CHAPTER 19
Amy
“His finger is moving! He’s waking up!”
My dad’s eyes open and I immediately start crying.
I feel my hand shaking, and I reach forward putting my hand on his.
“Where am I?”
“Everything’s going to be okay. You’re in the hospital.”
“Hospital?”
“You had an accident,” I say. “You flipped your car.”
He’s staring directly at me, causing me to wonder just how much of this he’s understanding.
His eyes come off mine and he scans the room. Thank god, he seems to be okay.
“Do you remember?”
“I remember,” he says. “I was going to kick that fireman’s ass…and I’m still going to.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” I say.
“And why not?”
“Dad,” I say in a hushed tone as I lean in to kiss his cheek. “He saved you.”
“He didn’t save me. What craziness has gotten into you this time?”
“He pulled you out of your car, just before it exploded.”
“My car?”
“It’s gone. Up in a ball of flames.”
“Impossible.”
“Possible. We even have the video, I mean the whole of Southern California has the video. It’s everywhere online. Millions of YouTube views and everything. Benjamin’s a hero.”
“He’s no hero.”
“Dad. Look.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket and play the video for him. It’s the one with the helicopter footage where they zoom in and you can really see my dad…and how far the two of them flew through the air after the blast.
“You were unconscious. The other firemen left, but he stayed there for you. He didn’t leave you, even though he was supposed to.”
My dad says nothing.
“And he didn’t even know it was you. He did it because you were a person, and he loves helping people…and he loves me.”
My dad mumbles something.
“His body broke your fall after the blast. You could be in a lot worse shape right now.”
“I’m in terrible shape. Look at me.”
“At least I can look at you. Without him, I’d be staring into a casket.”
It’s too much and I start crying again. My dad’s in no condition to hug me right now, but I instinctively lean into him, putting my head on his shoulder.
The door suddenly opens. “Doctor’s coming. We need everybody out.”
“I’m the only one,” I say.
“What about the fireman?”
“He went to the bathroom real quick.”
“The fireman? He’s here?” my dad says.
“He’s been here with me the whole time, watching over you. Mom too.”
“Where’s your mother?”
“She also went to the bathroom.”
“First my daughter and now he goes after my wife.”
I smile. I know my dad’s sarcastic sense of humor when I hear it, and this is it. He’s got a long way to go, but that sense of humor of his will definitely help bring him back to being the dad I know and love sooner rather than later.
“I love you, dad. It’s good to see you awake.”
“Okay. We really need to clear out the room now.”
I nod to the nurse and make my way to the door just as the doctor walks in. It looks like he’s been running, and he’s out of breath.
He looks at my dad and sees that he’s awake. “Sir, you’re a lucky man.”
And thanks to Benjamin he’s even luckier than he knows. Not only did Benjamin save his life, but he also saved his pocketbook. He made some calls and was able to have all the 4th of July charges they were considering throwing at him dropped.