AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Isn’t this the same hospital where my mom died?” I asked Corey.
“It is,” he said.
“Oh no! What if they mess up his treatment too? What if they let Brian die too?” My scared face was reflected in his emerald-green eyes.
“Get a hold of yourself,” he said in a low, tight voice. His fingers wrapped over my hand and squeezed gently. “Eva was terminally ill. Dad isn’t. At least, I don’t think so.” A heavy breath escaped him. “Although, I can’t be sure anymore. The man barely speaks to us.”
He glanced toward the spot where Noah and Caleb were sitting, and then met my anxious gaze.
“I don’t know what brought on Noah’s tantrum but it’s something that both Caleb and I have thought about,” he said in a gentle voice. “Why did he hide you from us for so many years? He was aware of our suffering. We were driven crazy by our need to know whether you were alive or not. How could he torment us like that? He’s our fucking dad.”
“It’s not his fault,” I said as guilt weighed over me. “I told Brian not to tell you guys anything. He was supposed to stay quiet until I was powerful enough to face you guys. Don’t give him a hard time over it.”
He shook his head. “You’re not understanding us, Milla. We were fucking scared for you, all right? We were in love with you. Can you imagine the guilt we suffered when you disappeared like that? It wasn’t just me and Cal. Noah went through hell too.”
He let out a frustrated huff. “I couldn’t stand him, you know. Cal and I blamed him for driving you away. Forget about being brothers. We weren’t even friends these past years. He bore the brunt of our anger and frustration. We treated him horribly because we couldn’t forgive him.”
He swallowed and leaned against the wall behind us.
“We isolated Noah from us these past five years,” he said in a pain-filled voice. “He doesn’t even have any friends. Can you imagine the loneliness he suffered?”
I stayed silent, searching for some happiness. Their suffering should’ve brought me joy, instead, I felt my chest ache.
“We were wrong,” Corey continued. “We hurt you. We admit it. Dad saw the pain we were living through and kept quiet. How do you expect us to accept what he did?”
I stared at him wordlessly. My hatred blinded me to the complications I caused between Brian and his sons.
“Dad might be suffering from health issues,” said Corey, raking fingers through his thick, dark strands. “He could be hiding them. Maybe that’s the reason he’s decided to step away from his position in the company.”
“Why does Noah think your dad would marry me?” I asked, questioning the absurd accusation Noah made earlier that evening.
“I have no fucking idea about that,” he said. Closing his eyes, he rubbed at the center of his forehead. “We were having such a blast. How the hell did we end up here?”
“I love Brian like my dad,” I said in a low, grim voice. “That’s how I’ve always seen him since I was a kid.”
“Let’s hope his relationship with you is just that,” said Corey. “We can only hope he called you his biological daughter because his brain was fried or something.”
“Yeah...”
We became quiet, each absorbed in the scary thought of being related to each other by blood.
Almost two hours ticked by.
There was a rustle of fabric beside me. Turning to the side, I saw Corey standing up and looking expectantly toward the hallway. Caleb and Noah were making their way over as well.
An elderly man in navy overalls came to meet us.
“How’s our dad?” Caleb asked.
“He’s undergoing treatment,” said the man. Looking closely, I read the name tag pinned to his chest. ‘Dr. Juan Hall, Special Stroke Unit’ was engraved on the enamel pin.
“What happened to him?” I asked, looking up at the grim-faced doctor.
“He suffered a stroke,” said Dr. Hall. “I’m glad he was brought in within the hour of the attack. It’s helped us diagnose him and start early treatment.”
“Will he be okay?”
Dr. Hall gave a nod. “We’re hopeful. At the moment, we’re doing our best to stabilize his breathing, blood pressure, and heart function. He should be okay in a couple of hours, although we’ll have to keep him here for observation.”
