闪电算

“Not at all, Mom, it’s incredibly romantic. We, as a family, could bask in the sun at the sea, and I’ll navigate the ship. We’ll let Dad see this beautiful world one last time. I could sing for him again. He’s always loved my singing. We can take photos, another family portrait…”

The more Ye Xingguang spoke, the more she smiled. But by the end, her tears blurred her vision entirely, making her unable to see anything clearly.

She diligently wiped away her tears.

Struggling, Bai Lanwu got up, off of the bed and urged her, “Let’s go to you father, pack his things and arrange for his discharge. We’re bringing your father home, today.”

As Ye Xingguang wipe her incessant tears and nodded, she supported her mother from the emergency room to the nephrology department in another building. With every step she took, her heart felt as if it was being scorched.

Her mother’s steps were even smaller, she knew that in choosing to end her father’s treatment and insisting on taking him home, her mother must’ve experienced excruciating pain.

But, they didn’t have any other options. They could only act on their decision; taking her father home, not wishing his last remaining days be spent in a hospital. They wanted to bring him to the beach, let him see familiar places, let him feel the wind, gaze upon the sea….

No matter the walk back to the wards, there will always come a point when it ends.

The both of them stood before the white line marking the entrance to the nephrology ward but didn’t cross it.

Crossing the line might mean the end for her father.

Both of them stood quietly before the white line, unsure of how much time passed. Then, a bodyguard strolled over to them and said, “Miss Ye, Ma’am, why are you two still standing here? Dr. Bo is looking for you. He wants to take your father to get scanned and diagnose a new treatment plan.”

“What do you mean, wasn’t Dr. Bo arranging my father’s discharge?”

The bodyguard said, “Just now, Dr. Bo and the team of specialists brought over by Junqing reassessed your father’s condition. They discovered his condition may have improved slightly. They’re going to conduct CT scans, an ultrasound, an MRI and when the results are out, they’ll establish a new treatment plan. I was standing right there and heard everything. They’re saying your father may have a chance.”

“Really?”

Ye Xingguang let out an incredulous shout.

The bodyguard nodded, “Dr. Bo is currently looking for you to take your father to get the MRI. The MRI might be on the second floor of No.4 Building.”

Ye Xingguang heard the news as if it were sweet music, but she dared not believe it. Excitedly she rushed into the doctor’s office to talk Dr. Bo, who was behind his desk doing research.

Before she reached him, she asked him, “Dr. Bo, is it true? There is hope for my father? Is this true?”

Dr. Bo nodded, “Don’t get too worked up, your father’s condition isn’t as bad as we were initially led to believe. His blood glucose, blood pressure, oxygen saturation are all showing signs of stability. Perhaps it was a misdiagnosis on my part. First, take your father to get the scans. I need to look at the new results.”

Ye Xingguang was simultaneously ecstatic and furious, “How could you misdiagnose such a critical matter? You’re a leading expert in the medical community!”

Dr. Bo looked embarrassed; he certainly hadn’t expected such circumstances either. It felt like a miracle.

Ye Xingguang had no time to be angry. She turned around and ran back. When she returned to the ward, Junqing wasn’t there, but she found her mother sitting by her father’s bed, holding her father’s hand. Mother and father locked eyes, their expressions filled with unshed tears. Words stuck in their throats.