Chapter 46: Chapter 46

ROYCE

The food was excellent, unlike what Nelina has pointed out that she's not a good cook. My sense of taste is probably biased when it comes to her that the food is savored good. Although, I think it tastes delicious because Nelina might have gotten it from her mom, a great cook. Whichever might be, I enjoyed having my breakfast cooked by the one I love.

"Hey," Nelina gently elbowed me, which interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes."

"Have you scheduled an appointment with the doctor today?"

"Yes, we have to be there at 11am to check Sir Arthur and discuss our options for your dad's speedy recovery."

"That's even better-having dad to be checked by the specialist right away. Thank you," Nelina said, giving me a half-smile.

"That's why we came here, and we all want your dad to recover as soon as possible."

"Thank you for all these arrangements, Royce, including helping us find the best driver and nurse to help us move with ease in the period of living here in Manila. Harold and Ara would be a great help for my husband and me," Mrs. Cruz chimed.

"Ma'am, as I've told you, these aren't a big thing for me. You two need Ara and Harold here."

"Thanks for trusting me, Royce. It meant a lot for me," Ara said as he pursed her lips. According to her resume, Ara is in her middle 40, and she's an experienced nurse, as I checked her background personally.

"Same thing, Royce," Harold said. Harold has been a personal driver for almost 15 years, so I was confident in getting him to work for Nelly's mom and dad.

"Okay, guys, what's important now is we work together to help Mr. and Mrs. Cruz. Is that clear?"

The two of them nodded, as well as Nelina and her mom. Sir Arthur stayed quiet, but the smile in her eyes was visible. He must be happy to have people surrounding him with love and support.

At precisely 11 in the morning, we were at St Luke's Medical center. We were met by the doctor who will handle Sir Arthur's case for his fast recovery.

"Welcome to St. Luke's Medical Center, Mr. and Mrs. Cruz. I am Daena Uy, and I will be handling the presentation of the possible options later on after the check-up." The doctor said, and then she proposed a hand to Mrs. Cruz first.

Mrs. Cruz took Dr. Uy's hand.

"Good morning doc, I am glad to meet you. This is my daughter, Nelina," she said, looking at Nelly.

"And also, Royce is the one who arranged the check-up for my husband, and with us is personal nurse, Ara," she added, pointing at Ara and me.

We did a handshake with Dr. Uy after the introduction. Dr. Uy is one of the most pleasant-faced doctors I've ever met. She could make her patients stay calm by just looking at her beaming face.

"Please come with me."

We are led to the room where there's a lot of equipment probably used for her patients in checking them. Ara assisted Mrs. Cruz in having Sir Arthur checked by Dr. Uy.

After the first check-up, we watched Dr. Uy's presentation for just a while. In this innovative era, some possibilities are unimaginable to us. Thanks to the hard work of doctors and scientists, Nelina's wish for her dad to walk again is not out of reach.

"So I recommend for Mr. Cruz to undergo the 5 speech therapy exercises, physical therapy and may undergo electrical stimulation, locomotor training, and stem cell treatment. Lastly, our best solution is robotic exoskeletons. We train him on how to use it. These wearable robotics are helping patients with how to walk again," Dr. Uy said, pointing at the screen of her presentation.

"Although this is quite expensive, I could guarantee that it's worth every penny you spend," Dr. Uy ended the presentation by making eye to eye contact with Nelina.

Nelly gave me a brief smile when she noticed I was staring at her. I invited Dr. Uy to talk about things in private together with Nelina. Nelina agreed to take the best options, stating that she is committed to giving her dad the life he deserves.

"Let us start as soon as possible, please," Nelly told Dr. Uy.

"Of course, Ms. Cruz, our team will do our best to speed up your dad's recovery."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Daena," Nelina said, extending her hand. Dr. Uy took Nelly's hand for a handshake. I did the same before we left Dr. Uy's office.

"Baby, let me know how I can help," I said; my voice was almost a whisper as I leaned to her ear, my hand on her waist. Nelly paused; she turned to me, meeting my eyes.

"It's too much; you've done so much for us," she pressed her lips in a thin line.

I chuckled. Nelly and her mom are the same.

"You know what, that's exactly what your mom told me." I reached for her cheek, her face flushed.

"Don't think about it; I wanna help, okay?" I gave her an assurance wink.

Nelly raised a hand and placed it on top of mine, squeezing it slightly. "I think I can manage the monthly expenses for the therapy sessions, driver, and nurse's salary. And mom can take care of food, water and electricity bills, and the gasoline expenses. Mom and dad are receiving monthly pensions; it should be enough for them. And the expensive robotics, my savings wouldn't be enough, but I still have a few investments. I can sell my stocks on the stock market, although I was aiming for the long-term. This is urgent. I need to do it."

"No, don't do that. That's not a good idea," I held Nelly in the wrist leading to the bench where we could sit.

"Just leave it to me," I said as I faced her, sitting on the bench on the side of the hallway.

"I can't; that doesn't sound good to me. Just because you have the money, I will let you carry all the financial burden. I don't want that, Royce."

"Okay, you can repay me when you have the money; just don't sell your stocks yet. Continue the long-term goal. How does it sound to you now?"

Nelly let out a deep breath. "Well, sounds better. Thank you." A wide smile crept on her lips.

"Don't mention it." I pulled her into my arms, she didn't protest. "It's gonna be okay," I said, my fingers stroking her hair. My heart became erratic even more, having Nelly in my arms.

I wasn't expecting she would discuss their financial problem with me. I took it as an improvement of our communication.

"By the way, have you learned how to say the word?"

She glanced up at me, eyebrows narrowed. "What word?"

"Think about it."

She raised an eyebrow, switching to narrowed eyes before she focused back on me. "Baby?"

I chuckled, my eyes widened. "Yes, repeat it."

"I've said it." Nelina retorted as she stood up, her face flushed. CUTE.