THE PLEA

"Nanny?" I call out loud.

"Your father, Ellie! He is..."

"Papa?!" I drop the phone on my bed, and sprint out of my room without even saying a word to Damian or dropping the call.

I run into nanny Sonnia just a few steps from my room.

"He is calling for you non-stop, my dear. Please hurry!" Nanny Sonnia says with laboured breathing.

Poor old lady! This chaos is not good for her.

I run past her towards my father's room, and budge in without a knock.

"Ellie! Ellie! My child! Where are you?"

My father is wildly writhing in bed howling my name. His tone is so low, and his breathing is with so much labour. The doctor's efforts to calm him down are fruitless.

"Calm down, Mr Riccaford. Your daughter is coming."

"E...l...l...i...e! My...my..."

"Papa!" I call out loud, rushing to him.

He becomes still, but he is almost losing the breathing count. His chest is heaving up and down so slow amidst lots of struggle, I guess trying to pull the remaining oxygen left in his lungs.

"Papa!" I call sof