I woke up early in the morning and found the two getting shunned by their mom at the kitchen.
"Good morning…" I greeted.
"Morning!!" the two replied.
"Hon, I'll be going early to the lab today. Apparently, your dad wants to talk about something with me."
"Oh…I see. I hope I can visit him again this week. I wish he'll be fine. Send my regards." My wife said.
"Don't worry, Hon. He's surrounded by good doctors. Your dad's sickness will get cured eventually."
"I know."
"You going somewhere, Kyle?" Kara asked.
"Just somewhere. My friends asked to visit the new pool in the next city." Kyle replied.
"Oh, that one."
"You've heard of it."
"Yeah, my friend's bf works there for a part-time job."
"Oh.. I see."
"You better call me when you get there, Kyle." Mom said. "I just can't stop worrying."
"C'mon Honey. Don't be so strict with our little boy. He's a grown-up now, he's 14. And he's had his friends." I said.
"Mom, I'm fine. Dad's right. Besides, Carl's dad will drive us there." Kyle replied. "I know what to do.."
"Then that's fine and have fun.." I said and stood from my seat. "I'll better get going, too, Honey." I kissed my wife goodbye but I saw the fishy eyes of my other children staring at me.
"What?!" I exclaimed, shyly. And they just giggled.
I drove to the Lab going north and everything went smoothly until we started the talk with my father-in-law.
…..
He's lying on his bed looking out at the window near him. He's sicklier than the last time I visited him for a talk regarding our new research.
"Good morning, Dad." I greeted him when I walked toward his bed.
"Good morning, Henry. Please, have a seat." He said with a deprived voice.
"You're looking pale, Dad. Have you been more ill these past days?" I took a seat. "Camie cooked this for you.." I showed him a lunch box.
"This might be the Karma hitting in.." he muttered in his forced voice.
"Karma? I didn't think you believe in that stuff, Dad, given that you're a scientist." I replied and sat near him.
"I do believe in this thing. Somehow, it is concerned with Einstein's theory." The old man said
"I see.. well—" I tried to laugh "the 3rd law, huh?"
"You see…the truth is.." He said. "When we released the XMC-500, I was overjoyed and the smile I saw from my colleagues and family was overwhelming. I can't contain myself feeling that success with everyone who supported that journey." He sounded nostalgic
"I was there. I was very proud of you, too." I answered. "That was the day you completed something to create a new era."
"I, too, am proud." The old man replied. "But that pride—" he burst into tears and groaned. "I tried to protect that PRIDE to the point that I have done something terrible to you and my daughter…" he sobbed.
I went next to him and held his hand, it was shivering. He gripped my hand and said,
"I'm very sorry, Henry. I am very sorry.."
"What are you saying, Dad?" I asked again but I somehow felt disdain.
"I wished that my daughter was also here so I can ask for her forgiveness as well. I know it's hard to do so—"
"I don't know what are you trying to say, old man." I kinda felt the urge to make him stop crying because, for some reason, I got irritated.
"P-00 only lived for 4 days." He said in a coarse voice.
My whole world stopped. I don't know if I'm hearing him correctly but I felt cold under my feet.
"The machine was not a success.." he continued.
"Then—" words tried to escape my mouth but they hardly did. "What about—"
"Everything was fabricated. I'm so sorry son for making these things up."
"Ehh?!" I was held back. I felt the weight on my nape.
"All the test results, the ultrasound, the lab reports---" the old man wept. "Everything is done to hold on to that PRIDE. I'm very sorry, Henry." He grabbed my wrist and looked me in the eye. "I know I'm not worthy of your forgiveness, especially from that kid. But, I still hope you'll give this man—"
"So, you're saying, the kid in our house—"
"Is your son's twin." He continued, still crying.
I stared at the old man on the bed with blank eyes. I don't even know if I have felt fury under my chest.
"How did you—"
"All the answers you need are under that drawer." He pointed at the cabinet in front of his bed. "I got no time at all. This is my final wish—your forgiveness." The hand I'm holding fell on the bed and the old man lost his breath.
"It's all a lie.." I felt the burning sensation in my chest that's tightened. "This can't be happening. That kid is—"
I walked towards the drawer and opened it. I saw a brown expanded envelope and saw photos, and documents on the kid's growth. My hands are shaking making everything fall on the floor. But, one photo hit my chest very hard and gave me chills.
