CHAPTER 30: LUCKY CHARM

I watched with keen eyes as a doctor, together with Lewis and a nurse, examined my father. I was given the opportunity to be inside the facility, of course, because of my father’s demand. A lot was done to him and there were machines connected to his body, which according to Lewis were part of the procedures he has to undergo to further check his lungs condition.


As I eyed everyone, my father’s gaze was fixed solely at me. He was asked several inquiries and he answered every question while not leaving his sight off me. He was smiling, so was his eyes. As if none of these was disturbing him as his face was beaming with immeasurable joy and content.


I am the one who was nervous for him. I could feel my palms sweating and my body succumbing with agitation and anxiety. The last time I was in a hospital, someone died, so I can’t help but worry that something might have gone wrong that would affect and worsen my father’s condition.


I kept on praying inside my head, praying with all of my heart while wringing my hand, that everything will be alright. I was immersed in an endless suspense and tension for hours. Lewis must have noticed my fearful perturbation that he walked towards me and placed a hand on one of my shoulders.


“Hey! You’re all tense. No need for you to worry. Everything will be alright. Your father will be fine. These are all standard operating procedures for us to know how his lungs are doing and how he is progressing” He gently murmured with an assuring smile flashed on his face.


“I couldn’t suppress myself from worrying, Lewis. I just met him and we had so little time together, it scares me that something might go out of hand.”


He held my right hand and immediately, his face contorted. “Jesus, Penelope, your hand is freezing! Do you like to head outside for a while? So you could have a breath of fresh air?” His words were laced with deep concern as he gazed at me while gently massaging my hand.


“No, I will be fine. I don’t wish to lose sight of him.”


“Alright, if you say so” He stated before freeing my hand. I thought he would get back to where the others are, but it slightly shocked me when he grabbed a chair and brought it to me. “I suggest you take a seat, Penelope. I would be more worried if I would see you collapsing due to stress and nervousness.”


“Thank you, Lewis,” I answered back and did what I was told.


“Just relax and calm down. I will not let anything happen to your father. You have my word, Penelope,” He concluded before returning to the rest.


What he uttered somehow eases me a bit. It somehow lessened my nervousness and made me breathe evenly. Even though I merely knew him, my respect and belief in him had leveled up. I believed in his spoken words that he wouldn’t let anything happen to my father. I may not fully know him, but I trust him and his words.


After several hours of tension-building and extremely trying on the nerves, the draining wait had finally concluded. The examinations were done and Lewis helped my father into a sitting position. The other doctor, who I learned was Lewis’ superior, looked first at me and shortly smiled before returning his gaze to my father.


“After thorough examination, Alexander, I noticed one thing that deeply disturbed my intellect. I couldn’t fathom how it happened, but something out of the ordinary was happening inside of you at this moment” He announced with seriousness, which put me at the edge of my seat and made me flustered.


The tension running inside of me resurfaced and my heart radically thumped, almost deafening me with its loud beating. I immediately looked at Lewis first, who also glanced at me. There was something in his eyes that completely bothered me, because cluelessness and uncertainty were evident in them.


“What’s wrong, Felix? Tell it straight to me. Did my condition worsen? Will I die sooner than expected? Tell me, I can handle it. I am more than prepared for what might happen to me in the days to come. Fear and anxiety no longer resides in my heart, especially now that my precious daughter is with me” My father conveyed genuinely, still full of spirit and life, while gazing at me with a content smile on his face that only heightened the angst and trepidation I was experiencing.


The senior doctor shook his head with disbelief before smiling widely. “The truth is, never in my entire practice as a Pulmonologist had I ever encountered such an incident. You are the first of your kind, Alexander. As we all know, except for the lovely lady over there, you are at your fourth stage, which is very severe COPD. The quality of your life was gravely impaired and life-threatening. After years of studying your case and doing everything we could to lengthen your lifespan, today was a miraculous day indeed.”


“What are you saying, Felix? Miraculous? Why? What happened inside of me?” There was a hint of astonishment and excitement in my father’s voice, which made me thank God inside my head.


“The inflammations of your lungs were deflating, Alexander. I myself couldn’t believe it! This was definitely a miracle! I am at a loss for words here! With all honesty, I almost gave up on you, Alexander. What have you done lately for your lungs to miraculously deflate?”


Before my father spoke, he gazed at me with eyes shedding gleeful tears and an incredibly contented smile, which also made me burst with beads of exuberant and triumphant joy. I always believe in miracles, but I never imagined it would knock on my father’s doorstep unexpectedly.


“I smiled the way I’ve never smiled for such a long time as my heart continuously swells with extreme joy and contentment. My lucky charm came along after more than two decades of being away” My father’s sight never left me, which made the others look at me as well.


“Well I must thank your lucky charm then, because this was indeed a medical breakthrough.”


I was beaming and radiating with utmost jubilee. I never thought that my presence, the one that no one cared about way back then, could create a massive impact and a huge improvement to somebody’s life. I am literally at a loss for words. Everything was too good to be true, yet I was extremely happy it happened.


As we headed back home, our faces were shining with excessive gladness. My father was holding my hand with an unwavering smile at the corners of his lips. Lewis was staring at me, still in disbelief of what had just been revealed to us. When we arrived home, both of us took my father to his room. He was still advised to take adequate rest, some exercises and proper nutrition. Lewis left us the minute dad settled on his bed, giving us the privacy we needed.


“Thank you for coming back into my life, princess. You’ve given me the will to fight for my dear life, even in my hopeless case, you manage to bring out the best in me and think of the unthinkable” He gently held my hand and kissed the back of it.


“Thank you for having me back, Dad. It was extremely an honor for me to be your daughter. I never thought my presence would make a huge difference in your health, but nonetheless, I was glad I’m here.”


“You are my lucky charm, Penelope. I promise you, I will do everything to regain my health and to live longer with you and my grandchild.”


“Thank you, Dad, I love you.”


“I love you more, my princess. I love you to the moon and back.”


“Rest now. I still need to talk to Lewis about the detailed explanation of this marvelous result. I didn’t understand much a while ago, because of mixed emotions, so I need further enlightening.”


“Go ahead, princess.”


I peck his forehead lightly before heading towards the door. Gently closing it behind me, but I was jolted off my feet when I saw Lewis leaning back at the wall and obviously waiting for me.


“Lewis! I thought you left!” I uttered surprisingly.


“I aimed to wait for you to explain the totality of your father’s latest condition. You were in a trance a while ago with the revelation, so I thought you needed enlightening at some point.”


I stared at him with a mixture of bewilderment and astonishment. My mind was suddenly occupied with numerous queries as we walked down the hallway.


‘How come he knew what I had in mind? How did he know that I would talk to him about clarifications of my father’s current health status? Why is it that our minds seem to be in sync with one another? Was this just merely coincidental? Or was fate leading me into something that I didn’t expect would ever occur?’