SAVE ME

Ch#42 My little Dumbhead

Ch#42 My little Dumbhead

Two weeks have passed and Ellis hasn't regained consciousness yet. The stab being from a blunt knife which Dave had used quite a lot many times caused an infection deep within and internal bleeding as well. He had lost a lot of blood by the time he reached the hospital. The doctor even had to perform a surgery to repair the damaged tissues within. The infection worsened his situation. His vitals were unstable, his condition was critical. We were all worried to death.

Yohan, Beth, myself and Ellis' Dad stuck around in the hospital ever since he was admitted. We met him during the visiting hours and stayed outside the remaining time. We were also treated for the little injuries we received and Ashley was admitted as well. Tomorrow was her discharge.

"Hey. Did you meet Ashley?", Yohan inquired. His eyes had huge bags of dark circles, so did the others, including myself.

"Not yet. I'll go later after I meet Ellis", I replied.

As Ellis' dad, Mr.Edgar Walker, walked out of Ellis' room, I stood up for my turn to visit him. I walked into his room and sat beside him. Tears found its way as I looked at him. I breathed in and out to calm myself and wiped off my tears. I sat there for a couple of minutes and left the room. I did not have anything to say to him today.

"You came out early today", Mr.Edgar wondered.

"Yeah, I didn't know what to speak", I replied as I sat beside him.

"Yohan and Bethany went home. They told me to pass on the message. They said they'll be back soon", he informed and I nodded in response.

We sat in silence for a while. I kept glancing at him every few seconds. My mouth was itching to ask him something since the day I saw him. But I wasn't sure if it was the right time to ask him about it.

"I see you want to ask me something. Go ahead", he smiled. He had a beautiful smile, just like Ellis'.

"Do you hate your son?", I blurted for which I received a puzzled expression.

"What kind of a father would hate their children?", he questioned me in return. I smiled at him gratefully. At least he doesn't hate Ellis.

"But I've never been a good Dad to Ellis. I always discriminated between him and my other children. I didn't want to hurt my children because of him. I didn't want them to feel alienated. But I forgot that he is my child too and I ended up alienating him." He began narrating his side of the story while I keenly heard him out.

"I don't know if Ellis has told you this. His mother, Ellen, had him out of wedlock. Our short period of dating led to his birth. Instead of being happy and accepting her, I shunned her from my life. Her family too steered clear away from her. They considered her to have committed a sin in getting pregnant out of marriage. Ellen had to raise him all alone. And I...", he scoffed.

"I forgot about her and got married to Samara. We were happy with our children. But one day, little Ellis rang the bell of our house and stood outside on a rainy day with a letter in his hand. He was shivering. He was cold. The letter was from Ellen. She had mentioned that he is my son and that she is leaving him with me as she is not able to put a morsel into his belly. Her circumstances were so poor that she couldn't take care of him. I became angry at her. I wished she told me earlier that she was suffering financially. I would have helped her out", he sighed. I gave him his time to speak.

"I then took my son in, but my wife did not want it. She did not want him to grow up with her children. And to keep her happy, I showered him with despise. I locked him up in the basement of our house and never let him out. His food was never served to him directly. He was never even dropped to school. He either had to walk or take the bus to school. My heart hurt every time I did these. But as time passed by, I hardened myself to treat Ellis harshly. The little boy who always hoped that one day I would definitely look at him lovingly and give the affection he wants, stopped desiring any love from me. I do not have any excuses to give in the way I had to raise him. I feel ashamed that I could never give him the love which he always sought. I am such a terrible father", he wept. I gently patted his back to provide some sort of comfort. As he calmed down, I asked him about Ellis' enrollment in Stoneridge.

"Why did you enroll him in Stoneridge Academy?"

"My friend recommended it to me. I visited the Academy, checked out everything about it. I felt it would be a great centre to heal him. I knew about the struggles he had to go through during school years. I knew about his trust issues. After all, I am one of the major reasons for him to not trust people easily. If I would ask him directly to go to a rehabilitation center, he would outright refuse. Stoneridge Academy had the best provisions. I knew it would be the perfect place to heal him. Hence, I enrolled him there", he explained.

I felt happy. I was right. The parents who had their children enrolled in Stoneridge, did not really abandon them there. They wanted their children to heal, to be happy. And that is why my Dad too forced me to get enrolled into Stoneridge. He wanted me to get over my trauma and my nightmares. Parents really wish only the best for their children. No matter how crappy their care is, but deep within, no parent can hate their children and abandon them.

"Mr.Edgar, yes you were a terrible father. But you've still got a chance. Ellis is not going to die. He will fight. He will live. We have promised each other to not leave any of us stranded. He's not a person who would back out from his words. So trust your son and the doctors, of course, and redeem yourself. Be a Dad to him as well. All these years, you've made your wife happy. Now make your son happy", I voiced out my thoughts. He shot me a bright smile and patted my head.

"You are a good person, child. Thank you for staying by my son", he thanked me and I smiled at him as a response.

My little dumbhead, wake up already.