Thorny kind of Love

Chapter 22

Bell's POV

"Bell, I need you to calm down," Brian says. "Don't tell me to calm down, I have been trying to call you and no one's phone was on." I continue screaming into the phone. "Bell dad is gone." Gone? What did he mean gone? I'm confused and ask, "Gone where? And with who?" There's silence on the other end. "Brian answer me," I scream at him, he stutters while saying. "Bell.....dad passed away." I don't know what happened next accept I felt like I was falling into a never-ending dark hole, my body was shaking and my legs gave way under me, I couldn't see anything except darkness. I cannot remember how long I was in that state when I faintly heard a voice, the voice was getting louder, my phone was ringing, I hear someone answer it. "Yes, I'm here with her now." I recognize the voice, its Claudia, she continues, "Ok Brian, I'll let you know when we're on our way." She hangs up, rubs my face with a wet cloth, and says, "Bell, can you stand up, or wait just here, I'm going to get Chantal." She leaves. This is a horrible nightmare, I tell myself. My dad is safe at home, I try to get up, I need to go home and check up on my dad, I tell myself. My legs wobble and give way again, I start shivering and somewhere in my soul, I can feel the reality of the nightmare.

By the time Chantal and Claudia arrive, my top is soaked with my tears, they manage to lift me and help me walk to Chantal's car, Claudia grabs my bag and gets in with us, I am sitting in the back seat and stare out of the window, we drive past Klaas Plaas and I become overwhelmed with emotion, tears running down my face, that was the farm my dad had worked all his life, I catch a glimpse of the little wooden table that we would sit by when I would bring him lunch. I have so many questions to ask Brian, what happened and why didn't he contact me the minute something was wrong with my dad, I should have been there by his side.

As we drive into the hospital parking lot, Claudia calls Brian and lets him know we're outside. I'm slightly confused, did my dad die in a cold hospital, what happened to him? I ask myself. Claudia helps me out of the car as Chantal leaves to find a parking space. I hear my phone ringing, its Ben, I decline the call. Brian walks over to us just as Chantal joins us, I want to ask all the questions I had in my head, but start sobbing uncontrollably as Brian embraces me. Brian explains that sometimes through the early hours of yesterday morning, my dad was having bad pains in his back, and by the 09h00 am it became worse, Brian and his wife Ellaine had spent the whole day and night with my dad at the hospital, their children were with Ellaine's mother. Being in a hurry to get my dad to a hospital, they forgot to bring chargers. "Our phones were nearly flat when we arrived at the hospital, that's why our phones were off, one of the day securities lent me a charger this morning," Brian confirms he further tells that after they admitted my dad into a ward, to monitor him, he and Ellaine fell asleep on the bench outside of the ward, constantly checking upon him. Brian said he seemed fine the last he checked and my dad told him not to worry me with this and that he will be discharged in the morning. Sometime during the early hours of this morning, the doctors were rushing him into theatre saying that they need to operate urgently. I cry with Brian and we console one another as he continues telling me, "They said the operation was too late because by the time they started to operate they noticed that a blood clot in one of the main vein and had cut off blood supply therefore most of his organs had collapsed."

Everything becomes too much for me and as I'm sobbing, Chantal holds me, sympathizes, and lets me know that I can take the next few days off and if I need any help with the funeral arrangements I should ask her. After a while, they allow me to see my dad before his body goes to the morgue. I am left alone in the room with him, I sit down on the chair next to his bed and take his cold hand in mine. My dad looks like an angel asleep, his face is white, and he looks peaceful. I tell him of Ben, how he made me feel and the love I had for him, I tell my dad of how he broke my heart today, I start crying, "You were the only one that never hurt me daddy and now you're gone." I start shaking and cry my heart out until. I feel the doctor's hand on my shoulder and I know that they going to remove him.