didn’t sleep long, as a dream came with such force; it felt like a horror movie. It wasn’t enjoyable, to say the least, and I like horror movies. It was about the crash, but it was wrong. I was in the passenger seat, but there was someone in the middle of the road. My father swerved to avoid him, but he hit a car in front. The man walked toward our car as other vehicles rammed into us. The man came to my side and opened the door. I screamed and shot up in bed, unable to take anymore. The man smelt funny like rotten eggs. It made me want to throw up. I was sweating and panting. “It was only a dream,” someone said from the side of me as they came nearer me. I panted out the anxiety by placing my hand on my chest but looked toward the voice. I stared at her. She was back again. My mum. Why couldn’t she leave me alone? I thought. “Hi,” she said. I didn’t say anything for a moment. “Leah, I…” she said, but I shook my head, which was a bad idea. I forgot what Doctor Nadia told me and all about the headache. I closed my eyes as my head pounded hard. Fuck. “What are you doing here?” I asked her through clenched teeth as the headache subsided. “I don’t want you here.” My mum looked at me. She was taken aback by what I said. “Leah, I’m here to look after you,” she said. “I thought your Dad told you about our meeting, and now that he was gone. I…” she said, but I cut her off. “What, you thought you would come and take over?” I shouted as the anger came back like a hurricane. Nope, that wasn’t happening. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I shouted. “You haven’t bothered to contact me for eight years. What makes you think I want you in my life now?” My mum looked hurt, but I didn’t care. “I’m living with Lucy,” I said. “Her mum can look after me. I have another month of school left, and I am not going anywhere with you.” My mum shuffles from one foot to the other. “Leah, you’re my daughter,” she said. “GET THE FUCK OUT,” I screamed. She stared at me but didn’t move. My mum was clearly hurt by what I said, but I didn’t care. What was she thinking would happen? I would run into her arms as if nothing had happened. I would have if I were the seven-year-old she left, but I am seventeen and have never thought about her once this year or even in the last three years. “GET THE FUCK OUT,” I screamed, startling her. “I don’t want you anywhere near me.” My mum moved closer to the bed, but the door opened and in walked Lucy and her mum, Dani. My mum stopped and looked. Dani looked at me with a sympathetic look but turned to my mum. “I think you have done enough, don’t you?” she said with a blank stare. I held my breath. Dani knew about my mum as my Dad, and she had become friends over the last few years. She has been helping my father with me. She liked him, but he never looked at Dani like that, only as a friend, but Dani never acted on her feelings towards him. I watched my mum clench her fists to her sides and stare hard at Dani. I noticed movement behind Dani, it was Lucy, my best friend. Lucy came to my side and held my hand as she watched our mothers continue to look at one another. My mum turned and looked at me with a defeated sigh. “Fine,” she said and walked out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind her, I huffed out the breath I was holding. Dani came over and smiled. “You okay, sweetie?” she asked. I stared at the door, praying not to see her again. I looked at Dani. “I’m okay,” I whispered, but my heartbreak returned as tears spilled out as I pulled my legs to my chest. An image of my Dad appeared in my head. I wanted my Dad more than ever. I wanted him to be with me, but he was now gone. How the hell would I carry on without him in my life?