Bound by a Red String of Fate

Chapter 2

Watching the contents in the syringe slowly reducing, I hold my breath and pray that I have made it in time. The deafening tone of a still heart engulfed the room in fear and panic.

Fear of my father losing his life. Panic for not making it in time.

I felt my eyes watering and removed the syringe gently.

Breathe. In. Out. BREATHE RISSA.

I gripped Dad's fingers tightly as I let my tears flow freely. Why me? Of all people, why Dad? Why did I go out for coffee? I should have stayed at home. I could have saved him. Now he's-

Beep. Beep. Beep.

It's Dad's pedometer. It's beeping. Dad's alive. He's alive.

"JOEY!"

"Coming!"

I scoot aside for Joey to do her work. She starts feeling around Dad's chest and checking for a stable heartbeat.

"Rissa, you did remove all poison from Uncle's body right? Clear of any toxins whatsoever?"

"Yeah. I'm quite sure of that. Dad's fingers are not that swollen anymore, see. And the red spots on his chest have faded quite a bit too. He's not convulsing anymore. That has got to be a good sign, Joey."

Joey continued her check-up on Dad. But when she shined her torch into Dad's eyes, she froze. I stood ramrod still.

No. It can't be. NO. NO.

"His right eye is not responding."

I rush to the other side of the bed and see, sure enough, that Dad's right eye was slightly murky and did not respond to the light. No, it's just a trick of light. I must not have seen his iris becoming smaller.

"Joey, do it again. I can't see clearly."

Joey sighed and bit her lip.

"Marissa. You saw it yourself. Uncle's right eye can't react to light anymore. In a sense, he can't use his right eye anymore. He's partly blind. I'm sorry."

My world came crashing down. I crumpled to the floor as anguished cries filled room. What should I tell Mom? How can I face her? I caused this. Dad's half-blind and it's all my fault. He can't fight as well as before. He has to quit the enforcers. No, that's his dream. His life, his career and I took it away from him.

Tears flowed freely down my face as my heart grew heavy with pain.

"Rissa. Marissa. MARISSA LANGFORD," Mick shouted at me while shaking my shoulders, "It is NOT your fault, okay? None of it is. He's alive. He's not going down in a casket and that is because you, his daughter, saved him. You pulled him from Death's Door and held on tight. It was an accident. No one wished for this. No one wanted this. Not me, not him and certainly not you. At the very least, he's ALIVE. He still has a long way to go and that's because of you. You saved him. If you didn't come back in time, who knows what could have happened. He would lose more than his sight. His life. So breathe and know that you did your best and saved your dad." Mick let go of my shoulders and patted my back.

"Now, go outside and tell your mom that you saved dad." He pushed my back gently.

Opening the door slowly, I took deep breaths and calmed myself down. I can't let mom see me like this.

"Marissa!"

I felt arms wrap around me and hugged me tightly. Hands rubbing my back soothingly. The scent of honey and home. Mom. I hugged her just as tight and let my tears fall freely.

"He's alive. Dad's alive."

A relived cry reached my ears.

"Thank god. Rissa. Thank god."

We stayed like that for a while, just giving each other comfort and consoling each other. I pulled away and asked, "But, Mom, what happened? How did Dad get poisoned by one that I created? And a poison that was still under testing?"

Now thinking clearly, I find it strange that Dad got in contact with my poison that I was still researching on. I keep those without an antidote under lock and key. Only a few people know where it is. My family of three, Mick and Joey.

"He opened it, didn't he? Saying that I don't wipe the inside and it's getting dusty. And with a swish of a hand the poison fell to the ground, didn't it?" I run my fingers through my hair, clearly frustrated with my deduction.

Mom slowly met my eyes. "I'm guessing that's what happened. I was in the kitchen making dumplings for dinner but I realised that your father has been down there for a while. So, I went to check on him but he was already lying on the floor with foam coming out of his mouth. I panicked and reached for the emergency phone and called for help. Then I called you. And here we are."

Sigh. Why did you do this Dad? It's not safe down there. Why did you-

"Miss Langford. The police are here to see you."

/AUTHOR'S PEEKABOO/

So yea, I updated one more chapter today cause it felt like I suddenly had a burst of ideas and have currently planned quite far in the story. I update slow because I think a lot about the plot, the characters, the message that I want to portray and editing all at the same time. I believe that things happen for a reason and that is how Marissa Langford thinks. Just another clarification, I am not in the health industry whatsoever. I'm an accountant. AHAHAHAA. So, any of you medical practitioners out there read this story feel free to tell me the correct terms and what not. And I have currently decided not to state the races of the characters in my story. CURRENTLY. It might change in the near future. Bai

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-Jin