Chapter 219 HOPES
1383words
I am extremely pleased by my performance in front of Tessa. I know my closeness to Selina has bothered her even though she tries her best to not look at us. I know her ears have been with us all the time.
Hah…
A pleasant feeling to know that she still cares for me.
Last night, the way she had refused me and pushed me away I had lost all my hopes but somehow I still have gained that one percent hope in me.
Just a percent is enough to keep on trying.
****
I was busy in a meeting when Ron showed up with a straight face and my scalp starts to prickle as I glanced at his stern face that gives off a pessimistic vibe.
Not good at all.
I try to stay calm but somehow my heart starts to get anxious and I start to lose patience quickly. I end the meeting and then turn to Ron, "Is everything ok at home?" I ask worriedly.
"Everything is fine at home, Sir." He replies politely.
"So then?" I raise my brow.
"It's from California." He states and my heart drops to a severe degree. What has happened there?
****
"Where are they?" I ask the man that I had appointed for Tessa's parent's safety here. Selected by Jethro, who else could provide me with a bodyguard?
"Inside," He replies and then leads me the way.
It's a small private hospital where Cyril takes his treatment, 4 years he had spent in hell desperately waiting for his sister to show up and she never showed up to him. Actually, she didn't even know how terrible a state he is in.
"Andrew Sir." As soon as I step into the ward, Tessa's father stands up and greets me politely. I nod hesitantly. I have told him many times to not show that much respect to me but he is used to behaving like this around me.
"Andrew." Tessa's mother looks at me with sad eyes as I gently hug her, "It's ok, I am here." I comfort her and she starts to weep in my arms, "He has been asking for Tess, when is she going to return?"
Her mother looks up at me with red eyes and my heart tightens at the sight. I am speechless not knowing how to answer her about this.
"Hasn't the operation been done, yet?" I ask when I notice the empty patient bed hoping to change the subject from Tessa.
"No, they are still operating on him." Tessa's father replies and I nod my head in response.
"I'll go and take a look, at what's happening," I tell them as I quickly walk out of the ward and straight to the nurse station asking for Cyril's doctor.
*****
Hours passed by, but no news came from the OPT. Tessa's parents sit on pins and needles and I notice that they have turned older and weak.
Their appearances look tired and dull, as though life has been squeezed out of their soul. I can understand how hard it is for parents to watch their children suffer.
I wish, if Tessa would be here she would be able to console her parent's broken hearts.
Remembering Tessa, I look down at my watch and it shows 9. That means that the kids would have had dinner and Ann must have informed everyone about my sudden disappearance.
And I am highly disappointed that Tessa hasn't called me once, isn't she concerned about where I have gone out of a sudden? But, then why would she be concerned after all she had admitted last night she doesn't love me anymore?
And here I am a fool hoping for her to call me.
Hopes and Hopes.
When am I going to see the reality and accept the bitter truth, when Andrew Jack?
I scold myself loudly and Tessa's mother moves glancing up at me worriedly, "Is everything ok, son?" She asks and my heart gets warm. I like the way she calls me "SON". It gives me immense joy and pride.
After what had happened to Tessa this woman still forgives me and gives me a place in her life. I am thankful for her that she allows me to take care of them like my own family.
"Yes." I shrug.
"You must be worried about Aaron, how is he?" She asks.
"Aaron, oh, he has been very good. You know his health keeps betraying us, nothing new." I tell her casually.
She knows that Aaron stays sick most of the time but she didn't know that he has leukemia and his brother has returned to help him in recovering and so does his mother which means her daughter, Tessa has returned.
"Hah…" She takes a deep sigh looking guilty, "I wish, Tess had never made that decision, she left her child just like that. I still couldn't believe this. My Tess has always been so kind, how could she let her son suffer alone in all this?" She raises a lot of questions and now it's my time to shrug from the guilt.
It's not Tessa's fault in anything that happened, it was all because of me and I will fix this hopefully.
"We shouldn't blame her, the circumstances forced her to take that step." I say in Tessa's defense and her mother's eyes start to get wet with grief, "I wish her father had never made that contract. I wish he had told me about it so I would never let it happen." She states in a low whimper and I frown in distress.
You have no idea how much your daughter has changed everything in my life. If that marriage had never happened I would be living the same pathetic life of being a slave and a f**king moron but she has changed everything for me.
She made me see the things that I never thought existed in my life.
She has given me such joys and blessings, I can't even name them all.
She has been the best reward that God has given me but I was the fool, the coward here, who let her go and couldn't protect her at all.
If I had been a little sensible from the beginning those all things would never have happened with her, with us.
Sigh…
"We can't change the past now, What's done is done." I tell her softly, "And besides, Tessa is the best thing that happened in my life. I will never want to remove those memories from my life and neither want anyone to take them away." I get a little serious in the end and instead of being furious with my changing attitude her mother gives me a look of adoration.
"I wish Tessa had seen your love for her." She takes a deep long sigh of disappointment.
"As I said, it wasn't her fault." As before, I still talk in her defense, it wasn't her fault, I know.
She has loved me a lot, given me all the happiness, it was me who disappointed her and let Ann ruin our happy world.
The operation has been done successfully but Cyril is still under observation for 24 hours. I insist Tessa's parents go back to their home and rest. While l take care of Cyril.
They were reluctant to leave but after I assured them, finally they both left the hospital with their tired bodies.
I let out a sigh of relief and then freshen up. After wearing a gown, gloves, and mask, I am finally allowed to enter Cyril's ward he has been in Intensive Care even though he has turned 16 and going to be 17 next month, he still looks weaker as compared to other kids.
He has turned taller but too skinny, I wonder how Tessa would react when she sees how taller he has got.
Sigh, I don't know if that day would ever come when Tessa would be able to meet her brother and put an end to her brother's longing to see her.
I look at my watch past 2, which means Tessa must have fallen asleep now, still no message, not any call from her at all.
I wonder if my absence really bothers her?
