The Widow's Cabin (Completed)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Philip stood a few meters away from the door. He held his breath and gathered every drop of courage he had, and finally entered the room. Warm tears threatened to peek out of his eyelids, but he pushed them back with a smile. He paused to look at his wife at the side of the hospital bed, whispering something to his princess. He shifted his vision to their only daughter, lying helplessly with countless tubes snaking everywhere, and smiled at her with everything he had.

"Hi daddy," his daughter said weakly.

"Hi honey. Look what I brought you," he answered.

His daughter opened the package and found a small, red box. He watched her intently as she opened the box and found a key inside, with a floral keychain dangling from it.

"Oh daddy! I've always wanted a car! I've always wanted to drive around and smell the scent of fresh flowers and brewed coffee from hustling commuters on an early morning— wait—what's the occasion?"

"Oh honey, how could you easily forget? It's January nine today. It's your eighteenth birthday."

"It's the ninth of January? Already? I.. I.. I lost track of time. I'm stuck here for so long, I couldn't even tell if its night or day. I couldn't even—"

"Hush now, honey. It's alright. It's nothing to worry about, and besides, it's your birthday. You're eighteen now. You can practically do whatever you want now, but with a condition of course. You'll still be our little princess. Right mom?"

His wife smiled at him sadly and nodded, failing to conceal whatever it was that heaved mercilessly in her chest. He traced his vision back to his daughter, who was staring numbly at the gift.

"It's just that.. Don't get me wrong dad, I like the gift. But I don't think I can enjoy the luxury it can give me anytime soon. I mean, look at me.."

"No honey, don't say that. You're going to be fine. Trust me. You are going to be just like before. Carefree, adventurous, free-spirited, you are going to be fine and mom and dad will help you get through this. Okay?" his words rang hollow even to him, but he didn't care. He needed to cheer his daughter up, and he'll do anything.

"When you get out of here baby, I'll teach you to drive myself. We'll go places, anywhere and everywhere you want to go. When you get out of here, I'll--"

"If, dad. If I ever get out of here. That's the saddest thing, you know. The not knowing."

He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He looked at his wife for a sign of encouragement, anything at all, but she too, looked defeated.

"Honey, I—"

His voice was interrupted by his daughter's scream, an animal-like, unearthly scream, coming from the depths of her chest. He looked at her princess and saw her clutching her stomach, flailing uncontrollably because of pain. He hurried to the bedside and held his daughter's face with both arms trying to calm her down, but her daughter seemed oblivious to the stimuli around her. And as the nurses and doctors rushed in to attend to her, he too, seemed oblivious of their presence.

"Honey, listen to me. Daddy's here. I'm not going anywhere. Hang in there kiddo.

We'll get through this together. Open your eyes, honey. Look at me."

"Sir, you need to get out of the room immediately." A nurse with the nameplate

Jennifer told him.

"Hang in there kiddo.. Hang in there.." he continued to murmur, oblivious to the nurse's request.

"Sir, please get out of the room now."

"Hang in there kiddo.. Hang in there.."

"Sir, please get out now!"

"I'll take him out. Do whatever you can for our daughter. I'm begging you.." his wife said, while dragging him away from his daughter and out of the room.

But even as Philip stood outside the door, he continued to murmur under his breath not giving a damn about anything else, not even the tears that are streaming uncontrollably down his rough, aged cheeks the line that he's been repeatedly chanting like a mantra and life support from the moment he saw his daughter curl over with pain, defenseless from her physical adversary, "Hang in there kiddo.. Hang in there.."