45. Glad You Came
GLAD YOU CAME
TARA
I hold Annelisa tightly while the tears pour down my face. I feel like all I’ve done in the last few days is cry, and it’s exhausting.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I half sob while she returns my hug.
Pulling away, she looks me over while holding me at arms length. “I had already decided to come before I got your message. Booked the next flight and came straight from the airport.” She gestures towards the suitcase beside her.
“I’m glad you reconsidered.”
She nods, glancing towards the door to Dad’s room. “How is he?”
I shake my head. “They’re keeping him comfortable, but I’m not sure how much time he has left. He’s asleep at the moment, but you should come in.”
She hesitates for a moment. “I’m not sure I’m ready to face the girls yet,” she says, and I sigh.
“Lis, I say this with love, but this isn’t about you and what you’re ready to deal with. Just… Just do it for Dad. Do it for yo urself. You and I are both pretty broken, and the only way we can put ourselves back together is to be there in the last days he has left.”
Her lower lip quivers a little, but she pulls herself together before nodding, steeling herself as she follows me back into the room.
Jo looks over, nodding towards Annelisa, who freezes in the doorway, her eyes locked on our father’s still form. Sensing that she needs a moment, I reach back to squeeze her hand before turning back to my step-mother.
“Do you think we could give Lis a minute with Dad first?”
Jo nods towards the girls. “Of course. Girls, let’s go for a walk.”
Jordan looks like she’s going to argue for a moment, but she relents and follows her mother out of the room. I move to follow them, but Annelisa grips my hand.
“Please stay,” she pleads.
I nod and exchange glances with Aiden. He nods and follows the others out into the hall.
Once we’re alone, Annelisa lets out a breath before moving closer to the bed. I can tell that she hadn’t been fully prepared for how much Dad’s appearance has changed, and she reaches a tentative hand forward to brush his hair away from his forehead.
“Hi Daddy,” she whispers.
As if her voice has woken him from a magical sleep, his eyes flutter open, and once he’s able to focus, his eyes meet hers. A smile slowly forms on his lips, and she lets out a deep, wracking sob before leaning down to hug him. With great effort, he lifts his arm to pat her on the back.
“Hi, baby girl.”
A lump forms in my throat as they hold each other. Dad just lets her cry while using every ounce of his strength to stroke her hair. Eventually, he has to let his arm drop back to his side, and Annelisa finally pulls herself together.
It’s so rare to see my sister show emotion openly.
In fact, I’m pretty sure the last time I saw her cry like this was when Dad left.
I am sure that the exhaustion from a straight day of travel isn’t helping, but it’s a relief to see her allowing herself to feel the grief in this moment and not bottle it all up.
“I’m so glad you came,” Dad says, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier,” she replies, wiping away the tears that are sliding down her cheeks.
“It’s okay.” He takes a breath that rattles deep in his chest, and my throat tightens.
Aiden pokes his head back inside and motions for me to come out.
“Your mum is here,” he says quietly once I reach the door.
I nod, and follow him back into the hall. Thankfully, it’s empty except for Mum. I’m not sure if the girls could handle seeing Mum after Jordan’s response to Annelisa’s arrival.
“Annelisa messaged me from the airport. I thought I’d better come up. How’s he doing?” Mum asks, pulling me into a hug.
I struggle to compose myself, and Aiden steps up behind me, rubbing my back while I begin to sob into my mother’s neck.
“They’ve said it won’t be much longer,” Aiden replies for me, and I feel Mum nod.
The grief I’m feeling is worse than the pain I’d felt when Dad left, and I’m not sure I can handle much more.
So when Mum offers to go in and sit with Dad and Annelisa, I’m flooded with relief.
She’s better equipped for this, and I don’t know if I can support Annelisa while dealing with my own pain.
I allow her to transfer me into Aiden’s arms and hear the door open and close behind me.
A few moments later, Dad’s nurses come by and check to make sure everything is okay. I ask them to hold off on their check-up, explaining briefly what’s happening, and they nod, moving on to the next room.
When Jo reappears, Aiden gives her the latest update, and she takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly while looking down at the girls, who are gripping both her hands.
“What’s going on?” Piper asks, looking between all the adults with wide eyes.
“Dad’s old wife is here. And that lady in the elevator was Annelisa,” Jordan says, summing it all up simply for her little sister.
“Oh… Why are they here?” The innocence on Piper’s little face is heartbreaking, and I wonder how she’s going to cope once Dad is gone.
“They just came to see Dad. It’s okay.” Jordan steps around Jo to slide an arm around Piper’s shoulders, her gaze fixed on mine.
Eventually, Mum emerges from Dad’s room and waves everyone inside. Seeing how crowded it is in the small room, Aiden and Mum decide to head down to the cafe to give us all space. I move to Annelisa’s side while the girls look at her with wary expressions.
“Jordan, Piper. This is Annelisa,” I say.
They both nod, and Piper speaks up. “Are you our big sister?” Her little voice waivers.
To my surprise, Annelisa nods. “Yes. It’s really nice to meet you.”
The joy on Dad’s face is beautiful while he watches the four of us talk. When he eventually drifts off again, Jo gathers the girls' things together and gives my hand a squeeze.
“I need to get these two home and to bed. Will we see you tomorrow?” She looks between Annelisa and I, and we both nod.
“I need some sleep, but when I wake up in the morning, I’ll come up,” Annelisa says, pulling up the handle of her suitcase.
“And I quit my job today, so I’ll be here as often as you need me,” I chime in, and they both look at me with raised eyebrows.
“Uh, you what?” Annelisa asks.
“Yeah, it was a whole thing. I’ll fill you in on the way downstairs.”
With another glance back towards Dad, the three of us walk out together.
I never thought I’d see the day when my sister and I were willingly spending time with Jo, but it’s funny how life throws curveballs at you. I’m just glad we were all able to give Dad his wish to see all his girls together.
I give them both the abbreviated version of what happened at work, which feels like a lifetime ago now, even though it’s only been a few hours.
“And this is Aiden’s father? That’s going to make family time a tonne of fun,” Annelisa says, shaking her head.
“Yeah. Might be a while before I join him for any dinners,” I reply with a cynical laugh.
“He seems like a great guy, Tara. You’ve got a good one there,” Jo says as we make our way to the cafeteria.
I smile when my gaze falls on where Aiden is talking to Mum, both looking at complete ease together. “Yeah… Yeah I do.”