CHAPTER 22: SEIZE EVERY MOMENT

After a sumptuous dinner and a very light conversation with some of my father’s employees, I accompanied Doctor White in taking him to his master’s bedroom. With the innovation of this mansion, my father had provided for himself an elevator for easy access on every floor. As we headed towards his room, the two were conversing on matters regarding his scheduled appointment for monthly check up. Once we arrived inside his room, I observed Doctor White’s movements on the steps to properly take my father to his bed.


The way I see it, my father could still stand and walk, although in a slightly turtle-like manner. His physician aided him as gently as possible then took some medicines, which were on top of the bedside table. I took every detail into account, since I am his daughter, it is my duty and responsibility to aid him as much as I can as the days progress. After finally settling on the bed, dad was lying down with a huge smile on his face and eyes twinkling with delight. He looked like he was daydreaming of some sort, then after a short while, he finally gazed at me. My feet automatically strode towards him and sat right next to him.


“Don’t stay up too late, Penelope. Tomorrow morning, we have to be at the Empire for you to meet my Board of Directors, as well as the team I assigned for you.”


“Alright, Dad, I won’t.” He smiled again at what I said before shaking his head in succession.


“How I really wished your Mom was here with us right now. She died without having you by her side. I promised her on her deathbed that whatever it takes and even how long it would require me to find you, I will take you back home someday. Unfortunately, she wasn’t around anymore to see the woman you have become, Penelope. She might have teased me that you look more of her than I” He conveyed with deep sadness and extent longing. The corners of his eyes have gentle beads at them.


Judging solely on how he said those words about my late mother, I could certainly tell that he loved her to the extreme. It must have been too painful for him reminiscing about their past, especially that I wasn’t there with them during those years. Their longing for a daughter throughout the years must have been tremendously heart-breaking for both of them. Although I did have a chance to be with my biological father now, I still wished that my biological mother was around as well.


“I would be happier if she was here too, Dad,” I uttered with sincerity as I held his hand and lightly grip it.


“One of these days, I would tell you how everything had happened. How we lost you and how we did everything to search for you for more than two decades. But for now, this old man of yours needed his rest, because tomorrow would be a big day for us.”


“Sleep soundly, Dad,” I leaned forward and gently kissed his forehead, which he rewarded with a loving smile.


I didn’t prolong my stay, even though I still wish to converse with him, he needed adequate rest and I will not withhold it from him. I won’t be leaving any time soon, so we have a lot of chances to bond and chat. Together with Doctor White, we left his room in silence.


The night was still young and I had slept enough earlier to feel sleepy, so I asked Doctor White if I could have a word with him, which he welcomingly agreed to. We headed downstairs and settled in the living room. He must have guessed what I wanted to talk to him about, because he was the one who broke the silence amongst us the minute we both settled comfortably at the sofas.


“You know your father was a very strong-willed man, so resilient and determined. If it wasn’t because of the sudden drop of his health, I would have personally thought that he was well and healthy.”


“If you don’t mind me asking, Doctor White, how long have you been his personal physician?”


“Simply call me Lewis, Miss Hunt, and yes I don’t mind your query. I had been your father’s personal aid and physician for almost a decade now” His answer caught me by surprise. By the looks of this man, he seems to be of my age or just a few years older than me.


“Almost a decade? How old are you by the way? Because you look like we are of the same age or perhaps a few years older than me.”


“Now I would take that as a compliment from you, Miss Hunt.”


“Please, call me Penelope, if you wish to be addressed by your first name” He smiled at me, showing his perfectly white set that comes with two small natural hollow areas on both sides of his cheeks. His almond shaped, deep forest hued eyes beams with appreciation as well.


“Alright, Penelope, to answer your hanging question, I am turning thirty two next month” I stared at him with disbelief as he continued. “Most of the people who barely knew me also had the same reaction as yours. I am used to that already” He added coyly before turning away his eyes from me.


“So that’s one of your assets, huh?”


“You could say that” He gingerly laughed. “To continue what I was saying earlier, I had known your father at the hospital where he frequently went for his check ups. My superior referred me to him during the time that he was in need of personal aid, who would supervise his condition 24/7.”


“I see. Could you tell me what kind of illness my father has? Attorney Sparks mentioned to me that he only has a year to live. Does he have terminal cancer of some sort? A rapturing disease for specialists to tell that he has merely a year to be alive?”


“From the minute I became his personal physician, I was in charge of everything with regards to his condition and health. I was the one who made the diagnostics and tests on him, so I was to be blamed if I miscalculated his condition.”


“Did you? Did you miscalculate? Because externally, my father seemed to be fine, with the exception of his mobility in terms of walking, which was a bit in slow motion. I saw earlier that his legs were still robust enough to stand firmly.”


“Your father was suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. It is a long-term, progressive lung disease that makes breathing difficult. Two types are present to your father, which were Emphysema and Chronic bronchitis. Most probably he accumulated this from his childhood, since according to him, he had a history of respiratory infections before. He could have gotten it in smoking as well or second-hand smoking.”


“Is there a cure for this? There must be, right?”


“Sadly, there is no cure for such a disease, but its progression can be slowed down with medication.”


“If that’s the case, then why did you say that he only has a year to live?”


“Because, your father’s body no longer reacts with the medication he was taking. I already increased the dosages of his medicine with hopes that it might somehow adhere to his body, but it didn’t work. Your father is now extremely susceptible to more infections, which are dangerous to him.”


“There must be other ways. A lung transplant could be done, right?”


“Could be, of course. We have lung sources available across the globe” I was supposed to interrupt him, but he continued. “But the severe problem was, lung transplantation can be performed as long as the pulmonary artery pressure wasn’t severely elevated and the patient must not be older than sixty five years of age. Both of those requirements couldn’t be met by your father.”


“So there’s nothing more we could do to prolong his life span? That’s it? Less than a year?” I uttered with gritted teeth.


I couldn’t contain nor control the anger building up inside of me with Lewis’ explanation and disclosure. I just knew my father, yet I only have less than 365 days to be with him. Such little time to spare in exchange for the years that I wasn’t with him.


“I’m terribly sorry, Penelope, but that’s one thing you need to fully accept as his immediate family. Good thing you initiated this conversation with me, because I really wanted to talk to you about his condition. The only thing you could do now is to seize every moment you have with him. That’s the ultimate advice that I could give to you as his daughter.”