SWNOVELS Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Standing on the stairs, Vanessa took a deep breath to compose herself and went home.
She opened the door. Henry looked haggard as he leaned on the living room sofa and watched TV.
Danny was in the kitchen.
When he heard the sound of the door opening. Henry smiled and looked over, saying, “Vanessa, you’re back.”
He wanted to sit up.
Vanessa immediately ran over and said, “Dad, lie down and don’t move.”
Seeing Henry like this, she felt heartbroken and was on the verge of crying.
Henry laughed and said, “Silly child. I’m doing well. I feel much more comfortable since I got home.”
“Dad, let’s go to the hospital, okay? I have money. My design works are selling for more money, and we will have more money in the future. Look!” Vanessa crouched in front of Henry with red eyes, took out her phone, and showed her balance to Henry.
Henry looked at the balance of more than 40 thousand dollars and said, “Vanessa, you must have been through a lot.”
He knew he might have a serious illness but never expected it to be late–stage liver cancer.
When he knew the truth, he felt even more sorry for Vanessa.
Vanessa had been working hard and even kept his illness a secret from him.
He hated himself for being useless and for not having a healthy body.
He thought he should have been the one to support the family, but instead, he has made his child suffer.
The sentence left Vanessa in tears again. With red eyes, she reached out and held Henry’s hand tightly while shaking her head. “Don’t worry, Dad, I’m fine. As long as you and Danny are doing well, I feel satisfied. Dad, please stay in the hospital with peace of mind. Medical technology nowadays is advanced and can cure you.”
Henry reached out to caress Vanessa’s head affectionately and said, “Vanessa, you’re 24 years old this year. As a girl, you should
get married early if you have a suitable partner. Having children earlier will be less harmful to your body.”
“Sure, Dad. I have a boyfriend now. He’s my colleague, and we’ve known each other for over two years. We’ve always been quite close. He confessed to me yesterday. I quite like him. I’ll bring him home to meet you someday. If everything goes well, we’ll get married.” Vanessa told Henry a little white lie.
A burst of laughter left Henry’s mouth. He was happy for his daughter. “Good. It’s better to know each other for a long time and have a deep understanding.”
“Dad, don’t worry, I’ll handle my stuff. I’m taking you to the hospital now.” Vanessa stood up.
Henry held her hand and said, “Vanessa, I won’t go to the hospital. Don’t waste money on me. You are getting married, and you need money.”
He suddenly couldn’t bring himself to talk about Danny’s cochlear implants. “Vanessa is going through so much hardship,” he thought.
Tears rolled down Vanessa’s cheeks heavily. “Dad, I am still young. I can make money. I can earn a lot of money in the future.”
To Vanessa, she only had one father, and he only lived once. She wanted to try her best to make Henry live a little longer.
“Dad, let’s go to the hospital, okay?” Vanessa choked up. She was trembling all over.
Henry couldn’t bear to see Vanessa like this. It was giving him a heartache.
He glanced toward the kitchen and said, Tm homesick and want to stay home for a few days. I got the medicine from the hospital, and there’s still a lot of medicine left. I’ll go back to the hospital when I have finished the medicine.”
He knew his own body well, and he felt that he didn’t have many more days left in him. When he finished the medication. given in a couple of days, it should be about time…
It was just that he had a lot of worries and was reluctant to let go.
“Dad, there will be CT scans and other checkups at the hospital tomorrow. How about we go to the hospital after we eat?” Vanessa tightly held Henry’s hand, looking at him with pleading eyes.
Even though Henry already knew about his condition, Vanessa still could not bear to say words like chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Henry dared not look into Vanessa’s eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the determination in them broke his heart.
Chapter 4
“Dad!” cried Vanessa.
Her tears fell on the back of Henry’s hand.
Hot tears burned Henry’s heart, and with red eyes, he said, “Okay… I will go to the hospital tomorrow. I want to stay home tonight.”
“Tll go to the hospital tomorrow so Vanessa can be less worried.
“Anyway, it was about time to leave.
