Break Wall

Dead

(10 years ago)

"Once the nature of the broken bone is established, then reperfusion will take place." The doctor said, calming Julia down, and going into the emergency room. Julia had her face buried in her arms when her daughter, Ophelia, hugged her. The hospital lights were dim, and all Julia could do was focus on the white tiles below her feet.

She tried to remain strong for her daughter,  but Ophelia knew very well, how her mother felt. "It will be okay," Ophelia said tonelessly, her voice hushed and low. This was an attempt to comfort her mother, and she didn't know if her mother heard it. The five year old knew that lying was a bad habit, and she knew that her vague attempt to comfort her mother lay on one shaky line. She had promised her mother it would be okay, but somehow she knew that it wouldn't be okay. Some part of her told her that this was the time to encapsulate her father's warm smile, the time to lock it away in a vault. She was feeling broken. Shattered. Thinking of her father, she started crying feebly. 

The ticking of the clock was too loud for Ophelia, and all she wanted to do was stare out of the window at the blue and magenta skies when suddenly, the emergency room's door opened and the doctor came out, brow glistened in sweat and cheeks red from working too hard.

"Mrs. Holden?" The doctor clicked his tongue and turned to Ophelia's mother.

"Yes?" Julia said looking up to him with red, puffy eyes, probably understanding the reason of the doctor's sad expression mask, but refusing to accept it. Ophelia looked up at the doctor, her eyes full of gleaming hope. She read the label. It said, Dr. Smith Magnus, PhD.

"Can I see my dad? Is he okay?" Ophelia just wanted to go inside, and hug her father, stroke his light brown hair.

"No my dear, you cannot see him. Cause your dad,"- He paused and looked at Julia, unable to meet her eyes- "He is now in heaven." The doctor had broken the news, he had let go of the little hope Julia had been clinging too. Grief increasing the burden of her shoulders, Julia fell onto a chair, her face pale and her eyes redder than before. Her shirt was damp from cold sweat and her lips were white. She had her hand covering her mouth, while she kept muttering something between broken, audible sobs.

While Ophelia, knowing that the doctor meant her dad is dead, didn't shed a tear, because the last thing a mother would want to see was her kid crying. So Ophelia asked the doctor if she could go to heaven too. The doctor ruffled his hand through her chestnut hair, dug his hand into his coat pocket, and fetched her a rainbow lollipop. She smiled, thanked him, and started sucking on her lollipop, simultaneously biting back tears which threatened to fall.

Julia now had to run the business, take care of the factories, and raise Ophelia, alone. People told her to marry again, as it would be suitable, to have someone beside her. But Julia could not find a suitor. She ran the business for 2 years herself, took care of her daughter, who was now, by the grace of God, seven or eight years. It was obvious to Julia, that she needed rest and that she needed a man to take care of her business and her daughter after she was gone. There was a man who worked under Julia, who had greed for money on the inside, boiling up. He had done very well these days, Making business deals and contracts all over the world. In Spain, China, Chile, etc. Making great profit for the company. That guy was Ethan.

They soon got married and Ophelia sensed that something was wrong with this guy. She saw him going outside at late night, smoking and god knows what else. She tried to warn her mother, until one day, she found Julia lying there, dead.