Chapter 166
It was the dead of night. Jocelyn’s phone buzzed with urgency on her nightstand. It was Daisy, her
voice a cocktail of panic and fear, setting Jocelyn’s heart racing.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she fumbled for her jeans, grabbed her keys, and hailed a cab to the
hospital,
“Mom!” she gasped, bursting through the ER doors to find Daisy beside a makeshift bed in the hallway.
Calvin, her father,y there weakly with an IV dripping life back into his veins. “What the hell
happened?”
“It was out of the blue, honey.” Daisy managed between sobs. “He woke up shivering, drenched in
sweat, looking as pale as milk. He kept saying it’d pass and didn’t want toe here. Then the
doctors…they said it’s a heart attack.”
Calvin, now sedated, was less in pain but still a worrying shade of gray.
“What did the doctors say?” Jocelyn asked, her eyes scanning the chaos of the ER-families huddled in
grief, the relentless beeping of machines-it was overwhelming.
“They were talking about a surgery.”
“Then let’s do it.” Jocelyn said with a resolve that left no room for doubt.
Daisy wiped away her tears. “The doctor came by, asked us to sign the consent forms. I didn’t
understand half of what he said, so I called you.”
“I’ll talk to them.” Jocelyn said, her voice steady but her mind racing. She needed to hurry up to save
her
father’s life.
She cornered a nurse, who told her the doctor would exin everything shortly.
Standing beside her father, Jocelyn’s eyes welled up despite her best efforts to stay strong.
“How are you feeling, Dad? Does it still hurt?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“It’s better now,” Calvin replied weakly.
Jocelyn fought back tears as she saw the toll the night had taken on her father. She quickly turned
away, not wanting to cause him any more concern.
“It’s just a minor surgery.” she reassured both her parents. “They caught it early. He’ll be alright.”
Daisy tried to hold back her tears, but the floodgates were barely holding.
Soon enough, the doctor arrived and exined that Calvin’s arteries were blocked in three ces and
cut off blood flow to his heart. The solution was to ce stents to reopen the pathways.
“Is it going to be a big operation?” Daisy asked nervously.
“It’s minimally invasive.” the doctor assured Daisy when she asked about surgery. “No need to cut him
open. We’ll do it with localized anesthesia, but he’ll need to be in the ICU afterward.”
Daisy looked to Jocelyn and her voice choked, “We’ll do it, please.”
In times like these, it was best to follow the doctor’s lead. No one knew better than them.
“How soon can we do it?” Jocelyn asked. Urgency crept into her voice.
“Finish the IV. Then sign the consent form when the nurse brings it. After that, we’ll schedule the
surgery.” the doctor said and then moved on.
The consent form arrived swiftly. Jocelyn read it carefully and then to Calvin, who nodded, “Sign it.”
With the paperwork done, all that was left was the waiting-the longest part.
Jocelyn suggested Daisy get some rest, but she wouldn’t budge. Instead, Jocelyn fetched a couple of
stic
stools so they could sit beside Calvin.
Exhaustion finally overtook Daisy, and she dozed off leaning on Jocelyn. Jocelyn, eyes fixed on the
medicines,
didn’t dare miss a beat.
Suddenly, a hand weighed on her shoulder. She turned to find Melvin, whose face was etched with
concern.
“How’d you know toe?” Jocelyn asked, surprised.
“I saw Calvin’s name on the surgery board.” Melvin whispered, careful not to wake Daisy. “No private
room?”
Jocelyn shook her head, “We’re lucky to have even this. Some people are out in the waiting area.”
All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.
Melvin frowned and stood up, “Wait here.”
“Where are you going?” Jocelyn asked, gripping his hand.
“To see if I can pull some strings.”
Connections are everything, especially in times of crisis. It’s not what you know, but who you know.
Jocelyn didn’t stop him. She too wanted the best for her dad.
Melvin returned shortly, just as the doctor announced they were ready to proceed with the surgery.
Melvin took the bills without a second thought. Jocelyn didn’t argue and thought she’d pay him back
later.
As Calvin was wheeled away, Jocelyn and Daisy took their ce outside the operating room. The
minutes stretched into an eternity when the hospital director, Wesley, a friend of Melvin’s, appeared.
“Don’t worry.” Wesley said, having already spoken to the hospital staff. “The patient will have the best
care and a private room after the surgery.”
Melvin thanked him and exchanged a grateful handshake with Wesley. In times like these, it was the
little acts of human kindness that kept hope alive.
Wesley shook his head. “It’s okay. But given the patient’s condition, he’ll need to be in the ICU for a few
days. You have only two fixed hours a day to visit.”
“Got it.”
“Anything you need, give me a call. I’ll arrange what I can.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Melvin didn’t want to bother the man any longer. Once Wesley had left, he turned to Jocelyn and Daisy
and reassured them, “Calvin’s in the hands of the best cardiologist around. He’s in good care.”
Jocelyn had been holding up well; she was convinced her father would pull through.
It was Daisy who had been on edge. But her anxiety finally eased after seeing Melvin had pulled some
strings with the hospital director.
“Thank you.” Daisy managed, her gratitude outweighing her usual reserve.
“Think nothing of it.”
Melvin nced at Jocelyn. It was half-past four in the morning. He whispered, “Maybe we should get
Daisy back home?”
“She won’t leave.” Jocelyn knew her mother’s concern for her father was too great. “We’ll wait until my
dad’s out, and then we might persuade her.”
“Alright.”
Melvin seemed prepared to wait with them.
“You’ve got that trip early in the morning, don’t you?” Jocelyn reminded him. “You better get going.”
“It’s fine. I’ll send Zephyr in my stead.” There was no way Melvin could leave now.
“Are you sure it won’t be a problem?” Jocelyn didn’t want to impose. “My dad has got me. He’ll be
alright.”
Melvin took her hand. “In times like these, you need a man by your side. And that man can only be
me.”
Jocelyn looked up at him, her eyes suddenly misty, tears threatening to spill. She had to admit that his
presence wasforting.
The moment he arrived, for some reason, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, as if
someone had taken a share of the invisible burden she’d been carrying.