9 years ago...

TW: Death/Very traumatic so, I want to warn you if you are uncomfy with this topic. You can read the first half of the chapter, and skip the end part if you'd like.

...

A few days passed since Ren's party. I left the gazebo after he ran away and hung out with my parents for the rest of the night under the excuse that "I was tired". My parents were worried about me so, Uncle Ken drove us home earlier than the rest. I was quiet the whole ride back home, trying my best to keep the tears from falling and being noticed. Dad carried me to bed, and mom kissed me good night after she helped me change. All I know is that I just kept crying after they closed my door, soaking my pillow. 

I chose not to talk about the party with them because my parents had to go to the hospital again. Something about dad's treatment so, I never had the chance to. All I could think about was Ren's declaration, how he regretted meeting me. Did I overstep? Was I only thinking of myself? I huddled in the corner of our grey, L-shape couch, watching TV. I didn't feel like doing anything, I just wanted a distraction. 

Auntie Cel strolled into the living room from the kitchen with a bowl of vanilla ice cream and strawberry syrup. She sits next to me and asks, "Are you in the mood for ice cream?" I nodded and accepted the bowl, "Thanks, Auntie Cel."

She rubs my hair and leans on the cushions of the couch. After a moment, she asks, "We've noticed that you've been down lately because of the party, is there something going on?" I slowed my eating and shook my head, "No, the party was great. I loved it." I went back to eating, attempting to close the conversation. Auntie Cel sighs and pats my thigh, "You know you can talk to us, right?" 

I nodded and went back to watching the TV. She stands and walks back to the kitchen. The doorbell rang, and Auntie Cel went to open the door. I heard her talking to someone in a muffled voice, and I turned to look at the door, "Who is it?"

Auntie Cel walks in with Mira, who wore overalls and a pink shirt, with white sneakers. She had her hair up in a ponytail with a pink bow and her bangs curled to the front. I smiled as I stood up to greet her. She runs to me and engulfs me in her arms, "I missed you." 

I chuckled as I broke our hug, "We saw each other a few days ago." 

Mira sulks, "I know, but you never said bye. You left after the fireworks." I patted her shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, I just felt sick all of a sudden. My parents wanted to take me home." Mira flashed a look of disbelief but sighed, "As long as you're feeling ok." 

"Do you want anything to drink or eat?" I asked. 

She shook her head, and I looked towards Auntie Cel, "Auntie, we'll be in my room." Auntie Cel nods, and I lead Mira upstairs. I opened the door to my room, and she exclaimed, "Your room is so pretty. I wish my parents let me choose the color of my room!" 

Mira sits on my bed as I sat in front of her in my desk chair, "Why won't they let you?" Mira sighed, "They wanted a certain design for each room." 

She plops on my bed and glances at my ceiling stars, "Did you put these stars up by yourself?" I shook my head as I lay next to her, "My dad put them up." 

"Is it in some type of design?", she asks. I nodded and pointed, "It is made into a Sagittarius, my horoscope." 

"Woah, that's what it looks like?"

"Mhm, what is your horoscope by the way?", I asked as I turned my face to her. She replied, "I'm a Capricorn." I hummed, "I don't know much about horoscopes but, my dad loves the stars." 

Mira asks, "Is he an astronomer?"

I chuckled, "Nope, he owns an IT company." We both giggled, and after a few seconds she sat up, "I have something to give you." I sat up as well, and Mira opened her backpack, taking out a few things. She turned around and held a flower crown. She gave it to me, and I realized it was the crown I made at Ren's party. I looked up at her in surprise, and she says, "I found this on the ground at the gazebo." 

"Thank you, P'Mira. How did you find this?"

"Ren kept looking back at the gazebo when I found him. I didn't know why until I went there myself. I saw your crown lying on the floor," she explained. I looked at the wilted flowers of the crown, recounting that night. Mira sits next to me and asks, "What happened between you two?"

I don't want to throw Ren under the bus. I replied, "Nothing happened, it was a misunderstanding." Mira says, "You can tell me, I won't tell anyone about this." 

I placed the crown next to me and closed my eyes, "I don't want to talk about it at all. Not with anyone." 

"Ok, I'm sorry I pried," Mira apologized. I opened my eyes and looked at her regretfully, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to get mad at you." Mira sends me a wave of reassurance and pats my hand,

"Don't worry, I'm not hurt." Her phone pinged, and she looked at her phone, "Well, my mom is here to pick me up." I smiled as I pulled her into a hug, "Thank you for coming." 

