Chapter 31: Chapter 31

ROYCE

If she wants to go back to the port, a question is no longer needed. Looking at her innocent face was enough.

"I'll take you there," I said before she could even ask. I lightly squeezed her shoulder, and I led her back to the chair, dialing the captain's number while pacing back and forth.

"Please turn us back to the port right now, and please speed it up," I ordered.

I brought a chair close to hers and sat on it. "What happened?

"Mom took dad to the hospital; he might have another heart attack," she clenched her fist.

"I ordered the captain to turn us back to the port. We should be there in about 15 minutes. Hold on, we'll get there soon," I said, wrapping my hand around her shoulder. I pulled her near me; she rested her head on my chest as I leaned against the chair.

"Thank you. But I can't help myself to worry about dad. It's been a long time since it happened." Nelly buried her face in her palms.

"He'll be fine. Which hospital did your mom take your dad to?"

"Sta. Maria Medical Center."

I dialed a number, remembering I knew some Doctor who might be handling Nelly's father. The call connected in the second ring.

"Hello, Dr. Pais Office?" I paused and listened to the other line. "I see; I just want to check if he is the doctor in charge of Mr. Arthur Cruz? The woman in the line, Dr. Pais's secretary, confirmed it. "I understand, thank you."

"It's confirmed Dr. Pais is in charge, but I didn't get any other information. He is still in the ER with your dad."

Nelly nodded and said. "Thank you"

The 15 minutes ride back to the yacht port feels like a night for Nelly. She occasionally rubs her hands together, probably because of tension and the cold night. The breeze was freezing at night. Good thing I had a jacket in the car, so I gave it to her before we drove fast to the hospital. It was a 20-minute drive.

Nelly was in haste after stepping out of the car, almost running, wasn't contented by walking.

"Be careful; we'll get there now." She ignored me and walked straight to the front desk.

"What can I do for you, ma'am?" A woman at the front desk asked politely.

"May I know Mr. Arthur Cruz's room? I am his daughter."

"A moment, ma'am, let me check." Said the receptionist and headed on, scanning the data on the desktop computer. "8th-floor room 804, Ms. Cruz."

"Thank you." Nelly nodded and strode fast to the elevator. I gathered her hand to entwine with mine. We walked hand in hand to the elevator until we were inside it. The silence was deafening; only the beep tone broke it when the elevator reached the 8th floor.

It wasn't hard to find the 804 room; I opened the door.

"Mom, how's dad?" Nelly let go of my hand and hugged her mother. The man on the bed was peacefully sleeping, I felt relieved.

"It's okay, sweetheart, nothing serious. Your father's blood pressure elevated, causing him to be uneasy that I mistakenly assumed to be a heart attack. You know that I don't have any experience taking care of a patient before your dad's accident. For safety purposes, I called the ambulance immediately."

Nelly heaved a deep breath; she must be relieved seeing her dad. She walked to her father's bedside, rubbed his forehead, and kissed him. "Dad, I'm here."

The man opened his eyes; they glittered upon looking at her daughter. "Dad, are you good?" She said with an open-mouth smile. His dad could not utter a word, but the man's upper lip curled up.

Mrs. Melissa hurried and came to Nelly's side. "Honey," she said, holding her husband's hand. Mr. Arthur shifted his gaze from Nelly to his wife. He nodded and tried to move his hand resting on his tummy.

"Dad, it's okay. Don't force yourself; you need to rest now. You need more sleep." Nelly rubbed her father's forehead; Mr. Arthur nodded and closed his eyes.

I bought three cups of coffee for us to drink and alleviate the coldness of the night. We were seated on the sofa, having a cup of coffee. Mrs. Melissa was in between me and Nelly. "I'm sorry to ruin your date, sweetheart; I think I overreacted. I panicked; I was scared. The woman's eyes were in tears; she put the cup of coffee on the table and wiped her tears.

"It's okay, mom; we had a night. Don't worry about it." Nelly smiled upon shifting her head on me like asking for some reassurance.

"Yes, ma'am, we had a good time. You have nothing to be sorry for," I reassured as I plastered a genuine smile.

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Royce."

"Mrs. Cruz, if you don't mind, I would like to help. I can arrange a team of specialists to check on Mr. Arthur. Including the best physical therapist that I can find."

"Royce, no need," Nelly retorted.

"Yes, you don't have to, Royce; we can handle these things. Thank you anyway," she said, tapping my shoulder.

"No, ma'am, don't make it a big deal. I insist on being proactive in dealing with Mr. Arthur's physical therapy before it's too late. I know some of the good doctors in our City and even in Manila. I can surely find the best for him. Please, let me help."

"I'm working on it, Royce. You have too much in your hands running your companies, don't add us to your responsibilities."

"Nelly, I insist, and this is not a burden for me. I can ask some friends who can help us make it easier and faster. We can't waste more time regaining your dad's health and finally getting him back the way he used to be."

"Okay, if you insist, I would be open to that. There is nothing I can ask other than having Arthur back to what he used to be," Mrs. Melissa said. Her eyes speak of hope for her husband's full recovery.

"Thank you for trusting me. Everything is going to be okay soon."

When we left the hospital, Mr. Arthur slept like a baby, so I could only ask Nelina's mom to drive her home. And she approved it. Before we descended the car, Nelly halted me.

"I thought you should know that it would be my birthday on Thursday. But I can't invite you; I'll celebrate with mom and dad, have dinner together, and Marica on Friday. We'll be in Palawan for a 3-day vacation."

"Oh, you had it planned already. Too bad I can't be with you on your special day, baby doll. But I'll have something for you, for sure."

"No need, it's okay. I just want to let you know. This year is kind of different from the last. There was only my family and me, including Marica. Now, you added to the list who knows my birthday."

My heart was shattered hearing her confession. This beautiful woman doesn't deserve to be treated this way. "Thanks for adding me to your list; I appreciated it. This year will be extra special, I promise." I'll never miss that special day.