The Hide and Seek Game That Lasted a Lifetime novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Not long after, I found myself being wheeled back into the cold, sterile hospital once again. The harsh gleam of medical instruments brushed against my fragile body, their metallic chill sending shivers through me. Around me, a sea of white coats moved in a blur—doctors, nurses, and staff bustling about with urgent purpose.

“Look at this child… she’s lost an eye. So pitiful,” someone murmured nearby.

“Whose little girl is this? So young, yet suffering so much pain. Where are the parents? They don’t seem to care,” another voice whispered judgmentally.

“Oh my God, I can’t even bear to watch. Her skin is covered in wounds—was she abused?” The crowd’s whispers grew louder, their eyes flicking toward me with a mixture of pity and suspicion.

Dad stood close by, his face clouded with a mix of embarrassment and helplessness. He wanted to silence their cruel murmurs, to defend me fiercely, but he felt powerless—he had no right to scold them. After all, every scar, every bruise on my body was a direct consequence of their neglect and mistakes.

Mom said nothing. She simply gazed at me with quiet sorrow, tears spilling from her swollen, bloodshot eyes, tracing silent paths down her cheeks.

The doctor glanced at me with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Didn’t you refuse further treatment?” he asked, his tone edged with disbelief.

“Why bring her in again now?” he questioned, turning to Dad.

Dad’s expression stiffened, a cold dread creeping into his chest. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice shaky.

The doctor beckoned him toward the doorway with a wave of his hand. “This little girl… she doesn’t have much time left.”

A violent tremor shook Dad’s body. Without thinking, he grabbed the doctor by the collar, his voice roaring with fury, “What kind of doctor are you? How can you just tell a parent their child is dying like it’s nothing?”

“If you don’t want to treat her, then get out of my hospital,” the doctor snapped back.

Their heated exchange drew the attention of everyone nearby. The doctor’s face hardened. “I’m busy and don’t have time for this. The test results were handed to you long ago. We even gave the report to your daughter. It’s a malignant tumor, and by now, it’s probably spread throughout her body.”

The word “tumor” hit Dad like a punch to the gut. He swayed, struggling to stay upright.

“How could I not know? When did this happen?” he demanded, panic rising in his voice.

Suddenly, Mom let out a heart-wrenching scream. She dropped to her knees beside me, slapping her own face repeatedly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“It’s all my fault! I killed my daughter!” she wailed. “If I hadn’t tormented her, if I hadn’t been so broken inside… she wouldn’t be like this.”

“I’m a sinner! A sinner!” she cried out, her voice raw with pain.

Soon, her cheeks were swollen and bruised from the relentless slapping. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, pooling on the cold hospital floor.

Dad’s heart felt as if it were being sliced apart. Red-rimmed eyes locked onto the doctor, desperate for any glimmer of hope. “There has to be a way. Please, I’m begging you—save her,” he pleaded, pressing his forehead to the ground in despair.

His voice cracked under the weight of unshed tears, choking on sobs he could no longer hold back.

The doctor shook his head slowly. “Transfer her to the ICU. We’ll do everything we can.”

He paused, his voice heavy with grim reality. “But you need to prepare yourselves… to accept the possibility of her passing.”