She pats my hair, "I'm glad I came."

I broke our hug, and she says, "I hope we stay in touch; my parents are taking me to Bali today." 

"You're leaving already?" I asked. "That's the perks of being the daughter of a CEO with a traveling agency and hotel business," she says. I stood as she went to get her things, "I'll be here when you return to Thailand." 

Mira smiled, "I'll send you details so; we could meet at the airport." Then, Auntie Cel bursts into the room with Uncle Ken behind her. Mira and I are equally as startled as Auntie Cel says, "Ms. Nova, we should head to the hospital right now!" Mira looks towards me, and I ask, with an inner dread growing inside, "Is there something wrong? Is dad, okay?" 

Uncle Ken looks to Auntie Cel and says, "We should leave now, Ms. Nova." 

"Ok."

... 

We ran into the hospital, Uncle Ken leading Auntie Cel and me to dad's suite. I practically bolted out of the elevator and saw mom talking to a group of doctors. The doctors leave as mom sits down, her face in her hands. My steps pounded on the floor as I ran as fast as I can, mom met eye contact with me and bent to the floor. I ran instantly into her arms, tears finally set free from my eyes. 

Mom shushes me and pats my hair, "Shhh, calm down, babe." I looked at her through my tears,

"Is dad, ok?" Mom sniffs and wipes her nose as she shakes her head, "It's not looking good Ara." I sobbed into her shoulder as she tried to comfort me. Uncle Ken and Auntie Cel get to us, and we both face them. 

Auntie Cel clutches the handle to her bag and asks, "What's his status?" Mom inhales a staggard breath as she says, "Ara, why don't you go in and see your dad for a minute?" I nodded and wiped my tears as I walked into the room. Dad hooked up a heart monitor and an IV. He looked pale like he was barely living. He opened his eyes and smiled at me, "You're here. Come." His hand lifts to motion for me to come closer. I close the door behind me. 

...

Auntie Cel looks toward Preecha and asks, "Is it critical?"

"He's in his critical stages. The doctors diagnosed his cancer as metastatic; it's spreading fast everywhere," Preecha explained. She sits back down on the chairs as Uncle Ken, and Auntie Cel sit with her. "Oh dear, did they say how many days, weeks, or months?" Auntie Cel asked. Preecha sighs, "They didn't. They said it's only a matter of time. Tan kept his diagnosis a secret from me. He said so I wouldn't worry." Auntie Cel looks towards the door and says, "Poor Tan, my poor sweet Nova." Preecha sobs in her hands, "I don't know what I am going to do. I-I can't live without him, Cel." 

She starts to hyperventilate, "I can't raise Ara on my own. How am I going to pay for his debt?" Auntie Cel grabs her hand and cups it with her's, "Ms. Preecha, do not worry. We will be by your side. We will help you every step of the way."

Preecha calms her breathing and sniffled, "I can't pay you; we have no money–with the bills, the debt, and the hospital-" Auntie Cel interrupts, "It's ok. I treat this family as if it were my own. I want you and Ms. Nova to be all right," Auntie Cel replied. 

Uncle Ken interrupts, "The money can wait, we will be here for you Ms. Preecha." Preecha touches Ken's hand gratefully, "Thank you so much, I am indebted to both of you." They send her comforting smiles as all three of them look towards the door in silence. 

...

I slowly walked toward him and sat on the chair next to him. Dad smiles and opens his arms, "Come here, Ara." I shook my head profusely, "I might hurt you, dad." 

Dad says, "You could never hurt me." I looked at the wires all over his arms, and I hesitantly hooked my arms around his waist. I couldn't smell his scent anymore; it was masked by the gown he wore and the chemicals of the equipment. "I don't want you to go, dad."  He breaks our embrace and wipes the tears off my face, "I don't want to leave either Ara, but it is my fate." 

I sniffled, "Didn't you say we could control our destiny?" 

Dad combs through my hair and says, "You can't escape death, Ara. You can't, just as I can't. This is just my time." It isn't fair, why does dad have to leave? Why did he have to be sick? I shook my head, "It's not your time dad. I still have much to learn from you. I want to do things with you. I promise that if you stay alive, I will never complain again, I'll be good." 

