THE CALL

Dr. Lemuel marches out, and I turn to my father. He is peacefully sleeping. If only I could snap him out of this state, I would do so in a snap of a finger or a blink.


I pull the seat closer to the bed and sit down, taking his hand into mine. I can't believe this is the sweet man I felt so much hostility towards and detested for months. How could I have been so blind and stupid? How could I have let things get this far?

"I will never get tired of asking for forgiveness, Papa. My life isn't enough to make up for what I have put you through. Forgive me. Please forgive me." I plop my head on his chest and lay there, fighting the tears from leaving my eyes.

I don't want to cry again. I have cried so much these past few months. I need to be strong for my father.


A gentle knock on the door disrupts me, and nanny Aisha walks in with my purse in his hands. "Sorry to disturb you, my dear, but your phone has been ringing non-stop since this afternoon. I came to call you some hours ago, but you were fast asleep. I didn't want to wake you up." She takes the trouble to explain.

"Alright. Thanks," I utter as I take the purse from her.


"I also unpacked your stuff. Your room has always been clean too, just in case you want to have more rest," she says.

"Thanks a lot, nanny, but for now I want to stay beside my father," I respond.

"Okay. Excuse me then." She walks out.

I fish out my phone from the purse, which hasn't stopped vibrating since I got hold of the purse, and there is only one person who would call like a beast.

Damian! And his name is clearly displayed on the video call screen.

I know he won't stop calling. This is how much he cares. This is how much he loves me. I can't ignore him until I understand what my father wants, as I had thought. It is not fair at all. Damian doesn't deserve this. My heart is also calling for him. I wish he could be here with me in this situation, but since he can't, his voice will do for now.

I walk out, knock on the doctor's door gently, and pop my head in, catching the sight of Dr. Lemuel. The rest of his team must have gone home, presumably.

"Yes, miss. You need help with something."

"Aaah, yes, please. I need to take this call. Could you watch over my father for a minute?" I respond nicely.

"Sure, miss. Go ahead. I will go to your father," he says as he stands up.

"Thank you," I mumble and stroll to my room.

Closing the door behind me, I turn to my room. I don't take even a second to inspect my room. I swipe up the receiver button, and Damian's gorgeous features appear on the screen.

"Damian!" I greet him the moment his eyes fall on me.

"Hey! What happened? Is everything okay there? Been calling for hours." He states.

The worry and concern are etched everywhere on his face and voice. "I am sorry. I left all my things downstairs, including my phone. I did arrive safe."

"Your dad? How is he?" He queries with concern, and his eyes tell me that he can clearly see that I personally am not okay.

He is worried. I'm really worried, and I can't lie to him.

"He isn't well, Damian. My father is seriously sick, and it's all my fault," I say.

"What do you mean it's your fault?" His eyes darken with worry as he queries.

"Apparently, my father has been nursing a heart condition for years now. He was under control until the time I ran away from home. That lends itself to his current state, and he suffered from depression too. This is all my fault, Damian. My father is like this because of me."

"Hey. I am so sorry to hear about your father, but don't be too hard on yourself, babe. You never knew about his condition, and you never intended for that to happen. Mr. Riccaford will be fine, and I am sure that he will understand why you did what you did, and he will forgive you."

"I don't deserve his forgiveness, Damian. I don't..."

"Yes, you do, Ellie! You are his daughter. If not for anything else, your father will forgive you for that."

"He said he has nothing to forgive me for. He has neither grudges nor hate towards me, and that is what is killing me. I put him through hell, yet he is so quick to forgive. He isn't mad at all that I rebelled against him, but here I was crucifying him and throwing all the curses and resentments at him. What kind of daughter am I?"

"The kind that will stand up for her rights. You were the kind of daughter that any parent would be proud of because you were strong enough to pull through everything. You are a good daughter, babe."

That could be the love he has for me talking, but I am glad. At least I don't feel like a bitch, but the blame still stays. However you look at this, I am at the center of it all. It all began when I chose my rage over my love for my father. It was a bad choice, in my opinion, right now, and I hope I don't have to suffer more for it.

"You ruin everything you touch, Ellie Marrie Riccaford. Soon you will know why."

The words of Leo echo through my mind with a bang! Is this what he meant by that? Is there more, or is this the height of it? Wait, that moron knew what was happening to my father?

"Hun?" I snap to the voice of Damian on the screen. "You are lost. Stop thinking too much, please? Take this as a second chance to make things right. You still have time to show how much you love your father and make him feel how much he means to you."