Chapter 67 – Returning Home
Two hours later.
Dante stepped out of the hospital doors with Bella walking slowly beside him, Charlie holding the door open, and Sera trailing just behind with a small bag of Bella's belongings. The late afternoon sun felt warm on their skin after days of sterile fluorescent lighting and the constant hum of machines. Dante stretched his arms high above his head, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck with a long, satisfied groan.
"Honestly," he said, dropping his arms back to his sides, "this whole procedure to get discharged from the hospital is really irritating. All the paperwork, the waiting, the explanations I swear they make it harder on purpose."
Charlie sighed, shaking his head as he walked toward the parking lot. "Son, you have to learn to handle everything without rushing. That's just the normal procedure to be discharged from the hospital. They have rules for a reason."
Sera smiled gently, linking her arm through Charlie's as they walked. "That doesn't matter anymore. Now that Bella is okay, none of that matters. Let's head home now."
They reached the car, and Charlie unlocked it with a soft beep. Bella slid carefully into the back seat beside Dante, moving slowly as though testing every muscle. Charlie got behind the wheel, and Sera took the passenger seat. As the engine started and the car began rolling smoothly toward home, Dante turned his head to look at Bella.
"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.
Bella gave a small, tired smile, leaning her head against the window. "Nothing too bad. Just a slight headache like someone's tapping lightly on the inside of my skull."
Dante nodded thoughtfully. "It must be a side effect of the transformation. After all, I told you you'd feel dizzy. How are you on a scale? How bad is the headache right now?"
Bella closed her eyes for a second, assessing. "A mild ache, not very strong. Like the beginning of a tension headache, but it comes and goes."
Dante said: "We need to see if this level of dizziness increases depending on how long you stay in the car. If you can handle a good distance before starting to feel really dizzy, you should still be able to drive shorter distances without too much trouble. But if it ramps up quickly, we'll have to figure out alternatives maybe short trips only, or I'll just drive you everywhere until you adjust."
Bella smiled faintly at the concern in his voice. "Yes, I hope that's true. That way I won't have to stop driving completely. I like being independent."
Charlie, who had been listening through the rearview mirror, glanced back with worry creasing his brow. "Son, what side effects might your sister have? Be honest."
Dante gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Dad. It's nothing too serious. She'll just get motion sick in vehicles—cars, planes, boats, anything that moves her without her controlling it. It's not a big deal long-term. Her body's just recalibrating. The dragon half doesn't like being a passenger."
Charlie exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing a fraction. "Thank goodness. I thought it might be something grave."
Sera turned slightly in her seat to look at both of them. "You don't need to worry so much, dear. I already told you we're all fine now."
Charlie gave a tired but genuine smile. "It's impossible not to worry. After all, so many things happened in such a short time. It's hard to calm down. But I'll try to stay a bit more relaxed."
Sera reached over and squeezed his hand. "Yes, that's all I ask."
The rest of the drive passed in comfortable quiet, broken only by the soft hum of the engine and the occasional rustle of Bella shifting in her seat. When they finally pulled into the driveway of their house, the familiar sight of the front porch and the flower beds Sera tended so carefully felt like a balm after everything.
Dante was the first out. He threw himself onto the living room couch the second they stepped inside, sprawling dramatically across the cushions with a long sigh of relief. "Finally home. These days were really tough. Having to stay in the hospital for a dragon, the smells in that place are horrible. Antiseptic, blood, sickness, metal it's like sensory overload."
Bella, hearing that, paused in the doorway, surprised. "So that's why I was smelling such a bad, strong scent of blood? Because I'm half-dragon now?"
Dante propped himself up on one elbow and looked at her. "Yes. Dragons have very sharp senses. So we can smell things and hear noises from very far away. You'll have to learn to control that and avoid places that are very dirty, like nightclubs, landfills, and crowded shows." He then smiled and added: "Well, I don't even know why I'm talking about shows. After all, it's impossible for you to want to go to noisy, crowded places. You hate that kind of environment just like I do."
Bella smiled back, stepping further into the room. "You're right about that. I don't really like places with so many people. So this limitation won't make much difference. But is there anything else I need to know?"
Dante sat up fully now, resting his elbows on his knees. "There's good news: since your half-dragon body needs a lot of energy, from now on you can eat as much as you want without gaining any weight at all. Isn't that great news? You no longer have any risk of turning into a little pig."
Bella's eyes narrowed playfully. She grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and launched it straight at his face. "What are you calling a little pig?"
Charlie and Sera, who had been watching from the kitchen doorway, both burst into quiet laughter at the scene.
Charlie calmly sipped his coffee, leaning against the counter. "It's good to see things calm again. But Dante mentioned how did it go with the Zeus lightning bolt situation?"
Sera set her own mug down and answered: "Well, he said that despite some setbacks, they managed to return the bolt. Even though he called Zeus an arrogant idiot."
Sera smiled fondly. "They don't seem to have gotten along very well."
Charlie looked across the room at Dante, who was now laughing as Bella pretended to strangle him with another pillow. "That was to be expected. After all, from what you told me about the gods and how they treat their children, they're clearly incompatible with Dante, who loves so deeply that he's capable of ripping out his own heart to save someone he loves. So it's impossible for them to get along very well, seeing life in such different ways."
Sera, hearing that, smiled warmly and squeezed Charlie's arm. "That just means we did a good job as parents. We didn't raise an indifferent god who treats everyone badly just because they're ordinary people."
Charlie nodded slowly, pride softening the lines of worry that had been etched into his face for days. "Yes, I'm proud of him. Even though he's a bit stubborn and a little proud, he's a good kid. We did a good job." He said it quietly, smiling as he watched them in the living room his son and daughter laughing together like nothing in the world had ever gone wrong