Dad collapsed

Mindy's birthday party had ended, and the clock had already struck midnight. She bid her friends farewell, a sense of responsibility nagging at her. She knew her lovely parents must be worried sick as she was now past her curfew time. It was her birthday party, and she didn't want anything to distract her from it, so she had left her phone in the car as Gloria had suggested.

She retrieved her phone from the center console, where she had left it, and was surprised to find ten missed calls from her mother. Mindy had a pretty good idea her mom would be upset, but this seemed excessive. She sighed deeply, preparing to call back and face her mother's wrath.

  Before she could dial, her phone rang, and her mother's name flashed on the screen. Mindy picked up, feeling a pang of guilt for keeping her parents worried.

"Hello, mom," she answered with an apologetic tone. "I was just about to call you. I know I'm late, and I'm really sorry. Please don't ground me..."

Grace, on the other end of the line, wasn't calling to scold her daughter for being late. Her mind had been preoccupied with the day's events, and she hadn't even noticed that it was past midnight.

"Mindy, something happened," Grace said with a stern tone that immediately shifted Mindy's expression from guilt to worry.

Mindy's heart skipped a beat at her mother's words. Whatever it was, she knew it must be serious because her mother rarely used such a tone.

"What is it, mom? What happened?" Mindy asked with a hint of panic in her voice.

"It's your father - he collapsed this afternoon, and we rushed him to the hospital," Grace revealed.

"Dad collapsed!? How did it happen!? He was perfectly fine when i left the house this morning!" Mindy exclaimed, her concern deepening.

"I'll explain everything when you get here. Right now, i need you to come to the hospital. Your siblings are here with me, and i want you to pick them up and drive them home."

"Which hospital? I'm on my way," Mindy replied urgently as she hung up the phone.

Arriving at the hospital after a tense thirty-minute drive, Mindy sprinted inside, her only focus to get to her family as quickly as possible. She encountered the hospital receptionist and couldn't wait for her to finish her usual formalities.

"I need to find my father. His name is Jacob Cullen," Mindy hurriedly explained.

The receptionist calmly checked through the records, but to Mindy, it felt like an eternity. She was running out of patience, her worry growing by the second. When the receptionist finally found her father's file, Mindy barely waited for her to finish speaking.

  "The patient is in room number 4- " the receptionist began, but Mindy had already dashed off in the direction she indicated.

Sighing, the receptionist put the file back and prepared to leave the hospital for the night.

Mindy found her mother waiting in the hospital corridor, her eyes filled with concern and relief as she rushed to embrace her.

"Mom," she whispered as she hugged her tightly.

After a brief moment, they pulled back, and Mindy looked at her mother, her eyes now filled with tears. "Mom, what happened to dad? Why did he collapse? He looked fine when i left."

"I don't know, dear. I was in the kitchen when it happened," Grace replied, her voice heavy with the weight of unspoken truths.

"But he's going to be okay now, right, mom?" Mindy asked, her tears flowing freely.

"He's going to be just fine," Grace assured her, although those words were as much for herself as they were for Mindy.

Mindy felt a rush of relief hearing those words. "Thank God," she murmured. "I was so scared, mom. I don't know what i would have done if something really happened to him."

Grace, gazing at her daughter, couldn't help but feel the same sentiment. As they embraced once more, her thoughts echoed Mindy's unspoken fear,  He's going to be just fine. I hope. Because, i don't know what i would do if i lost him.

As Mindy stood there, clinging to her mother, the hospital corridor seemed to stretch into an endless tunnel of worry and uncertainty. Her tears flowed freely, a silent expression of her love for her father. Grace held her daughter close, sharing in her distress, yet grappling with her own hidden burden.

Grace knew that she couldn't keep the truth hidden from Mindy for much longer. The weight of her secret pressed on her like an anchor dragging her into a sea of guilt. She had hoped to spare her daughter the pain, but she also knew that eventually, the truth would surface. For now, she needed to focus on supporting her family and navigating the uncertain waters of her husband's condition.

As they finally broke their embrace, Mindy wiped away her tears, her face etched with concern. "Mom, can i see dad now? I want to be there with him."

Grace nodded, her heart heavy with unspoken words. "Of course, dear. He's in room number 404, down the hall."

Mindy hurriedly walked down the corridor, her footsteps echoing in the quiet of the night. She approached the door of room number 404 with a mixture of hope and dread. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Her father, Jacob Cullen, lay in the hospital bed, his face pallid and gaunt. Machines hummed softly beside him, monitoring his vital signs. The room was bathed in a dim, clinical light, casting a stark contrast to the warmth of their home. Mindy's heart ached as she saw her father in this state, so vulnerable and frail.

She approached the bed slowly, her eyes never leaving his face. She reached out and gently held his hand, feeling the coolness of his skin. Tears welled up in her eyes once more as she thought of all the times her father had been there for her, his strong and reassuring presence.

  "Dad," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You're going to be okay. I'm here with you now."

Jacob's eyes fluttered open, and he managed a weak smile when he saw his daughter. His voice was  hoarse as he spoke, but it carried a deep well of love and gratitude. "Mindy... my girl... you're here."

Mindy felt a surge of emotion at the sound of her father's voice. She leaned down and kissed his forehead gently, the tears she had been holding back now flowing freely. "I love you, dad. We're going to get through this together."

Jacob reached up and brushed a tear from her cheek, his touch feeble but filled with affection. "You're my strength, Mindy. Always remember that."

In the midst of their emotional reunion, Grace stood in the doorway, her heart heavy with the knowledge that she couldn't keep the truth hidden any longer. She had to tell her daughter about the severity of her father's condition and the difficult road that lay ahead. It was a conversation she had been dreading, but one that couldn't be postponed any longer.

She entered the room and approached her husband and daughter, her eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and determination. "Mindy, there's something we need to talk about," she began, her voice trembling.

Mindy turned to her mother, her eyes searching for answers. "What is it, mom? What's wrong?"

Grace took a deep breath, her voice quivering as she spoke the words that would change their lives forever. "Your father... he has a serious heart condition, Mindy. The collapse was a result of that. We've been keeping it from you to protect you, but now, you need to know the truth."

Mindy's eyes widened in shock, her heart sinking at the revelation. The tears that had been flowing for her father now took on a new depth of meaning. "How... how serious is it, mom?"

Grace's gaze met her daughter's, and she could see the fear and uncertainty in Mindy's eyes. "It's... it's very serious Mindy. He needs a heart transplant, and we're waiting for a donor. The doctors are doing everything they can, but it's a difficult and uncertain process."

Mindy felt a wave of despair wash over her. She had always seen her father as a pillar of strength, someone who could overcome any challenge. Now, faced with the harsh reality of his condition, she felt a sense of powerlessness that she had never known before.

"Dad's going to make through this, right, mom?" Mindy asked, her voice trembling with fear.

Grace took her daughter's hand and squeezed it gently. "We're going to do everything we can to help him, Mindy. We'll face this together as a family, just like your father said."

Mindy nodded, her tears a mix of sadness and determination.

As the three of them sat in the dimly lit hospital room, their hearts heavy with the weight of the truth, they found solace in the strength of their love and their unwavering commitment to one another.