We drove silently back to my house. It was late but it was my usual time after I completed my sessions. He stopped the car at my doorway and stared hard at the steering wheel.

I didn't know if he was still angry with my confessions or he was just humiliated about his behavior back then; I couldn't tell. Even though he had looked fresh back at the tracks, now he looked like he had grown a few years old. His curly hairs were all over the place, his lips thinned down to a prefect line while his eyebrows scrunched together in deep concentration.

"Robert," I called. But he didn't make any effort to acknowledge me. "I'm sorry if I was little out of line with you. But I would still prefer if you could come out clean with them."

I was in no position to take sides here, especially when it came to Mira and Monica on one side while Robert on the other. Both the parties were very dear to me, making me feel better at my worst times. I had grown closer to them and had considered them as my second family.

Mira had shown me the motherly affection that had been snatched away at my time of need. She had tended my wounds, hugged my sorrows and given me bread when I needed it. Monica had been my bigger sister, consoling me when I had a bad day. I was not ready to turn my back on them, lying to them everyday even when I knew what exactly had happened.

Robert, on the other hand had grown closer to me. From his witty talks to sharing a bed, he was there. He had wiped my tears and made me stronger to deal with life. Though his behavior was a bit rash, he had grown stronger because of it. He was the mature man today due to those immature decisions he had taken years ago.

Now it was time to confess and come clean and I hoped that he would make a good decision.

As I sat next to Robert, I saw that he was not ready to give me any answer. I heaved a sigh and got out of the car. I had told what I felt like, but by the end of the day it was him who had to implement them.

"Scar?" He asked as I was about to shut the door. I widened the door and looked at him. He had his head hung low as if he was not happy with his behavior. He slowly looked up at me, his brown eyes apologizing. "Aren't you going to call me in?"

My eyes softened at his words. Though he had grown up, he never had the chance to be a child in his life. With the decisions he had taken, he had to be mature and make better choices to survive everyday. He was like the child who was seeing a soap bubble for the first time in his life. He was curious about it, but felt immature to go after it. He was frightened to take a leap of faith, but at the same time, he had his own hurdles to pass through.

"You are always invited Rob." I said, tilting my head towards my right.

He nodded his head, not meeting my eyes and got down from the car, locking it behind him. He waited for me, till I made my way towards him. I stretched my hand at him and he caught it immediately, holding it tightly.

"I'll get your car from the tracks tomorrow." He said as we walked hand in hand to the house.

The house was deadly silent with a snore that could scare anyone away. I looked at Rob but he seemed too obvious for anything. I could tell that his mind was elsewhere, wrapping around the things I had told him.

Though I liked having him around, it was different now. He was afraid to strip himself clean in front of others, yet he had shred his secrets with me.

I left him in my room as I went to the kitchen to get some orange juice for him. I was sure he hadn't eaten anything since the evening. As I went back to give him what I had retrieved, he had fallen on the bed watching the ceiling. He wasn't crying but the pain I saw in him was more than enough to get my tears at bay.

I kept the juice on the bedside table and sat next to him. He looked so vulnerable and delicate that I was scared to touch him, afraid that he might break in two. His face was ashen from probably thinking about all possibilities of what might have happened after he had left. I knew deep inside he was blaming himself for everything that had happened just like Mira was blaming herself.

As I reached to place my hand on his, he was transported back to the present. He gave a faint smile and moved aside to make space for me. "Do you want something to drink?" I asked for which I only got a shake of his head telling no. He patted the bed beside him, silently asking me to join, turning towards me. I complied, facing him.

"I missed you." He said. It was so much more than a confession and I swear my heart skipped a beat. His voice was barely audible, but I had heard it nonetheless. "No matter what happens, promise me you won't leave me, Scar."

He clung to my hand, his fears evident on his face. "Where am I going to go?" I smiled back. To lighten the situation, I teasingly added. "What am I supposed to call you now? Ratan or Robert?"

At that his face fell again and I cursed under my breath for going south.

"I chose that name so that no one would recognize me." He said, turning away from me to face the ceiling. "I had to purchase a few costly NOS for my side project... that's the reason why I came to this town in the first place."

"Oh, Rob." I said, reaching towards him.

I lifted my head and just as I was about to kiss him, our lips briefly met and I thought I heard him sigh. He leaned in further, seeking for more and I let him. I had missed him too and the fact that he had come back was more than enough for now.

The kiss was gentle and confessional. His hands roamed my face, caressing the skin beneath it, leaving goosebumps behind them. Though the kiss was gentle, it made me go weak in my knees and I clung to his thin shirt for support. My fingers grazed his hard chest and I felt him shiver.

"Don't leave me." I repeated as we pulled apart to get a breather. He smiled at me, a genuine one. It felt as if he needed me as much as I needed him.

