Chapter 6

I think I was ready to become an Olympic runner due to the number of times I found myself sprinting due to one news or the other lately as a result of Dad.

The moment the news had left the maid’s lips, I found myself taking off in a sprint. The supposedly long distance to the house didn’t seem too far anymore as I made my way towards the house in a flash.

When the staff saw me running, some ran after me, probably guessing there was news related to my father, and they also wanted to hear it since everybody had been on edge since he had been unconscious for days.

I ran as fast as I could even though my legs were weak from lack of proper exercise, and I didn’t even turn to check if the maid was following behind me.

Does this mean that Dad would be okay? His waking up has to mean something good, right? It would probably mean he would make a quick recovery, wouldn’t it?

I did not want to allow any room for negativity right now, so I was making sure all the bad thoughts roaming my head were unable to make it to the front of my thoughts and spoil my mood.

I got a sense of Deja vu as I approached the bedroom door and saw the staff were once again flooding the door, eager to catch a glimpse of Father. Today, however, they wore hope on their faces, their expressions filled with fear and hope.

I could see how everyone was hoping that this meant good news, just as I was also desperately praying for.

This moment helped me understand that my father was a good person. It was because he treated them well that they were worried and eager for him to wake up. That would not be the case if he had been horrible to them.

The staff crowding the door made a path for me to approach the door as soon as they saw that I had arrived. They gave me encouraging smiles, and some even patted my back as I passed.

I lifted shaky hands to open the door, and they all tried to peek over my shoulders to get a close look at him.

My eyes zeroed in on my father, still attached to the wires and lying weakly on the bed, and my hopes were crushed to nothing. He looked worse awake, and I quickly shut the door to shield him from the eyes of the staff. I did not want them to see him so weak.

My dad’s eyes met mine, and they widened just an inch, and if I wasn’t paying attention to him, I would have missed it. He tried to lift his hands so he could reach out to me, but that even looked like a hassle to him, and he was unable to lift them properly or even hold them up for long.

I rushed towards him and felt my eyes become blurry as tears clouded my vision. He was trying so hard to look strong, but I could see past his acting, how weak he was and how he was barely keeping his eyes open as though he did not have the energy to do so.

I choked on my tears, and my hands flew to my mouth to prevent myself from sobbing out so loud because I didn’t want him to worry about me.

“Princess, don’t cry. I don’t like it when you cry” His voice was raspy, like someone who had been denied water for months.

He started to cough aggressively, and the doctors quickly rushed forward to check on him and adjust him so that he could sit up properly.

He looked really small, he would not fit in his old clothes anymore. They would swallow him up; that was how small he had become, and it pained me deeply to see him like this.

“I am so sorry, Dad,” I cried out and leaned forward to touch his face gently “I should have been here with you when things started to go bad, but I was so selfish. I am so sorry”

I couldn’t stop myself from sliding to the floor on my knees and clasping my hands together.

“Stop it, princess,” Dad said softly “Don’t blame yourself for this. I would not have wanted you to see me like this. I tried to stop Duke from calling you back home, but you know how stubborn he is”

My dad was struggling to talk, and the action made my heart clench in pain. It felt like I was the one hurting.

“I can’t help but blame myself. I should have been here to take care of you like any daughter would, but I was on a stupid vacation where I wasn’t even having any fun,” I cried out because there was nothing I could do except cry.

Duke walked across the room to pull me off the floor and forced me to sit down on the chair beside the bed.

“Stop crying and blaming yourself”, he scolded “You would make your father worry, and that is not good for his health” He walked back to his spot where he had been standing on the other side of the room after adjusting Dad’s covers.

I wiped my tears. Duke was right. I shouldn’t make Dad worry.

“Will you be okay now? I asked my dad, hopefully. I still didn’t know where he stood now that he was awake, and the doctors were yet to say anything.

