BOSTON, 16 years earlier

The sound of beeping, an adult voice talking, and a younger voice saying their words of excitement are the only things heard in the hospital room 20A. The hospital room was just like any other hospital room with its white walls and white floor. A small bathroom, a large window on one wall, tv up on the wall, a hospital bed in the middle of the room, a chair on one side of the bed, and of course a heart monitor and some other medical supplies that are usually in a hospital room.

"We didn't think we would make it." Quincy Watson speaks to his one and only daughter, Romelle, talking about one of his many treasure hunts. His ten-year-old daughter sat on the chair beside the bed, looking at him with wonder and anxiously waiting to find out what happened next. Even though she had a good idea of what would happen. Her dad's stories always ended the same way. With him and his team winning and getting the gold. "My team and I were trapped. It was either the bad guys on one side or a brick wall on the other side."

"What happened? What happened?" Romy asks, her eyes twinkling with excitement. She smirks. "Did you kick their a**?"

Quincy laughs lightly and looks at her with a stern expression. "Hey, none of that language is allowed, missy." He raises his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side. "Who are you hearing that kind of language from?"

Romy shrugs with a cheeky grin on her face. "You."

Quincy sheepishly smiles. "Yeah, okay, that's my bad." He chuckles, glancing down at the silver wedding band ring he wore on his left ring finger with a small smile at the memory of his wife. He still wore it to this day even though she died from cancer a few years ago. He knew it was most likely time to try to move on, but he just couldn't bring himself to not wear the ring. It made him feel closer to her. "If your mom knew that you were cursing 'cause of me I'd be in big trouble." He murmured, stroking the ring absentmindedly.

Romy's expression softens at the mention of her mom. She reaches out and gently touches her dad's hand. "I miss her too, dad," She says quietly, her voice filled with emotion. "She would've been so proud of you, just like I am." All because of four stage breast cancer her mom died. And now because of stage four lung cancer her dad will be gone soon. It seemed like having cancer ran in the family and she hated that. And of course, she hated how it felt like everyone she loved was leaving her. She didn't have any other family by her, and she feared she would have to move from her home town...Or worse she would have to get put into an orphanage.

Quincy's heart warms and his smile widens at her words. He reaches over and ruffles her hair. "I'm proud of you too, kiddo."

Romy smiled at her dad's response, feeling a sense of warmth and comfort despite the sadness that often lingered after mentioning her late mother. She cherished these moments with her father, especially the times when he shared his adventurous tales from his treasure hunting days.

As the conversation shifted back to the story, Romy leans in eagerly, her eyes shining with anticipation. "So, what happened next, Dad? Did you find a way out?"

Quincy brings his gaze back to his daughter with a soft smile on his face. "Okay, so luckily at the last minute one of my teammates came flying by in a helicopter." He then quickly adds, "That he stole." and continues on as if that wasn't a big deal. "Me and my other two teammates fought off the four bad guys and managed to get to the helicopter with the gold before more bad guys could show up." He smiles. "And we got a happily ever after."

"I swear you have the best life ever." Romy comments with a grin. "I would love to go on treasure hunts, find gold, and fight bad guys." Ever since her dad had told her about his treasure hunting adventures, she had wanted to be just like him. She dreamed of going on her own treasure hunts and finding the biggest and the most valuable gold there was. She wanted to be an adventurer and travel the world. The ten year old girl was an adventurer at heart.

Quincy softly chuckles, reaching over to place his hand on his daughter's shoulder and giving her a gentle squeeze. "I don't know about that, sweetheart. It was a dangerous job and I would hate to see you get hurt. It's always not that great being a treasure hunter. You got a lot of risks to take, barely ever stay in one place. And we're not always successful and sometimes the bad guys end up getting the gold."

Romy frowned, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. She didn't understand why her dad wouldn't want her to be a treasure hunter. "Then why do it? If it's dangerous and you guys rarely succeed then why would you want to be a treasure hunter?"

"It was something I was good at. And something I enjoyed doing." Quincy admits, smiling fondly as he recalled his days as a treasure hunter. It was a wild, exhilarating ride. One he wouldn't trade for anything in the world. "When I was a kid, I was always curious. Always wanting to explore and adventure and discover something new. And it wasn't until my first treasure hunt that I realized what I was good at." Quincy glances down at the silver wedding band on his left ring finger, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "When your mother and I got married, I retired from treasure hunting. I decided I would rather have a family than be out exploring the world. That I would rather have you than treasure." He then looks back up at his daughter with a gentle smile. "You and your mom were my treasure."

