Chapter 14

The doctor didn't know why but he decided to come up with this lie but it wasn't really a lie, the hospital sometimes had random donations well not the way the unknown person had done but some people did call in to donate money to help people who couldn't pay for their bills.

The doctor didn't know why but he decided to come up with this lie but it wasn't a lie, the hospital sometimes had random donations well not the way the unknown person had done but some people did call in to donate money to help people who couldn't pay for their bills.

"Is everything okay?" Rose asked as her daughter walked back to her with a confused look.

"It's nothing, let's go home. I will go to work then come and meet you."

"Work?" Rose had forgotten that her daughter had to work, she should have told Emily to go home to rest instead of allowing Chloe to leave but yesterday she had been overwhelmed by the situation she wasn't thinking straight.

Talking about Chloe she wondered where she went to that she hadn't called to check up on them since morning.

"Can't you take a break, I can talk to your boss."

"No, it's okay. I will rest when I come back. Let's go."

* * * * * * * * * * *

When Emily got to her workplace she felt like dying, she rushed to her office bathroom, she always kept an emergency kit there which had her toothbrush and makeup.

She brushed her teeth quickly, washed her face, and sprayed perfume on her cloth. Lucky for her she was dressed in a skirt and chiffon blouse.

She wasn't only late but she was behind schedule. She tried her best to wrap up on her previous work but today wasn't her day as more works kept piling up in front of her desk.

At intervals, her eyes would fail her and when she would open them she would have made a mistake on the color selection.

"So, I think red is good for the bottom flare." She heard a voice say in her head as her eyes opened slowly, she stared at someone staring at her alongside two other men.

Was she still in this meeting? She thought she had left here already? Or was she dreaming?

She cleaned her eyes slowly, smiled, and nodded her head in agreement to whatever they were saying, she scribbled nonsense in her jotter to make them think that she was jotting down points but she wasn't.

"What do you think Emily?"

Emily smiled at the lady again and nodded in agreement.

"Emily," Mark barked at her. He had noticed she seemed off today, not only did she come late to work but she seemed absent-minded.

"I think it's a good idea," Emily responded as the meeting came to a wrap. Mark shakked the guest as they walked out.

Mark stared back at Emily, what was up with her? Their meetings were always longer because of her, she always had something to say as regards the whole collection. It was why a lot of people always asked of his secretary in all his meetings but today she had been quiet all through and he had caught her dozing off.

"Is everything alright Emily?" Mark asked sitting back opposite her. She nodded in agreement but he could tell she was lying. "Please you can tell me, Emily."

"It's nothing, my dad is in the hospital."

"What? You call your dad in the hospital nothing. What happened to him this time." Mark knew Emily's father had a thing with gambling and drinking, he had seen him in one of Leonard's bars.

He didn't want Emily to feel bad so he never brought it up but while she worked here there had been several calls from unknown numbers to come to pick her father either at the roadside, in the middle of nowhere, or worst in the gutter.

One time he had offered to follow her to go pick him up but Emily had refused. She was a strong girl because every time, she came back to work smiling like it didn't happen.

He had to warn his workers on several occasions, not to bring the topic up no matter what, except they wanted to get fired.

"He is fine now," Emily smiled weakly at him.

"Do you need money? I won't loan you this time, I will..."

"No, really he is fine." Emily interrupted, she still didn't know who the unknown donor was and she knew the hospital didn't know either if not she would have requested to find the person and payback or at least thank the person for what they did.

* * * * * * * * * * *

When Emily closed from work it was already really late, she took a cab to the hospital and slept on the way. The cab driver had to wake her that they had gotten there, she apologized, paid, and got down.

Her mother had told her that she was already in the hospital with Chloe and their father was already eating and truly she was pleased when she walked in and saw that her mother was feeding him and he was eating.

She didn't understand how her mother was doing it and staying with this man even though he didn't deserve all the love and attention he was getting. Her father was a cheat, a drunk, a gambler, a debtor, and a liar but her mother had stood by him through it all.

Even her mother's family had abandoned them because of her father, currently, they had no one to run to but themselves.

"Emily," her father called outstretching his hand to her. He had thought he would die and in his near-death he had sworn to not do any of this again, to be a better man for himself and his family but he couldn't do it alone, he needed help.

He felt tears trekking down his eyes, he didn't know if it was tears of joy or tears of embarrassment. He knew his daughter Chloe didn't care about him and she had said it several times.

Even as she sat here popping her gum loudly into his ear as a reminder that she was here just because of her mother but Emily had been here for him.

"There is something I need to tell you all," he stuttered.