I turned to the doctor instead of waiting for my dad to answer. He wouldn’t know, or he might not want to tell me. “Now that he is awake, does this mean he is going to be fine now?”

The doctors seemed uncomfortable with my questions, and they shuffled their feet as they pondered how to answer the question as though I had just thrown them an examination puzzle.

“This doesn’t change anything, Miss Hazel” He finally answered, “You should take advantage of the time that you have. Your father is already aware of his options.

I refused to believe it. Dad was going to be leaving me all alone. I wasn’t going to survive it. I didn’t have any family members that mattered except Uncle Jason, and he didn’t count for obvious reasons.

“Dad, tell me that he is lying. There is no way you’ve resigned to whatever he told you. You are a fighter, aren’t you? You can’t just give up and leave me alone like that,” I yelled.

I was so tempted to put my hands on my father and shake him so he could come to his senses, but he was still weak, and I would never hurt him like that. It’s just that I was frustrated and angry.

“Princess, get a grip,” Dad told me with his weak voice “Don’t make this any harder than it already is. Please, I am begging you. I promise that I don’t want to leave you, but we can never make a deal with death. It’s out of our hands”

“It hurts, Dad” I cried out. I was uncontrollable. I couldn’t lose the only family I had left.

Dad looked like he was on the verge of tears, and it made me feel bad, like I was overreacting by crying hysterically. Did others in my shoes react like this, or was I just being over-emotional?

“I am sorry,” Dad apologised, and the tears he had been trying to stop slipped free. It was even more gut-wrenching to watch him cry because it was obvious that even the tears were taking a toll on him.

I sat up quickly, then wiped my tears clean with the back of my hand and gripped his hands tightly in mine.

“Stop crying, Dad. I am sorry. I promise I won’t cry again or behave unreasonably, so please don’t cry anymore,” I panicked as soon as he began wheezing and gasping for air.

My dad was in such a bad state, and I was horrified when the thought that he was going to rest soon and stop being in pain crossed my mind. I was instantly disgusted with myself for thinking like that.

I looked at Dad, and he was in immense pain, and the doctor had said he would not make a recovery. The drugs were also doing more harm than good, so they stopped all his medications as well.

“It hurts me to leave you like this with no one to care for you. I don’t think I can rest in peace knowing that you would be alone,” Dad wheezed out.

He took his time gasping for air as he spoke, and I couldn’t bear to watch him suffer, so I looked down and clenched my fist to prevent myself from saying something or crying again.

“Don’t worry about me, Dad. I’ll be fine. I will get over it and take care of myself. I am strong because you taught me how to be” I wanted to convince him so he didn’t have to spend his last days worrying about me.

“No, I can’t leave you alone like this,” he refused and shook his head “I must do something. They will tear you apart, and the company will be snatched from your claws before you can even realise what is going on”

There was a brand-new determination on his face. He looked as determined as a dying man could be, and I could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to hatch a new plan on his dying bed.

“Dad, you don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself just fine. I promise I won’t let anyone run the company to the ground or take it from me. I will learn and do my best to make sure it remains at its peak. You are in no condition to plan anything”

I tried to persuade him, but my words just flew over his head. He had already made up his mind, and not only that, but the look on his face showed that he already had a plan.

“Don’t worry, princess. I will make sure to leave you in the right hands”

Right hands? What did that even mean?

“What do you mean, Dad? I have a feeling that I am not going to like whatever plan you have. You don’t need to leave me in the hands of anybody. I will be fine on my own,” I almost yelled as my emotions swapped from pain and fear to panic and annoyance.

“You will be in good hands, princess. That I can promise, and you have to trust me” He wanted to speak more, but his words became slurry, and his eyes became hazy.

“Miss, you have to let him rest. He has exhausted too much energy speaking. You can come back later,” Duke said from behind me.

I gave my dad, who had fallen asleep, one final and long look before I left the room to think about all the possible plans he could have come up with, and I didn’t like any of the plans I thought of.