"I’m sorry, you got the wrong person," Alia said instinctively, yet she couldn’t help but take a closer look at the old man. However, she had never seen that face in her life. "Please, excuse ."
"No, that cannot be! You are Elaine!" The old man said frantically, gripping onto her hand for dear life, "The heavens have answered my prayer! You have finally returned to my side... Daddy is sorry he tossed you out..."
Alia swallowed a sigh. This old man must have mistaken her for soone else― a daughter he had fallen out with. With his age, it was possible that he might even have dentia! She looked around, hoping that his family mbers were here to cajole him, but he was left completely alone. A frown crossed Alia’s face. Surely his own family could not have been this uncaring to leave him unaccompanied.
Thankfully, Alia had a lot of experience dealing with all sorts of people from her jobs.
"It’s alright, I forgive you," Alia said, patting him on the hand. "Can you let go of now?"
"No!" The old man grabbed her hand even more tightly. "If I let you go, I’ll never see you again!"
Alia racked her mind for a solution. She didn’t want to break this old man’s heart. Who knows― the daughter he was talking about might have died years ago, just like her mother.
Alia could only sigh at the irony― her mother was also nad Elaine. Perhaps won nad Elaine were ant for short lives.
"How about... I will give you my phone number?" Alia offered. "Then, you can call and see again."
She highly doubted he would rember her, but then she caught sight of the tearful grin on his face. That gesture must have ant the world to him, she realized. He quickly handed her his phone with shaky hands, and she could only raise her eyebrows at how high-tech his phone was. She registered her number, but then paused when it ca to entering her na.
If she put in her real na, it might result in trouble if soone else were to get a hold of this man’s phone. Not to ntion this old man didn’t know who she was to begin with!
As such, she decided to use the na ’Elaine’ instead. She handed the phone back to him, and he pocketed it with a relieved grin.
"Elaine, why are you here in the hospital? Are you sick?"
"No. I’m just visiting soone," Alia said. "My father―"
A dark look crossed the old man’s face. "What did I do? I’m perfectly well, thank you very much!"
Alia groaned internally, desperately hoping for soone to help her. A doctor, a nurse, anyone. She wanted to see her actual father, and not babysit this old man! Where were his family mbers?
Thankfully, this ti, an equally well-dressed woman caught sight of him and rushed over, her heels clacking loudly on the tiled floors.
"Dad! There you are! You made us worried! Emline is looking for you!"
Alia heaved a quick sigh of relief. Finally his real family had arrived to resolve the issue. She used the opportunity to slowly pull her hand away, but the old man turned around and scowled, his fingers an iron grip on her wrist.
"Annaliase, why are you interrupting and Elaine?"
The woman spluttered. "Elaine? Dad, we’ve been over this. You can’t keep calling every woman you et Elaine!" She looked up and shot Alia an apologetic look, but then she fell silent, her mouth falling open in surprise.
"Oh..."
"Excuse ? Is there a problem?" Alia asked hesitantly.
"Oh no, nothing, nothing at all." The woman caught herself and shook her head, a strained smile crossing her face. "I’m sorry for any trouble that my father might have caused you. Old age is catching up with him, and his mind is not as good as it used to be. Please, pay his words no mind."
"It’s alright, I understand," Alia said reassuringly. "I’ll be going now."
The other woman smiled and pried her father’s hands from Alia’s wrist, waving her off. Alia quickly darted into the room to see her father. The door slamd shut.
Once the woman was sure that Alia was not appearing anyti soon, she turned to her father, a dismissive look on her face.
"Dad, give it up. Elaine is gone, and she’s never coming back. I’m your daughter now, and you have Emline for a granddaughter," the woman said, all softness and politeness gone from her voice, leaving a hard, bitter tone.
She tugged at the old man’s arms roughly, pulling him with her harshly.
"You’ll do well to rember who your family is from now on," she finished ominously.
Her eyes narrowed as she recalled Alia’s face. Was it a re innocent resemblance, or was there sothing else at play?
She had to investigate matters.
"Co now, Dad, you still need to get your check-up. We can’t have you collapsing when Emline announces her engagent to Matteo Montgory!"
***
The beeping of machines greeted Alia’s ears as she entered the room. Her father was lying on the hospital bed, sound asleep. If not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Alia might have feared the worst.
Then again, it wasn’t as though her father was completely out of the woods. She took a seat next to him and clutched at his hand, tears welling up within her eyes. His hand was cold, the skin papery thin. When she took a closer look at his face, she spotted the graying hair at his temples and the wrinkles near his eyes.
Without realizing it, her father had aged trendously in the past few years. Or perhaps it was simply because in her mind, he was always the active, vibrant man Alia rembered, the man who always knew the right thing to say to comfort her whenever she was t with any hardship.
She should have visited him more often, but back then, her marriage with Caleb, and all the jobs she worked took priority.
Guilt welled within her.
"Dad... please... please wake up.... You can’t sleep forever, right?" Alia asked tearfully, wiping her tears on the bedspread. Her head was bowed, and the words escaped through her throat in a muffled burble. "If you don’t wake, I’ll start banging the pots and pans. I’ll play all your favorite songs so badly, you’ll have no choice but to wake up... so please..."
A soft cough echoed through the room.
Alia quickly woke up, not believing her ears.
"Dad? Are you awake?" She asked hopefully. Her father, frail as he was, fluttered his eyelashes in her direction. He tried to speak, but the oxygen mask kept her from making out his weak mumbles. "It’s okay, you don’t need to talk," Alia added hurriedly.
"You’re safe now. So am I, Dad. You don’t need to worry about anything. Just rest― I’ll get the doctor to look at you."
Her father gave her the softest of sighs before closing his eyes again. Alia had feared for a brief mont that her father had stopped living, but the beeping of the machines kept the worst of her anxiety at bay. With shaky limbs, she quickly left the room to call for a doctor.
In her haste, she failed to notice a pair of calculating eyes, following her every move.
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