Chapter 267

Chapter 267

Benjamin had pushed Nicholas to get the surgery more times than anyone could count.

It started the second month after Eloise was discharged from the NICU. First came the phone calls, then house visits, and eventually Benjamin even dragged Floyd into it. The two of them stood in front of Nicholas, taking turns laying out the facts — the specialist team only had a two-month window, and if he missed it, he'd have to wait another six months.

Every time, Nicholas said the same thing: just a little longer.

Wait until Eloise's follow-up results are more stable. Wait until Serena can walk. Wait until everything at home is sorted out.

After half a year of this, Benjamin finally snapped. He showed up at the house last week, planted himself in the doorway of the study, pointed straight at Nicholas, and said: "Are you scared the surgery will go wrong, or are you just scared to leave Sophia for five minutes?"

Nicholas didn't say anything.

But that night, as Sophia lay in bed, he reached over in the dark and took her hand. Then, out of nowhere, he said quietly: "I'll go next month."

Sophia turned her head to look at him. She couldn't make out his expression in the dark, but she could hear it in his voice — a kind of calm that told her he'd already made up his mind.

Once Benjamin got the news, he moved fast. Flights, visas, hospital coordination, post-op recovery plan — all sorted within three days.

They were set to leave the following Tuesday. Sophia would go with him.

Lyanna and Marigold would stay behind to look after Eloise and Serena. Nicholas was still a little uneasy about it until Marigold cut him off with: "Don't worry about a thing. The kids are in good hands."

The night before they left, the house was unusually quiet.

Serena had gone to bed early. Sophia was in the living room packing their bags while Lyanna stood beside her, weighing in on which clothes to bring.

Nicholas sat on the sofa, going through the pre-op instructions Benjamin had sent over, reading each line carefully, going back and forth through the pages.

Then Eloise came out of the bedroom.

She walked over to Nicholas and stopped in front of him, tilting her little face up to look at him for a moment.

Nicholas looked up from the papers, set down his phone, and smiled. "Eloise, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Eloise climbed up onto the sofa and settled in beside him, her short little legs dangling off the edge and swinging back and forth.

She hugged her stuffed rabbit, tilted her head, and thought for a moment before finally speaking. "Daddy, you're leaving tomorrow, right?"

Nicholas nodded.

"How long will you be gone?"

"About a month. Once Daddy's done with the surgery, I'll rest for a bit, and then I'll be back before you know it."

Eloise nodded, went quiet for a couple of seconds, then asked: "Does the surgery hurt?"

Nicholas paused, then reached over and ruffled her hair. "It won't hurt too much. I will get medicine to sleep, and when I'm asleep, I don't feel anything."

Eloise nodded and looked down, squeezing one of the rabbit's ears between her fingers.

After a moment, she looked up again — and held the rabbit out to Nicholas.

"Daddy, take the bunny with you."

Nicholas blinked.

Eloise pushed the rabbit into his arms and explained very seriously: "When Eloise was in the hospital, I couldn't sleep at night, so I would hold it. It's really soft. When you hold it, you're not scared anymore. So if Daddy gets scared at night, you can hold it too."

Nicholas looked down at the little stuffed rabbit in his arms and felt something catch in his throat.

Eloise didn't notice. She kept talking.

"Eloise was a little scared back then, too. But Eloise thought — if I'm good and I get better fast, I can see Mommy and Daddy sooner. So then I wasn't scared anymore."

She looked up at him.

"Daddy can do the same thing. Listen to the doctors, eat your meals, and get better soon. That way, you can come home faster. Eloise and Serena will both be here waiting for you."

Nicholas reached over and touched her head. "Back then — were you really not scared?"

Eloise thought about it, then shook her head honestly. "I was a little scared. But when I thought about Mommy and Daddy waiting outside, I wasn't as scared anymore."

Nicholas closed his eyes for a moment.

He felt something press gently against his chest — a soft, full ache that wasn't quite pain.

He opened his eyes, held the rabbit close, and smiled at Eloise. "Then Daddy's not scared either. When I think about Eloise waiting at home, and Serena, and Mommy — I'm not scared."

Eloise gave a satisfied nod. Then she slid off the sofa, stepped up to Nicholas, and reached out both hands to pat the back of his, like a little grown-up.

"Do your best, Daddy. Eloise and Serena will be good. We'll wait for you to come home."

Nicholas looked at this tiny little person in front of him and couldn't help laughing. He pulled her into a gentle hug.

Sophia stood in the doorway of the living room, watching the two of them on the sofa in silence. Then she turned and walked away.

She didn't trust herself to go over there. She was afraid that if she did, she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears.

The nights in a foreign country were much quieter than at home.

They barely had any jet lag to deal with, but even so, neither Nicholas nor Sophia could sleep.

Late at night, they both lay there with their eyes open.

They both knew the other was awake. Neither of them said a word.

After a long while, Sophia was the first to speak. "What time tomorrow?"

"Eight in the morning." Nicholas's voice came from the pillow beside her. "They'll take me into the operating room at eight. The pre-op checks were done this afternoon — the doctor said all my numbers look good."

Sophia nodded and reached over to take his hand.

"Are you scared?" she asked.

Nicholas was quiet for a few seconds, then let out a small laugh. "A little."

Sophia turned her head to look at him.

He looked a bit better than he had six months ago, but the fine lines at the corners of his eyes were still there, and his hair was still going white — as if all those hard years had been carved right into his bones, and weren't about to let go easily.

"I'm a little scared, too," Sophia said. "But I believe in you."

Nicholas rolled over to face her.

"Like what you said when Eloise had her surgery." Sophia looked into his eyes. "You said: once the surgery's done, it'll be fine. It'll be over soon. You said that to me then. Now I'm saying it to you."

The corner of Nicholas's mouth curved up slightly.

They were quiet again for a moment. Then Sophia softly called his name.

"Nicholas."

"Yeah?"

"When you wake up tomorrow, I'll be right there."

Nicholas lowered his head and rested his face against her hair, and quietly answered.

The next morning, Sophia woke up early.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten. She turned her head and saw that Nicholas was already awake, lying on his side, looking out the window, lost in thought.

"What time is it?"

"Six." Nicholas turned back to look at her and smiled. "Stay in bed a little longer. There's no rush."

But Sophia sat up right away, gathered her hair, and got up to go to the bathroom.

When she came out, Nicholas was already sitting on the edge of the bed, slowly tying his shoelaces.

His injured leg couldn't take much weight. When he bent forward, his balance shifted, and his body swayed slightly.

Sophia walked over, crouched down, took the laces from his hands, and tied the shoe for him.

Then she stood up and held out her hand.

"Let's go."