"This is the day when they were born…" I whispered and fell on my knees and cried.
The photo is captured when the old man is holding the two children upside-down in both his hands and Kid was crying. They're both covered in blood, cords weren't cut yet, and the nurse only got one cloth.
"They—I won't forgive any of you.." I whispered.
The nurse on duty heard the cries inside the room and they hurried to the dead old man. I didn't bother to think about any of them, I just knelt there, realizing how bad things got. And my phone rang.
"Dad!" Kara cried. "Dad!!!! Where are you?!" she exclaimed.
"Hey, sweetie, calm down. I'm still here at the lab." I said. "What's wrong?"
"Dad…" she sniffed. "Kyle—"
When I heard Kyle's name and Kara's cries, I immediately packed the documents, ran towards the exit, and went directly to my car.
"Calm down, Henry.." I murmured. "I hope there is nothing bad that happened."
Kyle's in danger after the accident and now he's in critical condition. Kara's been crying without stating the reason, she only cried on the phone.
"Hey, where are you now?" I asked
"At… the Eastern… Hills Hospital." She replied. "D..a..d" she cried again and again.
"I'm gonna get there fast."
I rushed the long drive and went straight to the hospital, to find my family.
"Nurse, where's Kyle Clarkson?"
"Ohh Doc," the nurse replied. "Kyle? The one involved in the incident. He's at the operating room on the 4th floor, sir."
"Thanks." I rushed to the 4th floor and saw my daughter sulking on a bench and her mom is waiting in front of the operating room's door.
"Sweetie." I kissed my daughter on her forehead. "It's fine. Calm down, okay?" I said. But her eyes were filled with despair. She looked at me with guilty eyes and cried.
"Dad.." she wept, burying herself on my chest.
"It's okay, Kyle's gonna be fine. Have faith.."
She just kept crying. I stood up and went to my wife.
"Hon, how's Kyle?" I asked.
"He'll be fine once the operation is done, the doctors assured it." She replied with stern eyes. She's only focused on the operating room.
"That's a relief." I sighed.
"Yeah." She agreed. "That kid is a big help."
"That kid?" I asked. "Now that you mention, where is he? Look, I have something to--"
"Might be at the morgue by now." My wife replied casually.
"Ehh?!" I was taken aback. "What do you mean?" for a second I felt my consciousness has swept away.
"What do you mean "what do you mean"? Of course, I meant that we've harvested what we needed to get from him. He's served his role." She looked back at the door. "And I don't want to remember his face."
"Wait—" I stepped back and rushed to the basement of the hospital. "Morgue…" I hurried to find the morgue hoping that my son's not in there yet. "Please, even if it's a miracle—" I took the last left turn and stopped in front of an open door.
I was catching my breath. My heart skipped a beat and I dropped the folder, scattering its content on the floor.
"Sir, please," the in-charge said, "Don't drop your things here and make a mess…"
My whole world went silent. I took steps towards the bed, to the body who was covered with a white cloth, near the corner of the room, fronting the doorway.
"Hey.." I said in a low voice. "Hey kid…" I said again, now with more concern. My chest pains, it's hard to breathe.
"Sir, if you want an organ, it's already there." The in-charge pointed at the kits near the door. "But what's left are the pancreas, part of the liver, and a kidney. The rest were alre—"
I didn't hear any of what he said, I just know he's saying something but I don't know what it is. I didn't even realize he went away.
I took the last step and reached the bed. I uncovered the cloth on his head and whispered, Please, I hope it's not him.
But it was him.
My whole world fell apart seeing my kid on that bed with his head open, pale and lifeless. I grabbed him and held him in my arms as I cried in vain. I trembled in pain and regret, wailing in that darkened room.
"Nooo…." My tears kept falling. "This is not true…Hhhhhh…"
His cold hand fell off the bed and I saw a bruise on his wrist. I felt a sting in my spine and thought, he might have struggled not to do this.
I didn't even realize we were already on the floor, and Iwas sulking. The cloth was left hanging on the bed as I cuddled my son's dead body. Does he always feel this light?
"Dad.." Kara said as she stood in the doorway, staring at me.
I didn't look at her but I know she saw the documents and the photos on the floor.
I heard her say, "This is not true, right?.." she stepped back and reached her back at the wall. "Impossible.."
Later I realized, she's screaming outside—crying painfully.
And so do I.