CHAPTER 3
A Promise to Her Father
The call ended after the man on the other end assured Xia Zhao that he would contact her again once they had verified the information she had provided. The moment the line went dead, silence filled the already silent street.
She lowered her phone and stared at the blank screen.
Her heart was beating faster than usual.
This was it.
If everything went well, she might finally have a chance to save her father. If it didn't...
She quickly pushed the thought away.
"I can't think like that" she whispered to herself.
She walked toward the street. After waiting a few minutes, a yellow taxi was passing by and she waved at the taxi to stop.
"Where to?" the driver asked.
"Washington General Hospital."
As the taxi slowly moved to the more populated part of Washington, D.C. Xia leaned against the window, absentmindedly watching the city pass by.
People laughed as they walked along the sidewalks.
Children played in nearby parks.
Office workers hurried home after another long day.
To everyone else, life continued as normal.
For Xia, every passing second felt like another step toward losing the only family she had left.
She tightly gripped the necklace around her neck,the necklace had the pendent with the picture of her father and the picture of herself on it . It was given to her at her eighteenth birthday
"Please..." she whispered. "Just hold on a little longer."
---
Washington General Hospital stood several stories high, its bright white exterior reflecting the evening lights. Ambulances came and went through the emergency entrance while nurses hurried through the automatic doors.
After paying the driver, Xia stepped inside.
The familiar smell of disinfectant instantly filled her nose.
She approached the reception desk.
"I'm here to visit Hao Zhao." Xia said
The nurse typed a few things into the computer before giving Xia a sympathetic smile.
"Room 314. Follow me."
Xia thanked her and followed silently.
As they walked through the long hallway, she noticed how crowded the hospital had become.
Patients occupied nearly every room.
Some slept peacefully.
Others cried quietly while family members comforted them.
Machines beeped continuously, reminding everyone how fragile life truly was.
Eventually, they stopped in front of Room 314.
The nurse hesitated before speaking.
"I'm sorry... your father's room had to be changed."
Xia frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The payments for the private room stopped last week. We had no choice but to transfer him to a shared ward." The nurse explained
For a brief moment, anger surged through Xia.
She wanted to argue.
She wanted to scream.Her father deserved better than this.But she knew the hospital wasn't at fault.They had simply done what they had to do.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded.
"I understand."
The nurse gently opened the door before walking away.
---
The room held four hospital beds.
Three were occupied by elderly patients connected to various medical devices.
On the bed closest to the window lay her father.
Once a tall, hardworking man with broad shoulders and endless strength, he now looked frighteningly thin.
His cheeks had sunk inward and his skin looks pale.
Several machines surrounded his bed, each one producing steady electronic beeps.
Transparent tubes carried medicine into his frail body.
Xia felt her chest tighten.
This wasn't the father she remembered.
She remembered the man who used to carry her on his shoulders through crowded festivals.
The man who laughed loudly whenever she beat him at board games.
The man who worked double shifts just to give her a better life.
Now...
He could barely move.
"Baba..."
Her voice trembled as she gently knocked on the open door.
Hao slowly opened his tired eyes. The moment he recognized her, a weak smile spread across his face.
"Xia..."
His voice was barely above a whisper. How are you, baby?"
His familiar Asian accent brought tears to Xia's eyes.She forced herself to smile.
"I'm fine, Baba." She replied as she walked closer to his bed.
She pulled a chair beside the bed and carefully held his hand.It felt colder than usual.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.Finally, Xia broke it.
"I have a plan Father . One that can change our lives. "
Hao slowly looked at her.
"I found a company that's hiring."
"They're offering more money than I've ever seen."
His eyes showed concern.
His fingers weakly squeezed hers.
She smiled confidently despite the fear hiding inside her.
"I'll save you baba, I promise"
She leaned closer.
"Everything will go back to normal,We'll eat dinner together again,We'll celebrate your birthday,We'll be a family again,I promise."
Tears slowly rolled down Hao's cheeks.
He opened his mouth to reply.
"N-no..."
But before he could finish, he suddenly began gasping for air.The heart monitor sped up,his breathing became uneven.
"Baba!"
Xia immediately stood.
A nurse rushed into the room.
"It's alright," she said calmly while adjusting one of the machines.
After several tense moments, Hao's breathing slowly returned to normal.
The nurse sighed in relief.
"He needs to rest."
Xia nodded.
"I understand."
She looked back at her father.
"It's okay, Baba."
"You don't have to say anything."
She gently wiped the tears from his face.
"I already know."
She stood and slowly walked toward the door.
Just before leaving, she turned around one last time.
Her father had already drifted back to sleep.
"I love you, Father."
The words barely escaped her lips before fresh tears blurred her vision.
Without another word, she quietly left the ward.
---
She got outside the hospital bed sat alone on a nearby bench for several minutes.
Her emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
She wanted to cry,she wanted to give up she wanted everything to go back to normal.
But every time those thoughts appeared...
She remembered her father's smile.
"No."
She wiped away her tears.
"I'm not giving up, my father needs me "
About thirty minutes later, Xia unlocked the door to her small apartment. After her father was diagnosed he was involuntarily hospitalised and detained, he couldn't continue working and the bills pilled up Xia had to move to a smaller apartment.
The room was containing a bed on one corner, a wooden desk stood next to a small window and an old lamp placed on top several papers containing unpaid bills.
A small refrigerator hummed quietly in the background.
She tossed her bag onto the bed before opening the fridge.
Inside was only a half-finished pizza she had ordered that morning and a bottle of water.
She sighed.
"I definitely need that job."she thought
Without a microwave, she ate the pizza cold.
Even though she was tired her thoughts still remained fixed on the mysterious company.
Who exactly were DEM Corporation and Stark Bio-Scientific Industries?
Why were they offering such high pay?
Why did they specifically want applicants that are willing to relocate?" Questions filled her mind
Yet every answer led back to one person.
Her father.If this job could save him...
Then nothing else mattered.
She finished eating before checking her phone.
No missed calls.
No new emails.
She refreshed her inbox.
Still nothing.
Minutes became hours.
She remained seated beside the desk, staring at her phone, hoping it would light up.
Eventually exhaustion overtook her.
Her eyelids became heavier.
The phone slipped from her hand onto the bed.
Within moments...
Xia Zhao fell asleep. A few minutes later her phone lit up receiving an email .