Charles loosened his hands suddenly from Sarah's hands. She was standing beside Charles, also feeling helpless. She lowers her head slowly and silently. Mr. Thomas was always so kind to everyone, how could he be so ill without anybody knowing about it? Now he was dying soon.
She suddenly recalled something he had said before, which told Sarah that Mr. Thomas had already known about his condition at that time, but had not been willing to let his family know about the seriousness of his disease. Perhaps he had supported her marriage to Charles because he wanted to see him married and happy before his time was up. Mr. Thomas had always been so kind to her, but she couldn't do anything for him now. He would be leaving them soon.
Charles addressed Dr. Bart again, “How much time does he have left?”
“At most two months.” Dr. Bart responded with a sad look, shaking his head and sighing continuously. He tapped Charles’s shoulder and continued. “I have known your father for a long time, Charles. Don’t make your father angry again. Although he wasn't always there for you when you were younger, you have to admit that he did many good things for you over the years. Especially when you first started your own business, you succeeded because of your father’s support. So, don’t forget what he did for you, your father always supported you from behind! He really did so much for you!”
Charles didn’t know what to say, just stood there, staring straight at the operating room door with a blank stare. No one was able to tell his real feelings.
Dr. Bart ordered that Mr. Thomas be pushed from the recovery room to the ward, several nurses on his side. Charles finally seemed to come back to his senses and followed Sarah into the private room to his father.
Mr. Thomas was still asleep from the anesthetics, with an oxygen mask and an IV drip. Seeing his pale and bony face, Sarah felt very sad. Her own father had passed away when she was still very young, and she had hardly ever known any fatherly love. Mr. Thomas had treated her like his own daughter, whether it was because she married Charles or out of pure kindness. Sarah felt very grateful for him. Feeling helpless, she started to cry.
***
After Mr. Thomas was settled into the ward, Sarah and Charles walked out and closed the door. Sarah was still crying. Charles embraced her tightly to comfort her, tapping her shoulder.
“Your dad has always been so good to me. Charles, we must do something for him.” Sarah sobbed.
“I know,” Charles answered in a low voice.
“What did he want?” Sarah asked.
Charles didn’t answer. After a long time, he said, “A grandson. He wanted a grandson as soon as possible.”
Sarah paused for a while, almost letting go of Charles to look at him. Not that she thought that something was wrong with what he said, but because it was impossible to achieve.
“But my father only has two months.” She said defeatedly.
Sarah nodded in agreement. After talking with Emma for a little while, Charles left with Sarah.
Emma didn’t understand why Charles was so quick to leave her this time, given that he had been so kind to her before. She was unwilling to give up but couldn't do anything about it. She curled her lip and clenched her fists, resentment building up in her heart.
After Sarah and Charles walked out of the hospital, Charles asked Sarah, “Have you had any trouble with Emma? I noticed that you two were acting against each other just now.”
Sarah hadn't expected that Charles would notice it, but it turned out that he was not numb to the situation, he knew that something was not right. However, she was reluctant to discuss it with him and just said dismissively. “No, is there a problem?”
“Is it because I told you that she told me that you pushed her aside and that you were against her?”
Sarah frowned at Charles, then asked in a severe tone. “Am I? Do you still think I am against her?”
"I know Emma treated you as usual. Just a few days ago, when she came from Australia, she came to surprise you by cooking something for you, but you seem to be against her now. I don't actually mean to blame you. After all, Emma wouldn’t be happy if she knew we were speaking ill of her, but we're family. Everything will pass. You can’t let it bother you all the time!”
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