Page 87 of Hale's Pawn
“Hey, papa is awake. He’s conscious,” Mikonos says and I sit up.
I take a deep breath. “We’re on our way.” I hang up. I look at Oran with tears in my eyes.
“What is it, baby?” Oran asks me.
I blink. “It’s dad. He’s awake,” I cry out. “My dad is awake.”
Oran scoots closer and pulls me into his arms. He kisses the side of my head. “Let’s go, tinker Bell. Let’s go see your dad.”
I stop right outsideof my dad’s hospital room. Oran slips his hand into mine. “It’s okay, baby, come on, I’ll be here the entire time,” he says.
I look up at him. “Okay. Thank you, babe.”
Oran leans down and kisses me quickly. I open the hospital room and my dad is sitting up with Mikonos and Markos by his side. My dad looks at me, taking me in. He smiles wide, a smile I haven’t seen in forever. I smile back at him. It reminds me of one of the few times he came home and I ran up to him, hugging him. He caught me in his arms and I felt his love. I should’ve never doubted his love. Never should’ve.
“You don’t want to hug your dear old dad?” my dad says.
I smile wide and walk over to him. I hug my dad tight and he hugs me back. “I missed you, dad. Please don’t ever scare me like this again, Papi. I love you. I really love you with all my heart.” I feel so free saying it.
“I love you too, little lady, and I see you have some news to tell me,” he says.
“I’m pregnant?”
My dad laughs. “I can see that. Congratulations. I’m happy to be a grandfather. I’ve been begging these twopendejosto give me some grandkids.”
I laugh. “Guess I’m the first.”
“You are, baby, and I’m so proud of you. If I’ve never said it before, I’m saying it now.”
I pull out of the hug and I look at my dad, “Even though I didn’t become the right person for the job when you were unavailable?” I say.
“Darling, I don’t care about none of that, you did the right thing. That is what I raised you to see. To see what you can and can’t do. You knew who needed to do what and you appointed the right man for the job.” He caresses my face. “You are my greatest pride, joy, and accomplishment. There’s nothing in this world that you could do that would make me think less of you.”
“Dad…” I hug him tight. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
After my dad lets me go, he looks at Oran. Oran stretches his hand out and my dad shakes his hand then pulls him close, giving him a hug. “This is me welcoming you to our family. I won’t hug you again, but it’s the way in.”
Oran hugs him back. I give them a moment. “Guys, I’m going to get some tea, you need anything?” I ask them. “Daddy?”
“Yes?” Both Oran and my dad answer.
I turn to look at Oran like he’s out of his fucking mind. My dad looks at Oran and all Oran does is shrug his shoulders. I blink. “Really?” I ask.
“I’ll have a coffee, black,” Oran says and sits down like he didn’t just answer to daddy. This guy.
40
Oran
It’s beena crazy month since my father-in-law woke up and now, it’s odd, but seeing Andres more makes me understand what a father is like. It’s a weird thing to experience, but I appreciate it. Andres hasn’t gone back to being the Don yet, so he spends time with Ainslee, both of us, and now, just with me. He took me fishing, which I thought would be boring as shit but sitting back, talking, and just being able to relish in the things life has given me, it made me feel content. Andres trusts me enough to tell me some things that a Don truly has to do.
Today, my father-in-law has taken me out to the gun range and now we’re sitting in an empty coffee shop. It’s fully renovated and it looks so well put together, but I don’t see a single customer. “Heard you and my daughter went through a rough moment?”
I nod. “Yeah, but we’re doing okay now. I’m sorry she gave up being the Don.”
Andres smiles, shaking his head. “No, don’t be. She needed to choose. Some of us have to choose. Ainslee is like me in so many ways. I don’t have balance, I never have, and that’s why I went deep into the life. I became a Don at sixteen.”
