Simon (Ariel's father)

We had been looking for my baby girl nonstop, and we still had no clue where she was. I should have felt something was wrong with my baby girl, but I was oblivious. The guilt and worry were eating me alive. Was she okay? Was she still alive? These thoughts have dominated my thoughts for almost two months, and there has been no change. Ariel, baby girl, please be safe.

I sat on my bed next to my sleeping wife. She always cried and prayed and blamed herself for Ariel's disappearance. I kissed her forehead and put my head on my pillow, then darkness took over as soon as I closed my eyes for the first time in two months.

"Daddy! Daddy, help," I heard my young Ariel call from her room. She sounded like she was in agony. I left the coffee cup and rushed to her side. As I entered the room, I saw her coughing blood. My eyes widened, and I ran to her. She was crying in pain.

"What hurts, Ariel? Talk to me, baby girl!" I cupped her cheeks, and she was breathing heavily. I knew something was wrong, and the blood was not good.

"My chest hurts, daddy. It's burning! It hurts..." She sobbed then I carried her out of her room.

"Davin! Hunter! Rachel!" I called at the top of my lungs as I descended the stairs. They rushed to me with panicked expressions on their sleepy faces. It was two am, and I was awake because of my job and emails. They saw my baby girl, and their eyes widened.

"What's wrong? Ariel?!" Rachel grabbed Ariel's head and looked at her, worried and panicked.

Ariel looked at her mom with pleading eyes. "My chest hurts-" she didn't finish her sentence because she was coughing too loud. Again, she coughed blood. That was never a good sign.

"There is blood," Hunter yelled, and Davin rushed to grab the car keys.

"I'll drive us to the hospital, come on," Davin said, and we went to the hospital. At that point, Davin didn't care about the speed limit, and a police car chased us. Once we got to the hospital grounds and got out of the vehicle, the policeman ran to us, ready to yell. However, when he saw Ariel and the blood, he didn't utter a word and let us through.

As we entered the hospital, Davin yelled for help, and two nurses came to us with a gurney. I laid Ariel on it, and we rushed to the ER. "Please wait outside." A doctor came and shoved us away from the room.

We waited for four hours until the same doctor came out with a blank expression. It was hard to read. I felt anxious and worried. We stood up and waited for him to talk. "The O'Connor family, right?" he asked, and we all nodded, unable to speak. He sighed and looked at me. "She's alive, but I have unfortunate news for you. I made some examinations and tests on your daughter, and I found a big lung tumor, and it's cancer, I am afraid," he announced in a firm tone, and my knees buckled up.

"I'm sorry for you and her, but we must start treating her quickly because it can spread all over her body in no time. Since you are her family, we need to draw blood from you, and I assume you have the same blood type?"

"Davin and Hunter are a match," Rachel said, and the doctor nodded.

"Who's the father?" He asked, and I stood up and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"I'm her father, Simon O'Connor." I shook his hand, and he nodded.

"I'm doctor Matthew Ryder. I'll be the one to treat her, so I need you to help and collaborate with me," he requested, and I nodded.

"Is there any chance of us losing her?" Davin asked in a shaky tone. We froze at his question, but he was right, we needed to know.

"At this stage, no. I'll do my best to make Ariel healthy again," the doctor assured us, and we sighed in relief.

"Can we see her?" Hunter and Rachel asked at the same time.

"Yes, and you can take her home. For now, we will start the treatment next week on Thursday," he replied, and we ran to her room. I knocked on the door, and we heard Ariel's soft reply inviting us in. We entered to see her smiling at us. Oh, baby girl.

Rachel ran and hugged her real tight. "Baby, we are glad you are okay now, but... I'm sorry, we have to tell you something," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Mom, I know. The doctor told me. Don't worry, I won't die. I will fight for my life." Ariel commented in a humorous tone. We chuckled, but then silence dominated the room.

"Let's go home." Hunter was the one to break it.

"I can?" Ariel asked, looking surprised.

"Yes, Bluer, you will start your treatment next week," Davin replied, and with that, we went home.

~~~

It had been two days since the hospital. I returned from work earlier than usual because Ariel was alone in the house. I walked to the living room and called for her, but I did not get any reply. I looked into the kitchen and her room but didn't find her.

I felt petrified and scared, like something hit me in the heart. I ran through the whole house calling her name until I found her lying on the bathroom floor, with blood coming from her mouth. Again.

"Ariel!" I held her head and called her again; her pulse was slow. She was unconscious. She did not move, so I called the emergency line, then I called Rachel, Davin, and Hunter. I said three words to all of them, and they rushed back.

After ten minutes of waiting, an ambulance arrived simultaneously with Rachel, Davin, and Hunter. When they saw her, they panicked. They were petrified. "Bluer, wake up!" Davin called for her, but she did not respond.

The paramedics took her to the ambulance. Rachel and I went with her, and Davin and Hunter were behind us in Davin's car. After we arrived at the hospital, doctor Matthew was waiting for us outside. "We will take care of it now. You can wait," he told us, and we stayed in the waiting room for more than five hours.

Then her door opened to reveal a happy doctor Matthew. "How is she?" Rachel asked.

"She is fine. She will be great after we begin her treatment tonight. We have to begin this early to control it. So from now on, she will be staying in the hospital until she recovers," the doctor explained, and I let out a breath that I did not know I was holding.

"Oh, thank God," Davin whispered, and Hunter smiled. "Thank you, doctor."

We began her treatment in the following months, and she was entirely healed.

I woke up and saw that I was alone in bed, I looked at the clock, and it said 11 AM. Wow, I slept a lot. No wonder Rachel is not here or anybody else.

I sat on my bed, thinking of my baby girl.

Where are you, Ariel?

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