Chapter 8

Lily’s Pov)

As I walked gently and quietly down the hospital’s building and heading to the ward where my dad was, my heartbeat increased, it dawned on me that my life was about to change forever, even though it wasn’t a good one but I didn’t care that much since it was for my father, I can do anything to get him on his feet again.

As I approached the staircase I held the bag I used in loading the food very tight and was extra careful on how I walked on the slippery well tiled floor. City Hospital is one of the best in town and it’s beautiful environment speaks for it, and when it comes to life supporting machines, they have everything any good Hospital should have. In our family, City Hospital does it for us.

Soon, I got to my father’s room and as I opened the door I saw a fair, slim and lanky nurse attending to him, I stayed aside and watched them until she was done getting every information and doing every checkup she needed to do.

“I’m done ma’am” the nurse said putting her record book in order and getting ready to leave

“oh, thank you, I appreciate” this time I moved closer to my dad and even though he didn’t say a word to me at that time, I saw how happy he was to see me, happiness was written all over his face.

“all he needs right now is rest” the nurse said as she left me and my dad in the room closing the door behind her.

“you heard what she said right? You need rest, enough rest” I warned my dad because I know how worried he can be

“My girl, my Cinderella” my dad has a habit of calling me Cinderella whenever he loves how I look in a particular clothe, so whenever he calls me that, I just know he loves my dress.

“My Cinderella” he continued, smiling at me and winked at me

“Dad stop, the nurse said you need rest” I know my dad wouldn’t stop even if I told him to

“So how does admiring my daughter affect my rest? Please I’m resting, My Cinderella, your mother must be proud of you, you look so much like her” Dad isn’t the only one who tells me that. My mom was a beautiful young woman and I the fact that I looked as beautiful as her gave me butterflies.

If I listened to my dad flattering me then I wouldn’t be able to serve him food because he will never get tired of doing that, he had it as a hobby.

I reached out for the bag I used in packaging the food and just as I opened the lid of the food flask, I could see joy written all over my father’s face.

“I made your favorite” I said as I scooped some fried rice into an empty plate.

The aroma oozing from the food flask was enough to feed a hungry man. “you shouldn’t have disturbed yourself” my dad said looking disturbed.

Me and every other person who knows my dad very well would know he didn’t mean what he just said. When it comes to fried rice and turkey wings, my dad can’t resist it, it was like a weakness to him.

I served him some rice and turkey wings with water. I helped him sit straight on the bed and set the bed feeding table for him for easy feeding.

I watched my dad struggling to feed himself, his left hand was on drip and his right hand was shaky, I wept in my heart, I couldn’t watch my dad so I offered to feed him and he nodded in agreement.

I fed him until he was full.

“thank you Princess” he said stretching his hand to get the bottle of water on the table.

“don’t worry dad let me do that” I carried the bottle of water and poured some into a glass cup and lowered my hand as he gently sip the water from the glass cup.

“Hope you enjoyed the food” I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me that my dad enjoyed the meal but I still asked because I love when I’m been complimented. Of course dad didn’t disappoint, he said he enjoyed it and that it was the best fried rice and turkey wings he tasted in a very long time. Our maid has been the one doing all the cooking in the house all these while since I was always busy with work, dad didn’t have much choice but to eat whatever she cooked and however she cooked it, after all she didn’t know the family recipe.

After feeding my dad, I allowed him some minutes of rest before finally telling him about the contract the next day.

“Dad, they called”

“Who?” he asked with an inquisitive look on his face.

“Jack, I’m signing the contract tomorrow” I tried so hard not to breakdown but I failed myself. Tears rolled down my cheeks immediately.

“I’m sorry” my dad who already bent his head down in regret said, I could tell it wasn’t easy for him as well.

“I didn’t mean for all these to happen, I’m really sorry” he begged holding my hands.

I could hear the sound of my dad weeping, but blaming him would be adding more salt on an open wound.

“I’m sorry too dad, I’m sorry for the way I reacted at first, I was just confused and mad that you didn’t care to tell me” this time I was soaked in my own tears.

“I was still thinking about it and I didn’t know how to face you, I couldn’t bear the fact that I was giving you out as a collateral” I saw the pain in my father’s eyes and voice as he apologized to me

“stop dad, it’s okay but you have to promise me there will be no more secrets” I just wanted him to promise me so I can be sure it won’t happen again even though it didn’t change anything.

“Any more contracts to sign?” I asked my dad smiling as tears rolled down my cheeks

“No, no more contracts and I promise it won’t happen again” he understood the joke and smiled at me too. I couldn’t help but hug my dad at that moment.

“I’m here for you, I love you Dad” I said as I kissed his forehead.

We were having a sweet, lovey dovy father and daughter before the nurse walked in and told me that the doctor wanted to see me.

I excused myself from my dad and headed for the doctor’s office. The doctor’s office was on the last floor of the building so it took me some time getting to his office.

The nurse led me there and pointed at the doctor’s office, telling me to go ahead and enter.

I entered and saw the doctor flipping some pages of a record book that I guessed should be my dad’s.

“Miss Lily Hailey? He asked using his fingers to trace whatever that was on the record book he was flipping

“yes sir” I answered, ready to hear whatever he had to tell me and hoping it would be a good one.

He looked at me and kept on tracing and reading the content of the record. After some seconds, he closed the record and looked at me from the upper side of his old eye glasses.

“you still haven’t said anything about your father’s surgery, do you realize how dangerous it can be if nothing is done on time?

Knowing fully well that after signing the marriage contract the next day Jack would clear every debt, I promised the doctor that if he could start the surgery on my dad that I would pay him unfailingly the next day but he didn’t agree.

“I’m sorry Miss. Hailey the hospital has protocols and I can’t break it, I’m sorry” he kept a straight face and looked me in the eye as he said it was final and he can’t do anything to help me until we make a deposit.

“How bad is his health?” my heat skipped as I sat there waiting to hear what he was going to Say about my father’s health.

He kept mute and didn’t say a word for a while, whatever it was he wanted to tell me, I knew it must have been heavy for him.

“not too bad, but you really need to do something, and please, do it fast”

I didn’t want to breakdown in front of him but I knew my father’s health must have been bad but maybe he didn’t want me to start panicking.

Just as I was about to leave his office, he called me back, gave a heavy sigh of relief and said to me, “we’ll try our best to save your father but we can’t do anything right now until you’ve deposited the bill”

What he said didn’t change anything, I just nodded and left his office. Heading to my father’s hospital room, hot tears rolled down my cheeks, I stood still at a point and wept quietly before, finally cleaning myself up and went to meet my father dozing off.

My father never deep sleeps, so he was able to know when I walked in. “oh you’re back, what did he say? Am I dying?” he gazed at me and maybe saw my red eyes and knew that I’ve been crying. “I’m dying, am I not?”

“no dad, you’re not, the doctor said we just need to provide the bill so they can commence with the surgery, so once they’re done with the surgery we’ll go home” I said holding his hand

He made a sad face that I’ve never seen him wore before “what’s the problem dad” I asked

“what if I don’t make it” I felt the pain in his voice as he said that and it made me tear up again.

“Don’t say that, nothing will happen to you, you will make it and we’re going home very soon, trust me” that was all I could say to my dad as he closed his eyes and wept.

We both sobbed and consoled each other, isn’t that what family does? Being there for each other every time.