Project Songbird

Chapter 32

Hailey, timidly, steps out onto the porch, taking very soft steps to make it to the edge, "Why didn't you tell me?" She wasn't accusing him but confused.
Felix seems to be at a loss for words.
His daughter had heard the rough version of the story and he didn't seem to know how to deal with it. His jaw shifts back and forth as he stammers for any sort of answer. The breaths he takes make his chest bounce in rapid bursts. I stand, concerned that he was going into a sort of shock, "Felix?"
His eyes roll in the back of his head and we both rush forward to catch him as he collapses.
"Dad!"
Hailey starts to whimper in worry, her words just blending together and I have to shake my head, "Hailey, calm down. He's fine, he just fainted. Help me get him onto the porch."
She bites her lower lip, nodding her head. We work together and manage to drag Felix over to the porch, where we lay him down. I bend his legs at the knee and rest his feet firmly on the porch.
"What do we do!" Hailey asks.
"He should wake in a minute, but just to be safe, you should get Amy." I reply.
"Is he going to be okay??" She mumbles.
"People are usually fine after fainting but just in case, we should get Amy to check him over." I reiterate.
"Okay, okay." She nods, she glances at her dad with worry before she takes off to find Amy. I take a seat next to Felix and stretch out my leg. I wouldn't have expected him to pass out.
I hear a groan and glance over to see Felix open his eyes. He blinks a few times, looking puzzled. I lean over, "Don't sit up yet. You fainted."
"I fainted?" He asks.
"Yeah, just stay there. I sent Hailey to get Amy in case you faint again." I say.
He just stays on his back, staring up at the ceiling. We sit in silence for a few minutes until Hailey returns with Amy in tow.
"Dad!" Hailey speeds up a little bit when she spots that Felix is conscious. By the time they got to us, Felix was sitting next to me. He had his head lowered to his knees and taking slow, deep breaths. Amy makes her way over and looks at me as she wraps the blood pressure cuff on Felix's upper arm, "What happened?"
"Well we were having a pretty serious conversation and Hailey came out to join us. And the next thing we know, Felix fainted." I keep it short. I'm sure Amy knew a lot about Felix but he still has a right to his privacy.
"Is this the first time today?" Amy asks, turning her attention to Felix.
"Today?" Hailey asks. Amy glances at her but doesn't say anything.
"Yes, first time." Felix replies gruffly.
"...Dad...? Do you have a history of fainting spells?" Hailey asks timidly.
He's quiet and I barely see Amy nudge him out of the corner of my eye.
He grunts but stays quiet. She nudges him again, only slightly harder.
"Okay, fine," He grumbles, "Yes, I have fainting spells when I get seriously stressed."
"I thought we had this under control by now Felix." Amy speaks.
"We did..." He sighs loudly.
"Then why did you faint? You haven't fainted in years." Amy asks. I'm assuming it's medically necessary for her to question him about it. He smooths his hair down on the back of his head, clearly avoiding the question.
"Felix, I need you to answer me." Amy states.
"We were talking about Mom." Hailey answers, "I asked Ethan to see if he could get Dad to talk about her because he never spoke to me about her. No one would help me, except Ethan."
"You what?" Felix lifts his head, looking at her.
"I didn't know what else to do! You wouldn't tell me anything, no one would tell me!" She defends herself, "Ethan was the only one who offered to talk to you about Mom. I just want to know about her, is that so wrong??"
"No. It's not." He's quieter, "You have full right to know about her. I'm just not ready to talk about it. I don't think I ever will."
Hailey walks over and takes his hand, "We can work on it together. You don't have to tell me everything at once, you can just tell me about her in small ways."
Felix looks at her, he seems to be thinking about her suggestion. She bends down on her knees and pulls her father into a hug, "Please Daddy, I don't want you to keep suffering alone. It breaks my heart."
Felix hugs her back, he buries his face in the crook of her neck and begins to cry.
I stand and move away from them. Amy joined me after the cuff had finished reading his blood pressure, "Did you really ask him about her?"
I looked at her, "Yeah, I did."
She gives me a look, it seems to be a mix of judgement and astonishment, "No one has ever got a peep out of him about her. Usually he would get in your face."
"I think he just couldn't fight any longer. You can only deny it for so long." I shrug.
"Yeah, well maybe you should be careful about running around fixing people." Amy warns, "Not everyone wants it."
"I know, I just want to help." I shrug again.
"Felix, you should take it easy today. Hailey, if he faints again come and get me immediately." Amy instructs them.
"Yes ma'am." Hailey nods. She stands up and then comes over to me, giving me a hug, "Thank you for your help."
I give her a hug back, "You're welcome."
She pulls away to go back to their house, probably to get her Dad something to drink.
"Ethan."
"Yeah?" I hope Felix wasn't mad at me for going behind his back like that.
"As much as I want to be angry with you about going behind my back, I also feel I have to thank you. Maybe now I can properly form a bond with Hailey." He rakes his hair back out of his face.
"You're welcome," I smiled softly, "I am glad to help. Everyone needs a bond with their family."
"But don't do it again, next time I might clock you in the face." His signature glare has returned to his face. I chuckled dryly, "No problem."