Dad smiles softly at me, "I wish I could. All I hope for is to see you grow Ara. I know you will become a beautiful woman someday. I want you to stay strong for your mom, Auntie Cel, and Uncle Ken."

My tears endlessly fell as I clutched his hand, "Dad, don't say that. You will see me grow. You promised that you'd be there for my birthday." Dad's eyes well up with tears, and he cries along with me. It was the first and probably last time I had ever seen him be vulnerable with me. For as long as I can remember, dad would never cry in front of me–he was always the glue that stabilized us as a family. 

He coughs through the tears and holds a napkin to his mouth. I touched his arm in concern and asked, "Are you ok dad?" He forces his cough to stop and nods his head, covering the napkin. Before he could hide it from my view, there were splotches of blood. I sucked in my breath as dad asked, "Can you call your mom in?" I nodded and wiped the tears off my chin. I opened the door, and all three adults looked at me. I held mom's hand and said, "Dad wants to talk to us."  Her tired eyes bore into mine as she nods. I led both of us into the room, and mom offered me to sit in the seat closest to dad– as she sat next to me. Dad laid his right arm down, and I clutched onto his forearm as mom held his hand. "P."

"Tan."

Dad takes a strained breath, "I want you to find happiness. I am sorry I burdened you with so much; that I have to leave you by yourself. I am a selfish husband." Mom shook her head as tears fell from her eyes, "Tan, don't say that. I am not mad or anything, I just want us all to be together."

He squeezes her hand, "I'm sorry I can't do it, honey. My body is giving up...I am so tired." Mom closes her eyes and sobs next to me. My tears fall and touch dad's arm, and he looks at me.

"Ara."

I looked up at my dad through clouded vision. He says, "I want you to live for me. Live the life you've always dreamed of. Never stop shooting for more." 

I fail to answer, as dad continues, "Take care of each other. It pains me to have to say goodbye like this. For one thing, every time you look at the stars. Know that I will always be there by your side." I nodded and clutched his forearm as if that would keep him from sleeping. 

"I'm sorry I won't be there for your birthday Nova. I am sorry I can't be there for our anniversary P. This was too sudden." 

His heart monitor started beeping slowly, alarms blaring on the monitor. Mom panickily held onto his hand and sobbed, "Tan, please no." I stood from my chair, letting mom sit closer to him. She stood to meet his face, and dad kissed her forehead, nose, and lips. I covered my mouth, to muffle the sound of my sobs as I watched two soulmates bid their last farewell to each other.  Dad looked at me, and I held his hand in mine. He smiles at both of us as he says, "I love you both." 

...

..

.

The unimaginable happens. The flatline. The ominous sound of a constant beep.

Dad's hand slipped from mine as I looked in shock at what happened. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak.

Mom instantly screamed, "Tan! No! No-no-no." She brings his limp hand to her lips as she slumps from the chair to the ground.

My eyes focused on the heart monitor, and I looked at my dad who was pale, thin, and unconscious. The door bursts open with a team of doctors and nurses. They took mom away from his side. 

A nurse guides me away from dad–out of my own free will. She said something to me, but I couldn't hear it. Every sound I heard was like white noise. I backed away from his side, into a corner of the room as doctors and nurses surrounded the bed, trying to resuscitate him. My mother wails and drops to her knees a few feet away from me. 

I couldn't walk to her, it was like my body would not connect with my brain. The doctors stopped, and one of them said, "Time of death, 22:30." That is when everything clicked into motion. All I could think of was to run. Run as fast as you can. I left the room, startling Uncle Ken and Auntie Cel.

They call my name, but I ignore them. I don't know where I was going, all I wanted to do was escape. I pushed open the door that led to a staircase, dashing down every step. I pushed another door open that read ER. I ran towards the doors, maybe once I'm outside–I can breathe.

"Oh-", I bumped into a nurse, and we fell to the ground. She walks to my side and touches my shoulder; I slowly meet her concerned eyes. She asks me, "Are you all right, honey?" I shook my head as I found my voice coming back. The first thing I could think of doing was to scream. And I screamed as loud as I could, so that dad could hear me.

...

Note:

This chapter was super heavy, therefore I tried my best to be as respectful as much as possible. I apologize if this chapter was triggering. I'm sorry if this chapter was a tough read for you ♥️. Thank you for reading.

Dani :)