Tabitha's POV
Soon, the whole medical team came over.
"Tabitha, he needs emergency treatment immediately. Please make some room for us."
Dumbfounded, I was led out by Joanna.
Seeing me panicked, she anxiously said, "Tabitha, don't worry. I'm sure John will be fine. You have to take care. You're pregnant now."
I was torn between the two: my babies and my father.
The doctor had just warned me last night not to get too emotional, but I couldn't help but worry.
I anxiously stared at the door, and after a while, the doctor came out wiping his sweat.
I asked anxiously, "Is he okay?"
"Tabitha, don't worry. He's no longer in danger now."
The nurse handed the moonstone necklace set back to me. "Tabitha, John only lives till now because of his willpower. You can't let him lose his faith. He's taut like a bowstring. Once he lost his faith, he would utterly break down."
"I see. I will bear that in mind."
After the medical team left, I looked at the increasingly frail man on the bed, feeling uneasy.
I knew that I was being extremely selfish, but I felt it so hard to let Dad leave me.
"Dad, please stay with me. My babies are about to be born soon. You don't want them to grow up without a grandfather, do you?
"Last night, my belly ached for a long time, but luckily it was just a false alarm. The babies are fine. Dad, I'll be heartbroken if you're gone."
I chattered on and on by Dad's side for a long time, making sure his heart rate was normal before leaving the room.
'I'm sorry, Dad, but I just can't let you go,' I thought to myself.
Days turned into weeks as summer faded away into fall.
I stared blankly at the ginkgo tree in the yard, whose leaves were turning yellow.
Another year flew by so fast. So many things happened between Derek and me during this time.
Joanna draped a blanket over me gently and asked softly in my ear, "It's getting windy. Do you want to come in?"
I shook my head and said, "Not now. Let me sit for a while longer."
"Alright, the air outside is fresh. The weather forecast said it would rain in the next couple of days."
"I see," I replied, lazily lying on the recliner. It had been six and a half months since I got pregnant, and my belly had grown quite a bit, not to mention that I was expecting twins. I found it hard even just to have a walk.
"Ouch..." Having heard me moan, Joanna hurriedly looked at my belly. Under the sweater, the slight bulge of my lower abdomen was very obvious, with small bumps occasionally appearing.
"Did the babies kick you again?" asked Joanna. I smiled gently and replied, "It's the little girl. She's more lively and always bullying the other one."
"You were quite the lively one as a kid too, right?"
"Yeah. Even though I grew up in the Silver Moon Pack as the Alpha's daughter, Dad never put any strict rules on me. So basically, I grew up wildly and had a free childhood."
Before Mom left me behind, I had a happy time. I enjoyed climbing trees to pick cherries or secretly sneaking into the yard to pull out Dad's beloved orchids.
Back then, I was quite mischievous, but Dad never scolded me. Instead, he spoiled me rotten.
In fact, my childhood was happier than that of the majority of my peers.
"John is such a good father. If only he could come around soon..."
Having realized that she had just said something that would upset me, Joanna quickly covered her mouth. Dad now had lost a lot of weight, and his health was getting worse and worse.
I didn't even have the courage to see him during this period, for fear that excessive sadness would affect my babies.
I rubbed my big belly and said wistfully, "I'm craving cream of mushroom soup right now."
"Okay, I'll go and tell the kitchen. Just take your time to rest."
Looking at mushrooms sprouting under trees reminded me of those times when Dad took me mushroom hunting and cooked them up for dinner afterward.
Derek knew that I liked mushrooms, so every autumn after we became mates, he would pick fresh mushrooms and make soup for me.
As a leaf fell into my hand, I was reminded of the good old times. At that time, I thought that I must have been the happiest woman in the world.
I couldn't help giving a bitter smile.
Even before dinner time, Joanna brought a bowl of mushroom soup.
"That fast?" I asked and then I saw Joanna's eyes flickering. She then replied, "Well, just have it while it's hot. It will cool down very soon."
I took a sip and immediately realized what was going on. "Derek made this, right?"
"Alvin personally delivered the cream of mushroom soup. Alpha Derek always cares about you, and he ended his engagement with Daphne a long time ago."
"Is that so?" I was somewhat surprised, after all, Derek had previously assured me with great conviction that he had to marry Daphne. He said he had good reasons.
"Yeah, right after what happened to John, he released the message about the cancelation. Tabitha, you still cannot forgive him, right?"
I forced a bitter smile, replying, "No, I can't, Joanna. Don't easily trust a man, no matter how much you love him. Remember that you yourself are the most important. Otherwise, you will end up like me today."
"I..."
Joanna wanted to speak, but her phone suddenly rang, so she walked aside to answer the call.
I heard her urgent cry from outside the door. "How are you doing now? What happened?"