There were days when post-treatment fatigue hit particularly hard. While the medication prescribed to stave off nausea and vomiting helped, the complete exhaustion drained away Nathaniel's ability to respond to most external stimuli, except for his daughter's whimsical musings.

Carmela's tote bag stirred him awake when it banged against the door as she opened it. Nathaniel heard a solid thud. Hopefully, it wasn't her work laptop. His daughter wore an unapologetic smile and an emerald-green Cami Midi dress with bohemian floral prints. The verdant leaves and fuschia petals complimented her warm, golden skin tone. She placed the large tote bag against the wall in front of his bed.

"Did you do something with your hair?" With his head turned slightly, he reached to caress Carmela's hair with all the glee in his voice his body could muster. She skittered towards him, leaned forward and helped support Nathaniel's hand, letting him stroke her head as she beamed from ear to ear.

"It's so fluffy and pretty. I hope it wasn't too expensive."

Carmela was delighted that Nathaniel had noticed. She recently got hair treatment and subtle mahogany and chestnut highlights. Not many men see the differences between the wavy and curly hair. Lucky for her, Nathaniel's punctilious nature was honed and sharpened by his wife.

She gingerly moved her father's palm to nuzzle her cheek against it as she did when she was younger. Carmela noticed that his skin was dry and had rashes. It didn't bother her. She smiled even brighter. Nathaniel had always told her that smile had healing power.

"Sweetheart, you have a smile so refreshing that they'd name a summer cocktail over it." Nathaniel playfully teased. He tried his best at a smooth delivery despite his swollen throat.

"But Daddy, what about people that don't drink?" Carmela cheekily mirrored how she would shoot down a guy trying to pick her up.

Nathaniel answered in jest despite an aching back, "Even better, a sip of you would be far too addicting."

The young woman giggled softly. "No wonder you make Mom giddy. Edward should learn a thing or two from you."

"I ain't teaching Edison anything." He scoffed.

"Daddy," Carmela squeezed his hand in protest. "His name is Edward, and he's my fiancé. It would make me happier if both of you get along."

She heard Nathaniel haul out the lowest grunt he could. To which she skillfully pleaded, "Daddy~."

"I like him, sweetheart. I just don't like admitting it." It would be difficult for him to let go of his only child. Despite Nathaniel's selfishness, he refused an earlier wedding ceremony out of consideration for his illness. He told Carmela she should only marry when she was 100% ready.

Nathaniel quickly changed subjects to matters bothering him. "My voice is darn raspy. It makes my compliments sound less flattering."

"Nope, not at all." Carmela removed her kitten heels and carefully climbed onto the bed to rest beside her father. "Mom would probably get jealous if you complimented the nurses too much. I am the only other woman allowed to get close to you." Nathaniel let out another grunt.

"Mind if we share a blanket?" Carmela pulled some of her father's blanket and huddled next to him. In a short moment, she already seemed to have melted on him.

"Sweetheart, I appreciate you coming here and all. But aren't you tired from work?"

Carmela let out an unrefined yawn. "Yeah. So I came here to rest."

"Your fluffy hair's going to get ruined and you'll smell like an old man."

 Upon hearing of her father's diagnosis, Carmela put her Masters degree on hold to spend time with him. She switched to an administrative job at a slower pace, which allowed for a hybrid work schedule.

She unceremoniously rubbed her eyes, pretending that she was going to take a snooze. His daughter heeded no attention to the skirt of her dress climbing up or the strap beginning to slide down her shoulder. Nathaniel rolled his eyes at the slovenly display.

Carmela giggled when he weakly nudged her to knock it off.

The mood suddenly shifted. Carmela stared ominously at the ceiling as she lay beside Nathaniel. "I just wanted to make sure you were still given enough care and attention despite the crazy accident two days ago." 

Nathaniel was oblivious to what was happening around him. He became quietly attentive.

 Carmela's voice was ominous. "We've never had such a horrible accident like this before. This is one of the hospitals that the victims were taken to."

"Sounds very serious."

"Yeah, Daddy." Carmela shifted and scooted about as she tried to fish out her phone from her dress pocket. With a few taps and swipes, she showed Nathaniel a few recent news bits posted on social media. "It was a few streets away from here, at University Town."

Tragedy in U-town: Truck collides with a passenger bus carrying twenty-three students, leaving eight dead and nineteen injured.

"Some witnesses said the truck was going so fast that it was practically impacted when it hit a turning bus. The bus tipped to its side and veered off the road." Carmela recounted as she let her father view the street camera recordings. It was like something straight from an action movie.

"One of the victims that came to this hospital was a man named Jasper Impestan. He was a third-year maritime engineering student on a government scholarship from the Western Isles."

