THREE

Vida walked back to the room with James tailing her; she did not want to have the conversation there in the open, so she asked him to follow her. "What does the doctor mean by a second heart attack?" she asked as soon as she heard the door close. "Does that mean that there was a first one? If there was a first one, then why was nothing done about it? Why did you and all the medical staff allow it to degenerate this way? What was the problem?" she ranted, the words pouring from her mouth all at once. She was not sure but everyone seemed too relaxed for the state her father was in.

"Ms. Van Allen," James said in a relaxed tone, and it seemed as if she was right about it.

"Why on earth does everyone seem so relaxed? My father is..." she trailed off, pointing to him as she turned her head, and the sight of all the machines sticking to him broke her heart. "Lying there like that, you seem too relaxed."

"Mr. Van Allen is just fine; he has received medical attention and is already responding to treatment." It sounded like good news, but it was certainly not what she wanted to hear. She did not know the kind of comfort she needed now, but she knew she needed some.

"If he is fine, then why is he lying in that bed like that? A fine man should be up and about his daily activities and not confined to a bed like an invalid."

James almost broke into a smile; it had been a while since he heard anyone speak like her. 'She sure was different from others,' he thought to himself.

"I need you to explain this minute what happened," she demanded. James knew there was no escape for him; she would press until she got all the answers she needed.

"Your dad had a heart attack about a week ago; when I asked him if I should call you, he said it was not a big deal and it was just his body's way of telling him that he was getting older; I could not reach out to you for that reason." James knew he might get the blame for not telling her so he decided to explain so she knew he tried his best.

"And then what did the doctor say?"

"They told him that he needed to be placed on bed rest and observation for at least two weeks, but he said that he needed to get to work and he was fine, so he left the hospital even after medical advice."

Vida took a long breath after hearing that, of course, her father had to act that way. "That stubborn old man," she exclaimed. When her father asked her why she was so stubborn, she always knew she inherited it from him.

She went to his side and pushed back the locks of hair from his face. "And he had another heart attack yesterday," James finished.

"And what did the doctor say was wrong?" She asked and then she realised that the doctor had implied that she was his guardian. "The doctor was saying something about his guardian and..." She stopped when the door opened and a man who seemed to be in the same age group stepped into the room.

He was holding a bouquet of white flowers. He walked as if he were familiar with the environment; she stared at his face and there was no denying he was good-looking. His face was a perfect fit alongside everything on it. His jawline was perfectly sculpted, and his nose was the right size for his face. If this were any other circumstance, she would have commented on how good he looked, but seeing a random handsome stranger in her father's hospital room was not doing her any good.

"Who is this?" she said gently as she turned to James.

"I am standing right here; you can ask me that," he said. He set the flowers into the vase by the head side of her father. "I am Axel Manchester," he said, stretching his hand to her.

Instead of taking his hand, she turned to James and lifted her eyes to him. "And who is he?"

"He is the one who has been helping your father out. He and your father have a close relationship."

"How come I have never heard of you then?" This time her words were directed to Axel, who stood with his hands in his trousers since she had not taken her hand.

"Your father must have not spoken of me then," he replied with a cocky smile.

"Here, Mr. Manchetser, you can sit," James said, acting all cosy with him. She did not know him, but she already did not like him.