Chapter 133 Joe Collins' Terminal Illness
"Hey, don't start bawling yet. Have you shown the test results to Karida? Chill, I'll be there soon." Luke's voice was all urgent and stuff.
"What's going on?" Elsa's eyes were still wet as she watched Luke hang up.
Luke replied, "Uncle Joe got diagnosed with late-stage kidney cancer today. I'll drop you home first, then head to the hospital."
Whether it was the lighting in the café or not, Elsa thought Luke's eyes looked a bit red.
"I can get home on my own." She stood up and grabbed the big bags filled with books at Luke's feet.
The Collins family meant a lot to Luke, and this news must be hitting him hard. Therefore, Luke's late return home last night might be related to this.
Luke looked visibly down, so he just nodded without saying anything.
Elsa reached out and hugged him. "Go ahead, babe. Drive safe."
Maybe it was because of her upbringing, Elsa was a bit of a cold person. Her world was small and she had few friends. But she realized that Luke had long occupied her heart, just like Chloe had said last night.
Sitting in the taxi on her way home, Elsa touched the kapok tree necklace around her neck and felt warm.
Now that someone Luke loved was terminally ill, Elsa should be understanding and not add to his troubles.
At Valley of Hope Hospital, the Collins family assembled.
"Late-stage cancer. Best case, he's got three months." Karida handed the test report to Luke.
Originally, Margaret had said Joe might have cancer, but Luke didn't believe it, and he was planning to bring Joe to Valley of Hope Hospital for a check-up. Joe and Margaret seemed to have read Luke's mind and came to Karida the next day.
"Does Uncle Joe know?" Luke asked.
"Margaret wanted to keep it from him, but Uncle Joe said he had already guessed," Karida said.
Karida was one of their own and wouldn't falsify anything for the Collins family. Luke nodded and went to Joe's room.
Margaret's eyes were swollen, devoid of their usual sparkle. Seeing Luke, she hoarsely called out, "Luke," and said nothing more.
"Margaret, step out for a moment," Joe said softly to Margaret when he saw Luke come in.
"Dad!" Margaret didn't move.
"Good girl, I want to have a few words with Luke." Joe's face was full of kindness, without the sorrow of someone nearing the end.
After Margaret left, Luke found a chair and sat by Joe's bed.
"Luke, you know everything now, right?"
Luke nodded.
"I've felt something was wrong for a while and I've done a lot of foolish things lately." Joe smiled. "When I said those things about your wife, you must have been very angry."
Luke stayed silent.
"I was confused and worried that if I left, Margaret would have no one to rely on. I thought if she married you, I could rest easy. Luke, tell me the truth. Do you have no feelings for Margaret at all?" Joe sighed and asked.
"Uncle Joe, Margaret and I grew up together. I did have feelings for her back then. But now, I only see her as a sister, nothing more."
Luke didn't want to lie to Joe. "I married Elsa entirely of my own will. To be honest, even now, I don't know if I love her, but I absolutely won't allow my wife to be anyone other than Elsa Miller, nor will I allow her to marry anyone else."
Joe didn't have long to live, and Luke should have said something comforting, but he just couldn't.
"Luke, how could I force someone who doesn't love my daughter to marry her? I just couldn't believe it and wanted to have a try."
When Luke mentioned Elsa, the possessiveness in his eyes made Joe's heart skip a beat.
Joe finally understood that it was impossible to separate Luke and Elsa, and Margaret couldn't either.
"I'm worried about Margaret. If I go like this, I won't be at peace."
"Uncle Joe, I will definitely find the most advanced medical team for you. Don't lose hope. Medical technology abroad is very advanced and there might be a chance." Luke said.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
