[This chapter is dedicated to Kandyjonesxx for the amazing cover she's made for this book! Thanks cutes :D]

Never in my entire life had I ever thought a day could drag up that long. My dad, Phil, Laura, David, Mia and everyone, literally. Everyone was everywhere.

All I wanted to do on that day was to drag my sorry arse up to my room with a huge, warm mug of coffee and cuddle up in my bed ready to read a book.

But no. Of course not. As always.

(5th of November 2011, Saturday).

I rearranged most of the things in my parents' bedroom. Replacing the king sized bed my parents used with a new queen sized I found at the furniture store the other day. I've bought a new bed-set and pillow cases in a dark blue ink color and with the help of a nurse from the hospital, we've set up my dad's medical appliances.

Two more hours and he'll be right here.

I was really excited to have him back home with me, I can safely start school again on Monday without worry that much about him.

The doorbell rang and I dropped the last box of medicines in the drawer before scurrying down the stairs and opening the door.

"You must be nurse Anastasia?" I smiled, opening the door wider for her to come in.

A small, thin woman in her early thirties made her way into our living room. She had her shiny black hair tied up into a bun and sporting a simple button up with light blue jeans with an identification card hanging from her neck.

"I was told to be here an hour before to make sure everything is set up for Mr. Brown." She said, shifting her hand bag from her right to her left hand and pushing back a few strands of her hair back.

"Yeah, all right." I awkwardly mumbled. "Follow me upstairs please. Most of the things are already set up. You can just make sure if it's right and then, we'll wait for my father to arrive."

She walked into my father's newly furnished room and twiddled with some wires, switching the machine on and smiling every once in a while.

"So," I drawled out trying to clear the awkward air with small talk. "Where are you from?" I asked her.

"I'm kind of Eurasian." She explained. "My mom is Indian and my dad is French."

"Wow, that must have been a scandal." I joked, feeling accomplished that she laughed along.

"It actually was. My mother told me that she had a really hard time back then." She laughed and then continued, "you probably don't want to listen to it anyway."

"No." I said. "I'd actually love to. Please tell me if you don't mind." I said, sitting down on the stool at the corner of the room.

"My mother is an Indian-Muslim and you know what it's like in Europe. We're terrorists and terrible people." She sighed, her dark brows furrowed. "My dad didn't think that. They've met in college. They had to go to the same Med-School, that's where they first saw each other. My dad said that he liked her instantantly." She scoffed. "Love at first sight it seems. Do you even believe in that stuff? She asked, incredulously.

"I can imagine. And no, I don't believe in that. But I guess it happens, or so people say." I interrupted her with a small laugh. "I've seen some Indian girls in our school, the perfect shiny, long black hair and bronze skin. It's almost fascinating. I feel like a raw donut sometimes, if I stand next to any of them."

She laughed. I could see her hiding her blush, her hands fiddling in her lap. "Yeah. My grandparents, father's side were against their relationship. They accused her of being a gold digger. And well, the same drama was happening on my side. It didn't help that my parents weren't married yet and were already having me. She was five months pregnant when they moved here and started their lives out fresh." She ended, her smile wide. It was like she was so proud of her parents that she couldn't hold it in. And if I were in her position, I'd be proud too.

I smiled back at her and asked, "how old are you?"

"I just turned thirty-seven. You're still in high-school, yes?"

"Yeah, I'm sevente-"

The doorbell rang again and I skipped down the stairs and held onto the railing so I won't fall, leaving Anastasia in my dad's room.

I opened the door and grinned, "Well dad, what took you so long?"

He let out a deep hearty laugh that I miss so much and warmed my heart. I bent down to hug him and slowly let go, looking up at the nurse that brought him in.

"Thank you for bringing him," I told the young lad who pushed his wheelchair in and closed the door after.

"Let's get you up to your room." I sighed rolling his wheelchair to the staircase and helping him up.

"I can walk, you know?" he complained, his lips pushing up.

"Men and their egos." I said.

"Like you're any better." My dad muttered, an evil smile on his face.

I just rolled my eyes at him and helped him settle down on his bed, folding the wheel chair and placing it at the foot of his bed.

I follow my dad's eyes that were set on Anastasia who was silently reading a book where I was seated earlier.

"Dad," I cleared my throat, "This is Anastasia, your personal nurse that will look after you when I'm at school and sleep  and when I'm not doing any of the mentioned I will personally be looking after you."

Anastasia walks up to us, smiling, "it's nice to see you look better, Mr. Brown."

"Oh please," my dad laughed and then grinned at her, "call em Atlas."

"All right, Atlas," she smirked and then turned to me, "is there anything you'd like me to do now?" she asked.

"Nope." I answered popping the p.