“But staying in the hospital costs money, which would only add to Vanessa’s burden,” thought Henry.
“Okay, we stay at home today. I’ll cook with Danny,” said Vanessa with relief. She immediately wiped away her tears and got up to cook with Danny.
While her father was in the hospital, she cooked and delivered food to the hospital every day. Her daily routine was just work, hospital, and home. She also had a part–time job teaching foreign languages on weekends.
She never felt tired. She only feared that even if she exhausted all her efforts, she still couldn’t earn more time for her father.
At dinner time.
The family was harmonious and happy.
Henry’s appetite was surprisingly good.
Not only did he eat some pasta, but he also finished two small bowls of soup.
Seeing this, both Vanessa and Danny were happy.
They hoped Henry could get better, even though they knew it was wishful thinking
After the siblings finished cleaning up, they watched TV with Henry for a while.
Afraid that Henry would get tired, Vanessa and Danny helped him back to the room to rest at around eight o’clock.
The next day, Vanessa got up early in the morning to make breakfast.
Afraid that something might happen to her father, she got up twice in the middle of the night to check on him quietly.
Seeing Henry sleeping quite soundly, she was finally at ease.
Just after frying the omelets, she suddenly heard Henry cough violently in the room.
She panicked, dropped her spatula, and ran into Henry’s room, saying, “Dad…”
What caught her eye was the horrifying sight of bloodstains on the light blue sheets.
“Dad!” Vanessa rushed over, trembling as she dialed 911 on her phone. “Hello, is this the emergency center? Please hurry up. My dad is coughing up blood. Clovervale Residence. Please hurry…”
Henry reached out to pull on Vanessa’s hand, trying to take away her phone.
Vanessa didn’t allow it.
She regretted not taking Henry to the hospital yesterday afternoon.
“Vanessa, my dear, don’t cry. Listen to me…” Henry leaned against the bedside. Speaking was becoming challenging for him.
‘Dad, don’t speak, don’t speak. Danny. I’ll go get Danny Vanessa was afraid that Henry would leave like this.
They rented a tiny place, and Danny sleeps on the living room’s balcony.
He couldn’t hear anything because he was born deaf and mute.
Vanessa was about to rush out to find Danny when he ran over.
He was getting ready to make breakfast when he noticed the room door was open, so he immediately came over.
As soon as he saw the bloodstains, he freaked out, and a babbling sound came out of his mouth.
Henry smiled with teary eyes and reached out to Danny.
“Ah… Ah…” Danny screamed in pain.
“Kid, don’t worry. I’m fine. Henry gestured with difficulty.
“Boohoo, Dad…” Vanessa choked up as she knelt by the bedside, holding Henry’s hand. Her other hand clutched her phone. She constantly checked the time, hoping the ambulance would arrive quickly.
“Vanessa, you shouldn’t have had to go through this pain… Vanessa, when you graduated from college, I told you… that you weren’t my biological daughter and that I found you at an amusement park. Find your biological parents…”
Chapter 4
“Stop it, Dad. Please stop it.” Vanessa cried, tears streaming down her face. “I only want to be your daughter.”
Henry talked to her about this when she graduated from college.
When Henry found her at the amusement park, he waited all day.
But nobody came to look for Vanessa.
So, Henry ended up keeping her.
Even during the toughest times, Henry did not abandon her..
Perhaps she had never led a wealthy life, but Henry had already given his all.
“Silly kid, why are you so silly? You should have gone to find your parents after graduating from college…” If that were the case, Vanessa would not be dragged down by him.
“Dad, don’t talk anymore. Save your energy. The ambulance will be here soon,” Vanessa tightly held Henry’s hand.
“Vanessa, stop fussing. I’m not going to the hospital… I want to stay at home.”
“No, Dad, we’re going to the hospital, to the hospital.”
As Henry spoke, he spat out more blood. “I want… to see your boyfriend… Ahem…”
He felt he couldn’t make it and wanted to see Vanessa’s boyfriend before dying.
What if Man indeed has a soul after death? He would have to know who to bless.