“You can just press the call button, Smoky.”
“Right,” I said, and fished the wire out of the mattress, pressing the red button.
A nurse arrived a few minutes later and helped Raquel with her personal stuff while I waited in the hallway.
“What the fuck is going on?”
I turned to the sound of my father’s angry voice.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “You’re supposed to stay isolated during chemo.”
“Why the hell was Raquel at the warehouse, Ori?” Dad demanded, crossing his arms.
“She’s doing research for her thesis.”
He shook his head and I saw just how wiped out he was.
“Dad, sit dow—”
“Don’t tell me to fuckin’ sit down.”
“Raquel has asked that you both come inside,” the nurse said, interrupting us.
I led my dad inside, and Raquel frowned. “Why are you here, Sundance? You should be resting.”
He walked to her and leaned down, kissing her cheek. “How are you feelin’?”
“I’m okay. How are you feeling?”
“Don’t worry about me, kiddo.”
She sighed. “You shouldn’t be in a germy hospital with a weakened immune system, crazy man.”
“Well, if my kid kept me updated on shit, then maybe I wouldn’t have to.”
“You don’t need to be updated on shit,” I snapped. “You need to be dealing with your health.”
“Sundance, would you please sit down before you fall down?” Raquel asked.
I pulled a chair close to my dad and waited for him to lower himself into it.
“Okay, now that I’m sitting… Why the fuck was she at the warehouse, Orion?” Dad growled.
“Because I’m working on my thesis,” Raquel answered.
“She should never have been there alone,” Sundance continued.
“Hey!” Raquel snapped. “I’m here in the room with you, big man. I’m quite capable of answering your questions all by myself.”
“I don’t want answers from you, Raquel. I want to know why my son left you in a grow house alone.”
“He didn’t leave me alone. I had two armed security officers and Chan there with me. Also, Ori only left for half an hour to grab something I’d forgotten to bring with me, so would you please give him a break?”
“What if Raquel hadn’t made it out of there?” Dad continued, totally ignoring Raquel’s request.
“That wasn’t an option,” I said.
“It’s always an option!” Dad growled. “You weren’t fuckin’ there!”