"I'll be sitting right here," she said, pointing at the chair that she was sat at earlier, "and if you need anything, Atlas," she turned to look at my dad, "then just let me know."

I let the both of know that I'd be right in my room at the end of the hallway and made my there. I snuggled into the covers on my bed, opened up The Martian by Andy Weir and continued to read wherever I previously left off.

I was just turning the page when my bed started vibrating and I started patting on my duvet, trying to figure out where my phone was. After finally finding it, I slid my thumb across the screen and accepted the call.

"Hey girl," I heard the familiar English accent on the other side of the line.

I pulled the phone away from ear to look at the screen that flashed the unknown number and put it back, "eh, hey. Where'd you get my number from?" I asked curiously, trying not to sound rude."

"David," she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Before I could say anything else, she beat me to it. "Anyway, it's National Donut Day and we should go get some at the cafe, also..." she trailed off. 

"Mhm?" I hummed.

"IT'S SOMEONE'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!" she screamed.

I quickly pull the phone away from my ear and after a couple of seconds of recovering from almost being deaf, I placed it back on my other ear.

"God forbid, London. What is wrong with you?" I glared at the wall in my room, hoping it would somehow teleport to her.

"Seriously, you're going to call me London now because I'm English? That's so typical of you!" she argued, I can imagine her pouting and crossing her arms if she were here. 

To be honest, speaking to Laura right now, even after the way she treated me in the beginning, made me realize that I missed hanging out with girls and I never really appreciated it that much. I was always around Phil and my dad these days, everyone else would just visit. I would only make small conversation with some delivery guy or when I was ordering coffee. Daniel was still annoying but it sort if became a part of my routine now and he laid off a bit after he got to know about my dad. 

I would never admit it to her of course, she'd take it to seriously and would want to start hanging out with me everyday, which I definitely do not have the time for. Plus, i'm sure that I would take back everything I think about girl company so far after I spend a lot of time with her.

"So, what did you interrupt my peaceful reading time for?" I asked, shutting the book that I was reading and getting off bed. I started pacing around the room, a habit of mine while I was on the phone was to multi task.

"Obviously to get you ready for your birthday tomorrow. We need to go to the saloon and get our nails  and hair done, girly stuff like that." she explained. I was mentally ticking off a list of items that I hated to do and what she mentioned was most of them.

"I don't know.." I start thinking of various excuses in my head.

I think you're annoying sometimes and if I spend that much girly time with you I would get mad.

Not nice enough.

My dad wants me to look after him.

The guilt card always works.

"No she can go!" I here my dad scream from the door way. I turned around to look at him, my mouth dropped. "What the hell?" I mouth.

He was not supposed to be listening onto my conversation. That was unacceptable.

▼▲▼  

The last thing I ever thought I would be doing was sitting on a very uncomfortable chair in the saloon, getting my toe nails very painfully done by a person who I also didn't know. How did girls not feel weird about this? It was the weirdest thing I've ever experienced. 

Laura was randomly babbling some weird plans about my birthday that I wasn't listening to because I was trying so hard not to wince at the pain the woman cutting off half my toe was causing by biting into my glazed donut constantly. I was glad she got the dozen set, because I was already on my fifth piece. When did I start eating so much?

"So, what do you think?" Laura asked me after a long while.

I stopped from biting into my sixth donut now and looked at her questioningly, "I'm sorry what? I'm sorry, I got distracted."

"Yeah, I can see that. I was asking what you wanted for you birthday and what flavor of cake is your favorite?"

"Umm.. I don't need anything, honestly. I think I have everything that I need. I don't know, I haven't had cake in seven years." I frowned, not really realizing it's been that long since I've wanted to have cake or have had any.

"What? You're crazy!" she screamed, making the woman cutting my nails jump up in surprise and pull me with her, almost making me fall off of the chair.

I just rolled my eyes at Laura's childish behavior and pushed myself into the chairs by propping my elbows into its arms.

"By the way," she started, "I told David how I treated and threatened you before."

My eyes widened. Did she tell him about the dare?

"Oh. Oh don't worry I left that part out, where, you know the dare and stuff. I just told him honestly that I treated you badly because I wanted to get with him." she shrugged. "And he actually thanked me for being honest and told me that it was all right as long as I apologized to you about it if I actually felt sorry for what I did, and I do and I did apologize and I guess you've accepted that otherwise you wouldn't be here with-"

I cut her off, "well actually, I'm only here because surprisingly my dad really wants me to be here and have some girl time which I haven't had in a really really long time. Just quoting his words."

"Shut up." she laughed. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah," I said. "I do."

And in that moment, I don't think I would've ever thought that turning back around and changing things were possible. But I figured, to do that, it wasn't the turning back. It was the moving forward that made the past change.

You forgive someone for doing something in the past and it gives you a changed future.