Romy couldn't help but smile back at her father's words, her heart warming. But at the same time she felt a pang of sadness. She understood why her dad had stopped being a treasure hunter, but she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She wanted to experience the same thrill and excitement her dad did, and she wanted to be a treasure hunter just like him. "Dad, I understand why you stopped being a treasure hunter. And I'm happy that I have you. But I'm not a little kid anymore." She points out. "I'm ten. And I can make my own decisions. I want to be a treasure hunter. I wanna find gold and travel the world. I want to do what you do. I wanna be like you when I grow up." She confessed, looking up at her dad with determination shining in her eyes.

Quincy's expression softens as he listened to his daughter's words, a mixture of pride and concern evident in his eyes. He reaches out to gently cup her face in his hands, meeting her gaze with a gentle smile. "Romy, sweetheart, I understand your desire. And I'm proud of you for having such ambition and determination and I love it you want to follow in my footsteps." He pauses, his thumb brushing over her cheek tenderly. "But being a treasure hunter isn't all fun and games. It's dangerous, and it's not a life I would want for you."

Romy's gaze remains steady, unwavering in her resolve, but she did lean into his touch. "But I want to explore the world and uncover its secrets. I want to experience the thrill of adventure, just like you did." She reaches up to place her hand over his, squeezing it gently. "And I promise, I'll be careful. I won't take any unnecessary risks, and I'll always watch out for myself."

Quincy couldn't help but smile at his daughter's determination, feeling a swell of pride in his heart. He knew that he couldn't stop her from following her dreams, just like his own father couldn't stop him. "Alright, Romy," He said finally, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "If this is truly what you want, then I'll support you every step of the way. But promise me one thing: promise me that you'll always stay safe, and that you'll never lose sight of what's truly important. Promise me that you'll remember that the greatest treasure in the world is the people you love, and that no amount of gold could ever replace them."

"I promise, dad." Romy replies without hesitation, a bright smile lighting up her face. "And I love you, dad." She hugged him tightly, feeling happier than she had in a long time. She buried her face in the crook of her neck, savoring his familiar, comforting scent.

Quincy couldn't help but chuckle warmly, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "I love you too, sweetheart." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, closing his eyes as he savored the moment. He knew that he didn't have much time left, and he wanted to cherish every moment he had with his daughter. Quincy felt a lump forming in his throat as he held her close, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He blinked them away, knowing that his time was running short. He wanted to spend what little time he had left with his daughter, and he didn't want her to be sad. So, he held her tight, not wanting to let her go.

"Don't worry, dad, I'll make you proud." Romy mumbles, hugging her dad tightly. "I'm going to be a great treasure hunter just like you." She promised, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"I know you will, kiddo." Quincy responds softly, his own voice thick with emotion. He presses another kiss to the top of her head, his grip tightening ever so slightly. "I'm already so proud of you, Romy."

"So can I hear another story?" Romy eagerly asked as she sat back down in her chair. She always enjoyed hearing her dad tell her stories.

Quincy chuckles, smiling at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Sure, sweetheart." He replies, settling back against the pillows, his voice growing softer as the minutes passed. "This particular one my team and I went on, it seemed like it was impossible to find this gold." And once again Romy was immediately engrossed into his treasure hunting story. She didn't know how he did it, but he always managed to capture her attention with his stories. And she loved every single one of them. "It was the gold Ferdinand Magellan was looking for when he sailed all around the world. After researching and coming up with plans we thought we could find it."

"But you didn't find it." Romy realizes. She then grins as she thought of an idea, her eyes lighting up. "We're gonna find that gold one day. Me and you."

Quincy's smile falls and his shoulders drop in defeat. "Ro-ro..." His voice trailed off as Romy interrupted him.

Romy ignores the tears brimming her eyes, smiling slightly at him. "Me and you, dad." She swallows the lump that formed in her throat, and she moves her hand that was on his arm to his hand so they're holding hands. "We're gonna find that gold one day no matter what."

With a heavy heart and a sad smile on his face, Quincy nods in agreement and squeezes her hand. "Me and you, honey." He whispers, his voice hoarse with emotion. "I love you." He told her, his eyes glistening with tears.

"I love you too, dad." Romy murmured, her own voice wavering slightly. She blinked back the tears, trying to stay strong for her dad's sake. She didn't want him to see her crying, to see her upset. The father-daughter duo knew the possibility of them going treasure hunting together was never going to happen, but at this moment they hoped for both of their sake this dream would come true.  

A/N lowkey had the hardest time writing this cause im so bad at coming up with cool treasure hunt stories on my own lol but i hope it wasnt that bad ! i just did it a way that a father would say it to make it sound entertaining & cool to his ten-year-old daughter & i think it turned out okay. but honestly loved how romy's & her relationship with her dad turned out to be! also yes i just picked a random number for the hospital room number lol actually i picked how old i was cause i didnt know what number to put. also just imagine this with romy & her dad happening the same time with what happened with nate & his brother sam at the museum & the orphanage when they were younger cause that's what i was imagining!