"Never." He said, crashing his lips back on mine again.

---

The wheels creaked as I pulled Dad on the white antiseptic floors. I had an appointment taken out for him and I wanted to stay with him before I was off for the day. The white walls were bleached newly and the nurses ran around holding trays for every ten minutes.

We were asked to wait in the halls till our doctor was free.

"You don't have to do this." Dad said for the umpteenth time and I rolled my eyes at him. "I can take care of this on my own. You should go and get ready."

I had volunteered to come to the hospital with him. It had been the fourth month checkup and I didn't want him to go alone. Most of the other times, Dan accompanied him, but since I had a race in the evening, Dan said he had to sort things out before I sat behind the wheel.

Though I was reluctant in not having Dan around, especially when Dad was involved, I let him go, telling myself that I was big enough to take care of this all on my own. But ever since I had come here, my nerves were getting the best out of me. My knees knocked together and I couldn't stop chewing my bottom lip in anticipation.

But Dad, on the other hand was as cool as a cucumber as if he had come to see his baseball matches in the hospital. Perhaps, he had concluded that this was his fate and had settled with this? I had no idea.

"I need to." I said, keeping my hand on his chair. His swellings on his ankle and his knee had come down considerably, but the terrible marks had remained. "I have never come here after the first time."

"I can talk to Alan, it's no big deal." Dad said, waving his hand in the air.

Lately, it seemed as if he was so cool with everything that was happening. I had my own suspicions of him taking alcohol when I wasn't at home. I thought he had changed once he had gotten into the accident, caring more for me, making sure that he talked to me everyday, but now, he was slowly turning back to the guy who stayed away from home most of the time he could.

"I still want to talk to him." I stressed. I reached over and folded his collar properly and smiled at him. He looked fresh for someone who had undergone a bad accident only four months ago. "You look happy today."

"Why won't I be?" He said, as his smiled stretched over his cheeks. "My girl has finally got into racing, already posing for the cameras if I may add." He winked at me. "She's getting into bigger races day after day. Why won't I be happy?"

I smiled at his confessions. He was genuinely happy ever since I had told him about VS. He had gushed about it for the whole day, telling me how grownup I had become, negotiating with great men without any hindrance.

"That looks suits you." I said. If he was this happy and high without the liquids then I was game too.

"So, can I ask you something?" He said, his smile falling a bit. "I don't know if I'm late about it, but being your father, I think I should tell you this."

"Ask away." I smiled.

His khaki shirt for once was neatly ironed and his brown corduroy pants looked new though it was years old. His looked young for his age and with that smile intact on his lips, he could have fooled anyone.

"Robert and you are being very cautious, right?" He asked.

At the mention of his name, my cheeks burned with embarrassment. Suddenly, my eyes looked down at the tiles of the hospital floor that was super clean without a spec of dust.

"I mean, I could have taken greater measures if I was able to run up the stairs, but I can't." He continued. "So, I'm doing my best give my wordy advice before things escalate."

"Dad," I stopped him. My face twisted in pain as I heard him. "Please stop."

"I'm just saying, sweetheart. I really like him. I can see him making you laugh all the time." He raised his hand in mock surrender. "And I also know he's spending most of the time, you know... in your room and you guys are young adults."

"Oh, God!" I put my head in my hands and bent forward not able to meet his eye.

"I mean, I'm not anyone to stop you here." He continued, torturing me to hell. This was the time that I hoped I hadn't come with him to the hospital at all. "But I just want to make sure that you are being careful about it. Use protection and..."

"Dad!" I almost screamed, making one of the nurses turn her head towards us. My face was red and I could feel the heat radiating from it. I was more than mortified with his speech. "We are not... God, no." I said, pulling my hair from my pony tail in desperation. "Nothing has happened."

"Well, um..." He was at a loss of words. "I just wanted to complete all my fatherly duties, because even if it does happen, you are one to suffer more than him."

"Dad, just stop it already." I said, covering my ears from his words. "You are going to drag yourself home if you talk about it ever again."

At this he laughed. "I was serious though."

"The doctor is ready to see you." One of the nurses came to us, holding a smile on her face.

"Thank God." I sighed, before going in, leaving Dad to wheel himself in.

I walked past the door and went in to the doctor's chamber. At my entry, the doctor looked surprised to see me, but he smiled all the same.

"Hi Scarlet, Daniel didn't make it this time?" He asked, clearly wanting to see Dan more than me. Having thrown tantrums at him and having threatened to sue him the first time we met, I was waiting for something more than a surprised face. I shook my head no, still not gotten over with the last conversation with Dad. "Well, no worries. Where's Edward?"

