The Apple of My Eye

In the hospital

Shirley lay in her bed in a private room. Her eyes were closed and her long, thick eye-lashes cast a shadow on her face.

"Scott, how's my daughter doing?" Charles was at the doorway. He was discussing Shirley's condition with her doctor, and he looked quite worried.

Dr. Scott had just checked on Shirley. He had given her some medication, and she was getting an infusion right now.

"She's weak right now. She had indigestion. Did she eat anything that might have upset her stomach?" Scott asked.

Charles paused for a while, trying to rack his mind. Then he answered, "She had shrimp and chicken for dinner. Then after, she had ice cream. She really loved it."

"No wonder she got sick. Her stomach is weak. She ate ice cream right after dinner, which was too cold for her. That's why she got gastric colic. Children at her age are really fragile. They could get sick very easily. Parents should be really careful," Scott explained Shirley's condition to Charles.

Charles couldn't help but blame himself upon hearing this.

He had been informed of Shirley's problem with her stomach before Sheryl moved out. However, he didn't know how serious this condition could be since Sheryl took good care of her. If he had known earlier, he never would have let Shirley have ice cream.

Charles felt so guilty. He also felt ashamed as the doctor pointed out how careless he was. He lowered his head in remorse.

'I'm such a bad father!' he thought.

He hated seeing his daughter in so much pain. He only wished he could take the pain for her instead.

"Scott, will this cause any long-term effect on her health?" Charles asked in concern.

"Mr. Lu, don't worry about that. She's only a child. Her organs are still growing and developing. As long as she recovers well and is taken care of moving forward, this will be no problem for you in the future," Dr Scott answered.

Charles felt relieved upon hearing this. He was so worried that this sickness of Shirley could plague her entire life. All they needed to do now was be more careful.

Charles thanked the doctor before he went inside Shirley's room.

When he turned around, Dr. Scott called him abruptly, "Mr. Lu, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, what is it?" Charles answered, a little confused.

After some hesitation, Dr. Scott asked, "Is your wife, Ms. Xia, coming?"

Charles was surprised upon hearing this. He knew what Dr. Scott meant.

The Lu family held 50% in shares of this hospital, which was a secret to the public. Only the senior management and Dr. Scott knew of it. Dr. Scott was the son of the chairman of the hospital-that was why he knew. He was a good doctor, so Charles had specifically asked for him when they had arrived.

Dr. Scott knew Sheryl very well, and he liked her. He asked Charles because he wanted to say hello if Sheryl was indeed coming.

Charles was surprised because Dr. Scott still called Sheryl his wife. He and Sheryl had divorced already, and it had even been reported on in the newspapers. Dr. Scott should have known.

Charles didn't know how to answer this question. Suddenly, Dr. Scott put his hand on his forehead as if he'd just remembered something, and then he said apologetically, "Oh, my God! I can't believe it. I have the worst memory. I forgot about the divorce. I'm so sorry, Mr. Lu! I didn't mean to!"

"It's fine. It's already passed," Charles said, forcing a bitter smile.

Dr. Scott asked again, "Is she taking care of the kids?"

Charles told him, "Yes, she is the guardian of our two kids, but Shirley was at the Dream Garden today to visit, so..."

"Oh, I see. What a pity..." Dr. Scott shook his head regrettably and then left.

Watching Dr. Scott leave, Charles felt mixed emotions arise in his heart.

When he went back to Shirley's room, he caught sight of how pale Shirley was. He couldn't help but feel guilty all over again.

She'd always been healthy when she was with her mom. Just barely half a day with him, and here she was at the hospital. He was such a bad father!

As he indulged in his regret, he noticed Shirley stir a bit. It looked like she was going to wake up soon.

He moved toward her and held her hand. He asked, rather anxiously, "Shirley, dear, how are you feeling?"

Shirley slowly opened her eyes. She stared at Charles, looking perplexed as if she didn't know where she was and what she was doing here. After a while, she asked, "Daddy, where am I? What am I doing here?"

Charles reached out to caress her cheek and answered softly, "Dear, you're sick. It's my fault. I shouldn't have let you eat ice cream. Your stomach's pretty weak, and you have gastric colic. You passed out from the pain. It's my fault. I should have taken care of you, but I didn't..."

"Daddy, where's mom? I want mom! I want mom..." Shirley suddenly screamed. Whenever one was sick, it was normal to want to be with your mom or your family, especially for children. Shirley didn't even listen to what Charles had said. She just kept looking around the room, looking for her mom. When she couldn't find her, she started throwing a tantrum.

It broke Charles' heart. He nudged closer to her and said in a calm voice, "Mom's coming! She's on her way here. Don't worry, okay? Listen to me, if you close your eyes and rest well, mom will be here when you wake up."

"No! I want her now! I want my mom now!" Suddenly, Shirley supported herself up with her arms. However, she was having an infusion, so when she moved, the needle promptly got displaced, causing the infusion flow to stop.

Charles' eyes widened in fear upon seeing this. He pressed Shirley back on the bed and said, "Shirley, please be a good girl. I'll call your mom right now and ask where she is. Please don't move as much anymore, or the needle will hurt you."

Shirley was also scared of blood, so she fearfully looked at her swollen hand and didn't dare to move. She bit her lower lip as tears started streaming down her face. Charles felt as if someone had stabbed him in the heart. Even his own daughter didn't like him. What else could he do? This was his fault.

When Shirley had calmed down, he released her and took his phone out. He then called Sheryl right away.

At that moment, Sheryl had just arrived at the hospital. Her phone started ringing.

She was so worried and anxious that she didn't even check who was calling before she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Sher, where are you now?" Charles asked, trying to sound calm.

"Mom told me that Shirley's sick. How is she doing? I'm almost there," Sheryl answered urgently.

Charles couldn't help but be moved upon hearing that Sheryl still referred to Melissa as "mom." While he could tell that she was just in a hurry, he still felt touched. "Sher, don't worry. Shirley just woke up. She's looking for you. We're in room 1503."

"All right. See you soon," Sheryl said, hanging up the phone.