A Melody of You: Book Five

Emma

I've been avoiding Danny and Alex. I can't deal with the tension and the sad eyes. I can't even deal with my own emotions at this moment.

So I stay home and take care of my father instead. The world is silent as I watch him sleep in peace and I know nothing else but his well being when I help him get up from bed. At his post surgery consult, he warmly put an arm around my shoulders when I came back from fighting the receptionist for making us wait an hour already.

His dark eyes were bright and his grin was childish as he put a kiss on my temple. "I'm the luckiest man alive with the women in my house. You, especially, my dear Emma, are a gift only meant for me. I love you more, hm? Don't forget. Not any nice boy or smart man with the computers. I am the best!"

I laughed at his words and leaned in his embrace. In that moment, I had no worries. There wasn't anything bothering me anymore. Everything seemed almost perfect.

Leanne arrived a little bit late to the appointment, but they let her in right away when she showed her badge. She entered the room with a breathless smile and Dr. Enriquez did a wide smile at her arrival.

"Dr. Nam! I'm glad you joined us! I was just telling your sister and father that his stitches look very good!"

"That's good to hear," she gently said as she leaned on the wall by my chair. She gave my father on the patient bed a warm smile because she knew he was nervous. I was very nervous for him, too, as I moved in my chair.

The doctor continued to tell us about the mass he had found in there and could get out. He warned us about the post surgical symptoms he could have and that this hernia could come back. I furrowed my brows at this information and crossed my arms on my chest. "I hope you did a good job so the hernia doesn't come back."

Surprise ran through Leanne's expression and she gave my shoulder a hard squeeze as she gave the doctor a nervous chuckle. "She's nervous, too, Dr. Enriquez."

He did a gentle smile and nodded. "I understand. But I'm confident I did a good job on him. I just need to tell my patients of things that could happen later. I've only had one patient in all my years of work to come back with a hernia that has reappeared. Don't worry, Ms. Nam."

I scoffed and said, "Of course I worry. He's my father."

My father cleared his throat and his eyes told me to stop already. He was starting to get embarrassed of how overprotective I was, but I didn't care. I only looked away and let my blood stop sizzling as Dr. Enriquez ended the consultation. He looked at the medical assistant in the room and then at my sister. He did a small smile at our father and said, "Would you feel more comfortable if we had your daughter take out your staples?"

Without hesitation, our father nodded and we all did a small laugh. Leanne nodded and raised her brows at our father as the medical assistant quickly gave her gloves. "Don't regret your decision, Mr. Nam."

"I trust you have steady hands, Dr. Nam," my father playfully said as he gently laid back on the bed.

Leanne warmly looked at our father like he would with us every time he took us to bed when we were children and then took the materials from the medical assistant. "Please stay near so I can put the staples on the bag."

"Yes, Doctor," she said as she got in position on the other side of the bed and held the bag open.

Leanne lifted our father's shirt and I winced at the awful image of the long line of bruised staples. But Leanne did not seem bothered at all and kept a quiet expression as she began to take out the staples. Dr. Enriquez stood by my side with a proud smile and said, "She's quick and gentle. Maybe you should come work as a medical assistant, Dr. Nam."