C19 Chapter Nineteen

It was a bad night, a sad night in the Milburn mansion as Mc and Mr. Khan rushed to his father's room after hearing him cough severally, his condition had gotten worse and they were shocked to see blood coming from his mouth, "my world, Khan that's blood!" Mc exclaimed to his first sight of the red liquid which had already stained the white bed sheets.

The city sprawled beneath a star-studded sky as the young master, Mc manoeuvred through the maze of urban arteries leading to the hospital, he had never felt his heart pound so fast and never imagined he'd drive a car with so much speed in the night "Hey Mc, I know this is urgent but I think you gotta be more careful," Khan advised in a friendly way

"I know Khan but I can't stand the feeling of losing my father, I've only known him for a short while and there's still a lot I'd what to catch up on." His hands were firmly on the steer as he made a right turn.

The sirens wailing from a distance added an ominous backdrop to the urgency that propelled them forward.

"Alright we're here, we're here daddy just hold on for a little longer." Mc talked to his dad who was already unconscious in the backseat. "I can't lose you dad, just hold on," he added as he briefly cleaned the tears from his eyes with a tissue.

The hospital's emergency entrance loomed ahead, a beacon of hope and despair. One could understand why Mc parked the car haphazardly, he didn't care about anything else in the world, his mind was completely consumed by the impending tragedy "Fuck you Mellisa!" he angrily said when his phone beeped with a message from Melissa, the young man only cared about his father's condition.

A valet sensed the urgency of the situation and immediately approached with caution.

"Sir, just go ahead, I'll take care of the car," the valet could sense the weight of sorrow in the eyes of Mc.

Being grateful, Mc nodded his thanks and ran fast towards the sliding glass doors, their automatic whoosh a harbinger of the whirlwind awaiting him inside.

"I'm not losing you this soon, at least not today!" he assured himself as he entered the hospital lobby and got hit by the sterile scent of disinfectant, a stark contrast to the city's aromatic chaos.

"Don't worry my friend, everything will be alright." Khan assured Mc, coming closer to him.

"I've heard that a thousand times Mr. Khan, and guess what, everything ends up not being alright."

"We just have to be positive, this has happened before and he made it out all in one piece."

"I really hope it happens again."

"Yes my friend, your father is a strong man, he gives cancer a tough fight. Don't worry."

For a minute, Mc felt he and Khan were the only people in existence because Khan was the only person he could freely speak to, and the only person who truly understood how he felt at the moment.

Worried faces were etched with lines of fear and anticipation. Mc slowly walked to the reception desk looking all exhausted, a nurse with kind eyes offered a sympathetic smile.

"Just a little patience sir, we're doing everything we can for your father. The doctor will update you soon, don't worry," she assured the young master, her words a fragile attempt to bridge the gap between despair and hope.

"Mr. Khan, why is it taking forever?" Mc enquired.

"Let's be patient like the nurse said, we will soon know what's going on. Do you want me to get you something to eat? My friend." Khan could see how tired Mc was "you must be very hungry." He added.

"I'm ok, I think." Mc replied with almost a whisper.

The minutes dragged like hours as Mc and Mr. Khan, clad in the sterile embrace of the hospital waiting room, tried to make sense of the surreal situation. "Maybe you should sit down for a while," Khan started again out of concern.

"I can't."

An announcement echoed through the halls, signalling the arrival of the medical team with a patient in critical condition.

"Hey Khan, look there!"

A gurney emerged from the double doors, guided by a team of nurses and doctors in a choreography of urgency. Mc saw his father as he lay still, connected to an intricate web of tubes and wires. The medical team worked with a precision that belied the chaos within the heart of Mc.

Dr. Donaldson turned to Mc.

"Mr. Mc Ethan, we're doing our best, but it's a critical situation," the seasoned physician explained with a solemnity that left no room for false hope.

"I don't feel alright." Mc told Khan.

"Yeah me either."

As the medical team whisked Kenneth's father away, the hospital corridor became a blur of white coats and hushed conversations. Nurses exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting the unspoken understanding of the fragility of life.

"These people are saying something to themselves." worried Mc started again.

"If there's anything we should know, they'll let us know my friend."

