Santa's Daughter | ✓|Book One| ❅ (2015)

Chapter Twelve

I frantically rushed to the scene in the lounge . This brought back bad memories when Gina had cancer. The falls, the hairs all over the floor, it came flooding back.
I see mum looking traumatised and a half unconscious, confused Dad lying on the floor, near the stool which was facing the tall bookshelf.
"Oh my word!", I shrieked as I rush to him.
"Are you okay? Do you remember anything?" I hold up three of my fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
He didn't answer. He just groaned, his left arm pointed to his twisted leg and his right arm rubbing his stomach.
"I don't know what is going to happen.", Mum said, almost crying. "He has a disease in his liver. After drinking all that coke! Oh dear, what do we do?"
Two elves entered the room, and gasped at Dad. They exchanged worried looks to each other, and didn't say a word. They are not very verbal, but they talk once or twice a day or two. They whispered to each other, and rushed out the room. Two minutes later, they returned with about ten other elves, and lifted him up with two arms. They placed him in a net, and carried him out of the room. Mum got up to follow them, but one shook his head and silently told her to say behind whilst they fix him and closed the door. Mum sat near the door, and cried. I sat with her.
"Don't cry, Mum."
She cried harder.
"Oh Mum'"
She sniffed.
"You know he's dying."
"Yes. He's sick. For a long time now. Liver disease?"
"Yes. All that coke! This is my fault."
I groaned. "You didn't know that this would happen."
She sighed. "You're right. But I still feel responsible."
"Nonsense! I don't understand how drinking too much coke can give you liver disease anyway."
"Oh. It's much too complicated back in the day."
I nudged her. "He will survive the fall."
"It's a sign. That he is going soon."
"How did he fall anyway?"
"He was perfectly fine, but then I heard a loud thump and he was lying on the floor, motionless."

A few hours later, we rushed to the first aid room, and found the elves looming disappointed and Dad losing his breath.
"What's happened?", Mum asked, anxiously.
The eleves sighed in unison, and shook their heads, looking down.
"Oh come on. Tell me. He will survive. Right?"
They continued to look down.
One stepped forward and looked up at us, and cleared his throat.
"Terrible news, madam. He hasn't got long."
"Excuse me?"
"Mam, he's dying. This definitely will be his last Christmas. He might not make it to next year."
Mum broke down crying.
"No! Not my husband! No!"
They looked down again, and left the room.
Mum looked over to him. He was half asleep, and was quite pale. It was hard for me to see him suffer so badly.
"I'm sorry.", she said and dashed out the room, crying and drowning in her tears.
I walked over towards him. "Hello."
He smiled. He smiled ever so warmly. We talked for quite a bit, about almost everything, he even had the nerve to bring up my budding romance with Jake Daniels.
Finally, he claimed that he was tired. I walked towards the door, but then he grabbed my hand.
"Promise me something.", he said, weakly.
His weak voice brought tears to my eyes.
"Promise me that you will take over the north pole, and take Christmas to a whole new level. Can you do that?"
I nodded, tears running from my eyes.
"Yes, Santa Claus.", I said. "I promise."