Chapter 77 I’M SORRY
Marcus packed his car in the garage immediately after he arrived at the hospital. It took almost an hour before they got here, due to the fast speed of his car. He turned off the car engine then looked at her,”Shall we?”. He asked, pointing at the door.
“Of course”. Ann responded, licking her lips to moist them before she opened the door and came down from the car.
Marcus also came down from the car then locked it before he strode towards her. She clutched his arm before they proceeded into the hospital, and stopped. “Call the nurse and tell her we are here”. He said and Ann nodded then placed a call.
“Hello this is Ann hamburger”. Ann said, despite how embarrassing her last name sounds, she tried her best to keep her voice low so Marcus wouldn’t hear it clearly.
“I see you now”. The nurse said. “Look at your front”. She added.
Ann looked up and saw the young lady waving at her from the hallway. She hung up the call then wrapped her hand around Marcus’s arm before strolling to the lady waving at them in the hallway.
“Good afternoon ma, I’m Janet”. She exchanged a handshake with both of them as she introduced herself.
“I am Ann and this is my…”. She paused when she realized she wasn’t in any relationship with him. “Marcus”. Ann said.
“Nice to meet you, please follow me”. Janet said and guided them into a room. “Here he is”. She pointed at her father on the hospital bed who had a oxygen on his face. At that point, Ann couldn’t recognize him because he was looking so pale and thin like a skeleton.
“What the hell happened to him?”. Ann stood by the door, stunned to even make a move.
“He has HIV/AIDS positive and I’m afraid he might die if he doesn’t have anyone by his side to take care of him”. Janet responded then Ann rushed towards the bed and sat at the edge then placed her hand on his chest.
“Dad”. She cried out. Despite all he had done to her, she felt heart broken by seeing him in this state. She could remember her dad wasn’t like this when she left. He was hefty, healthy and strong but now, looking at him just made her wish this never happened.
Micheal opened his eyes when he felt a hand on his chest. He was indeed surprised when he saw his daughter in tears while staring down at him. He opened his hand and tried to lift them up so he could place it on top of hers, but he was too weak to do so. “Ann”. He struggled to call out her name in a weak tone of voice but due to the oxygen in his mouth, it came out like a grunt.
Ann’s eyes lit up when she heard his voice then noticed his hand trying to reach up for hers. She sniffed in and settled her hand on his and he gently squeezed them. Tears streamed down her eyes as she stared down at her dad. “I’m so sorry for leaving dad”. She whispered, thinking it was all her fault that he was in this situation. He shook his head and she knew he wanted to say something but the oxygen kept depriving him from speaking. “Hey can you please take the oxygen off so he could talk?”. She asked the nurse.
“I will have to inform the doctor first”. The nurse said then left the room. “Everything will be fine dad, I’m here”. Ann assured him but she felt his attention wasn’t at her but was on something else. She traced his gaze and saw him staring at Marcus, who had been standing at the door for a long time. She knew her father wanted to know who he was just by the confused look on his face. She looked at Marcus and as if he read her mind, he approached them immediately and introduced himself to her father.
“I’m Marcus, A sex doctor and your daughter’s boyfriend”. He said which kept Ann stunned for a second. She watched as his lips twitched into a full smile that revealed his teeth. “You must be her father”. Marcus added and slightly bowed his head as a sign of respect.
‘Does this means he accepts to be mine’. Ann thought as she watched him before the nurse came in to interrupt their moment.
“The doctor said yes, but only for five minutes”. Janet said then disconnected the oxygen from his mouth and connected a pipe to his nostril which he could breathe through.
“Ann”. Micheal called when he had finally found his voice.
“Where is mom?”. Ann asked in tears but got no response. He stayed silent for a long time and she could tell that his silence meant something bad. She shook her head,”Where is mom? Dad”. She asked again and this time, he responded.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
“She committed suicide when she noticed you were gone”. Micheal responded then broke down in tears. He recalled how he had left the house to go to a bar after having a fight with her, only for him to come back and see her dead body on the floor with a knife pierced in her chest. He called the police that day and since he was the only one found in the house with her, he was arrested and put behind bars for one year till the police investigation was over and he was found not guilty. He was released from jail and for the whole year, he was going to bars, getting drunk and sleeping with any woman he came across out of depression. He was caught in the middle of the night on his way home and was beaten to stupor because of the debt he was owing. He was lucky someone found him on time and took him to the hospital for proper treatment.
He was tired of life already and he wished he was shot to death instead since there was no point of him living. After-all, his little mistake ruined his life and destroyed their happy home. “Ann, Just take me out of my mystery. KILL ME”. Micheal said and Ann cried as she whispered.
“I’m sorry dad. I can’t”
“Five minutes over and visiting time is also over. You have to go outside now so the patient can have a rest”. Janet said as she entered the room.
“Come on, let’s go”. Marcus grabbed her wrist and pulled her up from the bed and led her out of the room.
She fastened her hand around his waist and pulled him in for a hug as she cried on his chest. Her tears soaked on his black suit as she sobbed. “It’s all my fault”. Ann said.
Marcus placed his hand on her back and began stroking it just to calm her down. “Everything happens for a reason Ann. Don’t blame yourself when it’s too late to do so”. He said.
“You can sit over there till the visiting time is open. Which will be in the evening by five”. Janet said when she came out of the room. She pointed at the chair close to the wall before she left.
Marcus guided her to the chair and ushered her to sit down with him before he settled her head on his lap. “Everything is gonna be okay”. He kept assuring her until she finally kept calm and fell asleep.