"I don't feel good seeing them whisper things to each other and one of them called my dad's name."

The medical team worked tirelessly, their efforts a silent symphony against the backdrop of monitors and beeping machines. The nurse from the reception desk approached Mc who she'd been looking at the entire time, her compassionate eyes offered him a glimmer of solace as she spoke to him.

"He's in good hands, Mr. Mc Ethan. We're doing everything we can."

"Thank you, I appreciate that." He didn't know when or why he stretched his hand for a handshake and she stretched hers too.

The night unfolded with a cruel sense of inevitability. Dr. Donaldson emerged from the double doors and even a six year old could tell his expression was a canvas of sorrow.

"I'm sorry, Mc Ethan. We did everything we could," he uttered, the weight of the words hanging in the air.

Mc understood what that meant but he couldn't believe it, for a moment he did believe the doctor but wished he didn't.

"You did everything you could, but what? What happened doctor what happened?" he couldn't hide the tears, his eyes were already weak and glittery.

"We lost him." Doctor Donaldson said in the calmest way possible.

The hospital room, once a battleground for life, now bore witness to the aftermath of a losing fight. Mc's father, who was a titan in his own right, succumbed to the relentless grip of cancer.

"The cancer won! The cancer won! Oh fuck no! Why?"

As Mc left the hospital with Mr. Khan, the city's skyline had lost its luster.

Their ride back home was a silent procession through streets that seemed to mourn in solidarity. Mc was shivering as the valet handed him the keys to his car with a nod of sympathy, the unspoken understanding between strangers in the face of shared sorrow.

"It's the worst night in my entire life Mr Khan."

"I can't say I know how you feel, but for sure, I do know you're hurt."

"My mom died in the morning, and now my dad died at night."

"Cry Mc, Cry all you want, it will make you feel better my friend."

"Thanks for always being there Mr. Khan."

"Your dad was my best friend. I love that man."

"Khan, wherever my dad is right now, he will never forget you."

"And I him."

*****

Melissa sat on the bed with her friend Sonia as both had their eyes locked on the screens of their smartphones.

"This guy's been tryna bang me like forever." Sonia started, chewing her gum as always.

"Who's that?"

"Some guy I met at the mall some weeks back."

Just when the conversation was about to go deeper, Melissa saw something on her phone, it caught her attention and she seemed shocked.

"What? What did you see?" Sonia noticed.

"I just saw this on the Internet, Mr. Ethan, Mc's dad is dead!"

"What? My God let me take a look." She drew closer to see the blog post title which read "Billionaire finally loses battle to cancer!"

"Mc must be really sad right now." Mellisa placed her phone on the bed.

"I know this might make me sound like the devil himself. But I want you to know that this is your chance."

"What are you talking about Sonia?"

"Mc must be at his weakest right now, this is the best time to show up, console him and make him feel you can be there for him."

"And he'll remember he once loved me."

"Exactly! Men also want a woman who would be there for them. A supportive person, if you manage to get closer now and offer him the care and emotional support he needs at this crucial time, you will definitely get a place in his heart again."

"That makes a lot of sense."

"I know Melissa, I told you that men never forget who treated them badly at their worst. But do you know the other side of it?"

"No Sonia!"

"The other side is, they never forget who treated them nicely either."

"Thanks Sonia, when I finally get him back, I'll always remember I couldn't have done it without you.”

“Make regular visits, talk to him, go deeper, hug him and offer a shoulder to cry on, he'll slowly get comfortable with you and when it all gets emotional, you make your lips available for a kiss, and you show him you're capable of loving.”

“I already see myself doing that.”

“Slowly get him into your arms and whenever he cries on your shoulder, make sure you find a way of making him feel the soft and tender touch of the oranges on your chest.”

“But what if I never have the chance to get that close to him?”

“You will get close. Mc is a nice man and would never push you away if you're trying to support or amend your ways, he likes good doing.”

“But his friend, Michael, has had so much impact on him. If Michael keeps pushing me away, I think Mc will definitely do the same.”

“Men are not like us. Their friends' feelings about who they date or flirt with doesn't always affect them. Go get that man back, get Mc Ethan and you'll become a billionaire!”