Dad wheeled himself in at that time, and I showed my hand towards him, sticking to only hand movements and facial expressions to do the job. I was still mortified to talk anything that made sense.

"Oh, hi Edward." Doctor said, reaching to Dad for a formal handshake. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm great, Alan." He said, wheeling himself next to me. "Daniel couldn't make it this time, so my daughter accompanied me. Hope its not a problem."

Problem? How was it supposed to be a problem?

I crossed my hands and looked at Alan, faking a smile at him. He chucked at my actions and turned towards Dad. "Should we keep that door open? Just to be sure?"

Dad and the doctor laughed together at their internal joke and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at them.

"So," I started to get them going. I didn't have time for their chat. I had to go and get ready for another race. "What do you think of my Dad's condition so far?"

"Sit down, Scarlet." He said gesturing the seats. I obliged and seated myself, crossing my left leg over the right. I felt like a fish out of the water, trying my best to be normal. "Your Dad is taking the medicines well."

"What does the reports say?" I asked. We had undergone a few tests before and I hoped he had got the reports back. "All is well?"

"Yes." He said, walking around the table to sit on his chair. He picked up the reports and looked through it. "The bone that was smashed is healed, but I'm not sure about the movement though." He said, pressing his lips to a thin line. "The ligaments take a lot of time to heal. We can start with the physiotherapy."

"Alan, don't you think I'll need more time though?" Dad asked hesitantly.

I looked at the man in the wheel chair who had pierce blue eyes and dark hair, asking the doctor if he could postpone the therapy that he needed to walk again. Where had my Dad hidden under those khaki shirt, the same one who was giving me the talk few minutes ago?

"Dad," I called, making sure that he was still my father. "You need to do that to get your leg back in shape. Don't you want to get better?"

"I want to, sweetheart." He said, but the words didn't reach his eye. It was as if he was telling it to convince me of something he didn't believe himself. "It's not easy."

My eyes widened by a fraction taking in his words. Edward Stone was not a man who gave up something just because it wasn't easy. Looking at him now, I couldn't believe it was him I was staring at.

Ever since he had been addicted to his chair, I had geared up, shouldering his works on me. Now being in the background seemed so peaceful that it seemed like he didn't want to get back to his usual spot. It seemed like he had settled with the fate that was handed to him, persuading himself that I would take care of everything from now on.

"Edward, I know it is going to hurt." Alan interfered. "But you got to try it. It was supposed to be started a month ago and you had postponed it so far. I cannot give you permission to postpone it further."

"He was supposed to start before?" I asked, my eyes wide. "Dan knew that?"

"No, he doesn't know." Dad said, his head hanging low and he rubbed his temples together. "I... I still remember the pain I was in... physiotherapy just means doubling of whatever pain I had before."

"It may not be that bad." I said looking at the doctor to say something along the lines to make sure that he was taking all the medications. "Right?"

"Scarlet, there is something you need to understand." Alan sighed. "I've talked it to Edward and I know that is the reason why he's backing now."

"What is it?" I stood up, my hands steady on the table.

"You need to calm down first." Alan said. "Pain after injury is something you can bear because there will be painkillers. But the after effects like physiotherapy and magnetic treatments might leave you with more pain that you'll have to endure to get better."

"Okay." I said. "He can do that, right?"

"In this case, he's not been walking for the past few months and it's not going to be easy." The doctor said, shaking his head. "There's a chance that the muscles would have become rigid because of that."

"That means he cannot walk? Like forever?" I gasped.

"No," Alan shook his head. "That's not what I meant. He needs to have more will power to make that happen."

"And you don't have?" I asked, directing my questions at Dad. "Dad, you cannot give up. Don't you miss walking and driving?"

"I do." He said, hanging his head low. "And I know how it pains. Sometimes I have nightmares about it."

"You didn't tell that the last time you were here." Alan said slowly, noting down the details. "When was the last time you got that?"

"A week ago, maybe." Dad shrugged.

"Why didn't I know about it?" I asked, angry that I wasn't made aware of it.

"You have a lot on your plate, darling." Dad sighed. "I didn't want you to get worried about it."

"Well, I am now!"

"Guys, cool down." Alan said, holding his hands in between me and Dad. "Okay Ed, I'll jot you down to a therapist. You could talk to her before you go today. It might help you in overcoming those fears." He said, holding me a piece of paper on which he had scribbled something. "But you need to take those therapy sessions seriously if you want those limbs to be working again."

"He's going." I said, giving a stern look to Dad. "I'll make sure of that."

"Scarlet." Dad sighed.

"Well, get used to it." I said, my voice commanding. "Either way you are going to suffer in this. With or without the therapy."

---

A/N: Though this chapter seems like a filler, trust me it's not. I hope I brought all the feelings well out in the open. Good day!