Nathaniel felt his body temperature dysregulate upon hearing a familiar name. His eyes reflected the turbulent thoughts that left him stunned and speechless. Carmela's voice sounded inaudible despite her proximity.

"Personally, I detest the news channel for sensationalizing the story," His daughter criticized. "They said that he passed away just yesterday."

I was with Nina when Jasper passed away yesterday. I know it wasn't a dream because I talked to Nina afterwards. Why can't I remember anything between yesterday and today?

Nathaniel seemed to have found his voice again: "Did they contact his parents? Did they come?"

"I mean, the Western Isles is a little short of a twenty-hour flight from here." He blurted out.

The man needed to know. Nathaniel had told Nina that he needed to see Jasper through. Perhaps he could tell his daughter to arrange a flight for Philippe and Fatima Impestan. But how? How would he even begin to explain to Carmela?

"Yeah, they did." Carmela's curiosity grew as her father's expression softened. "Apparently, the news spurred people to find his family, pool funds, and fly them here first class. I guess the news moved people to help them. They still didn't make it before he died-"

Carmela lowered her phone when she heard her father sniffling, and she quickly embraced his crumbling form. The man's heart gave way, and he sobbed intensely. As startled as she was, Carmela cuddled Nathaniel and remained still. "Aww. Are you okay, Daddy?"

Carmela found it unexpected that her father carried such fervent emotions towards the news. Yes, it was dreadful. However, Carmela felt as if Nathaniel was mourning for Jasper's death.

"Do you know them, Daddy?" Carmela lovingly caressed her father's shoulder. She could count the number of times she had seen her father this distraught before. Nathaniel had his fists clenched shut despite his fingers fulminating with pain. He held covered his eyes as if to stop the downpour of tears.

"No." Nathaniel's throat closed up before he gasped for air repeatedly.

"But I can't help but feel the pain of a parent outliving their child."

It was not entirely a lie.

Carmela was the pillar of love Nathaniel could lean on. His wife once told their daughter she was slightly jealous that Nathaniel opened up to Carmela more. It made the little girl curious why that was the case.

"If it makes you feel any better, Daddy." Carmela leaned softly against her father's chest. "Both his parents chose to honour Jasper's pledge as an organ donor." Nathaniel's belly ached with every sniffle.

"They said that...this way, their son could carry out more adventures."

Nathaniel was recounting Philippe's memories. It must have been unbearable to accept your child's end like this. As fathers, they both shared the surreal experience of parenthood. The fear of losing either their wife, child or both weighed heavily on their shoulders.

When Nathaniel first held Carmela in his arms, he was engulfed by love—an indescribable form of love and an indomitable desire to protect her. He kept kissing Meera's forehead in gratitude for her safe delivery. Nathaniel remembered thinking of every blessing to be bestowed upon his daughter using all the words his vocabulary could offer.

Philippe was the same. When the young father first held his son, a huge wave of relief swept his entire being. Philippe thanked all the stars in heaven for keeping his wife out of harm's way during childbirth. From then on, thinking solely of his family's beginnings calmed his heart during tumultuous waves. It was one of Phillipe's most treasured core memories.

Nathaniel wallowed in regret when his wife died suddenly. There were precious moments that never came to fruition due to petty arguments and a lack of compromise. Now, Philippe and his wife came to see their child's disfigured body. Ravaged by the consequences of words better left unsaid and impulsive behaviour, time did not permit their family's redemption. Despite this, Philippe and Fatima chose not to let Jasper's untimely death be the last page of their child's story.

"I don't know how it feels like to sign off my child's body for organ donation." Carmela's eyes looked up and saw a sentimental gaze.

"But it must be a gesture made from love," Nathaniel muttered. "I truly wish that this Jasper Impestan lives on through the people his organs will help."

Nathaniel looked blankly ahead as if he was having an epiphany.

Nina, visible only to him, was leaning with her back against the wall. The visage wore a black, long-sleeved pleated gown extending below her knees. Her form maintained Carmela's previous hairstyle, and her shadow remained true to her frame. The woman's face remained unreadable despite resting the lantern slanted on her thighs.

Their eyes met.

Is it my turn? Or is Nina waiting for me to accompany her to another job?

"Daddy, are you okay?" Carmela's fingernail poked at his cheek.

"Wha-" Nathaniel shook his head. Carmela's tote bag was the only thing on the floor.

"You just froze for a bit there, Daddy. Are you feeling worse? Should I call the nurse?"

" No, sweetheart. Stay here with me. " Nathaniel could only give out a faint smile. "I just realized that I'm still learning about the many forms of love out there."

"Forms of love?" Carmela thought to herself. "Does that mean you'll tell me more stories about you and Mom?"

His daughter clapped both hands and started rubbing them like a scheming fly. "At last, time for some more juicy details."

"I give all of my remaining time to you, sweetheart."

END (For now~)